Dore Westbury Milling Machine

I'm nearing completion of a DW Mk 2 and looking for input with regard to the oil grade in the gearbox. The build manual indicates a light machine oil to be used, help from others would be useful, what was used?

Please no groundnut, sunflower or olive responses or the thread could just go on and on.

Brian

Edited By Brian on 01/10/2019 16:49:01

Brian,

I have used 10W30 motor oil in my Dore Westbury mill gearbox for ten years or more. My gearbox is not sealed and excess oil percolates down the quill for total loss system. Lift and removal of top pulley gives access to gears.

My D-W is a hybrid Mk1/Mk2 with features of both e.g MT3 taper, z-axis downfeed on left hand side, 3-step pulley.

Incidentally I was given a pot of sticky grease to apply to gear wheels to ensure lubrication without "fling". Sometime I may get round to trying a set of Tufnol gears reputed to quieten the machine - not that noise is a problem.

hth elegy

This is not an answer to your specific question as I only have the MKl D/W, but that was supplied to me by Model Engineering Services with a small canister of extremely thick grease. I've used this religiously over the last 40 years and it works well and to a degree reduces the very loud noises that this type of gearbox produces. I'm not aware of the MKll gearbox design but I would have thought that any grade of oil would want to flow downwards I.e. away from the parts that you are trying to lubricate.

Phil

I built my D-W Mk II well over 25 years ago. I don't remember there being any guidance on the recommended grade of oil in the gearbox so I used SAE 30 oil which has worked perfectly satisfactorily over that time. There wasn't any heavy grease supplied in my case.

I have not been aware of excessive gearbox noise when I use the gearbox, it is just what one might expect but I put that down to helical gears being supplied in the kit sent to me; they are inherently quieter than spur gearing.

Regards Brian

In the absence of more specific information a a good general rule for any sort of machine tool that folk like us are likely to own is :-

Light machine oil = ISO 32 hydraulic oil with anti wear additives. Use for spindles, bearings, wick feeds, sealed aprons and sealed gearboxes et al. Many pump fed way lubrication systems need this oil rather than the ISO 68 too. (My Smart & Brown 1024 uses quite a lot over a year.)

Heavy machine oil = ISO 68 dual rated way and bearing oil. Use for bedways, feed screws, open gearboxes, open aprons, back gear, drop gear train et al. Also great for household "Honey Doo" jobs like hinges were you wan't it to hang around for ages.

I've been using Castrol Hyspin AWS 32 and Magna BD 68 for pushing 40 years on such duties as advised by the technical applications department.

Don't use single rated heavy duty way oil on our smaller machines. Its too sticky and destroys the feel.

Clive