Member postings for Sonic Escape

I want to remove the pulley from this motor. Initially I wanted to use it. It is a poly-v type. But I think it is missing something. Shouldn't be rubber in every grove? What is left are only a few pieces of brittle rubber in a few groves. The edges are very sharp. It is like a thread. I think it will have a small contact surface with the belt.

The internal diameter is 1". I tried to use a 200g hammer but no effect. The problem is that I have to push also the bearing out. What are the options? A bigger hammer? I don't think the bearing will be happy. How about trying to cut the pulley with the angle grinder?

The reason why I thought that is has an oil pump was the fact that there was no oil left inside. I assumed that it was suppose to flow and when idle there is not much oil left. But then I had a better look at the panel that I removed. There are two small windows (covered with paint) where you can check the oil level. And 4 small holes to add or remove the oil. So there is no need to circulate the oil.

Today I discovered a few things. The milling machine is a FUS 250. Now I can look for the manual. The spindle is using a short Morse 5. So it is not that bad. And last, I need some kind of crane. Without it is impossible to do any serious work to this machine. For example I have the rotating table on the workbench and I can't lower it on the floor. And this is not the heaviest part. I can't imagine trying to hold the spindle with one hand and with the other one unscrewing the last bold to remove it

The markings were covered with grease. If I clean them with acetone they seems to be in good condition.

I removed a panel and I found out where are most of the gears. They look ok to me. The edges of the gears are sharp. I think this machine has an oil pump. I need only to remove the cracked paint but otherwise I don't want to touch this complicated parts.

Today my milling machine arrived! Two friends went to bring it. It was a 12h journey and I didn't have time to go. The mill also took a ferry ride. It was on the other side of the Danube. Unloading it was epic. They insisted that if we put it on a pallet truck and tilt the truck, then the mill will go down a ramp and we will be able to hold it with that small yellow excavator. I was watching this experiment from a distance unwilling to participate
The mill was tilting dangerously because the pallet truck is to narrow. This is a 1.2 ton machine. And the center of mass is high. After a while I convinced them to stop and I called that orange truck with a big crane. Bellow the crane operator was just getting out of his truck to check the situation. He was able to lift the mill over the small truck and to lower it right in front of the garage. 

I didn't inspected to much the mill. The tables are indeed without a scratch. But they are stuck. You have to put a lot of effort to rotate the wheels. I didn't insisted too much. The electrical wiring looks fine, but I would not turn it on without a lot of checking. There is a single stamp with 1979 year. No other markings. But it is clear a Romanian clone. I recognized the fuse holders and thermal overload relays. They are local models typical of that era.
The accessories are incredibly heavy. The rotating table I can barely flip it on the workbench. And the other table is impossible to lift it alone.

First thing I checked was what tool holder is using. Unfortunately I don't think it is Morse. And for sure is not ISO. I found a taper in horizontal milling accessories. I have no idea what it does but it fits perfectly into the spindle. The dimensions are like this:

I didn't find any standard taper with 30µ/mm. So this will be a first problem. I think that in the worst case I should be able to make on the lathe an adapter to Morse 3. Maybe. Overall I find it very interesting. A lot of buttons and handles that I have no clue what are they doing. And the lathe looks almost like a toy comparing to it. Everything is heavy and solid.

One annoying thing is that if you rotate the wheels nothing happens. You have to push them and to keep them pressed. While rotating them. There is a spring inside. I suppose it has something to do with automatic feed. But this must be a design choice, not a defect. I'll have a better look next weekend.

Edited By Sonic Escape on 29/06/2023 00:32:05

I'm thinking how to make the arbor for the saw. It will have more or less the same length as the pin that I already made. It will be supported by two 35mm bearings. At one end the diameter will be reduced to 20mm for the disc. I want to use also 1" discs so I will made a sleeve.

The motor has a 60mm poly-V type pulley. I don't want to replace it because I don't have a tool to remove it. I need a similar pulley for the arbor. But the only one I found so far costs more than 100 euro. So I want to make one. Is there a problem if I make it from HDPE? This would be my first choice for material. The second is aluminum.

Today I bought 2 bearings. I choose a type that has a taper inside. I don't know how is called but I liked it more that the other ones where you have to use a hammer to put the bearing in place. That black nut is puling a slotted sleeve that is holding the arbor.

It is also a self aligning model that it suppose to work up to 8000RPM. But at home when I opened the box I started to be a little suspicious. The balls are ringing and feel loose. I think it will be noisy. Also it looks like you could almost disassemble it if you pull the rings a little harder. I don't know it this is the best choice.

Also I welded the horizontal support plates for the pin

I found a picture with a chop saw that look similar in many ways with what I want to build. Mine will not be so ugly, of course 

Edited By Sonic Escape on 26/06/2023 21:10:39

Edited By Sonic Escape on 26/06/2023 21:12:28

Edited By Sonic Escape on 26/06/2023 21:13:25

I wanted to know how useful is the cutting paste when drilling. I saw a test on YouTube but I didn't find it conclusive. Also I have a different paste. So I decided to make a test setup with my press drill. I attached a lever with a weight to have the same pressure on multiple drills.

• When paste is used the drilling time decrease to 64% and 71%.
• Drilling bit wear during test was negligible (important for test relevance)
• Oil and grease have no effect
• Large cutting time dispersion between different bits.

I hope this helps for others who have the same dilemma.

Edited By Sonic Escape on 25/06/2023 17:36:57

Today I finished the second plate. Also tapered. This annular cutter is very good. I used only 200rpm and light pressure but it is cutting very well.

And this is the result. I will weld two flat plates to each plate that is supporting the pin. So I could use screws to connect them to the base of the saw. In this way I have a way to fix possible misalignments.

Yes, I think the same. I already decided to buy it. Next week the seller will bring a crane to load it and I'll move it into my garage.

Edited By Sonic Escape on 23/06/2023 13:06:07

Shipping from UK is not difficult. Just very expensive. In the past I moved my stuff in Spain or Germany when I was living there using a company that has a large database of cars moving across the continent. You can rent space in a truck that is passing nearby and it is not that expensive. But if it is from outside EU the cost explode. And there is also paperwork involved in this case. That is another cost.

Yes, all Chinese machines are available here just as easily as everywhere. Including more decent brands like Sieg, Paulimot and other shipped from Germany. Some even with free shipping. There is a Bernardo shop 4km from me. And of course Ebay, Amazon and Aliexpress drop the items to my door.

The biggest difference here comparing with UK or Germany or other places in the west is the lack of a market for old industrial machines. This ones are is nice to buy them from as close to you as possible. And the few choices available are 90% old Romanian models. They did some clones here of various foreign models in the past. But the quality is not great. Old people would often praise them, together with the "good old days when everybody had a job and a free apartment", but most of them are junk in my opinion. They simply didn't saw anything better to compare with.

Most Romanian milling machine are called FUS xx. FUS stands for toolroom milling machine. There were made in factories like Infratirea (brotherhood), Marghita, Cugir. Here is a search on the largest local market just to have an idea. In general the price for one mill that is expected to be in working order starts from at least the equivalent of 1300 GBP. The one that I want to buy is 700GBP. So if it is in decent condition it would be a nice deal considering the local market. And the accessories.

Nature is indeed beautiful and diverse here. No complains. Only the fact that it is an inhabited country can sometimes cause inconveniences.

Edited By Sonic Escape on 23/06/2023 12:54:36

Edited By Sonic Escape on 23/06/2023 13:15:09

Hmm ... what is flimsy?

I live in Romania. I'm just infiltrating here 

Edited By Sonic Escape on 23/06/2023 10:32:25

Thank you Dave, this was helpful.

Yes, is not an easy decision. The fact that this old machine is more complex that a small new one is a risk but it also makes it more interesting. I start to think that I could do something with all that metal anyway. At least if the ways are ok. That is the only thing I don't think can be fixed.

I asked the seller to send more photos and surprise, I think there is also a horizontal milling attachment. Or at least a part of it? Is that thing under the table. This would explain why the top of the machine can extend so far. That is also what Nigel Graham 2 suggested.

Edited By Sonic Escape on 23/06/2023 07:11:30

Edited By Sonic Escape on 23/06/2023 07:19:54

Indeed it looks like a Thiel 158! Or most likely a Romanian copy of it. I didn't saw the Thiel logo on the spindle. The first models were made with a custom spindle but the later ones were using standard MT5. It is a pity that the seller doesn't know this details.

Edited By Sonic Escape on 23/06/2023 06:02:27

What caught my attention is that the table has no scratch. So maybe it wasn't used too much. I have no problem to fix the machine, I actually think that would be interesting. But I'm aware that are things that can't be fixed. Or it is simply too expensive.
Why would you need a vertical working surface? For tall workpieces?

Last winter I was looking for a milling machine. And in the end I bought a lathe
However, last week one the seller that I was discussing back then contacted me again. He lowered the price for his mill. I didn't saw it yet, I only have some pictures. He claim that is in working order. But can't be tested. It has a 3-phase motor. One more detail, I never saw or touch a milling machine in reality.

I wasn't planning to buy a milling machine now. I have enough fun with the lathe. But at some point in the future I'm sure I will considering to buy a new one. Something up to 2000euro and in 130-200kg range. I'm not sure if this old machine is a good deal. For sure it is more rigid, it has 800kg. But a new one is ... new.

Also in the second image I don't understand why the top part can extend to the left mote than the width of the table? And what is the table in the last picture?

Today I made a tapered hole. By modifying the existing one. I choose 30°.

And I made a similar modification to the pin. Now as long as they are pressed one against the other they are fitting much better. There is no play.

I didn't turned the pin between ​​​​​​centers this time. I don't think it matters. I didn't wanted to weld again a piece of metal to turn the bar. Maybe is time to make a reusable dog.

How about a tumbler? Anybody used one? I saw some very promising videos. It not only removes rust, but also polishes the parts. And they are not that expensive.

Thank you for suggestion. I considered also to use an ultrasonic cleaner. But I saw some videos and it doesn't look like it made any difference.