Hello Stephen,

I built a Mk II about 25 years ago from the kit of castings and bar etc and have been very satisfied with it over all those years.

I assume you are referring to the circular gearbox on top of the head for slow drive to the spindle, in which case it should be oil filled to about half depth. For mine I have used straight forward SAE 30 grade agricultural oil, nothing fancy

These machine kits came with build notes and a set of drawings. You were expected to know something about milling and general workshop/engineering practice to have enough knowledge to complete the construction without being given instructions on how to use it afterwards, if that is what you are looking for. However, the gearbox engagement is unusual. There are two locking pins, 180 degrees apart, inserted upwards to lock the pulley block to the gearbox body for normal running.

For slow drive, pull these out and insert them horizontally through the lower part of the gearbox body to engage with matching holes drilled into a cross member the gearbox is supported on. The drive to the spindle is now fed through the internal reduction gearing in the gearbox.

Other than that, general use is pretty well common sense really but I will be happy to pass on tips etc I have learned. One of these follows.

As you have already explored the gearbox, I would strongly recommend you beef up the two loctited joints of the reduction gears to their respective shafts, one of which is the final drive to the spindle, before you put the mill to use. After long service the joint(s) begin to fail and drive to the spindle starts to slip. The cure is to drill down the gear/shaft joint face, thread the hole and lock the joint with a hexagon head grub screw. How do I know…..?!

Enjoy your new toy, I hope you get long and satisfactory service from it

Regards Brian

Stephen,

Congratulations on your DW. I rebuilt my Mk1 about 15 years ago and have been very pleased with it. Not the most rigid of machines, but very versatile. There are some pictures in my album. It would be useful to know if your machine is a Mk1 or a Mk2 because there are some important differences. In particular the reduction gearboxes are different. The Mk1 uses straight cut Myford change gears, and is lubricated with grease. The Mk2 uses helical gears and is oil filled as Brain has described. I hope you have the Mk2 because it’s a better design and much quieter in operation. I fitted a 3/4 hp motor and a VFD to my machine, so most of the time I don’t need to use the reduction gearbox.

regards

Mike

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Edited By Michael Gilligan on 28/02/2021 13:37:13