Bridgeport Series 1 mill, ram elevating worm removal

[SteveIParticipant @stevei]

Hi,

As part of a strip down for cleaning I have removed the ram adaptor from the ram of my bridgeport series 1 mill.

Now I want to remove for cleaning the elevating worm. I can't seem to find out how to remove it. Note that everything is pretty much caked in muck and 30 year old grease.

I am using a book "A Guide to Renovating the Bridgeport Seris 1 "J" head Milling Machine" (ISBN 978-0-578-04151-3). Hear and there I find differences. However the book states that there is a set screw on the collar of the elevating worm. gear. Once removed I should pull up on the worm shaft. Removing the hardened washers and shaft should then be trivial.

After removing an fair bit of muck I still can't spot any set-screw on the worm gear. Admittedly there is plenty muck still to be removed, all of which will be easier to remove with the gear and shaft removed. So on the off chance I will yet again find a small difference between my mill and the book can anyone offer any suggestions? Failing that I will have to do a more thorough clean in situ and look again.

Thanks,

Steve

[SteveIParticipant @stevei]

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Try this book.

**LINK**

perfectly legal download but plese read the restrictions on passing this on.

[SteveIParticipant @stevei]

John,

Thanks for the link. I had already got that document but had forgotten I had it! It will be useful. It gave me some ideas for refitting that will be handy.

Nothing on removing that worm though….. I'll give it a proper clean up today.

In other news that 3HP motor and mounting plate is a corker. I have ordered a VFD from Newton Tesla for it. Should be arriving soon.

Thanks,

Steve

[Russ BParticipant @russb]

Steve, take a look here, just to confirm we're on the same page:

http://www.sorted-uk.com/basemachine.html

Items 10,11,12 and 13? – I've not had mine off but everything else is off while the heads been refurbished so I could have a quick look if you can't work yours out.

If you scroll down the parts list to item 10 and click the photo, you'll see its a plain shaft with a plain key, suggesting the worm moves on the shaft a bit to me, and also I note, there are thrust washers above and below the worm possibly further supporting this theory?

I'd hazard a guess although it doesn't sound like good practice to me, that item 10 will just pull out (if not secured somehow by a screw in the end of the shaft accessed from under the machine), and the worm will drop out.

[SteveIParticipant @stevei]

Hi,

Well I got it. I raised up the ram to a nice working height put a bright light on it and rubbed away and found nothing. Then I decided to just clean it as best I could and low and behold there it was. It's all off now and currently soaking in some cleaner.

Russ – thanks for that link. Yes it was items 10,11,12, & 13 on that link, but there is a small retaining grub screw which I had to find. By the way that link was VERY slow to load for me. I almost gave up on it. Glad I didn't because I'll be ordering a replacement way felt wiper kit from them in due course. Are you renovating the head yourself? I am toying with the idea of sending my head to braithwaites.

Next step is to remove (from your link items 6 (head tilting gear) from item 8 (ram adaptor). Items 5 and 7 the bolts are off but the gear wont budge. Again from my book "a roll pin positions the gear on the ram adapter". Any tips for getting that off?

My plan is to keep stripping down until I've removed all the swarf and crud and the one shot lube is working. Right now I don't get any oil to at least 3 locations, and I am suspicious I don't get any to the knee either.

On a more general note I am really glad I am stripping down the mill. Aside from finding so much swarf and general crud that will be all cleaned out I am learning a lot about the mill. In short it is very simply put together and knowing intimately how its put together will hopefully educate me in being more sympathetic when using it. Plus the whole process is rather fun.

Thanks,

Steve

[Russ BParticipant @russb]

Steve I used a slide hammer to pull that roll pin out, although a wood screw and some pliers might do (something that will grip without tightening the rollpin?

I'm just reassembling the head, good as new, and as you said, knowing how it all works together is invaluable, mine had a damaged quill spring, feed clutch arm, and gear selector rod, it's been great to work out how that all works. I haven't got time to do the base machine, I'll be flogging it off cheap (circa £500 I think should do the trick) as I'm moving house and it's got to go, I've probably spent that just on the refurb so far! Fortunately the one shots all working, but the powerfeed needs cleaning out (40+ years of congieled grease is almost jamming it, it's the old mechanical type)

I'd say 100% do the head yourself, just get about 5-6 jars/trays for each area and label them well.

[SteveIParticipant @stevei]

Russ,

I got the gear off. I did not have a roll pin, instead a solid steel pin. The pin had an slight intereference fit with the gear. The pin and gear were "stuck" to the casting by the congealed grease. Once I cracked it the gear and pin came out together. The table is off (been off for a while as I had to remove it to get the mill into the workshop) and now I am getting started on the saddle.

I am amazed that after a full head rebuild you are considering to sell for £500. What condition is the rest in? I saw a "braithwaite" rebuilt example used by a model engineer for 10 or so years with chrome ways, along power feed only and set up for single phase electrics go for over £10,000 on ebay last summer. Surely there are persons out there that would appreciate the value of such a mill?

Steve

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Why would anyone with an ounce of intelligence buy a second hand machine for 10K when they can buy a new one for around 5K.

Ok the new one is probably Taiwanese but they are new.

Some of the more upmarket machines from Taiwan have box ways and not skimpy dovetails and power feeds built into the knee as opposed to the plastic align units.

[Russ BParticipant @russb]

Posted by SteveI on 02/03/2014 13:01:55:

I am amazed that after a full head rebuild you are considering to sell for £500. What condition is the rest in? I saw a "braithwaite" rebuilt example used by a model engineer for 10 or so years with chrome ways, along power feed only and set up for single phase electrics go for over £10,000 on ebay last summer. Surely there are persons out there that would appreciate the value of such a mill?

Steve,

The machine doesn't owe me much more than that and as I'm moving house and won't have the luxuary of space 2 of my 3 mills has to go, starting with the biggest! Most functioning Bridgeports go for £700-£1000 on ebay and since this one's table isn't to clever (its flat and true but someone's drilled and slotted it several times – war wounds for sure), and the powerfeed needs attention (plus someone's painted it with non oil proof paint) I think £500's fair, I'm not in this for profit and this will be a nice little project, and easily a money maker for someone who has the time for it.

It's running on 3 phase, 220v or 415v I do have an inverter but it's going on my 2hp RF-25 as its compatible with my CNC controller and that is the RF's destiny!

[SteveIParticipant @stevei]

Hi,

John – it would seem there are people that would pay more than might be expected and plenty more that wouldn't. I only used that particular ebay sale as an extreme example as at the time the final sale price shocked me. Of course most will be much less than that. As a comparison there are several places with internet sites that sell myford big bore and connoseur lathes for that kind of money and plenty that sell for much much less.

Russ – fair enough.

Steve

[Author]

Posts