Ames mill (new to me)

raven007 · Feb 20, 2013

I recently picked up an Ames mill. Came with the countershaft and motor unit. No arbor so I will have to turn one on the lathe. Needs some love but not a big deal as I had been looking for a small horizontal in my price range. Plus i got to see some other neat old and new tools and talk to a really cool guy in the process. Does have a crack on the casting that appears to have been repaired long ago. I have a couple of handwheels and a piece of leadscrew to fix the X axis. A shop built 1AM 1/2" endmill holder was in the machine when I got it. I have not measured to confirm the 1AM taper, but it appears slightly smaller than 5C and an R8 wont fit in the spindle. Also managed to catch the stomach flu so its still strapped in the back of my Jeep until I am well. See pics.

As usual I am looking for any bits of these anyone has that may be useful although I have no expectations of finding any. Also, those are my wife's bags, purple is not my color :P

47nomad · Feb 20, 2013

Great find get well soon.

raven007 · Feb 22, 2013

Thanks. I am working on getting better and getting this out of my Jeep and inside where I can photograph things better. Things I have noted:

This is a later ball bearing Ames with the belt passing through slots in the main casting
The taper is definitely a 1AM. And I only have a single thing to fit this (a 1/2" end mill holder)
The X axis is utterly trashed. I cranked the table off and found the leadscrew to be threaded rod bodged into the Acme nut. I am unsure at this point if the original nut is salvageable. This is the worst part of the entire machine. IMHO. Worst missing part of it is the micrometer dial is missing from the handwheel I will try to find a period piece on ebay to replace it with. The pictures on lathes.co.uk show a slightly different dial and a different handwheel anyway. This isn't a restoration, but a restore to operation mission.
I am missing the gear from the rack feed. It would be greatly appreciated if anyone with one of these critters could tell me how many teeth theirs has.
Overarm is stuck, but a very gentle tap with a small block of wood showed movement.
I have no arbor. This is a sticky thing. The more I research and ask questions about making an arbor the more difficult it seems. Making an arbor isn't difficult, making a quality arbor seems much harder.
I will need a drive cabinet/machine stand. I think I spotted some heavy 2" angle in a scrap bin near work so that may see me through with some welding and creativity.

The X axis issues and the lack of an arbor are the two biggest things I am facing. I have to measure more thoroughly, but with an outboard bearing rework and the fabrication of a 1AM to MT2 adapter I can fit an Atlas arbor.

pan60 · Feb 23, 2013

congrats: )~ very cool!

raven007 · Feb 24, 2013

Thanks. I did some cleanup yesterday. With very minor work the Z and Y axis cleaned up fine. I used a razor blade to card any surface rust off and then rubbed the ways and table with an oily rag. I then wiped excess oil with a clean cloth and oiled things. Other than a bum thrust bearing on the Y jackscrew, everything is good there.

X axis uses a tapered gib. The repair on the casting coupled with wear on the gib means I have to slide the gib way beyond the limits of adjustment to tighten things up. I am considering shim stock behind the gig as a temporary fix.

Adapting an arbor is a no go. There is only about five inches from the nose of the spindle to the overarm support.

raven007 · Mar 19, 2020

It funny how time passes.

I purchased a pair of precision bearings for the spindle and replaced those. Cleaned it up some more. And it has sat. Mostly for lack of a stand and lack of effort by myself to make it happen.

I also managed to find a partial set of 1AM collets on ebay some years back.

Still need to figure out that hand feed gear.

DeSelle · Mar 19, 2020

I read the whole thread not realizing you lost 7 years. I think you can pull some measurements from rack back to rack tooth valley an way surfaces to get a pretty good idea of the center distance for the pinion. I bet you can then narrow down tooth count. If you can get there let me know and I’ll try to see if we stock a gear that you can modify for your needs

Nathan

jim rozen · Mar 20, 2020

And the stand can be nearly anything. In my case it was pratt whitney miller that came with a craftsman table saw stand, suitably
reinforced. I always did like those Ames machines, years ago dave sobel had one, I always lingered on that one when I stopped by
his shop.

Things can look really ugly but work really well:

Some aluminum plate here, some strut aluminum there, pretty soon it stands up on its own.

raven007 · Mar 20, 2020

I have considered something similar. The devil import tool store has a machine stand rated for 500 pounds for very cheap. I have some sheet metal i could bolt on the outside that would server the same basic purpose as the strapping. But for not much more home depot has a little Edsal workbench that i could replace the particle board top with local sawmill hardwood.

jim rozen · Mar 21, 2020

raven007 said:
I have considered something similar. The devil import tool store has a machine stand rated for 500 pounds for very cheap. I have some sheet metal i could bolt on the outside that would server the same basic purpose as the strapping. But for not much more home depot has a little Edsal workbench that i could replace the particle board top with local sawmill hardwood.

Or even just clad the top with sheet aluminum or sheet stee. Mostly to prevent it from becoming
oil-soaked. That PW milling machine originally came with a wood cabinet, with a giant varispeed
motor contraption hung underneath.

raven007 · Mar 21, 2020

If I remember correctly this one has a countershaft contraption with four flat belt steps, and a v-belt with a couple or three steps as well. I think 12 or more speeds are available.

jim rozen · Mar 21, 2020

raven007 said:
If I remember correctly this one has a countershaft contraption with four flat belt steps, and a v-belt with a couple or three steps as well. I think 12 or more speeds are available.

Small three phase motor with a VFD worked for me on my machine. I eliminated the countershaft entirely. Easy to do because
the drive pulley on the spindle is a V-belt.

J Grainger · Mar 22, 2020

I wouldn't worry too much about it taking years to sort the mill, priorities can change for a while.

Back to the mill, I've used a rotary phase converter in the past but nowadays it's in storage, along with some machines. For a bench lathe project, I was pondering motor options (I even looked at and drew out some fancy things last time, 10 years ago) and besides having lost or forgotten most of what I discovered, this time it had to be practical and somewhat sensible. Jim's suggestion of a small 3ph motor and inverter is a good one. To add more flexibility you could retain a countershaft but it may not be necessary for the sort of work the mill is likely to be used or designed for.

raven007 · Mar 22, 2020

I have strongly considered a DC drive spinning the original countershaft. To clarify, this mill uses an undermount countershaft so it makes a neat little package. AT this rate I might just build a wooden bench for it. I have a bad feeling its gonna end up with an import BS-0 dividing head. Since I got this thing I have been searching for the Ames head but it has just been impractical to acquire either due to cost or shipping logistics.

Alberic · Mar 22, 2020

Greetings,

I just saw this thread. I've got one of the mills (and about 6 of their lathes.) Don't have much by way of spare widgets for the mills, but if you still need a tooth count off the rack gear, let me know. I may have more 1A collets I can spare, once I figure out what I've got.
Congrats on finding one of the ones with the ball bearings *and* the overarm. The overarms were *not* common.

Did you ever sort out your X leadscrew?

Regards,
Brian

raven007 · Mar 22, 2020

I have not sorted it out yet. My current plan is to purchase a length from mcmaster. I have to rebuild the sliding piece as somewhere in the past someone got rid of it and put a short bushing in its place. (for those unfamiliar with the Ames, the leadscrew has a sliding sleeve which the table clamps down upon, releasing it allows use of the rack feed, clamping it allows use of the screw) The bodge was functional, but I suspect not particularly forward looking. But I have to temper that thought with the reality that it wasn't that long ago there was no internet, and there was no mcmaster.com where five clicks and a credit card number has a piece of leadscrew is at your door in a couple of days.

Any data on the gear and how that whole area is setup would be greatly appreciated. I got the rack on the table and the arm and shaft. No gear and I suspect the gear was skinny and you could slide the rack feed shaft back and forth to engage it. I have not found a good picture of what goes on under there.

With a decent dividing head and a lot of practice, this machine would be a fantastic little gear cutter. One day when I retire, maybe I will take to that great endeavor of model engines.

raven007 · Jul 19, 2021

still looking for anyone who has pics or measurements of the rack gear for this guy

discodan · Jul 19, 2021

I'm a volunteer at the Tuckahoe Steam & Gas Association machine shop museum and we have an Ames mill and lathe under restoration. I may be able to get pictures and dimensions of the gear for you this weekend.

raven007 · Jul 20, 2021

that would be awesome. Thanks!

discodan · Jul 26, 2021

Ames mill (new to me)

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