Question on Wohlhaupter

I just picked up a used Wohlhaupter UPA3. I've used boring heads before but never one with automatic facing. I got it for a good price and it seems in good, albeit dirty, condition. I have it soaking in parts cleaner right now. I only had it in the mill for a short time testing it out. It looked like it was working until I realized the rapid return button was stuck in and it was feeding backward.

So what exactly is suppose to happen when you press the feed button above the stop pin. Is it suppose to stay in? Mine goes in a bit when I press it but then comes right back out when I release it. Of course the rapid return button was doing the same thing but it wasn't comming out far enough to release and thus appeared to do nothing.

Even if the feed does not work it will make an awsome boring head for the price.

Found this thread LINK on this very forum with a manual for download. Be patient with the 300dpi one, it took a minute or so to download.

Hy,
in case something is broken or missing, you can get the parts from Wohlhaupter. They´re reasonably priced. Do you only have the head or tools and accessoires? In case you only have the head, go back to where you picked up the head and ask for the wooden box with all the toys, too.

Cheers,
Johann

That´s what it should look like: ebay 320445089885

Hi Cjay,
It's been almost 7 yrs and I could recall it better if I could see it, but it seems like the travel screws are either locked togeather or the slide might be tightened down. This is a wonderful facing chuck. I used a UPA-6 or 7 on and off for 12 years. If you have a manual it will really help.
Good luck.

Jeff_M_PA said:

Found this thread LINK on this very forum with a manual for download. Be patient with the 300dpi one, it took a minute or so to download.

Click to expand...

Thanks Jeff,

There is a lot more to this thing than meets the eye and the manual is a must have item I think.

CJay

Johann Ohnesorg said:

Hy,
in case something is broken or missing, you can get the parts from Wohlhaupter. They´re reasonably priced. Do you only have the head or tools and accessoires? In case you only have the head, go back to where you picked up the head and ask for the wooden box with all the toys, too.

Cheers,
Johann

That´s what it should look like: ebay 320445089885

Click to expand...

Johann, I just have the head. A complete set like that in the box is byond my means and I feel fortunate to have gotten it because typically what most people are asking for just the head is usually beyond my means.

I got it on ebay from a big dealer who probably does not have the accessories or if he does he does not know what they are. It is a shame how these sets get seperated when a big shop goes out of business and all the tooling gets thrown loose into boxes and auctioned off.

I'm glad to know I can get parts from Wohlhaupter at a reasonable price.

This thing is just too pretty to sit in the shop. I think I'll keep it in my living room.

Cjay said:

I just picked up a used Wohlhaupter UPA3. I've used boring heads before but never one with automatic facing. ... It looked like it was working until I realized the rapid return button was stuck in and it was feeding backward.

So what exactly is suppose to happen when you press the feed button above the stop pin. Is it suppose to stay in? Mine goes in a bit when I press it but then comes right back out when I release it. Of course the rapid return button was doing the same thing but it wasn't comming out far enough to release and thus appeared to do nothing.

...

Click to expand...

I don't use the rapid return feature on mine. You can do facing operations without it. You want it up/disengaged for feeding in anyway.

To get the feed button to engage you need to rotate the retaining ring (upper collar). On my UPA-1 I have to rotate the retaining ring 1-1/2 to 2 revolutions to find the spot where the feed button will drop in. (I don't know what's going on internally that causes that.) Just hold pressure on the button and rotate the ring until it drops in.

Do you have the little tool for releasing the buttons? (It's a flat bar with a semi-circular depression milled in one end.)

Cal

Cal Haines said:

I don't use the rapid return feature on mine. You can do facing operations without it. You want it up/disengaged for feeding in anyway.

To get the feed button to engage you need to rotate the retaining ring (upper collar). On my UPA-1 I have to rotate the retaining ring 1-1/2 to 2 revolutions to find the spot where the feed button will drop in. (I don't know what's going on internally that causes that.) Just hold pressure on the button and rotate the ring until it drops in.

Do you have the little tool for releasing the buttons? (It's a flat bar with a semi-circular depression milled in one end.)

Cal

Click to expand...

Thanks Cal. I have since found a manual online that answers my questions. The rapid return works but the feed is not working. The feed button does not engage anything no matter how the ring is turned. I checked out a friend's UPA2 and I see how the feed button drops into something in the collar when it is working correctly.

I got this off of ebay for less than $200 (just the head, no tools) so I decided to send it off to Wolhhaupter for a quote on getting it fixed as it generally seems in good condition. I had a nice conversation with them when I called to arrange for the service. Some interesting things I was told:

- They still make these and just the head cost $5,000 new!!!!!!! Egads.
- Many of the parts are made oversized and need to be hand fitted when assembled to hold the correct tolerances.
- There are still 3 old guys back in Germany that have been assembling them forever.

I may not be able to afford to have it fixed depending on the extent of repair required but if I can I can tell you that this is one tool I will most definitely be super careful with when using it. I mean, a $5k tool for gosh sakes. Maybe I'll just put a chain on it and give it to my wife for our 25th anniversary instead of a diamond necklace (it looks better to me than any diamond ever did anyhow).

There is a screw on one end of the head that angles up toward the feed button. This screw loads a spring that controls the feed button detent. It could be the feed button was not latching because the spring was to loose. The spring detent must be loose enough the feed button will disengage when the facing stops are reached, but firm enough to overcome the feed pressure.

Wohlhaupter repairman in AZ

Hi Cjay,

I bought a really nice (except for the fact that it was broken and not disclosed as such) wohlhaupter on ebay a couple years ago.

IIRC, I sent it to a man named Tony in AZ who specializes in repairing these units. He was prompt, courteous, and reasonably priced. I'm sure I found his contact information here on PM, so try searching through the original General forum for wohlhaupter. If you can't find the lead, let me know and I'll dig through my old files to see if I can find his contact info.

Good luck,
John

Just my 2 cents. I've been using these haeds for 40 years. The UPA-3 and smaller heads only have 2 feed rates. The knurled collar is split in half. When the pin is retracted with the flat bar tool the collars rotate separately thereby actuating the planitary gears inside the head giving you a slow feed. When the collars are locked together with the pin pushed in it gives you a faster feed rate. I have a UPA-4 which has a knurled collar with 12 buttons around the outside diameter. When a button is pushed in it will give you .0005"/rev. Combining the proper number of buttons (equally spaced) and spindle feed rates it cuts a really nice tapers. I did hundreds of pipe weld preps on horizontal boring mills with this head. In any case, soaking a head in any kind of solvent is the worse thing you can do. They are delicate and precision tools and all you will accomplish is wash dirt into the mechanism. It should be disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled. The UPA-4 and larger heads have more complex internals and each head has individually ground internal adjustment shims for each specific head. It's the most versatile and precision boring/facing tool for manual milling and boring machines ever built. If I were you I would send it to that guy that rebuilds them. I've rebuilt a lot of them over the years and when you buy a $5000 head for cheap on ebay or where ever it's worth it!