Meddings pillar drill problem

My Meddings pillar drill has become extremely difficult to use. It requires real force to move the handle in either direction. I have applied light oil wherever I could see that it might be useful. This freed it up a bit but not for long. I can't see how to get at the inner workings. Nor can I find a manual online.

The tensioned spring to provide the automatic return looks fine but it is powerless against whatever is causing the friction.

Can anyone help, please?

Which model do you have?

Call Meddings. They still have a factory in Ivybridge and should be able to help.

Hywel

Most of them have an oil nipple somewhere on the spindle casing, a few squirts with an oil gun keeps them sweet.

Is there a locking screw/nut somewhere that has tightened itself?

Sorry, they are grease nipples, not oil, for Shell "Alvania Grease 3", or equivalent, on the MB4,MF4 models that I have had.

One of these is on the cast casing just below the gearbox "bulge" and the other right down at the bottom of the quill assembly, may be hidden by the chuck guard.

I'll look out the fault finding chart for the MF4 and put it up shortly. Must have coffee now!

Fault Chart for Meddings MB4/MF4. See item 3.

See also my album "Meddings Pacera MB4-MF4" for exploded view of Pacera head.

Edited By Robbo on 25/05/2017 20:26:31

Thank you all very much for your interest and help so far.

The machine is, I discover, a Drilltru Mk 11, 15 inch, bench drill. Not the most expensive Meddings drill.

I will certainly enquire at Meddings, Ivybridge.

I can't understand how the presumably straightforward and well made 'rack and pinion' type rise and fall mechanism is binding, if that is the cause. And I can't see how to get at it.

I like the suggestion that a lock nut or screw is tightening itself too much, but, again, where is it and how to get at it?

Roger

.

Roger,

It may not help directly, but at least it's a reference-point for discussion:

**LINK**

https://goo.gl/images/wcn5OD

MichaelG.

Undo the nut where the return sping is on the end of the pinion shaft, and with a pair of gloves and pliers carefully remove the spring, while supporting the spindle/quill. You should then be able to pull out the pinion shaft complete with handle etc and determine if the problem is the shaft binding or the quill/spindle binding.

Swarf, dust, fluff, muck and custard in the rack & pinion?

Edited By charadam on 26/05/2017 23:21:43

Apologies to all for this belated response. I have been away from home and also somewhat distracted by my attempts to improve the fit of the butt of a BSA Martini International .22 target rifle - one of my other interests.

Basically, Hopper is absolutely correct in his advice. It has been confirmed by Paul at Meddings (very helpful).

Undo the grub bolt on the underside of the part of the body holding the return spring. You can then left off the latter. It comes off in one piece, with no fear of the spring acting like a jumping jack, provided you prise the inner part of the spring from its slot in the pinion shaft.

Prevent the quill from dropping by use of the stop nuts on the scale rod.

Undo the other small grub bolt on the underside of the wheel side of the main body. (This was missing in my case, which makes me suspect some tampering in the past.)

Then tap the pinion shaft out from the the retrurn spring side. In my case this required considerable force and a heavy mallet (cushioned by a piece of wood). I am wondering whether the shaft was/is not binding in the nylon sleeve that locates it in the main body.

Then take out the quill. Check and clean the teeth and the pinion wheel gear. (There was liitle sign of debris in my case, which suggests that my problem lies elsewhere.)

Re-assemble in reverse order with grease where appropriate.

I found the rise and fall mechanism moved more easily after the cleaning, but still not as freely as I would like or expect, and the return spring is still not effective. That is why I suspect the nylon sleeve of being somehow overtight. Or, much worse, perhaps someone allowed the whole drill to fall on its side at some point and the impact slightly distorted the pinion shaft, strong though it is, leaving it to bind against the quill teeth. In that case, there is not much to be done but live with the defect.

Many thanks to all once again - and greetings to Michael Gilligan. I hope the milling machine is proving satisfactory, Michael.

Roger

I have the same problem with my Meddings Driltru. Having dismantled the quill, etc., the tightness is definitely due to friction from the plastic bush on the activating gear shaft.

Roger: Did you find a solution to this?

Mike

Edited By Mike Donnerstag on 25/07/2019 17:53:43

Edited By JasonB on 08/07/2021 10:16:24