What's new
What's new

FP1 Veritcal milling head lubrication

gotoole

Plastic
Joined
Aug 25, 2014
Location
Ireland
I have concerns about the lubrication of the vertical milling head , particularly the horizontal shaft gear which engages with the gear on the horizontal spindle.
If I am reading documentation correctly, the gear is lubricated with oil carried from the main gearbox on the gear of the horizontal spindle and to the upper drive gear. The oil level is correct on my FP1, by sight glass on left side of machine, but I feel the gears are dry when I recently removed the vertical milling head. I did find two wicks either side of the horizontal spindle housing but one was loose so perhaps this should be going somewhere. Incidentally, the housing was wet with oil just the gears felt dry.
Is my understanding of the lubrication mechanism correct and should I being checking or doing something to ensure better lubrication?

Thanks
ger
 
I feel the gears are dry when I recently removed the vertical milling head.

Had the machine been out of service for a long time? When the spindle is rotating, oil is carries up from the sump on all of the gears, so after a few seconds of operation the long horizontal top gear on the horizontal spindle will be wet with oil. But if the machine is sitting unused for a long period, that oil drains back down.

If you want to confirm this, try running the machine with the vertical head removed, and no cover on top of the machine. Just keep the spindle speeds low : at high speed you will spray oil everywhere. And take care with your fingers around the exposed gearing!
 
Thanks Ballen
the machine hadn't been used for a few says, maybe even a few weeks.
I will do as you say, at slow speed, and check that all is well

Thanks
Ger
 
I will do as you say, at slow speed, and check that all is well

If the machine is new to you, I suggest changing the oil in the feed and speed gearboxes. This is easy and inexpensive. I think you need ISO 46 weight, but check the manual first to be sure.
 
Thanks Ballen ,
I do have ISO VG 46 oil .
Am I correct that I drain the main gearbox from the bolt om of the sight glass and fill through the screw hole above it?
Thanks for all your help

leftsidesightglassarrowed.jpg
 
I will try to join to download

I think you need to sign up, but that's free. They have many pages of Deckel manuals, and several different FP1 versions. So if you search a bit you can probably find the manual for your exact generation -- the FP1 evolved quite a bit over the half-century that Deckel was manufacturing it. Most manuals there are available in English, German and French.
 
Thanks Ballen
I did manage to sign up , ( I have forgotten most of my school French) . And yes I have managed to download a few manuals for the FP1.
I found a very useful manual which has a lot more detail than any manual I have found previously. It is in German but I will use Google translate, along with the little I know, to translate.
Thanks very much.
Incidentally, that little screw did allow me to drain the oil and I refilled with the correct ISO VG 46. Thanks for all your help.
 
What age is your FP1? I scanned a 1938 manual.

I can send you a Dropbox link, so you can download it.

But maybe that's the one you found. I saw they took it - it would have been prudent to ask.

I have never seen a sight glass like that on an FP1 - so it could be very old (?).

Cheers
Erik
 
From memory, my oldish example has a sight glass on the side of the column. The vertical head gear would be wet with oil after running for a while.
 
What age is your FP1? I scanned a 1938 manual.

I can send you a Dropbox link, so you can download it.

But maybe that's the one you found. I saw they took it - it would have been prudent to ask.

I have never seen a sight glass like that on an FP1 - so it could be very old (?).

Cheers
Erik
Yes Erik, I would love to get a copy of the manual if you are happy to send it. The manual I done loaded is not a good photocopy as it has a lot of blacked out pages and dark areas where the text is hard to see and read. Should I send you my email address?
I believe, from the previous owner, that it is quite old but I have no way of checking that to be sure. The sight glass does look correct but it also could have been added during it's long career. I will try to fond out more.
 
What age is your FP1? I scanned a 1938 manual.

I can send you a Dropbox link, so you can download it.

But maybe that's the one you found. I saw they took it - it would have been prudent to ask.

I have never seen a sight glass like that on an FP1 - so it could be very old (?).

Cheers
Erik

If the manual is in English, I'd love a link too, I am also owner of a version of fp1 with secondary oil nipple

IMG_20200516_134400.jpg
 
Poyo
I can send you the German manual I have, if that is any use to you.
Gerard

I've found several PDF format German manuals, which is fine I can understand German fairly good but English would be much easier ofc, ones I have also are bad copies from black/white scans. If you have some better scans, would be appreciated.
 
Thanks Ballen ,
I do have ISO VG 46 oil .
Am I correct that I drain the main gearbox from the bolt om of the sight glass and fill through the screw hole above it?
Thanks for all your help

View attachment 288022

Dear Gerard

This sight glass on the left side of the column of your FP1 is typical for a FP1 Mk.1 (change wheel model for the auto power feeds, built from the mid 1930s until the late 1940s).

Deckel_FP1_column_front.jpg

Would be nice to see more photos of your machine.
If you need any help with translations from German to English, let me know.

Best, Stefan
 
He Stefan
Thanks for your help
I will take some more photographs and post them. Is there any particular items or views that would be more useful?


regards
 
Dear poyo

This vertical head seems to be also (as Gerards) from a FP1 Mk.1.

View attachment 288932

Point F is for pressing in grease, points K and S are for oil.

Best, Stefan

Hello Stefan,

Tnx for the info, I believe I have the same manual in PDF format too. I haven't started to renovate my machine yet. I purchased it a little less than a year ago, just checked several times if it has any issue with moving parts but everything seemed perfect. I'll start hopefully late summer to tearing it apart and cleaning, painting etc. Btw in which part of Switzerland are you living? I work for a Swiss company Buhler, often travel to Uzwil :)
 
Here is a picture taken when it was delivered. Not pictured is the horizontal milling anvil /arbor support which also came with the mill
Deckel-Milling-Machine.jpg
 








 
Back
Top