Unknown bench top horizontal mill

Trying to ID this little horizontal mill I’m supposed to get in the coming weeks. I looked over at vintage machinery site and no matches... I know nothing about it Other than the pictures. Any suggestions appreciated.

Lewis "kit" mill I believe.

iwananew10K said:

Lewis "kit" mill I believe.

Click to expand...

Surely resembles one...:

Lewis kit-built machine tools

Thanks! I do believe that is it.

Concur. I own one in my personal shop.

Do you have more oics? I see that one has power feed, and I have been thinking of adding that. Would like to see better detail of that power feed.

Some pics.

Thanks JST. These are the only pictures I have for now. I am going to pick it up in the next week or so. When I get it I’ll be sure to get some more detailed pictures. It has sat in unused condition in a basement for the last ten years or so.

JST, I am curious about the vertical head attachment. Is that custom or from some other machine? It would work nicely on my P&W 3C. Thanks

discodan said:

JST, I am curious about the vertical head attachment. Is that custom or from some other machine? It would work nicely on my P&W 3C. Thanks

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The actual head I have no clue about. It looks commercial, in that it is a casting, and a good one, not crude backyard stuff. The mounting is shop made, to drive it from the spindle like others I have seen, such as the Marvin sold to hobby types decades ago.

The original system when I got the machine from a turret lathe shop, was similar, but had a separate motor on the back of the overarm. You had to change overarms to use it, which I did not want. I think the TL shop used it in their toolroom, and probably left it as a vertical most of the time.

You can see the motor on the back in this pic I saved from the CL advert.

The vertical head is very interesting. JST thanks for posting the plans. Answers a lot of my questions on bearings and type of collets it takes. Once I pick it up, I can show details of the power feed mechanism. I recall seeing this mill when I was a kid and thought to myself it would be neat piece to own. The more info posted, the more it peaks my interest.

Mine has roller bearings, where the original had bronze. It also has several other mods that were documented in articles, etc. One is the back gears, which yours also has, I do not have any documentation for that, but back gears were a common addition. There was a popular Mechanics article by Walter Burton that has many mods in it. I have a PDF of it.

The power feed is one that I have not seen before, but it is a super good mod for any mill. Cranking the handles is not fun, and is hard to do at a consistent speed.

I have more sheets of the plans, although yours has several deviations from the base plan.

JST, if you could, PM me your email address so I can send pix of the drive setup. I tried to PM you but your inbox is full

Got her home over the weekend. Had to completely disassemble to make the move and as prep for cleaning, reassembly and adjustment. This one has a nice selection of MT3 tooling and cutters with it. Also has a nice sturdy base and reversing motor. It came from a friends father/grandfathers workshop who were amateur gunsmiths and looks well-cared for despite its age.

Found this by searching old popular mechanics issues on google books. This ad is from 1936. The later issues show them in the LA area...this one shows the Bay Area.

Got the old girl working over the last few months. I added a 3MT to ER32 adapter to simplify cutter changes. Also added an igage set of DROs...should be adaquate for the work this will do.

Did I ever send you the rest of the stuff I have on it?

I think I did, per your post above, but if not, let me know,

JST said:

I see that one has power feed, and I have been thinking of adding that. Would like to see better detail of that power feed.

Click to expand...

If that is still on your someday-maybe list, pull up the online US Army contract manual on the Burke #4 / B-100-4.

Nearly identical rig.

All of mine was missing but the step-pulleys, which being ZAMAK I traded to another member who had the rest of the bits for his one.

What is sitting idle is $70 worth of NOS Bison 90 VDC hollow-shaft gearmotor instead. And a KB-Penta drive to run it off 120 or 240 VAC. Remotor for the spindle is DC also.

The missing telescoping tube and U-joints, I figured for nested square tube and stock socket-wrench U-joints. Grob spline goods I have used my share of, but seems $ overkill, here.

I DO have Burke's OEM bronze worm-wheel just inboard of the right-end crank-handle.

The MO was for the Operator to lift the worm-on-shaft with a handle and knob into a gated notch in the cover and latch it there.

The stops, front edge of the one Tee-slot table - then kicked it out of engagement - or the operator did. Gravity dropped it clear to the cover's lower end of the slot.

Crude, but all it needed, short as the table travel was.

The only hard part is finding a worm to match my existing wheel. Or in your case, adapting a set.

I've even sniffed at repair parts for BirdPort head movement and garage-door openers, but "other priorities".

And a larger mill.., etc.