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FP2NC vertical head positions

rimcanyon

Diamond
Joined
Sep 28, 2002
Location
Salinas, CA USA
I have a couple of questions related to the vertical head slide on an FP2NC:

The FP2NC operators manual says to only operate the vertical head in one of the two locked positions, located by the spring-loaded index pin. However, it also says that when using the horizontal spindle, the vertical head can be pulled forward (with head tilted up) until stopped by the fixed pin on the stop assembly. At that point are the gears disengaged?

There are three cap screws that lock the vertical head to the headstock, K1,K2 & K3. The operators manual says to only lock the middle screw (K3) when the vertical head is in the rest position. I'm not sure what the rest position is, but why not lock K3 all the time?
 
Seasons greetings Dave.

When the vertical head base is moved fully forward the drive gearing is indeed disengaged so nothing will be rotating while using the base casting and vertical head as an overarm.
There is a dovetail and a support bearing casting that fits to the vertical head (rotated 90*) so the machine can be run as a conventional horizontal mill with arbors etc...

The three lock screws work the same as the manual version machines.....
When the vertical head is in its normal running position you tighten the forward and rear clamp bolts, and leave the center one loose.
Reason is that the dovetail on the vertical head base casting is relieved in the middle...so the clamp bolt has nothing to work against....If you try and tighten the center clamp it will just move into emty
space and prevent you from moving the head back to run horizontal or mount an accessory....

The middle clamp's function is to become the forward clamp on the vertical head base when its moved to the rear (horizontal milling when no overarm is used and factory cover is installed)......Also becomes the rear clamp of a mounted accessory such as the slotting head, riser,or precision boring head etc.
In that setup the vertical head is moved further back to make the required space for the accessory.....
Cheers Ross
 
Last edited:
Seasons greetings Dave.

When the vertical head base is moved fully forward the drive gearing is indeed disengaged so nothing will be rotating while using the base casting and vertical head as an overarm.
There is a dovetail and a support bearing casting that fits to the vertical head (rotated 90*) so the machine can be run as a conventional horizontal mill with arbors etc...

The three lock screws work the same as the manual version machines.....
When the vertical head is in its normal running position you tighten the forward and rear clamp bolts, and leave the center one loose.
Reason is that the dovetail on the vertical head base casting is relieved in the middle...so the clamp bolt has nothing to work against....If you try and tighten the center clamp it will just move into emty
space and prevent you from moving the head back to run horizontal or mount an accessory....

The middle clamp's function is to become the forward clamp on the vertical head base when its moved to the rear (horizontal milling when no overarm is used and factory cover is installed)......Also becomes the rear clamp of a mounted accessory such as the slotting head, riser,or precision boring head etc.
In that setup the vertical head is moved further back to make the required space for the accessory.....
Cheers Ross

Thanks Ross, and seasons greetings!

I was trying to find a way to extend the FP2NC Y axis travel, hoping that I could get more Y travel for a job that needed it, by moving the head beyond the index pin stop, but I suspected it would not work. Thanks for confirming. The manual machines seem more flexible in that regard - the drive gear in the headstock is quite long so it remains engaged for several inches of adjustment. I ended up clamping a stop on the table that I could index the work against and slid the work back along the stop to get the extra reach. It worked, but it wasn't the ideal solution.

Dave
 
The FP2NC's have a small work envelope....similar to the manual FP1's. Late "Flip" head FP2NC's have more "Y" travel than the earlier offerings like yours. Extended to 12" i believe.
With yours, you have to really watch where you position the part.
Cheers Ross
 
Thanks Ross, and seasons greetings!

The manual machines seem more flexible in that regard - the drive gear in the headstock is quite long so it remains engaged for several inches of adjustment.

Dave

I can't comment on the latest model (final Generation) manual machines but on the earlier machines the long gear is in the main casting. In other words the gear that drives the attachments is on the horizontal spindle and that is about the same width as the gear on the attachments. The only attachment I know of that can be adjusted as you suggest is the long reach vertical head where the driven gear is locked in place and the arm can be slide in or out without it moving.
Dan
Dan
 
Danny:
The FP-NC's are built much like the "Square" head manual machines...the design that does not need to remove the vertical head from the machine in order to use an accessory, or run horizontal.
The upper casting (not the "Y" slide) is designed to be able to be positioned along the top of the"Y" and still operate the vertical spindle.....
The gear in the "Y" that drives the vertical head is not wide, but the gear that it drives is long just like the lower long gear...so any position along the length of the upper long gear the spindle will still run.
The manual versions have a fairly long range of movement, the FP-NC's driven range is much shorter.....

Difference here from the earlier long reach vertical head option is that the entire top of the "Y" slide is a dovetail so the upper casting that carries the vertical head is not overhung...Better support,
and further the draw bar for the collets on the horizontal on the "square" head machines is brought out to the rear of the "Y" slide, which makes it easier to get at...unlike the long reach setup
that finds the horizontal draw bar hidden in a pocket under the overhanging vertical assembly....
Cheers Ross
 








 
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