What is this ?

Last December I bought a TOS FA3A universal mill, and this casting was included with the machine, and is painted the same colour, has anyone any idea what it is, the TOS factory dosen't recognise it as part of the mill,

With the swivelling head of the mill in the horizontal position it could make a very useful end support for a long boring bar, with the dovetail end somehow fitted to the mill table,

Has anyone got any ideas ?

Richard.

It looks like the support from a shaper, these add additional support to the table, see here and here

Hello Baldric, Yes you could be right, What confused me was that it's painted exactly the same colour as the TOS mill , and the paint looks original, as it does on the mill.

Richard.

Hi There

The bottom dovetail clamps to the the cross slide dovetails of the mill, the slots are to bolt to the overarms.
I would think the mill has two overarms to take the overarm bearing support for the arbor.

Each overarm will be tapped for a bolt in the middle of the round bar.

It steadies the mill up when taking heavy cuts.

Similar one here but does not use the dovetail.

You can slide the attachment closer to the body of the mill by moving the overarms closer to the mill. You set the height of the mill then tighten the two bolts to the overarm.

Makes the mill far more rigid.

If it does not do this, it is off a different mill.

regards david

Edited By David Clark 1 on 28/03/2012 13:14:03

Looking again not sure why it would have a dovetail on the bottom though unless is was modified for use on your mill.

David, The TOS mill hasn't got dovetails on the "y" axis, it's got rectangular slideways, so this casting won't fit on there as an overarm support, but I see what you mean.

Richard.

does the mill have a dovetail overarm? maybe it fits the other way up.

Mike

Hello Mike,

Yes the mill has dovetails on the overarm but they are 2" narrower than those on the white casting, so it dosen't look like they fit there, I think I might have to accept the fact that it came from another machine,

Richard.

Here is a picture of the TOS Mill,

.

I think you've got a piece of another machine, did you buy it at factory clearance? It does look very much like a shaper table support.

Hello Mick,

I bought the mill from a dealer, and the casting came with it,

But I agree with you, it looks like it came from another machine,

Richard.

one of the pictures here

http://www.machinestock.com/site/Milling-Machine---Vertical_TOS_FA-3A---H_1053-002885_uk.html

shows a different pair of support bars on the table. They might fit together in line as per one of the pictures David linked. See if you can find ways that that design could be used on your machine then go back to your supplier and demand the right ones. They probably have another customer who would really appreciate having the right item.

Nice mill - looks like a true Universal with rotating table?

Hello Bazyle,

Yes it is a true universal mill, the table swivels 45 degrees either way,

the dealer didn't have any other parts for it,

I have another TOS FA3A mill, only its the horizontal version, with no overarm supports !, I bought this universal mill for the swivelling vertical head, which is now on the horizontal mill,

The horizontal mill has slightly more travel in the "Y" direction, which is what I needed at the time,

Also the horizontal mill has done almost no work, even though it was made in 1976,

With a 54" x 12" table, power feeds and rapids all ways it's a very useful machine,

I'm building a 6" Burrell traction engine so some parts are quite heavy, this TOS mill is ideal for what I'm doing.

Richard.

This reminded me of a friend of mine. Whilst he was finishing his final year as an apprentice, the factory went bust, but to get his certificate, he worked the last couple of months (Cash in hand) stripping various machines and exporting them. On the last few machines, there were lots of bits 'spare' and as the shop floor had to be cleared, they went on the inventory as "odding bars" Which translated was any sodding bars left. I think that perhaps my friend's son packed your mill up for you.

There are two tapped holes at the end of the Y axis shears on the front of the knee - I am pretty certain I have seen this type of machine fitted with a brace like that from the overarm to the knee to minimise deflection (of knee or overarm) under heavy cutting conditions. The large slot would appear to be to clear the Y axis screw boss.

I would expect the overarm to be brough further foward than it is shown in the picture, with the bracket fitted to the overarm dovetail - the large slot passing over the Y axis screw boss & secured to the knee via bolts into the two tapped holes.

£0.02

Nigel B.

Nigel,

The dovetails on the bracket don't match the dovetails on the overarm, and the two holes on the knee don't match the two slots on the bracket,

Richard.