new member

Hi I am not a model engineer but do like fabricating things with my lathes etc to keep my classic motorcycles on the road, unfortunately my ancient Arboga mill has now gone kaput, the windings are shot and a rewind is about £1000 so I'm seeking small bench mill about this price, I do have 3 phase ,a Colchester student roundhead and a small ML7.

thanks for letting me in

Kind regards

Richard

Hello Richard and welcome. You will find that there are quite a few motorcycle restorers on here, which won't help with the machine replacement but someone may have one for sale, have a look at classifieds.

Brian

Welcome to the forum

H

Welcome Richard.

Lots of restorers of classic equipment on her to give advice, if require.

Would it be cheaper to install a new motor on your mill, than to rewind the existing motor, or to replace the machine?

The motor may be Imperial dimensions, but a suitable replacement, or one that can easily be adapted, should be available. You might have to bore or bush the pulley to fit a Metric shaft, but a motor should be available for a lot less than your quote for a rewind.

It was some time ago, but Home and Workshop Machinery were selling replacement single phase Tyco motors for less than £200. Might be worth investigating them, and on Google.

At least you would operating a machine with which you are familiar.

Howard

thanks for you reply Howard, the motor windings are an integral part of the damn machine the armature drives the whole cabbodle and is very difficult to replicate in a different stator, were I a lot younger I may have had a go but the machine is very old and well used prior to my ownership, It is a shame because it is a substantial, and heavy, bit of kit but a bench top would do me just as well I think.

kind regards

Welcome aboard shipmate ! Where abouts are you ? I'm on the N Norfolk coast. Noel.

being a fully paid up bodger, any chance that you could arrange a drive onto the dud armature from an external motor, using an extension of the existing wiring?

If the machine is worn and well past its sell by date, possibly not worth the effort.

Probably you can get a smaller bench top machine (Sieg S2P say ) for under £1,000. After that, you are probably talking at least 30% more, for a new machine. In all probability, a new machine will be Metric.

But you may be able to find a used machine for a lot less.

Was going to say take a look at Warco's used machines,but almost every used machine has been sold.

You could always post a "Wanted" ad on here, or in MEW.

Howard.

thanks for all replies,

I was a bit puzzled by 'metric' but I guess that the dial markings will be so inscribed, is this correct? would lose me initially I think!

Kind regards

If a machine is described as Metric, most on here would expect to find that the Leadscrews were metric pitch (and diameter ) with dials that are graduated in mm or parts thereof, such as 0.02 mm per division.

My lathe is really Metric having 3 mm pitch leadscrews., but is dual-dialled Each dial has two sets of graduations, 0.02 mm per division marked every 5, on one side, and 118 divisions, marked every 10, as 0.001" per division on the other.

An Imperial machine is more likely to have 10 tpi Leadscrews, but not necessarily, with dials carrying 100 mdivisions, marked every 10, giving 0.001" per division.

BUT some lathes have the Cross Slide dials graduated not in tool movement, but in metal removed from the diameter. In which case, although the dial may show say, 0.04, the actual tool movement will be 0.02. By removing 0.02 from each side, the diameter will reduce by 0.04.

As an Apprentice, it took a little while for me to learn that!

Howard