Q & A for a Jones & Shipman 540 - Power Rise and Fall?

Hi all,

Please see the pictures...



I know there are probably a few of you who can inform me on and about the hardware on this grinder. It's a fixer-upper, but I'm thinking of buying it. Just haven't seen this type of, what I think is the power rise and fall for the wheel-head. I'm used to seeing the gear shifter looking handle behind the spindle head hand-wheel.

So, questions...

Can someone confirm that the controls shown are the power rise and fall? What is the lever on the rise and fall hand-wheel shaft on the side?

Any idea what those electrical looking enclosures are on the side?

I assume the power rise and fall are operated by the push buttons on the front console?

Any guess on year?

Any idea how old this machine is? I haven't seen this type of setup before.


Thanks for looking.

More pics...

As it has the plain bearing spindle it is old. The plain bearing spindle looks to be an older design then mine and J&S moved away from them to roller bearings in the 1960's. This thread here has a really early 540 in it http://www.practicalmachinist.com/v...es-shipman-540-grinder-new-aquisition-312875/

RC99 said:

As it has the plain bearing spindle it is old. The plain bearing spindle looks to be an older design then mine and J&S moved away from them to roller bearings in the 1960's. This thread here has a really early 540 in it http://www.practicalmachinist.com/v...es-shipman-540-grinder-new-aquisition-312875/

Click to expand...

Thanks RC99.

Do you know if this spindle head would take the roller bearing or would I be stuck finding replacemet plain bearings if they're shot?


Jarrod

This is an early version of the power rise and fall ,the plain bearings were available as a (superior) optioneven on later machines.

sable said:

This is an early version of the power rise and fall ,the plain bearings were available as a (superior) optioneven on later machines.

Click to expand...

Interesting! Thanks for your input. Superior if they're not shot to hell! The reservoir looked bone dry, but the owner hasn't run the machine since he got it, which also makes me a little concerned.

The power rise/fall looks pretty primitive. Not sure that is good or bad.

Jarrod said:

Thanks RC99.

Do you know if this spindle head would take the roller bearing or would I be stuck finding replacemet plain bearings if they're shot?


Jarrod

Click to expand...

Very likely the spindle is still good..nothing wrong with a plane bearing spindle except it may take a few minuets to warm up.. they can give a better finish than a bearing spindle..I ran a brand new Shipman SG looking like that.seems it may have been an 8 18 ? .. think it was perhaps around 1990 or so. very good running machine but I did not like the CNC..I was mostly doing one-ups and a manual would have suited me just fine but the shop had bucks to spend and wanted to buy me a new SG...very oftn I would go use the old Brown & Sharpe Micromaster 824..the Parker and even the old #2