New Guy with HF 5980...INTRO & need bearing lube help!

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TopCatGr
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Mar 07, 2010 10:07 pm
Location: Portsmouth, VA

New Guy with HF 5980...INTRO & need bearing lube help!

Post by TopCatGr »

Hey there Folks,

I'm T.C. and here's my story if you want to read it! First, I have done lots of searching on here, and have found several promising threads from several years ago regarding the HF5980, but not what I needed to know.

I'm an ADMIN for a vintage motorcycle group...the Yamaha XS1100 series circa 1978-1982/84 if you include Canada. I know how our site members like PHOTOS, so I'll be posting quite a few for your viewing entertainment!

Our beloved machines have an old style oil filter CUP/bolt design with an open filter, the bolt head is too small, and it's a real PITA to change oil and filter. Working with a local REAL machinist and biking enthusiast, we came up with a design for an adapter plate to permit the use of spin-on oil filters. This machinist had a home CNC setup, and agreed to do the bulk of the processing of the 1" thick 7071 aluminum plate we used to make these things out of. But after many months of doing this, he got tired and also got rid of his XS11 bike, and told me that I would have to make them myself! I had NO prior Machining experience!! :shock:

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Later on, we learned how to make a combo Oil cooler/filter adapter!

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This is how I came to own my HF5980 3-1 unit, 6" 4 jaw chuck along with a metal cutting bandsaw, large mill vise, then later a nice 8" Rotary Table, quick change tool post, boring set, HSS tool steel home ground bits, multiple MT2 mill holders, machinist gauge, dig. calipers, etc., about $1K or more tool investments just so I could make these for our members at cutrate prices.

I've had the unit for several years, got it during their clearance sale of their large floor display stock items, was missing the 3 jaw chuck, tool post holder, as well as part of the handle for the quill. I mounted it in my garage on some old C.I. legs from an old 6' belt driven lathe that had been given to me...but I could not get to work properly!

I realized that the size of my work piece, being 5.25" diameter was pushing the envelope for this machine, but it's what I had to do. Here are some old photos of me working on the Spin-on Oil Filter Adapter(SOFA).

Using Dial gauge to center piece in 4 jaw chuck
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Using Tailstock/Mt drillchuck to drill center mounting hole
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Now, having mounted the Rotary table...made a jig to bolt to tailstock as well as Ways....centering it with the mill head.
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Centering work piece on Rotary Table...made cutting circles much easier!
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Hogging out recesses in plate
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Using finishing mill bit to clean up inside edges/sides
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Having reversed chuck jaws, mounting piece for exterior facing.
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Performing facing.
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Having already bored center hole to desired width, now tapping for mounting threads using tailstock/MT dead center!
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Not all work....this is one of two gas tank badges I cut by hand using the regular mill vise, and lots of ways table cranking!!!!
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FINALLY GETTING TO THE QUESTION

After a few years of use, the thick green bearing grease started oozing out from the belt side of the lathe spindle, as well as from the mill quill!
I downloaded the owner's manual from HF that has exploded views, but there are no disassembly instructions for the spindle or mill head/quill!

I was able to figure out how to take the lathe spindle apart, the pulleys are just taper interference fitted, got them loose with chain strap wrench, then gently tapped the spindle out of the pulley side bearing with a 3lb sledge, was then able to remove lots of the scurf that had gotten around the guard into the tapered bearings, no damage to race, regreased with fresh, able to again gently tap spindle back into place and into pulley side bearing, all reassembled and working smoothly again!!

BUT I can NOT figure out how to take the MILL HEAD quill assembly apart. I pulled the pulley off, the bearing "C" clamp, I found out how the gear shaft for the quill fits, and how to remove it, but the quill seems to be pressed into the upper bearing, the upper housing seems to be cast as one solid piece with the head, not 2 pieces like the manual shows!?!?

So...does anyone have experience with this beast's mill head, and can provide explicit step by step instructions on how to take it apart?! As you may have perceived, I'm a true NOVICE/Hobbyist, and don't have ALL of the terminology memorized. I've gotten and read basic machinists guides and such, but I'm over 50...so it's hard to keep the new stuff in there!! :roll:

Thanks in advance for any assistance, hope you enjoyed the show/story. Wanted to share and show what can be done with this machine!

T.C./TopCatGr[/b]
sch
Posts: 277
Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2003 7:51 pm

Post by sch »

The mill spindle comes out through the bottom in a similar
fashion to the lathe spindle. Remove the taper fit pulley and
any nuts below and the C clip. There should be some way
to load the bearings (apply compression to the angled bearings)
but the manual does not clearly show this, likely it is #322, a
'circular nut'. This will have to be removed along with all the
items above it on the diagram. On Shoptask 3n1 and the HF
mill drills there is a castle nut under the pulley and
a simple ball bearing for the pulley to run on. Check the
spindle face from below for any radial allen head screw
holding a spindle cap in place-none apparent on the manual
blowup but check. If none then you can either gently pound
on the top of the spindle with a plastic hammer or block of
wood OR use an all thread with a piece of plastic pipe on the
bottom of the spindle large enough to let the spindle come
through and the all thread through a piece of metal at Rt angles
to the pipe. The top end of the all thread has a nut and washers
large enough to cover the end of the spindle. Now tighten the
top nut with a wrench and by extruding the spindle downward
about 1 cm you should pop the bearings out of their pockets and
the spindle will fall out. Thats the way the HF mill drill and
Shoptask work, should work here as well. The bearings are
standard automotive bearings, about $10-15 each. The lathe
and mill spindles are very similar, main difference being the
mill spindle housing can go up and down, but the spindle inside
the housing is almost identical to the lathe spindle.
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