The Home Machinist!

Purchased one today on Amazon.

Also hooked up with Richard King today on trying to attend one of his siminars on mahcine scraping and reconditioning.

_________________
Charlie Pipes
USMC Retired

Project:

2.5 Baldwin 2-4-4 Conversion
1.6 Southern Railway PS-4

Where can I find info on that?

Steve

The book came from Amazon

I found Richard king on the net having read about his classes on line at
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/ge ... st-228218/


when I contacted him about getting on the list for his next class he told me he is trying to set up one in Huntsville Al. in the December time frame. This is where I work so I am hoping they pull it off.

His website is

http://handscraping.com/

His email is richard@handscraping.com

He has been very informative so far and answered my questions all day in various Emails

Spent a little time before heading to the volley ball tournament on the sander tonight. Working on the main body of the mill. Will have to buy a hydralic hoist to lift the knee off to get at it an clean it out.

I am thinking I will get it cleaned and painted and then put it back together with what I have. Then get trained up on reworking the ways.

Mr king did recommend I have the table ways ground or planed to true them up. It would be execsive time to scrape the larger surfaces to remove the sag in them

Anyone know of a shop they would recommend? I will have to ship it no matter what.

_________________
Charlie Pipes
USMC Retired

Project:

2.5 Baldwin 2-4-4 Conversion
1.6 Southern Railway PS-4

Well friend you are going up a road many have already traveled. There is no escaping the knowledge of scrapeing for it is an art in itself. Yet you like me have limited time. I'm thinking along the lines of an "active gib" There can be that which takes up play and in operation wears the unworn. In order to make them all the same. This is something the minds here may think about.

Wow! I am thinking that truing the table ways, replacing the table Nut and Leadscrew, would go lightyears towards stellar performance. You already have a drive, and all that for me is 90% of the function of a Mill.

I want to know how this turns out, and what the shop charge is for truing (grinding) the ways. it takes a fair sized grinder to set your table, but there are many around (or were) waiting for work.

One of the Industrial registers may get you a company Name that can do this within your area.

_________________
Big Dave

Be Alert! The world needs more Lerts.

Well not much time in the shop this weekend. Mostly I spent money on it. I had been borrowing a hoist to move things around so I finally spent the money on one for the shop. Also bought rags, sanding disk and forty feet of SO cord to wire it into the three phase.

I did manage to sand on the base to the point I have half of it stripped. (Not the side facing the camera) and disconnected the Knee Casting.



In this photo it is sitting on the screw assembly ready to lift off. The book I have shows using a one inch piece of steel rod as a lifting point and I will cut it tomorrow an clamp it in place.

The book shows pulling the head, ram, and turret prior to this but I am planning on lifting the entire assembly high enough to set on boards for the sanding and painting of the bottom. My lift might be a little shy of being able to lift the entire machine with the arm all the way extended so I will pull the knee and head prior to using the lifting eye to pick it up.

The deeper I get inot this the more it stinks. Thirty years of grease and oil has a smell to it.

I am about 6 chapters into the Machinery Tool Reconditioning book by Connelly. Having looked it thru before starting I will say that I do not recommend this as a purchase if you are not seriously considering scraping and retruing a machine tool. It is packed with information and easy to read but a little on the expensive side for someone not wanting to totally overhaul a machine.

Still I must say I am looking forward to taking the Richard King seminar on scraping.

_________________
Charlie Pipes
USMC Retired

Project:

2.5 Baldwin 2-4-4 Conversion
1.6 Southern Railway PS-4

Someone asked the cost of having the table ways ground. I contacted a company recommended by Richard King called Schmege. They are located in Tulahoma Tennessee.

Spoke with a representitive who quoted a price of $800.00 to grind the ways and top of the bed to true them up.

Will be on my list of to do things.

First I am changing into grubbies and going down to finish pulling the Knee off and sanding on the base casting.

_________________
Charlie Pipes
USMC Retired

Project:

2.5 Baldwin 2-4-4 Conversion
1.6 Southern Railway PS-4

Question for the day. Is there any other way to level a bridgeport other than metal shims under the four corners? Photos would be greatly appreciated.

_________________
Charlie Pipes
USMC Retired

Project:

2.5 Baldwin 2-4-4 Conversion
1.6 Southern Railway PS-4

http://www.reidsupply.com/Results.aspx?pid=10021788
please try this link.

I have to be careful how I say this for you Know things. It isn't that I'm telling you what to do. The engine hoist isn't positioned right for even that knee. The point of pull is too far forward from what I saw. It's not your fault for you just bought it. Legs should be extended to max and the boom shortened up one section. This isn't like a car engine where it can jump and get caught by the lower A arms. It gets really ugly if something catches.

You are of course right.

I ended up having to shorten the arm to the one ton length.

It is a cheaper hoist without leg extensions so whe I picked up the mill after I pulled the knee I had to shorten the arm and pick it up from the back side to set it up on blocks for sanding the base.

_________________
Charlie Pipes
USMC Retired

Project:

2.5 Baldwin 2-4-4 Conversion
1.6 Southern Railway PS-4

Having "watched" your lathe resto...when do you sleep?

Anyway, while I was doing my mill I got a couple 1"sq bars a few inches longer than the width of the base, turned the ends round and popped a couple 620x bearings on them. While the mill base was seperate I installed the leveling feet as suggested. Now I can (lower the feet) raise the mill up a little bit, slide the new axles under, raise the feet up so the mill rests on the axles. My garage has a slight slope and the mill started rolling!!! Not bad for over 1 ton of steel. Tap the axles out of parallel and you start making turns.

Keep up the good work,
Michael