Used Index Model 55 at HGR

Froneck · Mar 27, 2020

What seems to be a nice Index Model 55 mill is available at HGR Surplus item # 1119-155-0029. Has table and Quill power feed. Probably Morse or B&S tapered spindle. Round arm and not variable speed. I had one and think it will make a good entry level mill for someone wanting a mill. Current price is $459 but it will soon be marked down again plus there will be another up-coming sale, -20% on machinery ($367)If you keep an eye on it I'm sure it will eventually drop to about $150 if no one buys it.
Do I want it? If I had room I'd buy it but I need a shoe horn to get in my shop now plus I just purchased 2 turret lathes and 2 engine lathes from HGR!

Froneck · Mar 30, 2020

Up-Date Sold!

I see this machine has been sold.

Homebrewblob · Apr 13, 2020

I’m the buyer

Looks like I bought that machine, and looking for support/Information I stumbled upon this website finding this thread. I want to post some pictures of the clean up on it but am not sure how to. it’s a very tight machine and EVERY way still has the original scraping, it’s honestly in beautiful condition for the price. I’ve never ran a lathe nor mill before and I am a big DIY guy, I bought this and a south bend heavy 10 from HGR at the same time, I have only run these machines without load so far but everything tested works great. I’m new to the website and am still figuring things out.

Riderusty · Apr 13, 2020

Welcome, Homebrew. Please do post pictures and your progress here. Also check out the South Bend section here for a good info source on the lathe.

Tom B.

Homebrewblob · Apr 13, 2020

Noob is trying please stand by

Homebrewblob · Apr 13, 2020

Photobucket

Rob F. · Apr 13, 2020

Welcome homebrew!
Best to post pics straight to the thread. Look at the icons above this text box and see one that looks like a picture of a tree. Click that and follow the prompts to post pictures from your computer. Movies are similar, next o the tree icon is a film strip, click it and follow prompts, both are easy once you know where to look.
Photobucket keeps changing things around and when they do older pics disappear, you will see this when reading older threads.

Homebrewblob · Apr 13, 2020

Thanks for the tips rob, I tried searching the forums and found a few old (year 2000) threads on how to post the images. I’m on mobile and I rarely use the desktop, I don’t see the “tree” icon using my mobile. Guess I should just fire up the ole dinosaur oh I ment desktop and see what’s different using that method. I’m a total noob to forums and such, I’m only 27 but feel like I’m 127 sometimes, old soul I guess ha. To get the mill off the trailer we tied a strap to a car in my garage and tied the strap to the pallet the mill was on and pretty much stomped the gas! Afterwards we used the ole wrangler “plow truck” / bulldozer and pushed the pallet inside the garage. It was quite an experience

Homebrewblob · Apr 13, 2020

I also used my harbor freight engine hoist (says 2 ton Chinese capacity) to pick the mill just 1 inch or so off the ground and scooted it bit by bit into position, I must say after rigging the mill for the second time on the lift it was quite simple and easy to move, first attempt with the lift resulted in the lift creaking and bowing over a bit (had the arm out to 1/2 ton China capacity) she said it was too much.

Homebrewblob · Apr 13, 2020

I’m going to update this as I go with my clean up on this index 55, I can’t get ahold of anyone at wells due to the virus bs going on. So I’m at a loss on how to maintenance this machine, I really want to give her all the love she deserves.

Best I can tell with the story on this machine it appears to have been bought but not used a lot maybe a back up/Auxiliary machine. and it looks to have eventually been sold to someone who painted the machine (horribly, overtop dirt grit grim, it’s flaking and there’s brush strokes in the paint all over the body, the freaking oil cups were ALL painted shut, a real god awful mess that my wife could of done better blindfolded) and then stripped the ways of every molecule of lube. And then it sat. And sat. Aannnd sat. Then HGR got it and now it’s mine.

I think someone seen how good it looked when the last owner that actually used the machine sold it, got it and threw a quick paint job to make it look “fresh” and even wiped the ways down to make it look “clean and shiny” and due to it not being a Bridgeport and the shotty paint job, painted closed oilers so no one bought it, then as it sat it rusted of course and started to really looked like a old “off brand” clapped out mill. Index is a great company and this mill so far looks to be in really good condition once I started poking it but then again I’ve never even seen a Bridgeport in person, but I’ve dreamed oh how I’ve dreamed.

Rob F. · Apr 13, 2020

Lots of info you will need to clean and oil it is in here, use the search or even an online search including "practical machinist" Anything relating to bridgeport should generally apply to yours, so dont limit your search to only index55.
Looks like a great deal you got. :cheers:

Homebrewblob · Apr 13, 2020

Thanks again rob, I’m definitely using the heck out of the search function but tbh every time I do I find something very interesting and go off on an adventure into someone else projects on here! I’m learning about a whole lot all at once, I’m so eager to make chips but I want to do this right, I’m not into a full restoration and paint atm, mainly trying to get it functional and lubed up. So far the only thing not working is the spindle brake (or what I think is the brake) there was no handle that came with it, the spindle lock handle was missing and the knee lift handle looks like it was broke and ground smooth or cut off and ground smooth, but none of the handle shafts are bent or noticeably damaged and all the xyz movements move with 1 finger, does not get tight at the ends, smooth from end to end. I can lift the knee with one hand and no handle. It’s really a smooth machine and I’m happy as can be over it. It’ll do more then I’m capable of I’m sure. One thing I found weird was the spindle motor says it has a 60min Dudu cycle, what’s that about? Was the index 55 not marketed for the professional market? And if anyone’s curious it cost me 1900$ to buy both machines and ship them to me. I had to pick them up at a nearby port. I definitely overpaid for the heavy 10 Considering the wear and tear but not by a gross amount. I read on here that the best purchase price was one where both sides were happy in the end and I can say I’m definitely happy with what I got. Now to spend that “purchase price of my machine” a second time on tooling!

Rob F. · Apr 13, 2020

Homebrewblob said:
One thing I found weird was the spindle motor says it has a 60min Dudu cycle, what’s that about?

Duty cycle is how long something can run before resting, Usually in % like a 60% duty cycle welding machine can weld at max power 60% of an hour.
Dudu cycle might be how often your little helper needs a diaper change :eek:

Homebrewblob · Apr 13, 2020

Rob I’m Familiar with duty cycle in terms of %, but this motor says 60 MIN Duty cycle. So is that supposed to mean 60min run with 60 min cool down? I’ve never ran across a duty cycle in minutes

Homebrewblob · Apr 13, 2020

There is a captive nut atop the drawbar that lets the draw bar push the tool holder out of the spindle, this has been stripped and the top of the drawl bar is pretty mushroomed from what looks like past stuck tooling, the bearing inside the spindle seem to be fine and smooth spinning, no noticeable play of any kind. No sounds from the quill but the belts and motor make a “spinning dry bearing” sound as I call it. No heat or smoke. What suggestions do you guys have in mind to repair the top of the quill threads? I’m thinking I should tig it and grind re tap it but I’m not sure how I would go about trueing and tapping it

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Rob F. · Apr 13, 2020

Yeah, 60 MIN duty cycle is not a common description...
I did see this online about different duty cycles:
10 Different Duty Types (Load Cycle) Of A Three-Phase Asynchronous Motors | EEP
As for threads on your spindle & nut, didnt you get a lathe also?

Homebrewblob · Apr 13, 2020

Correct but I lack the skills and tools atm to address this with the heavy 10, and she has quite a bit of abuse that I have to try and mend before I attempt any serious work/repair with it, one shaft inside the qcgb has worn about an 1/8 inch droop in the casting race. She’s definitely seen ALOT of miles and the half nuts are so warn the threads could slice your fingertip off how ever they are still there. I hope to use both machines over the years to fix each other. But at the moment I am planning on having the mill cutting way before the lathe and want to use collets in the b&s 9 taper it uses but don’t want to pound away on the bearings and drawbar like a savage so I think this thread repair kinda ends up at the top of the list for me. Remember I have never ran a mill or lathe for a second, I actually don’t have 3phase but instead have a 3hp RPC I’m building atm, originally I idled the lathe motor On my 220v split phase to jump 3p to the mill and ran it through its motions (after Extensive de rusting (navel jelly) and cleaning/lube) everything works (no belt for the quill feed but ran it by hand) oh and the lathes been hard crashed probably 5 times easy using the back gear without removing the pin by some previous owners.

Homebrewblob · Apr 13, 2020

Rob F. said:
Yeah, 60 MIN duty cycle is not a common description...
I did see this online about different duty cycles:
10 Different Duty Types (Load Cycle) Of A Three-Phase Asynchronous Motors | EEP
As for threads on your spindle & nut, didnt you get a lathe also?

Now that’s a read, I’ll have to book mark that and do a little digging to find out my cooling cycle

Homebrewblob · Apr 13, 2020

My heavy 10’s back gear showing her Mountain Dew smile

4GSR · Apr 14, 2020

One word of caution. The reason the previous person beat the sh^t out of the draw bar is they over tighten the No. 9 B & S tapered arbors into the spindle. Should only be tighten gently with a 6" Crescent wrench, period! I've owned several Gorton mills in my past that had No. 9 and 10 tapers in the spindles. After a few years of over tightening them you learn not to tighten them no more than needed. Now own a Index 645 mill, just a generation newer from the 55 version as you have.
Also, the messed up thread on top of your spindle, my spindle had the same issue. I just faced it off in the lathe and put a slight bevel on the internal hole. Made a bushing to go on top of that with a lip sticking out on it to register in the ID of the bevel on the spindle. It's just one of those things you will have live without. AND WHAT EVER YOU DO, DO NOT WELD on the spindle in attempt to fix the thread, you will mess it up!!! That's a odd OD thread with something like a 20 pitch to it. You won't find a tap or die nut to fix it with. Ken

Used Index Model 55 at HGR

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