Anyone recognise this?

Hello folks, I aquired this milling machine recently which is obviously home built. I am trying to identify as much of it as possible and wondered if anyone could help?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ly1rphFePKKzviCG9

Yes looks 'home made' but a lot of work went to it!

Tony

You can have any angle you want, but getting back to dead-square could be a bit of a game...

I saw the wire, and thought: Nice to find someone using ‘safety’ 110V in the workshop

... Then I saw the mains plug

MichaelG.

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Aside from that ^^^ it looks like it should be lots of fun.

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Yes ... but it also comes in Blue, which is generally preferred for Mains Voltage

MichaelG.

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It does get a little complicated though:

https://www.aci.org.uk/news/aci-delivers-winter-warning-arctic-grade-flexibles

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 08/08/2020 15:39:14

You may have to trawl through the milling machine pages at Lathes but there can't be many small horizontals that were universal (table rotates). Looks a bit smaller than a Tom Senior but bigger than a Pools. I think somethign very similar to the base machine was shown fully restored at the ME show about 10 years ago, in the upper gallery at Sandown.

It looks similar to a Sharp in concept.

Martin.

I’ve got extension leads with both yellow and blue cables. I didn’t know there was any particular convention.

It may be shop made, but it is still useful universal Milling machine.

With all the angular adjustments a mag base, a DTI and some adaptors are going to be necessary accessories!

Howard

Very useful looking machine for milling and gear cutting, did you get the overarm support for the horizontal spindle ?

Emgee

If you google IEC 60309 the colour of the cable relates to the convention of relating working voltage to the socket cover colour for multi-pin outdoor connectors. Formerly BS4343.

I don't know if there is a formalised connection to the colour of the cable sheath, but having worked extensively on construction sites in the UK I know I'd be thrown off site for presenting extension cables not compliant with the colour convention a la IEC 60309.

We also encountered 24 V AC cable and connectors in a pretty lavender colour.

Rgds Simon

Over here it,s 110 volts for all site work--Full stop ! Yellow cable.

Blue is used for non-site work, although 110 v is often used in workshops too.

it's getting so even 110volt is a rarity on a lot of sites......

they want battery tools now.......

and why not most of the better brands make excellent equipment......

I'm stuck with some nice Hilti drills (4 at diff sizes) and at times u need a proper powered tool for extreme jobs.....

BUT I'd just love a battery model.......too old now to get my money's worth.....

Although I just bought a Milwaukee 3/8 impact wrench, what a revelation that is.....

Perhaps I was a little bit hasty calling it 'home made' It's better than that.

I do have the spindle and support bar for the horizontal mill, all I need to do is wire up a motor and fit a belt, all the pulleys are already there.

Parts of his Tom Senior on ebay looks almost Identical, I wonder if I could fit a Tom Senior head with a quill

Edited By Jim Patterson 1 on 10/08/2020 14:56:14

As far as I can find there's no convention or standard in the UK for sheath colour apart from Simon's multi-pin outdoor example.

There's a US house wiring standard where sheath colour relates to conductor size. Same colours as IEC 60309, entirely different meanings.

It appears UK domestic appliance leads can be any colour wanted. Black, White, Grey, Blue, Yellow, Orange, Brown, Red, Stripes, whatever. They can suit the decor! More usefully extension leads could be colour coded to highlight trip hazards, or different colours used to identify ends.

Dave

One suggestion I would make for the red mill would be to route all electrical cables with some good cable clips every few inches along the top motor mount / pulley enclosure plate, to the back of the machine. Otherwise at some point you will get one or both cables tangled in work, around the spindle, a broken belt, etc.

You probably already know this but endmills mounted in drill chucks as seen on the pics can work loose and jam. If you don't have some already you would be wise to get some collets for whatever taper sockets are fitted in your spindles. If they are R-8, so much the better compared to Morse taper or others. Twist drills in drill chucks are fine, endmills need proper collets for safe accurate ops.

When the spindle is running be sure and keep hands hair and clothing well away from the handwheel at the top, it is a major hazard when turning.

Looks to be a very handy machine.

Hi, I've done work in many industrial places and a few civil engineering sites and unless your 110V gear had the yellow Artic cable and any 240V gear had the blue Artic cable, you wouldn't be allowed to use those items, but of course you wouldn't be allowed to use hand power tools unless they were 110V.

Regards Nick.