BoxcarPete
Stainless
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2018
- Location
- Michigan, USA
Hello, all!
I've been a lurker here for a while, but finally have something I think is worth asking about.
I'm an engineer working in the seals and rubber parts business. We are currently in the beginning stages of setting up a testing and prototype shop to add capability and service to our customers. We got a good deal on a like-new Bridgeport mill (purchased by someone to ramp up for a big project, but the project fell through and the machine never went into service.) It's been sitting for about a year and a half now, still on the pallet.
I ran the table back and forth a couple times, pumping the way oiler like crazy, wiping away all the gunk per the recommendation made to someone else here a while back. However, when I went to load a collet, the drawbar would not pull it in. After checking everything over, I found that the collet was getting stuck on the stepped bearing surface as I loaded it. I took the drawbar out and removed the height spacer so that I could thread it all the way up by wrench. The torque required was just barely too tight to go by hand. Removed the collet and saw some very light scoring on it in a few places. Wiped out the spindle with a rag in case there was any debris, and tried another collet. Same story, even after taking a hone stone to the corner of the collet in case there were any burrs. Checked the drawbar threads in the collet in open space too, just to be sure that was not the sticking point.
Moral of the story is, everything feels a little TOO tight to me, having used machines like this before in a much more broken-in state. I'm wondering what will "wear in" to feeling how I'm used to, what might be an actual problem, and what might be due to the fact that it's been sitting so long and could be easily corrected by someone more experienced.
We also got a small surface grinder, looks like a KO Lee SE618, but the nameplate was too worn for me to read it. Got a good deal on it since these were the last two machines of a machine refurbisher who was getting out of the business. His new boss was sick of him leaving early to meet with people on the machines, so he sent me away with the grinder for what he had put into it (new spindle, did not get to doing the ways).
Any thoughts would be appreciated, as I have very little experience with surface grinders.
I've been a lurker here for a while, but finally have something I think is worth asking about.
I'm an engineer working in the seals and rubber parts business. We are currently in the beginning stages of setting up a testing and prototype shop to add capability and service to our customers. We got a good deal on a like-new Bridgeport mill (purchased by someone to ramp up for a big project, but the project fell through and the machine never went into service.) It's been sitting for about a year and a half now, still on the pallet.
I ran the table back and forth a couple times, pumping the way oiler like crazy, wiping away all the gunk per the recommendation made to someone else here a while back. However, when I went to load a collet, the drawbar would not pull it in. After checking everything over, I found that the collet was getting stuck on the stepped bearing surface as I loaded it. I took the drawbar out and removed the height spacer so that I could thread it all the way up by wrench. The torque required was just barely too tight to go by hand. Removed the collet and saw some very light scoring on it in a few places. Wiped out the spindle with a rag in case there was any debris, and tried another collet. Same story, even after taking a hone stone to the corner of the collet in case there were any burrs. Checked the drawbar threads in the collet in open space too, just to be sure that was not the sticking point.
Moral of the story is, everything feels a little TOO tight to me, having used machines like this before in a much more broken-in state. I'm wondering what will "wear in" to feeling how I'm used to, what might be an actual problem, and what might be due to the fact that it's been sitting so long and could be easily corrected by someone more experienced.
We also got a small surface grinder, looks like a KO Lee SE618, but the nameplate was too worn for me to read it. Got a good deal on it since these were the last two machines of a machine refurbisher who was getting out of the business. His new boss was sick of him leaving early to meet with people on the machines, so he sent me away with the grinder for what he had put into it (new spindle, did not get to doing the ways).
Any thoughts would be appreciated, as I have very little experience with surface grinders.
