Rebuilding the head on a South Bend 4219 1956 mill

20170919_142628.jpg 20170919_142611.jpg OK, the long title says it all, I have an older southbound mill that I really enjoy, it's heavy, only has 1 hp, but she is pretty solid and a ram head. No nod, but she does tilt side to side.
I am in the process of collecting information on what I am going to need to do to rebuild the head and replace the spindle bearings on this machine. The information on this machine is a little sparse, though, not much is needed because the machine is fairly straight forward in design and construction.
Any info you might be aware of I'd would apperciated, very interested in info on taking apart the head and any adjustments alignments I should be aware of before I start pulling her apart.

Some pictures of the machine , head and the name plate.
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Moderator Edit: Cleaned up the thread title so it can be found easily in search results.
 
There is also one of these mills available thru c'list on L.I. in N.Y.
If it wasn't c'list it was f'book marketplace. I thought for long time before deciding to pass!
 
Rich,

Any progress on the rebuild of the spindle of your South Bend VMC? There's not many of these machines kicking around out there and I love mine. I wish I had a spindle brake like yours, but it does fine for my hobby needs.

-Jake
 
Hey Jake, sorry for the slow reply. Life and prioritizes got in the way. Work, and than rebuilding much of the shop has sidelined the mill rebuild till a later date. Sorry for the slow reply.
Rich
 
I guess you cant edit your post.
Yes on lack of info for this machine. Curious about the brake, I thought they all had them. Mine came out of a school in nw new jersey. She has some slop in the ways, makes some noises, but as you mention as a hobbies she does what I need.
 
No worries, Rich. Yeah mine has some slop in the ways too. I've readjusted the gibs to get most of it out, but there's definitely some honest wear. Not a problem for me, I just play on my mill anyway. I've learned to work around the lack of brake and spindle lock. Mine doesn't even show any signs of ever having them.

A friend is bringing a 3/4" CR steel shaft up next week to have me cut a keyway for the sprocket for his son's go cart build. Perfect work for the South Bend! :)
 
One of the best things I've ever done, buying this mill:grin:. For me the slop was not so much in the x direction (definitely wear in the center which is not a problem for me with small parts) but in the y direction, a cant remember if I used an 8 thou feeler gauge or a 10 thou but that tightened it up.
What type of spindle are you using and how are you holding your tooling?
I found a bt30 er40 collet holder and modified it for the retention screws. Way more precise than the z collet spindle that it came with.
Nice to find someone to swap some stories with:cool:

Rich
 
I have scoured every avenue I can find to purchase the old Weldon 30MM style toolholders, p/n QC-1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. These were sold as a 'quick change' tool system for use in a NMTB 40 machine. They are a direct fit into the South Bend spindle, set screw 'eyebrows' and all. I am still looking for a couple more shell mill holders, Weldon QSC-1, 2 and 3.

289437

I actually like the Universal Engineering ZZ collet holder that my machine came with. I've been eyeing a more complete set of ZZs, but good used ones in sets are hard to find.

I've looked at the BT30 toolholders thinking they would be a good option for a retrofit. It sounds like you've done it? That's great to know.
 
Yes, my ZZ collects were old and worn, and the toolholder had a good deal of run out in it, so I was looking for alternatives, and taper 30 will work in them, but I know for a fact bt30 tangs line up on the tangs on my machine. There is enough clearance above to fit the drawback threading so you do not have to remove it. The retention screws, you need to make your own indent/retainer slot.
I do not believe the tooling you show is taper 40, they would not fit into the spindle. Are you absolutely sure? I luv that they are already drilled for the retention screws. Cool, I might look into some of those.
 
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