I have had my RF31 for a while now and decided it was time to get the quill return working. I have seen some other posts where guys have added springs to the quill itself or even a custom windlass style winch system. Some were wanting to improve backlash while others mentioned lack of parts availability. Backlash is for sure an issue on these mills especially in the Z...as far as availability goes I am happy to report that I found stock in several places including Mcmaster and Enco. I ordered a replacement and for just under $40 I have a new spring and it came in a new housing as well.
The factory spring was long gone before I got the mill so I never did see it in place. The manual for my machine simply states that the quill is factory set and shouldn't require adjustment. In the case of a heavy tooling combination that won't retract it suggests that the spring cover can be loosened and then turned CLOCKWISE until the heavy tool will retract properly. I take that to mean that a clockwise rotation would be increasing the tension on the spring to help it pull up quill.
Now for the ???s. I'm looking at this thing and the housing is certainly a doppelganger for the original. The spring appears to be set up for a COUNTERCLOCKWISE windup if I'm looking at it correctly. The hole in the spring for the screw is to the left of the slot that it should rest in. The curly q part of the spring that goes through the slot in the housing also looks to be setup for a load in the counterclockwise direction.
Anybody out there had one of these apart and got it back together successfully? Did you start with the quill locked or free...up or down? Approx how many turns on the spring? Any other useful tips or tricks?
JH
The factory spring was long gone before I got the mill so I never did see it in place. The manual for my machine simply states that the quill is factory set and shouldn't require adjustment. In the case of a heavy tooling combination that won't retract it suggests that the spring cover can be loosened and then turned CLOCKWISE until the heavy tool will retract properly. I take that to mean that a clockwise rotation would be increasing the tension on the spring to help it pull up quill.
Now for the ???s. I'm looking at this thing and the housing is certainly a doppelganger for the original. The spring appears to be set up for a COUNTERCLOCKWISE windup if I'm looking at it correctly. The hole in the spring for the screw is to the left of the slot that it should rest in. The curly q part of the spring that goes through the slot in the housing also looks to be setup for a load in the counterclockwise direction.
Anybody out there had one of these apart and got it back together successfully? Did you start with the quill locked or free...up or down? Approx how many turns on the spring? Any other useful tips or tricks?
JH