Pratt & Whitney #3 Horizontal Universal Milling Machine. Got an Pics?

morsetaper2 · Apr 21, 2013

I have been offered first refusal on a Pratt & whitney # 3 Universal milling machine. Its on the original wooden bench. Supposedly kinda like a desk. Has a very unique original drive I'm told. Alleged to have all the attachments & gears. Anybody have any pictures of such a mill? Search on google images turns up a few, however w/o the bench. Tony's site has some stuff, but no bench.

Trying to get an idea on how big the bench is. Mill itself is very small. Bench & drive system are the bulk of it all.

Got any pics of this miller on its original wood bench?

What is LxW of this bench?

And tell me about this machine please.

Thanks, Mark

jkopel · Apr 21, 2013

Check out this thread/post:
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/v...lling-machine-6-500-worth-262471/#post1999210

Also, if you buy it and don't end up with a vertical head let em know.
I have one I am about to list for sale.

Josh

Abeship · Apr 21, 2013

Mark,

If you pass on it please send them my way! That is something I could really use... Nice size too! And I'm local

[email protected]

Abraham

Aswank · Apr 22, 2013

I have the same machine with most accessories. The wood cabinet is about 30" wide and 48" long, heigth 30". Weights about 600#, drive 200#, machine 150#. Very tight and accurate machine. Al Swank 360-620-7046, [email protected], I paid $3500

morsetaper2 · Apr 22, 2013

Thanks for the link & dimensions on the cabinet. I saw this unit in the shop I used to work in back in late 90's. It was there for a bout a week or two coming from another site. And then it was sold. But I last saw it maybe 1998 and remember very little about it. I'll be seeing it this week. Supposed to be pretty complete. Nearly full set of collets, dividing hd, some faceplates, gear set, etc.

I'll report back with some photos later

jkopel said:
.....Also, if you buy it and don't end up with a vertical head let em know.
I have one I am about to list for sale. Josh

Hang on to that head.... for now. Might be interested in it! :drool5:

SteveM · Apr 22, 2013

Here's a shot from the manual plus a few others showing the cabinet.

Steve

jim rozen · Apr 22, 2013

Tony's site does have a single photo of the "Speed Ranger" drive. It's much heavier
than the mill itself and probably removes about half the hp provided by the motor before
connecting it to the spindle of the machine!

Jim

jim rozen · Apr 22, 2013

Oh, and if you do go look for it, inspect to see if it has the brass tag from a large Blue Computer
Company. I know dave sobel sold one that was so-equipped many years ago, to somebody south
of NJ. It was odd because I knew exactly who had originally purchased that machine and never
could figure out how it was surplussed in such fine condition, with all the accessories.

Andy FitzGibbon · Apr 22, 2013

morsetaper2 said:
I have been offered first refusal on a Pratt & whitney # 3 Universal milling machine. Its on the original wooden bench. Supposedly kinda like a desk. Has a very unique original drive I'm told. Alleged to have all the attachments & gears. Anybody have any pictures of such a mill? Search on google images turns up a few, however w/o the bench. Tony's site has some stuff, but no bench.

Trying to get an idea on how big the bench is. Mill itself is very small. Bench & drive system are the bulk of it all.

Got any pics of this miller on its original wood bench?

What is LxW of this bench?

And tell me about this machine please.

Thanks, Mark

Is it a No. 3, or a 3C? The No.3 mills are flat belt driven, either from an overhead countershaft or a table-mounted countershaft. The 3C mills are driven from below, by double vee belts, and usually from a Master Electric Speedranger variable speed drive unit.

Andy

morsetaper2 · Apr 22, 2013

Andy, based on your description I believe it to be a 3C. I saw this machine about 15 yrs ago but remember very little of it. It looks like the machine in post #8, best that I recall.

Mark

Andy FitzGibbon said:
Is it a No. 3, or a 3C? The No.3 mills are flat belt driven, either from an overhead countershaft or a table-mounted countershaft. The 3C mills are driven from below, by double vee belts, and usually from a Master Electric Speedranger variable speed drive unit.

Andy

Aswank · Apr 24, 2013

Bill
The drive is more like 250, machine maybe 200 and the whole thing 600 with the cabinet and top 150 to 200. The top is solid maple about 3" thick. The reeves drive is HEAVY and the whole thing about +200 ponds more than I thought it would be.

SteveM · Apr 24, 2013

thermite said:
.. and the miniscule mill wants a net floor-footprint that would house a good sized Van Norman or Abene..

Yes, and you could put an F350 Power Stroke diesel crew cab in the combined footprint of a Mustang and a Heritage Softtail, but I wouldn't say that they were interchangeable :-)

As Colonel Henry Potter said when they got a delivery of light bulbs when they were supposed to get toilet paper "both useful, but hardly interchangeable!"

Steve

jim rozen · Apr 24, 2013

"the miniscule mill wants a net floor-footprint that would house a good sized Van Norman or Abene.."

Lol. And it doesn't have to be that way!

As mentioned that Speed Ranger probably strips about half the hp from the motor shaft before
it gets to the machine's spindle. These can be put on a *much* smaller footprint:

This one takes up about 1-1/2 foot by 2 feet on the floor.

morsetaper2 · Apr 24, 2013

thermite said:
Nice mills.... and the miniscule mill wants a net floor-footprint that would house a good sized Van Norman or Abene...l

That's true. But the cabinet has places for all the gears and attachments that would otherwise be stored elsewhere and soon separated from the machine and lost.

morsetaper2 · Apr 27, 2013

Saw the mill today. Pretty complete. Difficult task will be getting it up a narrow stairway out of a basement.

My S/N reference book doesn't help me date it. The only entry is the numeral "495" for 1947? Doesn't really jive well w/ the machines serial no of 522-350. Unless someone can shed some light on that. Infinitely variable speed is cool. But a smaller footprint would be nice. Green drawer set in cabinet has all the gears. Attachments are vert head, div head (with plates), small milling vise, rt angle table extension, face plate, 4" Buck chuck, and F4PN collets 1/64-3/4, few other things too. Pretty nice setup.

Any place to find machine documentation, operating instructions, etc?

Link to photos: http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/members/morsetaper2/albums/p-w-3c-horiz-mill/

rivett608 · Apr 27, 2013

It is worth getting it out of the worst basement........ you be nuts not to get it if the price is anywhere near reasonable........ the high dollar one mentioned above has been restored... this looks more original.

Buy it!!!!!

PS I have the dividing head tables and instructions......

jim rozen · Apr 28, 2013

These come apart very easily. Unbolt the machine off the base, and a hand truck will take it up the
narrowest stairs. You might remove the table, and the cross slide, and the associated lead screws
and handles, for safety sake, and to lower the width.

All the goodies in the cabinet go in boxes and are carried up by hand of course.

If you really want the drive unit, I'd unbolt that and leave if for last, once you figure out how the
wood cabinet goes up. The wooden base had to go in there somehow, unless they built the
house around it! If that's the case I'd scrap the drive, and break the cabinet up for firewood....

(!)

Andy FitzGibbon · Apr 28, 2013

jim rozen said:
These come apart very easily. Unbolt the machine off the base, and a hand truck will take it up the
narrowest stairs. You might remove the table, and the cross slide, and the associated lead screws
and handles, for safety sake, and to lower the width.

All the goodies in the cabinet go in boxes and are carried up by hand of course.

If you really want the drive unit, I'd unbolt that and leave if for last, once you figure out how the
wood cabinet goes up. The wooden base had to go in there somehow, unless they built the
house around it! If that's the case I'd scrap the drive, and break the cabinet up for firewood....

(!)

Wow, that's the spirit, Jim. Take a nice, very original looking P&W mill setup and destroy a significant portion of it. :rolleyes5:

Mark, I have some documentation on these machines that I can send to you- PM me with your email address.

Andy

jim rozen · Apr 28, 2013

"Wow, that's the spirit, Jim."

Just stop for a moment and estimate the probabilities that they did,
actually, build the house around the cabinet. And then go back and
take it from there....

morsetaper2 · Apr 28, 2013

BTW... the house that its in might be younger than the mill. So its is possible. Just sayin...

How is the s/n 522-350 interpreted to determine a born on date? That's a mystery to me.

from post #19 above.... My S/N reference book doesn't help me date it. The only entry is the numeral "495" for 1947?

Pratt & Whitney #3 Horizontal Universal Milling Machine. Got an Pics?

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