New to me G. Dufour 51 Universal Mill

Fabworks · Feb 19, 2017

Found a horizontal mill at an auction last month. I have seen very few horizontals in my area. Nice to find one fairly close to me. Everything seems to work well. Feeds and rapids on x,y,z. 8 speed spindle with 16 speeds on the vert head.

I have found some info on PM regarding the machine including a link to the manual and documentation in French. Google translate has become a close friend. I have done searches in French and found much info as well.

I am guessing the machine was build in the 50's or early 60's. The serial number is N 155 F51 with the 51 being the model number. If anyone can date it from the SN, please let me know.

Looked like this where I found it.

Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning 50+ years of petrified cutting oil.

Universal milling head came with a cool storage stand.

Tooling that came with it.

Ron Hofer · Feb 19, 2017

Cleaned up right nice. Good work!

davehud · Feb 19, 2017

Nice machine!
I predict you'll put on the vert head and leave it there.

Bellinghamster · Feb 19, 2017

Glad to see another Dufour on the west coast! I've got a Dufour 61 universal. Looks pretty similar, but has a "parking attachment" for the vertical head (extension of the vertical ways) that slides back on big dovetails on top.

Currently mine is in a the middle of a table tear down to clean out similar vintage of crusty stuff.

Nice box-o-bits you got with it. Mine came with no toolholders - NMTB/CAT40 is a bit more expensive to tool up compared an R8 machine... Unfortunately I'm missing one of the 70mm overarm support bars. Probably not someting I'll come across in my local travels

'course 70mm is about 5 thou small than 2-3/4 and a lot of metal to peel off a 3" bar on my little lathe.

Fabworks · Feb 19, 2017

davehud said:
Nice machine!
I predict you'll put on the vert head and leave it there.

I guess I will find out.

I have a BP in the shop as well.

onecut · Feb 20, 2017

Nice looking little universal milling machine m/c looks pretty sturdy-Decent find

Monarchist · Feb 20, 2017

davehud said:
I predict you'll put on the vert head and leave it there.

LOL! Not if he is a REAL mill-hand, he will not!

Great find. Double-overarms, compact size, stout build, good finish, large handwheels, whole lot of hints at serious goodness in that one.

Tyrone Shoelaces · Feb 20, 2017

" Dufour " are a well respected brand. I worked one just like it years ago in the maintenance workshop of a company I was working on an installation. Very versatile little mill.

Regards Tyrone.

johnoder · Feb 20, 2017

When the Vertical head is off.

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/v...ontal-mill-lathe-180108/?highlight=horizontal

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/v...et-up-bore-apron-176541/?highlight=horizontal

ponderingjunkman · Feb 21, 2017

I have one of these too, fetched out of a basement many years ago. I have a sales brochure for the model 51, and inside it is a letter from Hudson Randall international dated April 14, 1952. Seems like the salesman, Mr Dwight H. Boss, who (whom?) It is addressed to, was inquiring about price. In 1952, it was $6790 fob new York dock. Mr boss would make 5% commission if sales went thru. Kind of neat!

pmailkeey · Sep 6, 2018

Bellinghamster said:
Glad to see another Dufour on the west coast! I've got a Dufour 61 universal. Looks pretty similar, but has a "parking attachment" for the vertical head (extension of the vertical ways) that slides back on big dovetails on top.

Currently mine is in a the middle of a table tear down to clean out similar vintage of crusty stuff.

Nice box-o-bits you got with it. Mine came with no toolholders - NMTB/CAT40 is a bit more expensive to tool up compared an R8 machine... Unfortunately I'm missing one of the 70mm overarm support bars. Probably not someting I'll come across in my local travels 'course 70mm is about 5 thou small than 2-3/4 and a lot of metal to peel off a 3" bar on my little lathe.

I'm on the West Coast - of England !
I guess mine's a '61' too - in fetching red

Have you got the vertical head lifting rod/prop - to lift the vertical head up to its parking station via the bed lift ?

Bellinghamster · Sep 12, 2018

Nope, I'll have to make up a bar to lift the head next time I convert to horizontal.

nicovme · Jan 29, 2019

to revive the thread, i have a 51 as well, over here in belgium. Bought it cheap with a lot of end mills

diesel_geek · Jan 28, 2020

I picked up a 624B about 6mos ago. I really like it. It quit the other day and it's an electrical problem of some sort. I got to make one part for my lathe before it quit though :cool:

The hydraulic pump is not coming on. it looks to be a control wiring issue. I just haven't figure out what the control circuit path is yet :scratchchin:

I can manually start all of the components but I can't get the contactor for the hydraulics to pull in. I suspect it's a requirement for everything else to work. It would keep you from trashing the gear box inadvertently.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Mark

thermite · Jan 29, 2020

diesel_geek said:
I picked up a 624B about 6mos ago. I really like it. It quit the other day and it's an electrical problem of some sort. I got to make one part for my lathe before it quit though The hydraulic pump is not coming on. it looks to be a control wiring issue. I just haven't figure out what the control circuit path is yet

I can manually start all of the components but I can't get the contactor for the hydraulics to pull in. I suspect it's a requirement for everything else to work. It would keep you from trashing the gear box inadvertently.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Mark

Surely. "Fail safe" if the hydraulics are started independently and "first", rather than too-late or even "not at all" .

To get the WORK done, simply isolate their power, provide it independently. Start the pump first, stop the pump last.

Finish the job, counting on your OWN brain to not run it without hydraulics.

THEN come back and start looking for a serial path in the control loop that has a fault in it.

Fault isolation is a science, not an accident.

Start at BOTH ends. Work toward the middle one of the prime directives.

Your journey on that road began when the power switch was activated at "one end", the pump did not respond at the "other end".

Good start!

Now take the next step along the route in between. From BOTH ends.

Not HARD.

Just f*****g tedious!

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