New addition to the family.! ;)

This topic has 24 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 18 October 2014 at 09:28 by Bob Brown 1.

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16 October 2014 at 21:15 #17526
Nick_G
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@nick_g
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16 October 2014 at 21:16 #166705
Nick_G
Participant
@nick_g
.

Took a blindish punt on a Boxford VM30 mill on 'that' auction site and it arrived today.

Worst job was getting it off the pallet.

I captured some of the days proceedings on iphone video and have posted it up onto youtube here :- **LINK**

I have asked a few questions in it if those here far more knowledgeable than I am are able to answer.

Dirty, stinking of paraffin but happy, Nick
16 October 2014 at 21:21 #166707
Boiler Bri
Participant
@boilerbri
Nice MERC which seems to get a good viewing!,,

Milling machines looks ok, bargain I bet!

Bri
16 October 2014 at 22:14 #166714
Nick_G
Participant
@nick_g
Posted by Boiler Bri on 16/10/2014 21:21:46:

Nice MERC which seems to get a good viewing!,,

Milling machines looks ok, bargain I bet!

Bri

The Merc ain't 'actually' mine. It's a company one so effectivley my boss's. – He is a decent chap but would I think take exception to a Boxford adornment on the bonnet.

Nick
16 October 2014 at 23:12 #166721
Michael Gilligan
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@michaelgilligan61133
Posted by Nick_G on 16/10/2014 21:16:00:

Dirty, stinking of paraffin but happy, Nick

.

Looks good, Nick.

MichaelG.
16 October 2014 at 23:30 #166726
Martin Cottrell
Participant
@martincottrell21329
Hi Nick,

Nice mill you've got there. Shame you didn't give us a cheeky peek around the man-cave whilst you had that camera in your hand!!

Regards Martin.
17 October 2014 at 07:42 #166740
JasonB
Moderator
@jasonb
Nice littel addition to the all Boxford workshop. I know another member has the same mill who may be able to advise how to tilt the head.

J
17 October 2014 at 09:26 #166748
Oompa Lumpa
Participant
@oompalumpa34302
Posted by Boiler Bri on 16/10/2014 21:21:46:

Nice MERC which

What? They actually made a nice one?

I don't think so.

graham.
17 October 2014 at 09:47 #166749
Jack Foreman 1
Participant
@jackforeman1
A good buy there Nick Well done.
17 October 2014 at 10:38 #166755
Nick_G
Participant
@nick_g
Posted by JasonB on 17/10/2014 07:42:54:

Nice littel addition to the all Boxford workshop.

J

I think I need to change my name to 'The Boxford Bodger'

Nick
17 October 2014 at 10:56 #166757
daveb
Participant
@daveb17630
Nick, at the lower right side of the head there is a pinch bolt, immediately above is a taper pin, the end is threaded and there is a spacer or thick washer attached to this with a screw. Tighten the screw and withdraw the taper pin, slacken the pinch bolt and it should be possible to tilt the head. There is a spring clutch (not adjustable) to stop the head flopping. If the machine has been in a damp environment it can be difficult to tilt the head, some penetrating oil applied to the front and rear swivels from inside the column may help.

Dave
17 October 2014 at 11:55 #166763
magpie
Participant
@magpie
Nick, if the head is nice and square on, leave it where it is and buy a tilting table or a tilting vice. Unless of course you don't mind spending ages traming the head up again every time you tilt it.

Cheers Derek.
17 October 2014 at 12:00 #166764
magpie
Participant
@magpie
Graham, agree with you about the merc. Daughter is on her third one (all less than 12 months old when bought) and has had nothing but trouble with them all. You would think she had learned her lesson by now !!!!!

Cheers Derek.
17 October 2014 at 12:09 #166766
S.D.L.
Participant
@s-d-l
Posted by magpie on 17/10/2014 11:55:19:

Nick, if the head is nice and square on, leave it where it is and buy a tilting table or a tilting vice. Unless of course you don't mind spending ages traming the head up again every time you tilt it.

Cheers Derek.

Surely the reason for the tapered dowel is to give correct alignment???

Steve
17 October 2014 at 12:15 #166767
Nick_G
Participant
@nick_g
.

OK about the Merc. It is supplied to me by my job. So to me from that point it's fantastic.

For a car of it's type it ticks all the box's – But my god it is a boring soulless machine.!!!

Back to the mill. It's cleaned up really nicely. I am however having difficulty in locating the correct lubricant for the gearbox locally. I think it will have to be an internet order.

This weekend I will get it off the wheels and onto it's feet. – My back is paying the price today for yesterdays wrestling with the rascal. I ain't as young as I was.

Nick
17 October 2014 at 14:04 #166772
mechman48
Participant
@mechman48
Hi Nick

Smart piece of kit; lucky buy. I would leave the head well alone if it's trammed in, check before you move anything? preferably get yourself a tilting table / vice. as for the gearbox, looking at the side plate fastenings I suspect that it does not have oil in as I don't see a sight glass anywhere, unless I've missed something? rather a set of gears lubricated by high pressure grease (Alvania, Castrol etc?) If it does not have a sight glass have a look at what is on the gears as is, I'm sure other owners can enlighten you, Halfords & B&Q (usual disclaimer) sell high pressure grease quite reasonably priced, FWIW, as a temp measure you could use motor cycle chain lubricant, I have used this on my change wheel gears (quietens things down a lot).

I notice that you've got it parked quite near the left hand wall, have you allowed for full table travel to the left plus room for adding an X drive in the future? otherwise very nice buy.

George
17 October 2014 at 14:13 #166773
mechman48
Participant
@mechman48
Nick

See…**LINK** …. It looks like virtually the same machine

George
17 October 2014 at 14:40 #166775
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
Posted by S.D.L. on 17/10/2014 12:09:41:

Posted by magpie on 17/10/2014 11:55:19:

Nick, if the head is nice and square on, leave it where it is and buy a tilting table or a tilting vice. Unless of course you don't mind spending ages traming the head up again every time you tilt it.

Cheers Derek.

Surely the reason for the tapered dowel is to give correct alignment???

Steve

.

One would hope so … that's certainly the case with my little BCA

MichaelG.
17 October 2014 at 17:16 #166784
daveb
Participant
@daveb17630
Yes, the tapered pin sets the head square. The upper gearbox is lubricated with grease, it needs to be fairly runny stuff or it just sticks to the walls and doesn't lubricate anything. You need to take the side plate(s) off the gearbox to get at it, one of the worlds worst jobs is cleaning out the old grease. The manual says to use grease in the upper and lower gearboxes. I'm fairly sure the lower gearbox is the one under the knee and not as the previous owner of my machine thought, the spindle housing (it holds 2 or more litres of grease if you really want to fill it!) The dial on the front of the machine is not a rev counter, the needle is geared to the outer ring and gives an approximate indication of the spindle speed selected. Not a bad machine but why on earth didn't they fit a quill? It would then have been an excellent machine.

Dave
17 October 2014 at 17:26 #166785
magpie
Participant
@magpie
Steve, MichaelG, I agree, a taper pin is much better than a straight dowel, but any wear at the point of rotation will still mean the head will have to be reset. Just me nitpicking, as I hate having to do the job myself.

Cheers Derek.
17 October 2014 at 19:46 #166797
Boiler Bri
Participant
@boilerbri
Sorry nick, never meant to get you so much grief about the 'car'.

Hope you have fun with the miller, mine is a Harrison that's about the same size with power feed and DRO and I like using it far more than the 5" Boxford lathe that I have 😉

Bri
17 October 2014 at 20:18 #166798
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
Posted by magpie on 17/10/2014 17:26:21:

Steve, MichaelG, I agree, a taper pin is much better than a straight dowel, but any wear at the point of rotation will still mean the head will have to be reset. Just me nitpicking, as I hate having to do the job myself.

Cheers Derek.

.

Derek,

I suppose it depends upon the standard of design and execution of the machine.

I can't speak for others, but; my BCA [which must be at least 50 years old] resets more accurately than I could ever reasonably expect to "tram" it.

MichaelG.
18 October 2014 at 05:41 #166830
thaiguzzi
Participant
@thaiguzzi
# "Tramming" the head is all part of the ownership experience of a vertical mill, and is a pretty straight forward process just like using a 4 jaw chuck in a lathe. Much easier than playing around with flimsy tilting vices et al. Concur about the lack of a quill in the Boxford mill, and also no std powerfeed to the table, otherwise i would already own one to match my Boxford shaper and VSL lathe. Hence i own an M1 with an S vertical head.
18 October 2014 at 08:42 #166836
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
Posted by daveb on 17/10/2014 17:16:43:

Not a bad machine but why on earth didn't they fit a quill? It would then have been an excellent machine.

.

Dave,

Speaking for the Defence: … a compact machine with a big spindle needs to compromise somewhere … I think that Boxford chose an "optimum balance" within the size/stiffness/convenience/cost envelope.

Personally, I would happily accept that balance [and use a decent pillar drill for the drilling].

MichaelG.
18 October 2014 at 09:28 #166838
Bob Brown 1
Participant
@bobbrown1
My Marlow mill does not have a quill and it has yet to be a problem I even drilling holes by raising the table but then again if I have lots of holes to drill I use the Dore Westbury.

I can see one good reason for not having a quill and that is it is another area to introduce play in the tool, if you have a milling machine with a quill try extending the quill to full travel and measure the play, pull and push it with a DTI on it.

Bob
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