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Need help dating a Universal Horizontal Boring Machine

marka12161

Stainless
Joined
Dec 23, 2016
Location
Oswego, NY USA
Machine is a 3" spindle, "Tri-Way 24". "Machine Number 2468" is stamped into the side of the way at the tail-stock end.

I took delivery on this thing today. Looks to be in decent shape but won't know until i get into it more. Motor is not original and at 5HP seems a tad small. Also looks like the man gearbox cover is a shop made retrofit.

This thing fits my available space perfectly which was the main appeal for me. Machine base is 3 ft wide and entire length is under 12 ft. Table is 3 x 5 ft which is quite large for a machine this size. This machine was up for auction and i had traded notes with the auctioneer to get some basic information. In the end I passed on bidding as the machine has no outboard support. The machine didn't sell so the auctioneer called me and we made a deal. As many have noted, the real cost of these machines is moving them. In this case, shipping and rigging were 6X the machine purchase price. The rigger had a load cell on their crane and he told me the machine weight came in at 12,500 lbs which is quite a bit less than the 18,000 lbs i had expected.
 

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I've got something similar at work a Bullard 4" HBM. My guess is from the 1930's.....It's interesting how the machine controls are almost identical.
 
The similarity is reasonable, as Bullard bought Universal, and if I recall correctly, operated Universal's Hudson MA shop for a couple of years before shuttering it to move HBM manufacturing to Bullard's own place.
 
I once dated a horizontal boring machine... she was all three....and cold as cast iron .

I believe she was looking for a husband.....wasn't me though ;-)
 
2468 is a 2 1/2 - 3" and is from 1929

In the serial book in the Bullard section

I'd imagine it has plain Bronze spindle bearings - and this is long before glass hard Nitralloy quills in glass hard quill bushings like over at Lucas

(Lucas by the way used this nomenclature - the Spindle Sleeve rotated in the spindle bearings and the Spindle slid back and forth on its bushings in the Spindle Sleeve )
 
Machine is a 3" spindle, "Tri-Way 24". "Machine Number 2468" is stamped into the side of the way at the tail-stock end.

I took delivery on this thing today. Looks to be in decent shape but won't know until i get into it more. Motor is not original and at 5HP seems a tad small. Also looks like the man gearbox cover is a shop made retrofit.

This thing fits my available space perfectly which was the main appeal for me. Machine base is 3 ft wide and entire length is under 12 ft. Table is 3 x 5 ft which is quite large for a machine this size. This machine was up for auction and i had traded notes with the auctioneer to get some basic information. In the end I passed on bidding as the machine has no outboard support. The machine didn't sell so the auctioneer called me and we made a deal. As many have noted, the real cost of these machines is moving them. In this case, shipping and rigging were 6X the machine purchase price. The rigger had a load cell on their crane and he told me the machine weight came in at 12,500 lbs which is quite a bit less than the 18,000 lbs i had expected.

I have one looks very similar mine is war production. These are incredibly handy and easy to run. I am right handed and really enjoy the right side head and controls. Mine has what appears to be original motor 10 hp.
Other than my lathes it's probably the most used machine in the shop.
Keep it cleaned and lubed and it will last another couple machinist lifetimes.
If you need a manual I do have one I could copy and send you. Just let me know.
Good luck
Mike
 
I have one looks very similar mine is war production. These are incredibly handy and easy to run. I am right handed and really enjoy the right side head and controls. Mine has what appears to be original motor 10 hp.
Other than my lathes it's probably the most used machine in the shop.
Keep it cleaned and lubed and it will last another couple machinist lifetimes.
If you need a manual I do have one I could copy and send you. Just let me know.
Good luck
Mike

Mike, a manual would be great, I think i've got the speeds and feeds figured out but i'd like to read the manual before i break anything.

This thing has had some brazed repairs, one to the feed rod support at the end of the bed and another to the vertical feed rod support at the top of the column. Looks a bit ugly but seems to be doing the job.

Mark
[email protected]
 
2468 is a 2 1/2 - 3" and is from 1929

In the serial book in the Bullard section

I'd imagine it has plain Bronze spindle bearings - and this is long before glass hard Nitralloy quills in glass hard quill bushings like over at Lucas

(Lucas by the way used this nomenclature - the Spindle Sleeve rotated in the spindle bearings and the Spindle slid back and forth on its bushings in the Spindle Sleeve )

Thanks John. Don't know about the bearing configuration. Top spindle speed is 650 RPM. I have a #1G kempsmith universal horizontal with a top spindle speed of 575 and the spindle on that is ball-bearings. Based on that alone i would guess the HBM has ball bearings but that's an uniformed guess. The Kempsmith is a beautiful machine. Sold new in 1952 but looks like a late 20s or early 30s design. Single over-arm, no rapids and dead simple controls which appeals to it's simpleton current owner. Same knee configuration as their flat belt machines. It's in remarkably good condition. Probably because it was about two generations obsolete when it was first sold and likely got very little use.
 
I once dated a horizontal boring machine... she was all three....and cold as cast iron .

I believe she was looking for a husband.....wasn't me though ;-)

I always found Hor Bors tricky to read, you never know whether they're a full 3 + course dinner, or a pie and pint down the pub type of gal.
 
Glad it arrived! Auction picture didn’t do it justice. I’m baffled by 12k lbs compared to my war tags’ 18-19k. Missing tailstock and shorter bed, but....maybe just a touch lighter throughout?

Scott


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Glad it arrived! Auction picture didn’t do it justice. I’m baffled by 12k lbs compared to my war tags’ 18-19k. Missing tailstock and shorter bed, but....maybe just a touch lighter throughout?

Scott


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Scott,

Bed measures about 36" across at the base, 32" across the outer-most ways. Also, i noticed yours has the fine feed handwheel like my Cleerman drill-press. Perhaps there's a bit of extra gearing in there adding a bit of weight. Also, this has a newer motor and is only 5 hp. I'm guessing the original motor was in the 7.5 or 10 hp range and with the old frame size, would have been significantly heavier.

I'll start a separate thread on tooling this thing up as i have nothing.
 








 
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