Nice photography, John

Nasty-looking gears though.

MichaelG.

I suppose the Warco and Chester versions may have the same gears but there have been many small changes made over the years and I believe some machines were made in Taiwan and some in China so it could be a real lottery whether the gears would fit from any other source. I doubt that Myford of today carry spares for the mills but it might be worth a phone call.

Mike

I defer to your wisdom, Andrew

… but they don’t look a patch on what you have shown us of yours.

MichaelG.

.

I believe that the Myford VMC is essentially the same as the other "makes" referred to by Mike Poole, above. My Warco version has a slight tendency to make a similar noise if I forget to loosen the Z-axis lock before moving the knee. I your case, I would loosen off or completely remove, the gib strip ( not forgetting to support the knee ) thoroughly clean the gib and its bearing surfaces, re-lubricate, reinstall and adjust. If that doesn't make a difference, only then would I consider further investigating the gears.

John

Edit: For clarification, what I'm trying to say is "is it a sticky gib"?

Edited By John Hinkley on 16/10/2022 07:59:31

John, do they have tapered gibs or plain? If tapered and not restrained at either end that can also cause the gib to tighten in one direction so you end up pushing the knee down and it jumps a bit, then push again, etc which may be the gears clicking in and out of load.

The gears look a bit worn, but there don't seem to be any dings or damage that would cause intermittent action.

Skew helical gears are not the best choice in this appication as there is significant sliding action rather than simple rolling action of the teeth. The flanks of the lower right gear appear to be quite worn. A gentle pass over the tooth flanks with needle files or wet 'n' dry may help remove any small imperfections due to wear.

Andrew

I might try reversing one of the gears on it's shaft to present new faces for bedding in and check both thrust bearings while they are accessible with the knee propped up on a wooden block.

EP 90 gear oil as lubricant might also impart some improvement.

Brian

Edited By Brian Wood on 16/10/2022 10:10:40

John D, are you using a feed motor to raise and lower the table? Having heard the video we can all tell it's not the gib but my X table travel will sound like that when the motor gear comes a bit out of mesh.

Tony

My one sounds the same as the one in the video, has always been like it since I bought the machine new from Myford. It hasn’t got any worse over the years and will most probably see me out, I have always put the noise down to poor machining tolerances, I believe the Myford machines were manufactured in Taiwan.

Posted by John D 15/10/2022 21:51:34

Does anyone know if it might be possible to obtain the elevation gears for the Myford
VMC anywhere? I suppose best bet is knowing which machines it was the same as
(at least in respect of the gearing for Z axis). Mine has some roughness when
lowering the knee and, although better on raising, still not perfect. You hear a
click click click on when lowering. Everything has been cleaned but i cannot
see any way of adjusting the gears.

Wondering if they are all like this?

Photo of gears cleaned up and with the retaining washer and nut removed.
All greased up with fresh grease but no different.

————————————————————————————————–

Those gears look about normal and are much the same on my Warco
2 AF mill ,the backlash on my machine is shown as 0.0015 " on the
index dial so you look to have excessive backlash on your machine.
As far as adjustment goes the knee and gear shaft sleeve as depicted
in the following images are 2 separate parts 102 and 105 ,i expect the adjustment
for the backlash is made on assembly after which the these parts are filled
and eventually painted over to look as one piece.
You can soon tell if this is so as if you feel up inside the casting you may
find the holes or bolts protruding.

Even if you find a supply of new gears they may fit exactly the same if
the adjustment was out from new.
It may well be possible to adjust the mesh unfortunately it would mean
digging through the filler and paint to find the bolts to dismantle and
adjust.

When i got my A2f from Warco these 2 gears were very rough in operation,
i mixed some green label fine Timesaver abrasive in with the grease and
after a short time they were as smooth as silk ,this abrasive is non imbedding
and can be left on as it eventually becomes inert , i use this grease on these
gears "Rocol 18302 Tufgear Universal Open Gear" it is more suitable.

You could turn off about 1/8" off the top of lead screw gear and refit it with
a 1/8" washer underneath likewise also with the input gear to
establish a new contact point on the gears.

John

Edited By John P on 16/10/2022 12:07:02