Here is a list of all the postings Will Robertson has made in our forums. Click on a thread name to jump to the thread.
Thread: Cos-Par Alfa 1 Universal Divider - Universeller Teiler |
13/04/2023 20:19:22 |
I sent the person who'd sold me the divider the information that people on here had found - he used it to have a search around his workshop and found this:
|
Thread: Name of Tools Used for Mill Tool Holder Retaining Bolt |
03/04/2023 23:26:58 |
I eventually found the right set of 8 tools - the seller was selling them as "Spannschlussel" so I don't think he was sure of the formal name for them either - Spannschlüssel covers a fairly wide range of tools in German. Would also have been fun to make them on the lathe and mill. |
Thread: Does anyone know what this is |
03/04/2023 23:15:49 |
As well as a home-made general purpose divider my guess is that it would be handy as a quick, home-made way of cloning any given gear that could fit on the left hand side - guessing that the precision wouldn't be wonderful - it looks like that pin is spring loaded rather than being threaded to lock in place - but might have been enough for some things. |
Thread: Cos-Par Alfa 1 Universal Divider - Universeller Teiler |
03/04/2023 23:09:31 |
Posted by DC31k on 31/03/2023 08:19:14:
Possibly the most relevant publication at vintagemachinery is this one: http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=27825 Thank you very much. |
03/04/2023 22:49:59 |
Posted by Nigel Graham 2 on 31/03/2023 00:00:23:
Wow! One lucky find! Hi Nigel, |
03/04/2023 22:29:13 |
Posted by Andrew Johnston on 31/03/2023 21:15:14:
Lovely bit of kit; did it come with all the gears, brackets and a tailstock? It can be used for direct indexing using the plate behind the chuck, simple indexing using the division plates and compound, and differential, indexing for divisions not available using the standard division plates. As stated above, in conjunction with a universal horizontal mill it can be used for milling helical gears: Hi Andrew, Will |
30/03/2023 23:11:44 |
I was extremely lucky and bought a very beautiful Cos-Par Alfa 1 Universal Divider - I'd thought I'd be outbid but guessing that I was very lucky and others either didn't know what it was or couldn't lift it. Cos-Par Alfa 1 Universal Divider - Universeller Teiler Video Edited By Will Robertson on 30/03/2023 23:15:22 Edited By Will Robertson on 30/03/2023 23:16:06 |
Thread: Name of Tools Used for Mill Tool Holder Retaining Bolt |
25/03/2023 17:34:01 |
Thank you very much!
|
24/03/2023 19:23:00 |
I'm really sorry to ask such a basic question. What's the right name for the tools used to loosen or tighten the retaining bolt on these tool holders for the mill? It's a European mill and metric. |
Thread: Detailed Repair or Restoration Manual for a Mikron Watchmaker's Lathe - How to Repair Headstock Bearings |
24/03/2023 14:35:10 |
T&LM info here just for interest. The T&LM does not have wicks, the Mikron does so be careful not to ruin them. Oilers like these seem to stay clean
|
Thread: Mikron F75 |
11/03/2023 15:08:46 |
Posted by old mart on 06/03/2023 21:18:17:
The bearings are bronze and adjustable, they are bored with a cylindrical hole and the spindle will have a plain diameter where the bearings run. The spindle definitely is removed to the right. That thrust race is only there to counteract tailstock thrust and ensure the spindle has minimum end float for turning. Not at all scary, of delicate they are very similar to the spindle bearings in a Smart & Brown model A, bulletproof. Thank you very much. |
Thread: Detailed Repair or Restoration Manual for a Mikron Watchmaker's Lathe - How to Repair Headstock Bearings |
09/03/2023 17:07:11 |
I was able to collect the lathe and get a micrometer on the headstock and the radial play on the headstock bearing that it measured was 0.25 mm - not the "a bit over 1 mm" that I'd guesstimated by hand - apologies for my grossly incorrect manual guesstimate on that. 🙈 |
06/03/2023 10:52:07 |
Posted by Dave Halford on 05/03/2023 21:09:28:
Looks like a T&LM style split cone head stock though the bed is very different. You edge them tighter as in 'loosen the back and tighten the front in small amounts with a C spanner till the play goes. It's very likely the bearings are fine, but they have been loosened to mess with the belt . If there are felts in the bottom slot they are best left in place, they swell up and will not go back. Hi Dave, >You edge them tighter as in 'loosen the back and tighten the front in small amounts with a C spanner till the play goes. Thank you very much - that's an enormous help - I hadn't been able to find any documentation on it so it's enormously valuable to know that that's how to adjust the bearings. Is it reasonable for me to expect to be able to get rid of c. 1 mm radial play by adjustment alone? Should I attempt to clean out the bearings with solvent then compressed air to remove old oil and other debris then lubricate with fresh lubricating oil before adjusting? >It's very likely the bearings are fine, but they have been loosened to mess with the belt Thank you very much. I don't fully understand "to mess with the belt" - unfortunately my generation were taught CNC and got no training in belt driven equipment. The motor and belt drive hardware that would have originally powered the lathe was all long gone when I bought it so I'm planning - without making any modifications that damage this historically significant lathe - to power it from a modern variable frequency motor and variable frequency drive that I have here or to buy a modern geared stepper motor to power it - hopefully if I get it right the geared stepper motor would have the advantage of allowing the lathe to be used as a divider and simple machining centre as well as a traditional lathe. Thank you very much again for your help! Will |
Thread: Mikron F75 |
06/03/2023 10:16:01 |
Posted by Hirschli27 on 31/03/2020 23:42:43:
I can give a little bit of help for the disassembly of the internally geared Mikron T90 and F75 headstocks. Starting with what you should not do: DO NOT turn those two small screws that seem to go directly into the bearings. They have flat sides at the end that go into slots in the bearings. If you turn them they either break or damage the bearing slots. You also do not habe to remove the bearings (unless you have to adjust for radial play). Realigning them to the spindle is somewhat time consuming when you put them back. The spindle comes out at the front. There are two rings around the spindle at the front side. The first is partly hidden and has a small screw. This screw ends in a slot on the spindle and prevents it from rotating. It should not be tightened as it should be moving along the spindle. If it is tightened just loosen it a little (it does not have to be out completely). The second ring is a nut screwed on the spindle and it is for adjusting the axial play. Remove the screw. Under it appears a small piece of bronze which on the bottom has the same threading as the ring. DO NOT touch this bronze piece - you will never get it back in at the right angle if you move it. After removing the screw it should be possible to turn the ring somewhat. On the opposite side of the screw there is a hole that is useful if you have to use some force to move the ring in the beginning. But be careful not to insert any rod into the threaded hole to get the ring moving. Also be aware that the ring is rather soft and the also unthreaded hole can be easily ruined with to much force. The ring should move easily - do not use force and stop before it touches the pulley. If the ring is turned to move towards the back of the headstock the hole will be partially covered by the pulley. It is not necessary to screw it that far to the back now. Just leave it where it is for the moment. Moving to the pulley: You must loosen the screw with the square hole. This screw locks the pulley to the spindle for turning without the internal gearing. If you use the internal gearing the spindle and the pulley turn at different rpm (3:1) and so this screw must be unlocked for this purpose. The other screw on the pulley is for oiling and can stay where it is. At the backside of the pulley is another ring with two screws on opposite sides. They have pointed ends and fix the ring to the piece underneath. Before you remove those screws check if one of them and the threaded hole in the ring are marked (punched dot or x or similar). If this not the case you really should mark one of the screws, the matching hole, and also the piece under the ring. If you do not you risk that when putting it back together in a wrong combination the internal gearing will block completely (I can tell!). Both screws must be removed. Now the ring should turn freely. Do turn it 90° and look into the threaded hole: underneath has appeared another screw in each of the holes. Unscrew these, too. Now the pulley should be able move a little. You can now can gently turn the second ring at the front to unscrew it from the spindle. It should move to the back along with the pulley and the spindle can be drawn out at the front as soon as the ring reaches the end of the threads on the spindle. Be careful when you lift the pulley after the spindle is out: The internal gearing drops out very easily if it is not too dirty. I have two of these internally geared Mikron headstocks. With one this procedure has worked perfectly well without the use of any force - so I can tell it is the way to do it. With the second headstock I followed the same procedure - and the pulley does not move. I think it is stuck because of dirt or hardened oil. Kind regards, Kaspar
Hi Kaspar, |
06/03/2023 10:01:06 |
Posted by Pete Rimmer on 04/12/2018 21:08:41:
Posted by Bill York on 29/10/2018 11:39:54:
, I have heard people say that all information is out there on the internet, you just need to look for it, well that's not true, I spent almost a week contacting the original makers, the import company or whats left of them and many knowledgeable sites in various countries all to no avail Bill, Did you see this page? Hi Pete, Thanks for the link - the link is giving an error now but I was able to extract the original URL from it |
06/03/2023 09:55:22 |
Posted by Jan Nieuwenhuis 2 on 04/12/2018 16:16:13:
Check out this site: https://www.usinages.com/threads/mikron-t90.21964/ Try translating with google (Site is is French). You will have to subscribe first to be able to see the pictures, but I think it will help you to solve the problem. If not, I will try to remember how I did it with my Mikron T90. I think is is the woodruff key that might block your attempts. Thank you very much Jan - I've just bought a beautiful Mikron T90 Watchmaker's lathe that's had a very hard life and has a bit over 1 mm play on the headstock bearings so I've been trying to find out how to repair or replace the bearings - I don't think I've got internal gearing so that makes the situation simpler but I am having a lot of difficulty finding documentation on how to adjust, repair or replace the headstock bearings so the article in French that you gave a link to is an enormous help! If you have any other information definitely let me know! |
Thread: Detailed Repair or Restoration Manual for a Mikron Watchmaker's Lathe - How to Repair Headstock Bearings |
05/03/2023 20:25:45 |
Posted by Michael Gilligan on 05/03/2023 16:37:32:
I thought I remembered seeing something about the bearings … check the post by Kaspar on this page: https://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=138694&p=2 MichaelG.
|
05/03/2023 16:15:11 |
I've just become the very happy owner of a very beautiful Watchmaker's lathe made by Mikron in Biel, Switzerland - Mikron were better known for their hobbing and milling machines than for their lathes but were one of the manufacturers who - together with Schaublin - pioneered modular precision lathe systems - I think some of the Mikron T90 lathes made it over from Switzerland to the UK - there's some more information about them here: http://www.lathes.co.uk/mikron/ and here http://anglo-swiss-tools.co.uk/mikron-t90-lathe/ Before buying the lathe I tried the headstock bearings and they were in fairly terrible condition with a bit over 1 mm wobble. Overall, the lathe has had a very hard life and there's wobble on the saddle that I'll also need to address. I know that Mikron made this lathe with the intention of the headstock bearings being adjustable, repairable and finally replaceable but I'm having difficulty finding a manual with details and specifications of how to adjust - and if necessary replace - the bearings. I've got access to high quality bronze stock to make new bearings if needed, a larger lathe and a mill but I didn't want to attempt to adjust or replace the bearings until I'd studied the details. Does anyone know where I could get a suitable manual or instructions for replacing the headstock bearings and restoring the lathe in general? (I can read English, French, German and Italian.) |
Thread: Lathe alignment |
31/03/2013 22:31:47 |
Hi Jan, I've got much less experience than most folk on here so please treat my two contributions with a pinch of salt: From the 0.3mm test piece taper you mentioned I'd guess that this is due to tailstock misalignment. It would be best to clean the ways, clean the tailstock taper, ensure the taper of the centre is free of any bumps and then adjust and perfect the tailstock alignment before starting any adjustment of the lathe bed. A piece of swarf caught between the tailstock and the ways might throw the tailstock significantly out of alignment but I don't know your lathe in detail so I'm not sure. You mentioned 'mild steel' - steel sold as 'mild steel' can vary a fair bit - some of it is easy to machine to high precision and good surface finish and some of it is impossible to machine to precision and good surface finish - this can cause problems when making precision measurements like this. A specific grade of free cutting steel (or something cheaper - e.g. aluminium) designed for good machining properties may help. Will
Edited By Will Robertson on 31/03/2013 22:32:37 |
Thread: Cylinder Boring Techniques for Steam Engines |
30/03/2013 21:01:01 |
Apologies for the pause - work became heavier than usual and I had to do a re-design of the cross-slides so that they could be machined sensibly from the stock I can buy. Also spotted errors in the design that needed attention. Any ideas who might sell them? |
Want the latest issue of Model Engineer or Model Engineers' Workshop? Use our magazine locator links to find your nearest stockist!
Sign up to our newsletter and get a free digital issue.
You can unsubscribe at anytime. View our privacy policy at www.mortons.co.uk/privacy
You can contact us by phone, mail or email about the magazines including becoming a contributor, submitting reader's letters or making queries about articles. You can also get in touch about this website, advertising or other general issues.
Click THIS LINK for full contact details.
For subscription issues please see THIS LINK.