Transporting my Autometric

Spud · Jun 16, 2021

Picked this up yesterday. Was 270 miles from home. Rented an F550 from Enterprise.

I overdo it with securing a machine, so made the custom skid, screwed down blocking all around the machine, and used four 3,350lbs load rated straps (breakout force 10,000lbs). Blocked the bottom of the head with a piece of lumber.

Machine has a small footprint but weighs around 5,000 lbs.

Only got about 12mpg on my outbound trip, going at 60-64 mph. Return trip I was doing about 70 mph (speed limit) and got about 11mpg.

otrlt · Jun 16, 2021

Congratulations on your purchase of perhaps the most useful toolroom machine in existence. I would strongly recommend to tool-up this tool for your own needs.

Spud · Jun 16, 2021

otrlt said:
Congratulations on your purchase of perhaps the most useful toolroom machine in existence. I would strongly recommend to tool-up this tool for your own needs.

Looking at RKepler's past thread on a similar machine, tooling seems hard to get hold of. So I will have to make my own when I eventually get a place to set up all my machines.

gbent · Jun 17, 2021

Is the spindle nose 40 Flash Change? If so, its not hard to find.

Spud · Jun 17, 2021

gbent said:
Is the spindle nose 40 Flash Change? If so, its not hard to find.

Russ (RKepler) says it is the old 40 NST, and he has adapted a 40 NMTB tool holder. When I eventually get my own shop, I will work on making tooling for this. Been wanting my own shop / garage space for many years, no idea when I will finally be able to.

Cole2534 · Jun 17, 2021

I am so freaking jealous of you! I've wanted an Autometric since KPoter posted his years ago!

Spud · Jun 17, 2021

Cole2534 said:
I am so freaking jealous of you! I've wanted an Autometric since KPoter posted his years ago!

I became aware of them many years ago, when Milacron or someone made a thread about small HBMs. I thought they looked soo neat. And having a weakness for neat mechanical things I always thought if I ever saw one in my neck of the woods I would see if I could afford one. I never looked out for these for many years afterwards by just on a whim, a month ago, I decided to see if any were around near me and was surprised to see one.

I didn't get it because I have a use for it , and no idea what I can use it for, I just got it because it is soo freaking neat. Other than it's accuracy , what makes it near is its small size for an HBM, and that built in rotary table. The handwheel has a mechanical digital counter built in, which I have not seen on other American machine tools.

matt_isserstedt · Jul 14, 2021

I would suggest two things from your transport photos.

1) buy some cordura sleeves for those 2" web straps to prevent chafing on sharp metal edges of the machine, I try to put 3 sleeves on each strap as a practice. I have bought them I believe from ebay and TruckNTow websites. Buy once and they are hanging around forevermore.

2) put the flat hook inside of the rub rail and hook it under the edge of the actual truck bed. If you accidentally "rubbed" in the configuration shown you'd scrape all of the straps off at once and that would make for a bad day.

Beautiful machine, incredible function that I can instantly see, now I want one lol

I like that idea of renting a flatbed truck, I need to try that instead of pushing my ancient chevy truck on multistate missions.

Superbowl · Jul 14, 2021

matt_isserstedt said:
I would suggest two things from your transport photos.

1) buy some cordura sleeves for those 2" web straps to prevent chafing on sharp metal edges of the machine, I try to put 3 sleeves on each strap as a practice. I have bought them I believe from ebay and TruckNTow websites. Buy once and they are hanging around forevermore.

I use pieces of old inner tubes.

Dan from Oakland · Jul 15, 2021

Old fire hose is WAY better than inner tubes!!!! Also, awesome score on the machine!!!

Joe Miranda · Jul 15, 2021

That looks like a beauty! I have always wanted one of those too!

Spud · Jul 15, 2021

matt_isserstedt said:
I would suggest two things from your transport photos.

1) buy some cordura sleeves for those 2" web straps to prevent chafing on sharp metal edges of the machine, I try to put 3 sleeves on each strap as a practice. I have bought them I believe from ebay and TruckNTow websites. Buy once and they are hanging around forevermore.

2) put the flat hook inside of the rub rail and hook it under the edge of the actual truck bed. If you accidentally "rubbed" in the configuration shown you'd scrape all of the straps off at once and that would make for a bad day.

Beautiful machine, incredible function that I can instantly see, now I want one lol

I like that idea of renting a flatbed truck, I need to try that instead of pushing my ancient chevy truck on multistate missions.

I innitially put the flat hook inside of the rail but still hooked it to the rail's outer ledge. I changed it because the edge of the hook seemed like it was grabbing onto less of the rail when positioned inside the rail rather than outside the rail.

Memory is a bit hazy but my recollection is that there was no ledge to hook into the actual bed of the truck. I moved my Abene and Rivett the same way.

I always build a custom skid / pallet for the machines I move because I am concerned they may slide if I only used blocks, but I see lots of people transport machinery with just blocks between the machine and truck bed.

Spud · Jul 15, 2021

Joe Miranda said:
That looks like a beauty! I have always wanted one of those too!

It is a neat little thing, but I have no idea what I can use it for. I got it because HBMs are typically much larger, but this one is the exception. This one has that 'cute' and 'neat' factor because of its small size.

otrlt · Jul 15, 2021

The shear beauty of this purchase is the fact that this tool was never in a production environment. This is a toolroom piece, only the highest skilled were allowed to even see it.

Garwood · Jul 18, 2021

Spud said:
It is a neat little thing, but I have no idea what I can use it for. I got it because HBMs are typically much larger, but this one is the exception. This one has that 'cute' and 'neat' factor because of its small size.

Is it considered an HBM? It strikes me as more of a horizontal jig borer.

Looks like it would be great for a select size and style of parts.

Spud · Jul 18, 2021

otrlt said:
The shear beauty of this purchase is the fact that this tool was never in a production environment. This is a toolroom piece, only the highest skilled were allowed to even see it.

"only the highest skilled were allowed to even see it."

Well that's not me then

. I graduated from a CNC machine tool operator program from local Technical college past December. It was a 1 year full time program. First semester we ran manual and conversational machines. Second semester we ran CNC machines and surface grinders. I have no on the job expereince.

Garwood said:
Is it considered an HBM? It strikes me as more of a horizontal jig borer.

Looks like it would be great for a select size and style of parts.

I was told in the Kearney & Trecker / Cinncinnati / US heavy iron sub-forum, that you can do some light milling on it. In addition to the drilling, boring, reaming.

Garwood · Jul 18, 2021

Spud said:
"only the highest skilled were allowed to even see it."

Well that's not me then . I graduated from a CNC machine tool operator program from local Technical college past December. It was a 1 year full time program. First semester we ran manual and conversational machines. Second semester we ran CNC machines and surface grinders. I have no on the job expereince.

I was told in the Kearney & Trecker / Cinncinnati / US heavy iron sub-forum, that you can do some light milling on it. In addition to the drilling, boring, reaming.

I am sure you can, just like any other Jig Borer.

I think distinctions for HBM (Horizontal Boring Mill) are features that make boring operations straightforward, like a quill and a tailstock and enough substance that those bits can exist in reasonable alignment while also having enough room for the part you're working on. Over time, I think HBM's evolved to more of a "swiss Army Knife" of machine tools where they can justify the space they consume because they are versatile enough to replace other machines- Like large swing short bed lathes and radial drills.

If that machine were built to accommodate a tailstock it would be about a foot longer. If it had a little baby quill, it would gain about the same amount in the other direction. If it had those features it wouldn't add much functionality to it.

TKassoc · Jul 18, 2021

My grandfather actually worked at the Autometric factory scraping ways on those during the war. He was convinced that 90% of them went to the bottom of the Atlantic on Liberty ships as almost all of their production was sold through the Lend-Lease Act. His lasting contribution to Autometric was getting the shop foreman to install heavy curtains on the windows to prevent the afternoon sun from heating up the castings and distorting things while they were scraping.

He also wasn't particularly fond of them even with a direct connection to their manufacturing...he always spoke reverently about the Pratt and Whitney flat belt lathe in the first shop he apprenticed.

Dan from Oakland · Jul 18, 2021

TK- did your grandfather work for Autometric in Berkeley before it was sold to Kearney and Trecker? The (Model A) Autometrics had round ways on the Z axis.

lucky7 · Jul 19, 2021

Has anyone used both an Autometric and a Kearns S Type? Would be interested in their thoughts.

L7

Transporting my Autometric

Diamond

otrlt

Guest

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Hot Rolled

Titanium

Titanium

Diamond

Diamond

otrlt

Guest

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Hot Rolled

Titanium

Titanium