Member postings for Graham Meek

There should be a shaft on the fine feed attachment that you "push in", to engage the pinion shaft that operates the Quill. You may need to turn the fine feed handwheel while pressing on this shaft. The Fine feed will not operate until the Dog-Clutch has aligned and engaged with the pinion shaft.

Regards

Gray,

If the machine is the same as that posted by Jason above. Then this was originally designed by the Sakai Camera Company as the MM 140, this machine came with an Induction motor. It should not suffer from the duty cycle of the U3.

Record Powerline also distributed these machines when the range was on the market under the Toyo brand.

Manix bought the production rights to the Sakai range of machines. I also think Proxxon did as well, but they have made some changes to the original design with a different table. They have also made changes to the Sakai lathes in their range.

Regards

Gray,

Edited By Graham Meek on 15/08/2020 12:03:51

One other thing relating to the Rotary Table, which I posted under my "Emco FB2 Earning its keep" post, last year, but something some of those following this post may not have seen. This is an extension handle for the Worm drive handle.

As can be seen from the first photograph the extension makes turning the worm drive handle much easier when the job or workpiece is overhanging the table. Note the 6 mm dowel locating the radius centre from the Location Plug.

Regards

Gray,

The holes in the ends of crank-pin and the crankshaft are such that they leave a 0.75 wall thickness around each journal. These holes are only about 2 mm deep. Both holes in the web piece are countersunk 90 degrees by 0.25 wide.

In the case of the crank-pin with its 4 mm hole, a 4.75 mm or 3/16" ball bearing is placed on in the hole and using an arbour press the ball bearing is pressed into the hole. The action of the ball is to displace material from the 0.75 mm thick wall into the countersink, in essence riveting the crank-pin int the web. Using a press allows the operator to feel the material being displaced. Once this has happened no further pressure is needed.

The beauty of this method is that by using an undersize drill compared to the crank-pin hole in the web. It is possible to easily remove the pin as the initial hole automatically centralises the drill. It is only necessary to drill to the initial 2 mm depth. In doing this the pressure on clinch is reduced and the pin can be pressed out.

This of course would only need to be done if a replacement journal is needed due to wear. Thus saving having to remake the whole crankshaft. The same goes for the main crankshaft journal itself.

Regards

Gray,

Martin you came in while I was writing,

I would simply rough out somewhere near size and centre each end with a protected, or recessed centre. Drill and tap at one of the mounting holes on each face for a driver peg. Then mount the work between centres to take a light skim down each face and over the O/D if desired.

This does assume that the lathe is already set-up correctly.

Regards

Gray,

Edited By Graham Meek on 08/08/2020 11:26:09

Thanks Raymond and Steve for the encouragement.

I regret to say the hot weather has slowed my progress, but I have managed to get the Crankshafts made.

The parts are Mild Steel web and Silver Steel shafts. They are Press fits into the web and are clinched with a ball bearing in the hole to make sure they stay put.

Regards

Gray,

While on the Rotary Table here are a couple of items I have made and which have proved useful over the years.

The first is a Location Plug for the centre of the Table. This reduces the locating diameter from, (I think), 36 mm to 6 mm diameter.

It also allows for an M6 hold down bolt in the centre of the table, (see set-up a few posts above). It needs careful construction as the table top surface and the Plug top surface want to be coincidental.

The part was first roughed out and the M6 tapped hole put in from the bottom, about 2/3rds the depth. Otherwise the tap will ruin any 6 mm bored hole. As the outside diameter of an M6 tap is always plus on nominal size. The 6 mm bored hole, the finish turning of the location diameter, and finishing to length being done from the other side during the same operation.

This is something I have been meaning to make for some time, but was only completed recently. While I have the Emco Collet attachment and Adaptor plate the setting up time can be protracted. There is one drawback with the Emco standard set-up which has cropped up in my career a couple of times and that is it is difficult to offset the standard set-up in order to machine a radius on a part which has an integral spigot.

To this end the new attachment has a split location ring that can be removed should the need to offset the Collet holder arise again. It is also much quicker to set-up initially.

Regards

Gray,

For those who may be following this post, here are the main items of the Honing Machine finished. The cranks and the interchangeable tables are next on the list. Hopefully the next photograph in a few days will show the main parts assembled.

Regards

Gray,

Hi Clive,

There was a Swarf Guard designed, (I think), by Ian Bradley. It either appeared in the Model Engineer as an article, or in a Book on the ML 10. He also fitted the Super 7 Cross-slide to the ML 10 lathe, something I think was later fitted by Myford's to one variant of the ML 10 as standard. I remember the 3D drawings but not a lot more.

Regards

Gray,

You do not say if you re-assembled the Apron onto the carriage at the Tailstock end of the bed, or not.

Your leadscrew displacement might be due to the Half Nuts in the Apron not being aligned correctly on the Vertical axis of the leadscrew. This would have the effect of lifting the leadscrew, and moving it laterally. Assembling the Apron to the carriage in the middle of the Bed, or near the Headstock will allow some movement on the true centreline of the Leadscrew, especially if there is some distortion in the Leadscrew. This situation will also be not helped if you have the Myford Leadscrew Clutch fitted.

Hope this helps

Regards

Gray,

Hi Jerry,

I think given the number of machines that have come out of the Emco works which have enhanced the Home Machinists lot quite considerably, I can forgive them one or two oversights.

We are not really in a position to know what the designers criteria was at the time. Some of the things were probably done to ease production / assembly. Plus there may have been a maximum unit price to work to.

Regards

Gray,

Above is a view of the mods done to the rotary table Worm shaft to eliminate backlash, or the spring effects of the Emco standard set-up shown below, and mentioned above. Thirty years of wear can just be made out on the end face of the slotted distance piece.

The slotted Grub screw for adjusting Worm to Worm wheel engagement can be seen at the bottom of the M8 hold down slot. This needs to be removed from the tapped hole if ever the eccentric sleeve needs to be removed completely.

Also in the shot is the O-Ring in the Sector Arms used to provide the friction that the original Emco Bellvue washer was providing to make the Sector Arms stay put during Indexing moves.

On the Table of the RT is a view of the other side of the slotted distance piece.

As promised earlier here is a photograph of the Adjustable X-Axis Cursor holders. The Original one was obscured by the machine vice when in use. In all fairness to Emco this is I think due to the fixed jaw of the vice being parallel to the X-Axis movement. I have noticed the fixed jaw is often shown at 90 degrees to the X-Axis on the Continent. With the vice in this position it does not obscure the cursor.

The reason for the two cursors is for visibility down each side of the vice. When one is covered the other is always exposed. When using the RT the Rt Hand cursor is removable so that the Lt Hand cursor can be transferred to the Rt Hand station. The Indexing plate of the RT fouls the cursor in the Rt Hand station and from memory It can mark the original Emco cursor set-up.

More little Quirks to follow,

Regards

Gray,

Edited By Graham Meek on 02/08/2020 16:08:00

Hi Jerry,

I understand the confusion with the Emco Rotary Table, given the Manual only describes an indexing function. As far as I was concerned the attachment was both from the start of owning Emco products. It would have been better if Emco had chosen a 60:1 ratio as regards using the attachment as a Rotary Table. The 40:1 ratio is a bit fast for circular milling but you get used to it, although somewhere in my drawing files I have a 60:1 worm and wheel conversion drawn up.

I used the attachment as both Dividing Head and Rotary Table until I had a chance to design my own Dividing Head.

This is a marriage of GHT's Versatile Head, the Emco Rotary Table, the Emco machine Vice swivel base and a bit of Meekising.

As regards the end float on the Worm Shaft. In the normal Emco design all float is taken up by a special Bellvue Washer with a cut-out in it to clear the locking screw of the sector arms on the indexing plates. This serves two functions in that it provides friction to make sure the sector arms stay put, but also to take up the play in the worm shaft bearing. This is fine for indexing, but when it comes to circular milling it has an Achilles Heel. Provided the cutter rotation and rotary motion of the table are in sink, everything is fine. If however the rotary motion is using the Bellvue washer as its resistance to the cutting forces things can get a little hairy with a tendency for the cutter to snatch.

To this end I have done away with the Bellvue washer arrangement and fitted a special spacer to take up the backlash. I use the same arrangement on my Dividing head, and feel I had better take some photographs of that. One photograph saves a thousand words, the special spacer can just be made out in the last photograph of my last post.

As regards the depthing of the worm in the worm wheel. In the M8 Tee Bolt slot for holding the Rotary Table down to the cross-slide or milling table there is a Slotted Grub Screw that acts as a stop. This is screwed in or out to get the desired adjustment, but you will need just a little play.

Hope this helps,

Regards

Gray,

Edited By Graham Meek on 01/08/2020 11:29:12

An item I have had on trial for a while is a set of Adjustable Stops for the Emco Rotary Table. These are in-valuable when two radii have to meet, or intersect. As the Stop takes away any chance of an over-run with the table, or turning the handle in the wrong direction.

I was using this today on the Main Support for the Lathe Tool Honing machine I am building and described on a separate post.

Also in use is something I made over 30 years ago, and shown above the graduations in the next photograph. It is a simple stepped and slotted Hold-out Washer.

This sits beneath the indexing pin handle on the Rotary Table, there-by keeping the pin out of engagement with the Dividing Plate. This is a real boon when circular milling. It takes minutes to make but saves hours of frustration.

Also in the shot is my revised X-Axis Stop and move-able cursor holder. More on that another time.

Regards

Gray,

Edited By Graham Meek on 31/07/2020 15:18:48

Hi Hans,

The modified Emco plug in my drawing above, started out in exactly the same way as you describe, before I added the spring loaded valve. The problem with the Emco plug is two fold. The end of the plug is flush with the inside of the gearbox cover. Oil accumulates on this surface during use. When the quill is lowered and then raised droplets of oil from the end of the plug are carried into the foam.

The second problem is with continued usage this oil builds up in the foam and starts to leak over the outer surface of the cover. This returns the Status Quo, and there is another oil leakage. Even using the spring loaded version of the Emco plug, this allowed the oil to accumulate in the hex socket. Every so often when using the quill I used to get this spray over my safety glasses, the small hole makes an ideal spray nozzle arrangement. This usually occurred immediately after I had just cleaned the safety glasses.

This is why in the final design there is an 8 mm counterbore in the end of the new plug to stop the initial oil accumulation. As with all designs, the Devil is in the detail.

Regards

Gray,

Thanks Mark for adding your latest FB2 enhancement, also for giving me a reminder. I must get on and gather up some more items for you and this post.

Regards

Gray,

I use a spring loaded centre punch to get consistent punch dot sizes and thus a consistent gap around the joint.

Regards

Gray,

Hi Joe,

Thanks for the kind words, I am taken by your impressive line up. I particularly like the CNC conversion this looks to have been well thought out.

There are times when I wished I had retained my last Green FB2. The current machine with the control panel to the front of the machine means the operator is stood further away from the machine. This is not good for my posture and I am also constantly leaning on the E-Stop button, so far it has always happened when the machine is no running.

This would be my only criticism of my current machine.

Regards

Gray,

Hi Jim,

Please find below the drawing of the Breather/Snifter Valve. I am not familiar with the Rishton as regards the filler plug thread details so you may need to check this. The 8 mm counterbore is there to stop oil that makes on the face of the standard plug making its way out of the machine. Something I learnt with the modified Std Emco plug.

To size the thread I used a micrometer over 3 drill shanks on the original plug and made my new plug to that dimension. 

As regards the tooling getting stuck. It may be better if I detail what I do and how the FB2 is configured.

The Top of the Spindle is threaded M18x1. Onto this is threaded a Cap Nut, which accepts the head of the M10 Capscrew drawbar. This cap nut is locked onto the spindle using a 17 A/F spanner, this does not need to be excessively tight. I have introduce a washer above the the head of the Capscrew to limit how far I have to turn the Allen Key to undo the drawbar, before it contacts the cap nut. Plus this washer introduces another face for the capscrew to slide over, rather than directly on the cap nut itself. An EP grease is good at this point.

I keep on the shelf behind the mill a clean lint free wipe, every tool change the new piece of tooling gets a wipe. The Morse Socket gets a clean about every 6 months with Isopropyl and another wipe.

The dry surfaces of the Morse taper should be enough to hold that item of tooling during use. The drawbar is there merely to stop the tooling coming out during use from cutting forces, Helix on an endmill or slot drill, etc. I have a long series 8 mm A/F Allen Key and this is used to tighten the drawbar, but the pressure on the Allen Key is the Second Finger of my Rt Hand, nothing more.

A quarter of a turn with the Allen Key is all that is required to undo and remove the tooling. Occasionally my Shell Mill holder will turn slightly under heavy cutting and tighten itself up further, but the long series Allen Key undoes the cutter with a sharp crack.

I hope this helps,

Regards

Gray.

Hi Derek,

You are not alone with regards to not thinking it is due to positive internal pressure. Some have gone to extremes to disprove what the rubber glove finger has proved. The bottom line is I have no oil leaks and my machine is 24 years old this year.

Quite a few of the things I have done for the FB2 are shown in my Album, I really ought to get a list together, so you may need to bear with me on that.

Regards

Gray,

Edited By Graham Meek on 24/07/2020 15:27:29

The only Achilles heel with the FB2 from what I have read about is the Tufnol Gear (Gear 47 in the parts List), which some people have had some teeth stripped off.

I have seen these gears up for auction with the asking price double what a new spare part costs. As many of the parts are no longer being made by the factory. It is just a matter of time before these too will no longer be available. The last time I took the gearbox apart I took the measurements of the gear and have made a drawing.

It is interesting to note that the gear is a DP, and not a Module form. Having originated in Austria I did assume the latter, until the sums just did not add up for a 45 Tooth Helical gear.

One of the reasons I think these gears fail is due to owners using the lowest gear to lock the spindle to remove any Morse tooling. If one tries to turn the spindle backwards by hand in the lower range there is a feeling that something is binding, just prior to the gearbox locking up. I think it is the Tufnol gear crowding the smaller steel motor pinion.

Removing a stubborn Morse taper using this method is going to put things under stress at one point on the Tufnol gear. Unlike when the machine is running and several of the teeth are sharing the load.

To make the changing of tooling much easier and to remove any risk of premature breakage. I designed and fitted the spindle lock below. This makes locking the spindle dead easy and with no risk of damage to any part of the gearbox.

Over the coming months I hope to try cutting a new 45T gear by simply gashing at 8 degrees. It will not be a true helix but given the gear is 12 mm wide and the Lead is well over a metre, I don't think it will matter. It is certainly worth a try and if it works I shall have a spare to hand.

Regards

Gray,

Hi Nigel,

Over the years of owning and working with the FB2 I have tried to make things which have added to its versatility and ease of use.

The green machine above was one of a pair of machines. One machine was modified in that the head was permanently on its side and the column was off-set to the right. A thick ground steel plate approx 50 mm thick was used to off-set the column. This brought the spindle back on the centre-line of the cross-slide, thus allowing more use of the table with this type of set-up. Plus the thickness of the plate allowed for tooling in the spindle with no loss of cross slide travel

This machine was used mainly for edging plates and as a Horizontal Borer. This allowed me to machine plates and parts which could not be normally accommodated within the "throat" of the mill.

Just remember to tighten the filler plug if you tilt the milling head to the right. I just tighten the grubscrew to put more pressure on the ball valve. This stops all but the slightest dribble of oil.

Regards

Gray,