Tree//Steptoe Mill Info?

Picked up this small mill as an "extra" to the 11" Sheldon I just bought...
Know nothing about it- other than Tree seems to be a machine deserving of some respect.

But, I'd never heard of Tree, with a "Steptoe" base?

Anyone know the history of this machine, and if there is information (manual) available?
Seemed to run fine (small belt which I assume is for spindle power down was trashed), no noise or visible runout on the spindle (but I didn't put an indicator on it). Table was tight from lack of use/lubrication so I didn't run it end to end. Price was cheap for a running machine in any case so can't end up upside down.

Sorry these are so small, still don't know how that happened...I can get better ones when I get it back to the shop next week.

I believe Tree actually started out just making heads to be installed on other machines. I've saw several heads installed on cinncinatti horizontal mills before. I have a Tree 2UVR mill and love it.

Sent from my LML212VL using Tapatalk

The head mounted on the overarm is a Tree milling head. As the previous poster noted, Tree may have initially made just heads before going on to produce complete milling machines. Another common "vertical conversion" milling head manufacturer was Fray. They too, also only made a vertical head, until eventually coming out with a complete mill.
The column/base is a small No. 0 Steptoe horizontal milling machine. From the style, I would speculate it was produced sometime around 1900. Still has the spindle, but the cone pulley and back gears have been removed.

I wondered if it was a "frankenstein" of sorts...
Guess I'll find out after I get it in whether that 100+ year old table is tight enough for real use or if it'll be a glorified drill press. Collets for that unknown Tree head is another one...
For $300, it'll be a hero, or a zero I suppose

I was thinking that a picture your mill had been shown in another thread on this forum recently but don’t remember the title to search for it.
A similar set up was discussed in this thread maybe this is the one I was thinking of.
https://www.practicalmachinist.com/...l-milling-machine-361986/?highlight=Tree+Mill
Regards,
Jim

I would not be too "down" on the Steptoe mill yet. Thing about machining, especially manual machining, is that most of the quality of output and accuracy of a product, is in the hands of the machinist, not the machine. It has been said over and over, ad infinitum, on this forum how a truly observant and talented machinist can make a diamond on a real dog of a mill/lathe/whatever. It is all in comp'ing (compensating) to account for wear/slop.

^^^
Absolutely. The mill will need the table disassembled and cleaned, I'm hopeful the wealth of knowledge here will help me through it- and I'll be able to resurrect this old beast (along with the Sheldon, Army Machine Shop Truck lathe bought with it) back to making chips

I picked up a steptoe horizontal mill for a 100 bucks a few years ago after much cleaning and adjusting it's a reasonably tight and rigid mill I'm keeping an eye out for a milling head similar to the tree head you have