Mill location dilemna..

WesPete66

Active User
Registered
Joined
Oct 15, 2013
Messages
285
I've been working on my new-to-me Sheldon Number 0 horizontal mill. The plan is to get the major clean-up and painting done first so I can park it in its new home in my shop. Then I can more leisurely finish the wiring, mechanical work, etc..
I was thinking tonight was going to be the night to move it in place. Then it hit me that if I did place it against the wall as planned I would not be able to remove the drawbar from the machine. I could access it to loosen/tighten it, but could not fully remove it. I know it is not ideal or desired, but would that be acceptable to always leave the drawbar in the spindle? I mean, it would always be tightened into something in order to use the mill, right? What do you all think?
(Yes my shop space is seriously crowded, and floor space is a premium!)
 
Are you planning to leave enough room behind it to push the overarm back or run with it always extended 100%? It would seem like there would be enough room to remove the draw bar if you can push the overarm back. I would hesitate to place it where I couldn't get the draw bar out. Honestly, I'd try to think of a way to make a 2-piece spindle before I would go the route of a spindle that couldn't be removed without moving the machine.

Edit, I said remove the arbor, I meant remove the draw bar.
 
Last edited:
Deleted, because it's a MILL drawbar and I'm a dummy.
 
I have seen plenty of holes in walls because some of the big mills the drawbar came out the back and it was not feasible to leave that much space behind the machine.
 
Hole in the wall is not out of the question, an old friend dis so in a shop in Santa Rosa, dionf late work at night, the overarm was pushed back where it overhung the sidewalk, no safety barrier was placed; after the theatre let out, he was working on the mill and felt it shudder, looked outside and saw a person lying on the sidewalk, having been cold cocked by the overarm; he quickly pulled the overarm back in, turned off the lights and left the premises. In memory of the Crown Machine Works and G.W. (Bill) Hesse.
 
It would seem like there would be enough room to remove the arbor if you can push the overarm back.
The overarm is forward, but the arbor is not the issue. It's the drawbar that enters the spindle from the back. If the drawbar is in place in the spindle when I set the mill, it's not possible to remove it because of the wall.
 
Pardon my unknowingness (is that even a word?). ha But I'm not sure what a proper drawbar for this machine looks like. What I have is a threaded rod with a hex nut welded on the end (for hammering?) and a hex nut & washer that runs along the thread to tighten it against the rear of the spindle. This design must install from the back of the machine.
Why couldn't I make a rod with threads on both ends. One end I would thread into the arbor or tapered adapter first, then I'd feed the drawbar through the spindle (from the front) and seat the taper into the spindle, and after that thread on a nut from the back side to tighten the drawbar in place.
I suppose that is how every other horiz mill in he world is set up.. ?? :dunno:
 
You probably won't need to remove it, but you should leave some space behind to tap on it to remove arbors, or collets.
Mine has a B&S 9 spindle and I use a chunk of aluminum as a hammer so there's a few inches space to the wall so I can tap tap tap
I sometimes put endmills or a flycutter in my M-20 Diamond horizontal
1012160959-00.jpg Motor was removed for this pic
 
Last edited:
The amount of space behind the machine needed behind the machine is dependent how you intend to use it. I have an older US Machine Tools horizontal mill that also has a B&S #9 arbor. In the 25 years I've had it I've only had to remove the arbor a couple times to use collets. I use standard horizontal milling cutters and slitting saws almost exclusively.

In my case I also have a Bridgeport vertical mill a few feet away. That mill gets used more often with a wider variety of tooling so the horizontal mill can remain dedicated to arbor mounted tooling.
 
Back
Top