New to Surface Grinders

I pulled things apart a bit more for inspection and just for the sake of learning how this works and how it is put together. I did figure out that the oil reservoir up at the top is used to feed "fresh" oil to the spindle screw and also that same oil runs down the screw threads and is collected by the heavy spindle casting where there are two channels used to send oil to the ways. It is actually pretty clever and elegant.

Oil is pumped up here-

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and then it runs down the threads of the screw until it gets to these channels that feed the ways-

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Another thing I am quite pleased with is the overall condition of the ways. The scraping looks very fresh and shows little signs of wear on both the spindle column and the saddle.
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The nice part is that all this oil just drops right back down into the sump where it can be recirculated (pump is at the bottom of the lower sump) shown above...

I am sure the way this works is not unusual or even slightly interesting to most people but it is all new to me...

I did confirm that since it has ball ways for the table, there is no need to have continuous oil flow onto the ways making them less susceptible to grinding dust contamination. I do have a manual for the Super 612 but it does not cover ball ways maintenance procedures so I would like to hear from others who have experience with this configuration.

That is all good news. The bad news is that all outer insulation for the wiring is hard and cracking. I need to completely rewire this machine in order to make sure it is good to go for years to come. I will need to find some of this heavy gauge stuff to make it appear more or less original so that will probably be my next step...

BTW @Cadillac The orange thing in the previous post is a Lotus Elise
 
Is anyone familiar with the protocol for lubricating the ball ways? I know they don't get a continuous feed but I am not sure what to use for oil (or grease) or how often...

Thanks
 
Never use grease on ways even if it has a zerk fitting..... Oil only....
 
I use a grinder at work that has open guide rails for the carriage. I use a dry graphite spray that’s dries instantly. Works great and doesn’t collect debris. I can see it working good in that application. What does a Harig manual say?
 
My manual only covers standard ways. Not sure if there is another version out there...
 
... Surface grinders ways come in both types, and I've used them both.

First are standard scraped ways that use some kind of low pressurized oil to 'float' the table. This is most common in hydraulically operated automatic types that use a hydraulic power feed.

Second is the one that use balls or rollers between the bottoms ways and the table. This is far more common in modern machines and use a light coat of oil to minimize wear on the rolling elements and the cast base and table.

They both have their good points and bad points. The most accurate surface grinders made use rollers and a power operated, metered oiling system. I've heard of machines that can achieve grind accuracies of one micron, but haven't seen or used one.
 
Ok thanks guys. Sounds like I will just go with a light oiling and then periodically clean and inspect. Table removal is very easy so I guess this will be the best route... Graphite might be an even better choice in the long term so I will investigate that further.
 
Just a brief update- I have been spending a good bit of my free time cleaning the gunk off of this thing. The machine looked pretty clean from a distance but up close there was a lot of cleaning to do. First thing I did was pull the drain plug on the sump and remove the remaining oil and sludge from the bottom. This was a pretty unpleasant task to say the least! Finally got it all cleaned out and then I went about replacing the old, brittle oil lines with new lines made from a material specially resistant to oils and fuel (thanks McMaster-Carr). Also pulled the pump and cleaned out the filter screens etc...
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At the same time I replaced the very brittle lubrication hose that feeds the saddle ways. Still needs to be trimmed to final size once I reinstall the saddle...

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Also had to take the grinder off the base in order to address the accumulated crud that was trapped between the top of the base and the grinder. Spent almost a full day just getting the base cleaned up. This must be just about the nastiest job in this hobby. I forgot to take before pictures but it was truly disgusting!
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Lastly I pulled out all the wiring and built a new wiring harness and rebuilt the seemingly unobtainable "Start-Stop" switch. The switch had pitted contacts and one of the phases (poles) was missing a tension spring so contact was less than optimal. New harness has a 3 phase line input, a 3 phase motor output and a single phase pump circuit. All was done with new 14 Gauge rubber jacketed cable.
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All that is left now is cleaning the underside of the saddle. How bad can that be?

Do you guys think it needs a new paint job? That was the only thing I still haven't made up my mind on...
 
Man, seeing your surface grinder makes my mouth water.
I have a Brown and Sharpe 618 waiting to be picked up when the weather warms up in the mountains of California.
Can't wait. Thanks for sharing your pics.
 
GDS12 said:
Do you guys think it needs a new paint job? That was the only thing I still haven't made up my mind on...
Click to expand...
I think it looks just fine. Leave the paint as it is to show the good care the grinder has had over the years. Older machines are supposed to look used, carefully used. Since you have such a rare unabused machine, show it off!
 
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