Rockwell mill lubrication upgrade

[Weldingrod1]

A thread in which I pull my mill apart and make it, hopefully, better.

Goals:
Install new swarf covers
Add pressure lube to everything
Re-do the flexible swarf guards
Install DROs on Z and quill

 

[Weldingrod1]

Progress! Locked out the glass scales.
You can see where I plugged the hole in the back of the knee.

#%^^ the swarf guard was bent, not broken. Ugh. At least my new ones fit!
Spoiler alert: I discover WHY it got bent later on ;-)

 

[Weldingrod1]

Kinematic location for the Y axis DRO, so I can take that bracket off and replace it.

In case you wondered what the bottom of the spindle looks like.

Flip it over, drag it out...

 

[Weldingrod1]

Now, how to lift the knee...

Maybe a lifting eye in the roof?

 

[Weldingrod1]

I'd like better hefting... I added five threaded holes above the mill for future hefting joy. It's really tight quarters for an engine hoist, and mine is a ridiculous PITA to dig out.

 

[Weldingrod1]

Strapping that sucker down helped
Fyi, step drills work really well on cast iron!
A short projection 1/8" not tap is vital for this sort of work.
I drilled a matching (oversized) hole in the gib to let oil through.
I wasn't 100% sure which surface was really sliding, so I went overboard and put in 6 oil ports! I know y'all are not surprised...

Yes, the 2x4 is ridiculous ;-)

Fun with fiddly hand drilling...

And... all done!

Since I wasn't 100% sure which surface was contacting, I lubed all six surfaces separately! The gib has a matching hole to let lube through.

 

[Weldingrod1]

And the knee is back on! Scary progress! I pumped oil through the holes before I put it on and did it again afterwards. Happy happy! I picked it back up later to put on the knee screw lube collar.

 

[Weldingrod1]

Oh, and here's the core holes in the back of the knee. If you ever are in a position to see them on -your- mill, plug them! They let chips get on your bevel gears! Bridgeports have the same holes. I had a ton of chips trapped inside my knee, as did the latest Rockwell owner! I used some sheet gasket and liquid nails 20 years ago... I also foamed it to create a pocket to trap grease on the gears.

 

[Weldingrod1]

Second axis done!!!
Some super deep holes. Unfortunately, the last one needs even deeper ones!

 

[Weldingrod1]

Metal acupuncture? That's all three axies lubed. I've printed a distributor for the knee screw and drilled to run some tubing to the x and y screws. Next up is the big swarf guards.