Abene B-600 right angle attachment

[Thompsonguitars]

It will definitely need cleaning, but I've been drooling over one of these for a while. Couldn't just let it go...

I plan to disassemble and clean in the near future, de-rust, etc... get all that grit and crud off. Then I need to pull the spindle face ring off and thread that. Hopefully someone buys that Abene (and Harig Super 618 right next to it), otherwise it's getting scrapped. (Just posted these to the For Sale section). Unfortunately I don't have room or time to grab them, clean them up in my shop, get under power and then sell, otherwise I probably would. Then I could likely end up with this angle attachment for near free. LOL

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Looks pretty good . And you get a free grinding wheel.
Nice ring spanner !

 

[Spud]

It will definitely need cleaning, but I've been drooling over one of these for a while. Couldn't just let it go...

I plan to disassemble and clean in the near future, de-rust, etc... get all that grit and crud off. Then I need to pull the spindle face ring off and thread that. Hopefully someone buys that Abene (and Harig Super 618 right next to it), otherwise it's getting scrapped. (Just posted these to the For Sale section). Unfortunately I don't have room or time to grab them, clean them up in my shop, get under power and then sell, otherwise I probably would. Then I could likely end up with this angle attachment for near free. LOL

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So if I have read the posts in this thread correctly this drilling head will only fit the standard Abene VHF3 head, the one without the quill ?

I saw your post in the For Sale section. This head came off that Abene and the rest of the machine is going to get scrapped? Does the seller have the support for the Arbor for horizontal milling ?

I have an Abene VHF340 II . I got the arbor for it but not the support for the arbor. I wonder if anyone knows if the support bracket for the arbor for a VHF3 will fit the VHF340 ii.

Past thread on my VHF340 ii
1994 Abene I bought : Can the horizontal ram be moved manually

 

[pianoman8t8]

I asked about that support while I was, it's missing. That being said, we could approximate the center to center distance with a tape measure to see if it's at all close...

 

[pianoman8t8]

It came with the collet in the spindle, a 1" collet (I think, unless it's a stretched 25mm...). I'll probably get an ER40 straight shank adapter with either a 1" shank or, more likely, a 1.25" or 32mm shank. MSC carries the OZ32 collets up to 32mm... it would take away a little real estate, but open up more options for holding. Considering I already have an ER40 collet set...

EDIT: MSC lists them, but on Seco's website, all OZ32 collets are listed as no longer available. I sent Seco an email hoping maybe they may still have a few random ones kicking around, we'll see. There are the cheap $250 sets on ebay, likely made in China junk at that price... "Metaltech" brand

 

[AlfaGTA]

My take is that the ER collets when getting up in size (1"+) aren't up to the task of holding tooling if the cuts are aggressive.
May not be an issue for your application....

Me i would go for the TG 100 family of collets for things from 3/8 through 1"
They hold lots better than the ER's owing to a longer shallower taper.

Cheers Ross

 

[AlfaGTA]

Does the seller have the support for the Arbor for horizontal milling ?

I have an Abene VHF340 II . I got the arbor for it but not the support for the arbor.

Ya got the mill...make your own support....
Cheers Ross

 

[pianoman8t8]

My take is that the ER collets when getting up in size (1"+) aren't up to the task of holding tooling if the cuts are aggressive.
May not be an issue for your application....

Me i would go for the TG 100 family of collets for things from 3/8 through 1"
They hold lots better than the ER's owing to a longer shallower taper.

Cheers Ross

Very true, and I do have TG100 CAT40 holders for my cnc mill (and I do like them). Straight shank holders for TG100 are limited in variety in less than 1.5" shank dia. Not that I couldn't turn the shank down...

I also don't plan to do heavy cuts with this head. I think what I'll do is just order the MetalTech collet set (if I don't hear back from Seco with any good news on their availability), and call it a day. That way I'm not adding projection length to the attachment, and still using a very slight taper holding component. As much as it pains me to order cheap china crap...

 

[AlfaGTA]

Ya got the mill...make your own support....
Cheers Ross

Looks like a piece of cake...Single round overarm..(boring job) ..and you have a sensitive quill so boring a true hole in the part concentric with the spindle in horizontal setting would be a cake walk.

Cheers Ross

 

[Spud]

Ya got the mill...make your own support....
Cheers Ross

Been in storage since I got it, no place to set up my stuff.

I am not sure I could make a support as good as the factory one, because my only expereince machining is trade school and graduating from the CNC machining program. The program did involve 1 semester of manual machining. Pondering right now whether to continue onto the Tool & Die program.

Would need the print for the arbor support bracket, but Abene closed last year, so don't know who would have this info.

 

[AlfaGTA]

Spud:
......it aint rocket science....all it has to do is fit the overarm bar and locate the arbor bearing centered with the spindle....

As to experience...well how you get it is doing stuff.....Jump right in and make the plunge...Nothing lost just perhaps some time and material...Not cosmic!

Find a picture on the web of the real support and interpolate yer own.....Why did you get the mill (nice looking machine BTW) if you are afraid to run it....Seen lots of your posts here but never any work.
Time to move forward, or offer that machine to someone who will run it. If it is not making chips then its just a static sculpture. Life is way too short to waste on "Maybe"


Cheers Ross

 

[pianoman8t8]

On a side note, anyone have any guesses as to how many of the B-600 angle heads were built, and how many S-500 slotting heads were built?

I sent an email to vemu.se this morning looking for a couple things, and asked if they had a record of how many of those were built. Maybe they'll have a number... or maybe not...

 

[Spud]

Spud:
......it aint rocket science....all it has to do is fit the overarm bar and locate the arbor bearing centered with the spindle....

As to experience...well how you get it is doing stuff.....Jump right in and make the plunge...Nothing lost just perhaps some time and material...Not cosmic!

Find a picture on the web of the real support and interpolate yer own.....Why did you get the mill (nice looking machine BTW) if you are afraid to run it....Seen lots of your posts here but never any work.
Time to move forward, or offer that machine to someone who will run it. If it is not making chips then its just a static sculpture. Life is way too short to waste on "Maybe"


Cheers Ross

I got the mill and other machines because I was hoping to get a pole barn to have my own little 1 man machine shop, but that plan hasn't materialized. If I could run the machine I would attempt to make the bracket, but right now I have no place to run anything. So everything is just sitting in storage.

 

[Spud]

On a side note, anyone have any guesses as to how many of the B-600 angle heads were built, and how many S-500 slotting heads were built?

I sent an email to vemu.se this morning looking for a couple things, and asked if they had a record of how many of those were built. Maybe they'll have a number... or maybe not...

Does VEMU have an English language website?

You might want to contact these guys also, as they appear to be selling brand new Abene machines. Swedish Machine Tool Company AB; appears to be a company that represents multiple Swedish brands.

SMT SWEDMILL | Frasmaskiner | CNC | manuell | Swedish Machine Tool Company

Space parts
Reservdelar | SMT Company AB

 

[Thompsonguitars]

FWIW The collets that came with my head are labeled 3030 .
The ISO 40 collet chuck that came with is labeled Lofab 3030 .
I haven't looked for a while but never did find much if any
ref. for 3030 collets. I think they were talked about on PM
years ago .
Re . the B500 slotting attachment. There was one on ebay 15 or so years ago, brand new for 1400.00 . Seemed too much then but I'd probably grab it now .
Ted

 

[pianoman8t8]

FWIW, the 1" collet that came with this one appears to match dimensions listed for OZ32 collets. Of course, the only source I can find that will ship to US that has an inch set of collets, is on backorder... sent them an email asking ETA for another set available... It's either that, or really go with the ER40 adapter..

I did start the initial disassemble of the B-600 head yesterday. Not quite as bad as I had imagined inside. There was some moisture in there, but not too terrible. Any amount is too much anyway, so... I did however notice, prior to disassembly, that if it sat for a couple days untouched, rotating the shank (#40) was stuck in place until it "broke free" (by hand rotation force, nothing wild), and felt smooth after a couple back-and-forth twists... Hopefully that doesn't spell doom for the larger bearings... Once access to inside was gained, I coated everything with light oil while I wait for a snap ring plier set for further disassembly.

Just checking it now (since yesterday afternoon) it locked up again, but rotating again after rotating back and forth. Not optimistic for the bearings... Maybe by some luck once disassembled, they'll clean up with solvent, and once greased again, will be able to sit without locking up... idk... no idea on cost for those, would likely replace if not too expensive. Maybe something like evaporust might work, no idea, never used it.

 

[pianoman8t8]

Also, thought it was the vemu.se place that bought abene?

 

[ballen]

Just checking it now (since yesterday afternoon) it locked up again, but rotating again after rotating back and forth. Not optimistic for the bearings... Maybe by some luck once disassembled, they'll clean up with solvent, and once greased again, will be able to sit without locking up... idk... no idea on cost for those, would likely replace if not too expensive. Maybe something like evaporust might work, no idea, never used it.

I've torn down and regreased a couple of sets of spindle bearings, and also used Evaporust quite a bit.

I would NOT use Evaporust on bearings. While it does not attack pure iron, it does chelate iron oxide, and there is enough of that (even in "unrusted" steel) that the effect on the surface is like etching. Definitely not the right thing for bearing races or bearing rollers or bearing balls.

In your situation I would tear down the head to the individual components. This is the only way to deal with water that got in, particularly because it is locking up. The cast iron parts (in fact, anything which is not a precision bearing) can get an Evaporust bath to remove the rust. But be careful not to put blued components into Evaporust: it will strip off the bluing! The bearings on the other hand should get the grease removed with solvent and then get carefully cleaned with more solvent or carb or brake cleaner and inspected. Be sure to spray them with WD40 or any other kind of light oil after cleaning, so that they don't rust.

I am not sure but I suspect that these heads use standard precision bearings with matched inner and outer races which can be easily replaced at reasonable cost (meaning a few hundred dollars).

 

[hfxtoolman]

I really wish I could save the machine it came from, both from continued weather exposure, and from the scrap yard, but I already have 9 machines in an 18x32ft shop... and 2 of those are cnc. Space is very limited as you can imagine lol!

 

[hfxtoolman]

Is this Abene still up for grabs, or has it
been sent to some Asian country to be
made into cheap drill presses?

 

[pianoman8t8]

I guess he sold it to a local guy a couple days later