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Questions on S-3 Norton Surface Grinder s/n H-6501

Glenn Wilson

Plastic
Joined
Jun 16, 2017
I just bought a sad (beat)S-3 Norton Surface Grinder with s/n H-6501 and have many questions. I paid way too much. Long story. I've read the downloaded PDF users manual that helps. I've read many posts - they also have helped. Some of my questions are:

1) There is a small reservoir inside the front cover at the right that looks like it has anti-freeze in it. What is this and what is it used for?

2) I bought a new wheel holder from SOPKO that fits fine. Looking at the front of the machine, its output is on the left which tells me the wheel turns CW. The spindle has a LH thread. The old holder had a RH thread. The new holder has a LH thread. Which should it be?

3) I think the two antique-style round glass oil drippers oil the in-out or Y ways. yes? Suggestions on changing these to an automatic oiler??

4) I have questions on what a couple brackets do on the machine - The coolant pipe has not been painted and reinstalled yet. What are parts a & b used for? looka like I can not add a picture. In a bit I will add a link to pictures. Here is a link to the picture http://www.wilsonswarbler.com/temp/spindle_shroud.jpg

Thanks all.

PS - I am NOT a machinist. I had 800 hours in machine shop 1975/76. AAS in mechanical technology, BS computer science, MS electrical engineering. My other machine tool is a Monarch 10EE that I recently cleaned up and painted.
 
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I bought a new wheel holder from SOPKO that fits fine. Looking at the front of the machine, its output is on the left which tells me the wheel turns CW. The spindle has a LH thread. The old holder had a RH thread. The new holder has a LH thread. Which should it be?....

If the spindle has a LH thread it should be turning CW and the Sopko adapter should have a LH thread.

Gene
 
1) There is a small reservoir inside the front cover at the right that looks like it has anti-freeze in it. What is this and what is it used for?
The anti-freeze looking solution is probably grinding coolant.


3) I think the two antique-style round glass oil drippers oil the in-out or Y ways. yes? Suggestions on changing these to an automatic oiler??.......

A Norton S- 3 has a factory automat way lube system. Oil is pumped to the table ways, at table reversal, the the lube runs down to lube the saddle ways. This oil then runs back to the sump.

The lube system is explained in the owners and service manual. IF you are interested i have manuals for ALL Norton surfac grinders.
John Fahnestock
J&L Scraping Service
508 892-4856
 
The table is off right now and while running the hydraulic, the cylinder goes back and forth. Each time hydraulic fluid comes up out of holes in the ways for the left/right table. I've cleaned all 6 drains (2 are for the cylinder leakage).
What I do NOT know is how the in/out ways are oiled. I think gravity fed from the two 1/8" pipes on the top of the machine. This machine came with two brass oilers (dripping type) that look like they came off antique hit-n-miss engines. I'd really like to get away with not having to lift the main table off.
As far as manuals go - I downloaded a PDF from the net for the S-3. I wish the person writing it wrote a little bit more or clearer info on the oiling for this grinder.
 
The small reservoir inside and part of the main casting had what looked like anti-freeze in it. Turns out, it is hydraulic fluid just like the fluid in the bottom. I have no idea why that little reservoir is cast in there. I think it runs completely full and simply overflows into the main casting.

I still would LOVE to know why the in/out indexing is so irradiate. Bert Allen with Chase G Allen Chas G Allen who bought Norton suspects my cross-feed valve or shuttle valve are worn or leaking. For all I know, they could be the problem.

This last weekend I talked with a guy in his 70s who was selling hand-made stuff at a craft fair. He said he was very familiar with Monarch 10ee lathe (what I have) and the Norton S-3 surface grinder. He was pretty sold it was a worn out gear slipping but had never taken the main table off the grinder. I haven't either. I'm hesitant to pick that off!

ALL information on this in/out function during automatic mode will be gladly accepted. If I ever learn, I'll post the answer

Glenn
 
My Jones and Shipman 540 has reservoirs at the ends of the table that catch drips from the bedway/hydraulic oil dripping off the slides. These reservoirs "decant" the oil, so that the solids and grit remain behind at the bottom of the reservoir. The clean overflow returns back to the bedway/hydraulic oil sump.

So perhaps this is also the function of the reservoirs on your machine: to decant out the grit and chips.

Cheers,
Bruce
 
Can't help with that brand oiling.

Except if you have spare reservoirs and sumps that rapidly fill and stay that way, there are probably leaks. My DoALL required all new seals in the table mounted controls (underneath the apron). + a new flex hose to accomocate table in/out. That may or may not have any bearing whatsoever on how Norton set up.

On the Sopko - ideally it would be LH. But if it has a good factory tab washer it does not really matter on smallish wheels (say 10" dia & under). I have a dozen of them (sopkos), some are RH, & I use them anyway with pre-mounted wheels.

If you have only one, and change the wheels on the grinder, it is nice to have the correct hand just for keeping the ergonomics straight. For instance, for some reason, some of the Cincy #2 T & C arbors are not machined for tab washers. You don't want to get into the habit of just using any only arbor, and not paying attention when it might matter.

smt
 








 
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