nobrakese28
Cast Iron
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2015
- Location
- Pico Rivera
I recently purchased a Taft-Peirce Number 1 surface grinder, the machine was stated to be in good shape (cleaned and ready to work) and was sent to me from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles. Somewhere along the way the machine was damaged and managed to work its way out of the crate which was likely built insufficient.
Upon inspection at the freight terminal I decided to reject the shipment because of the damage that was visible. After about 2-3 weeks I finally got my return (sent to wrong address) in full and got to keep the surface grinder ( dealer insisted).
Before scraping the grinder, I decided I would try and salvage anything useful, mostly the micro-adjust vernier dials, chuck, etc.
The obvious damage:
Ball-bearing spacers damaged and missing, most balls gone
Spindle motor housing was literally worn down from rubbing
Lots of deep scratches along the body
Control rod for table was bent
Broken oiler lines
Damaged wiring
Bent sheet metal covers
I decided to check if the spindle was bent, and was delighted to find it has less that .0001" run out, and powered up nice and quiet. The Y and Z axis moved freely, although it was obvious the Z-axis needed to be cleaned thoroughly.
I have decided to recondition the machine, and to be honest if the machine wasn't damaged in transit I would have been pretty upset in the condition of the machine, it was promised to be cleaned and ready to work, but it is full of grit and would have needed to come apart anyways.
The following photos will show the process of disassembly and some of the challenges I have faced so far, but it has mostly smooth. Taft-Peirce really likes Woodruff keys, and these little keys tend to get damaged or can lodge them selves into the bearings if you aren't careful when driving shafts out. Its best to use a gear puller on the hubs and gears.
Photos of machine when delivered. So far all of the ball tracks/ways don't have any lips or grooves that I can feel with my fingernail. No signs of brinnelling from the balls hitting/bouncing in the ways.
Upon inspection at the freight terminal I decided to reject the shipment because of the damage that was visible. After about 2-3 weeks I finally got my return (sent to wrong address) in full and got to keep the surface grinder ( dealer insisted).
Before scraping the grinder, I decided I would try and salvage anything useful, mostly the micro-adjust vernier dials, chuck, etc.
The obvious damage:
Ball-bearing spacers damaged and missing, most balls gone
Spindle motor housing was literally worn down from rubbing
Lots of deep scratches along the body
Control rod for table was bent
Broken oiler lines
Damaged wiring
Bent sheet metal covers
I decided to check if the spindle was bent, and was delighted to find it has less that .0001" run out, and powered up nice and quiet. The Y and Z axis moved freely, although it was obvious the Z-axis needed to be cleaned thoroughly.
I have decided to recondition the machine, and to be honest if the machine wasn't damaged in transit I would have been pretty upset in the condition of the machine, it was promised to be cleaned and ready to work, but it is full of grit and would have needed to come apart anyways.
The following photos will show the process of disassembly and some of the challenges I have faced so far, but it has mostly smooth. Taft-Peirce really likes Woodruff keys, and these little keys tend to get damaged or can lodge them selves into the bearings if you aren't careful when driving shafts out. Its best to use a gear puller on the hubs and gears.
Photos of machine when delivered. So far all of the ball tracks/ways don't have any lips or grooves that I can feel with my fingernail. No signs of brinnelling from the balls hitting/bouncing in the ways.