I searched the archives and found some references to removing stuck tapered items like drill chucks or centers, but I'm not coming across how to take the spindle out of the casting. I'm in process on cleaning and getting ready for paint and got to the tailstock the other day. Pulled the handle, dial and bearings out... if I try to remove the leadscrew from the rear it comes to a stop... if I screw it in and slide the spindle back and forth, it also comes to a stop. I looked at a parts list for an HLV (this is on a DV59) and it looks like there might be a setscrew to remove the sleeve keeping the leadscrew captive... but I don't see that setscrew on mine.

Pulled the threaded plug out of the brass plug. I assume that the plug forces the split brass plug to expand and locks it in the bore in the casting. Does this brass plug have the nut that engages the leadscrew on the end of it? What is the disassembly procedure to get this apart?

A couple of pictures, the spindle and the tailstock from the rear:



the brass plug up close:

Unscrew the bearing housing from the end of the ram. Remove the feed screw. Remove the feed nut. Remove the ram. I have not done this for a while, but I think I remembered the sequence.

Larry

That brass plug has to be removed after unscrewing the allen screw inside.
The end of it protrudes into the channel of the ram. You might try to rotate the
ram back and forth while you ease the plug out. I know this because I have done it too many times.

Thanks Larry and Rons,

I managed to unscrew the bearing housing and the leadscrew.... having issue with the brass nut. I've gotten it to budge a tad, not sure if paint around the plug has it captured in the bore or what.... any good tricks to getting it to budge? I've tried putting the lead screw back in and slightly twisting the brass plug back and forth, it won't rotate much, but maybe enough to loosen things up. I assume the spindle itself needs to be up against the nut to allow the nut to pass through the window....

Maybe some oil and warmth and I'll try again later.

The bronze nut goes around the 1/2" leadscrew. It has a 1/4" waisted part that the slot in the ram slides past. At the end of that slot (inside the tailstock where you can't see it) is a wider part of the slot that the nut will pass through.

Remove the leadscrew. Then pull the ram back as far as it will go, Then twist it from side to side while pulling on the bronze nut. Eventually, you'll get the alignment right and the nut will pull out. You can use the grubscrew as a handle for pulling the nut, just thread it in two or three turns and grip it between your fingers.



Ignore most of that... It's a DV59, hot an HLVxx

Push the ram forwards to get the window over the nut then pull it while, twisting the ram from side to side. The ram needs to be rotated slightly anti-clockwise looking from the rear.

Mark,

You had me going there for a minute.... Yes, push the ram all the way forward and that seems to be the right spot.... the problem is getting the nut/brass piece to move. I had a long brass nipple that I have threaded into the hole, clamped a pair of vice grips around the o.d. of the nipple and using a soft hammer to try to "slide hammer" the plug out. No luck yet, but I'll give it another go in the morning when I can see better in the shop.

The first couple of times I removed that plug it was a pain in the rear. You will
eventually get it out. When you clean everything up to sanitary conditions it will
be easier to disassemble.

I did this so many times because I machined a new ejector pin with a slot. The ejector
pin I made mated with a set screw in the ram on the under side. Had to assemble
everything and test, tear it down and machine a little bit then repeat. Eventually
I got it right on. Tapered shanks with slotted ends mate into the slotted ejector
pin and do not allow any possibility of rotation.

No rotation would be good, I can tell I have a score mark about 1/2 down the morse taper. Looks pretty minimal, but I need to clean it up so it doesn't scar up everything I put in there.

Do you have any pictures of the ejector you made?

Tail Stock I painted which has my new ejector pin.



Ejector pin.



Dimensioned drawing.



The design only works if you drill and tap a hole in the ram for the ejector to
lock into. You see that slot that runs from the left side to half way on the pin.
The allen screw in the ram rides in that slot to keep the ejector from rotating. The hole is only seen
if the ram is fully extended to the spindle and you use a mirror to look underneath.
It takes a bit of courage to do this but I am glad it is done. The ram has a hardened
surface and I suggest that a high performance tap be used. When I did the work I used a HSS tap
and it broke. I had to have it EDM'd out. I re-tapped the hole and saved the day.

Wow, nice work and it explains one of my next questions, the ejector plug jumped right out of the bore and clattered to the floor before I could catch it.... and I wondered which direction the "cup" part of it went, looks like it goes over the screw.

I do have a question, and realize that yours is for an HLV and mine is a DV59... but my tailstock has an extra hole along the top... it had a painted over 1/4" button head cap screw in it.... but once I got the paint off and went to unthread it, there weren't any threads in the hole. Could be stripped out, but I don't see any evidence of threads in the hole at all.... so any idea what it's for?





As for drilling through case hardened parts... I have to build/modify most tool holders to work on my Deckel FP1, uses a weird MT#4 with a 20mm buttress thread on the end, so I've had plenty of practice with that. I find a larger than normal chamfer, or counterbore the hole a bit to get below the case hardened area seems to work pretty good.

Does that hole on the top in any way have a opening to the ram cylinder?
Call up Bridgeport/Hardinge customer support and ask about what that hole is
for or what goes into it.

You are right about the cup of the ejector mating with the adjustment screw.

I suggest that you use a high build primer on your tail stock. Shoot a coating and
sand, then repeat as necessary. It will eventually have a smooth surface.

Notice my hand wheel. The outside was chromed but it wore off. My experience
with chrome platers is not good especially if I come in with a small job. I just painted
ANSI 41 gray.

I have a couple Hardinge lathes with a blind hole in that location on the tailstock. It is designed to be a lubrican well to hold a couple drops of dead center lubricant, usually lead oxide. It came fitted with a little plug with a decorative handle. The plug had a small pointed shaft that protruded down into the well and used as an applicator for the lubricant.

Jim

Ron,

No hole through to the ram cylinder, I think Jim has it right... a well for lubrication. Mine even has some gooey stuff down in the bottom of the hole.

My handwheel is also painted all over... I usually run the scotchbrite on the buffer and then polish/buff with green rouge and get a chrome like surface and then I can mask and paint. In Az it takes a long time for any surface rust to form... could always shoot some clear over it after I polish too.

Any specs or brand name on high build primer.... going to need a lot by the time I'm done with the Hardinge and eventually the Deckel.

Discover what the local auto body shops are using for 2 pack primer-surfacer. The product I used was a UK brand, but essentially a 2 pack isocyanate hardened acrylic that could be used as spray-bondo, high build primer or sealer coat depending on amount of thinning.

Here's some HLV bits getting sanded. The beige colour is the primer, the black is cheap cellulose paint sprayed on as an indicator coat to show where there are still hollows, eventually there should be no hollows.

It can take three or four painting-sanding cycles to get perfection if you forget that it's a machine tool and start treating it like a concourse car.

The cellulose can be cleaned off with thinners before the next coat of primer is put on.

Try to keep it as thin as you possibly can, consistent with filling all the divots in the castings. Paint is a lot less hard than cast iron and a thick coating will get damaged more easily than a thin one (too late for my job...)

Mark,

Nice work! I don't know how far I will go towards concourse type paint jobs.... This is a lowly DV59 after all, not the top of the line HLV. I am also more of the user type rather than the spotless example of perfection type.... it was just too ugly as is to leave it that way... LOL! That and about half the paint is just falling off the machine.

I also work from a wheelchair and have been contemplating taking a plasma torch to the lower section of the machine chassis and shortening the whole machine 6 to 8 inches, maybe adding some Zambus style casters under the machine to make it mobile also... would make it easier to access the back of the machine, or pull it away from the wall to clean.

Brian,
The primer I buy is from DuPont called Corlar. Satin High solids epoxy mastic. It
comes in gray and white and is still legal to use. It is clasified as a industrial
coating. Costs $56 a gallon for hardener and $56 a gallon for base. My NAPA
auto parts store has a paint department which sells all the DuPont line and other paints as well.
When Kelly Moore paint is going for more than $30 a gallon it is a good price for what it does.
Breathing vapors can cause nervous system damage so I purchased a fresh air breathing mask.
People get by with just the face masks but I don't think it is good enough protection.
Mark Rand is doing a good job on his tail stock.

Did you consider having a raised floor around your lathe or get a escalator step
so you can elevate yourself rather than cut down the whole machine base.

I think it would be possible to shorten a Hardinge cabinet. If one mounted the plasma cutter head on a dolly to keep a constant height and made a cut all the way around at 11", then did another one on the bottom part at 3", one could weld the bits back together as a "cut and shut" job. You'd have to replace the Hardinge variable speed drive with a 3-5hp motor, VFD and single run of belt. But that would be as good or better than the original.

It would be far easier to access the casters if they were bolted to platforms welded on the outside of the cabinet. This would also keep the centre of gravity of the whole thing closer to the floor compared to bolting them under the base.


Alternatively, welding up a motorized wheelchair with a scissor lift in it would save having to shorten the Bridgeport

At the moment, I'm relatively hale, for having had diabetes for 45 years and angina for 3, but I have started wondering if a pendant controlled overhead crane in the shop would allow me to operate from a chair if I eventually lose the use of my feet.

Good luck with the project

Ron,

I have thought of the raised area... or more likely, a decent stool with wheels and a pivot arm off the side of the machine. I can stand with a walker and transfer, just would have to make sure the stool is stable and won't scoot out from under my ass at the wrong moment.... that concrete is frikkin' hard and even tougher to get back into my chair from.

Mark, this machine has the jackshaft speed change... kind of why I bought it. A relatively simple matter to relocate the motor a tad higher or rearward and be able to shorten things a bit. Going to have to look at and consider all the implications, like doors and access panels to see if it is all worth it.

As for the casters, I use these low profile units under my woodworking equipment and it would be easy to take some heavy pipe and cut some 1/4 circles and weld them into the corners of the machine with a raised "floor" to fit the caster and still have the bottom of the machine within an 1/8 of the floor. These are leveling casters too, so you can plop it down to make it solid, then lift to move.

I like the lift chair idea, or the hoist and trolley covering the whole shop.... could be fun.... Superman, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.....