TAYLOR MILLER Mk. 2

[_Paul_Participant @_paul_]

[_Paul_Participant @_paul_]

Have just bought one of these seems like a nice very well built solid machine but it does need some adjustment, where might I find a manual for such a machine?

 

Also it only came with three collets which I think are 3c? 1/4″, 3/8″ & 1/2″ can anyone suggest a possible source of additional collets.

 

Many Thanks

 

Paul

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Try the URL below for 3c collets…

 

http://rotagriponline.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=19&Itemid=29

 

This link might help for info on the mill…

 

 http://www.lathes.co.uk/taylormiller/

[Nigel McBurney 1Participant @nigelmcburney1]

Hi  just for info Fifty years ago there was a Taylor mark 1 mill where I worked,that mill only had 3 collets and the mark 1 had an awful collet chuck tightened by a pair of peg spanners ,which was difficult to get a good grip on the cutter,the machine suffered from awful vibration,despite attemps to balance the flat belt pulleys, It was a horrible machine but in those days after ww2   new machine tools were difficult to purchase with long lead times and expensive so we had to use it .I looked on the machine tool website and the collet  chuck is different on the mark 2,but when it was built everything was imperial and three collets would hold cutters suitable for the capacity of the machine when in industrial use.

[_Paul_Participant @_paul_]

Thanks for the response gents, had a look at Tony Griffiths site when I was buying the miller very good site.

The Rotagrip collets are different to mine heres a pic of one of mine:

 

 

 

The machine dosen’t vibrate too much and what it does vibrate I think I can put down to a slightly bent table drive spindle and the Brammer belts it has, as to the spanners I dont have any at all looks like I will have to make some if you can remember what they looked like that would be great

 

Regards

 

Paul

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Don’t knock the Brammer belts,they or their modern equivilants tend to be better balanced that V belts, also it is often easier to change them on many machines, it saves pulling half the machine apart. Can’t help with the rest of the machine, good luck. Ian S C

[kneedeepinswarfParticipant @kneedeepinswarf]

I have owned a Mk.2 Taylor for about thirty years and have found it to be an excellent machine, with no problems with vibration. The Brammer belt has to be used because there is no way of adjusting the belt tension other than by removing links. My machine came with the full set of collets (4) which also includes a 5/8″. The collets are made by Crawfords, which is now part of the 600 Group, which also makes Colchester and Harrison lathes, Prat Burnerd chucks etc. They might be able to help, but as the collets are of an unusual type, the cost could be high.

The collet chuck needs to be tightened with a C-spanner, and it needs to be really tight or the cutters will slip in use. The portion of the spindle which protrudes from the top of the machine has two flats whch can be held with a spanner to aid tightening. I have made a spindle locking device consisting of a steel block with a slot to engage with these flats and two further slots which engage with the two dowel pins which protrude fron the upper bearing housing either side of the spindle. This makes tightening the collets much easier.

The only  real problem with the machine, as far as model engineering work is concerned, is that the lowest speed, at 480 rpm, is a bit fast for some jobs.

 

Lionel

[_Paul_Participant @_paul_]

Lionel,

 

In the short space of time I have had the Taylor it has been a real pleasure to use.

Thanks for the info on the collets I will try to get hold of a 5/8″collet from Crawfords although that said until now I have not needed it.

I finally eliminated the Brammer belts as the source of vibration on my machine, after removing a couple of “furry” links that were “rapping” on the sides.

It transpires my vibration was (and still is) the universal joint on the table drive, a bit of light “dressing” with a hammer and dolly and a blob of Moly grease has improved things but it really does need a new joint.

I have been scouring the net for something of a suitable size that could possibly be adapted to fit but so far nothing has jumped out at me.

I agree the speed of the machine does seem a bit high at it’s lowest and I now have all the components to address that, once I have recoverd from surgery I intend to fit it up with a new 1hp 3 phase motor and wire it to my Teco inverter (which it will share with the ML7) giving infinitely variable speeds.

 

I  would be very grateful if you could post pictures of the tools you use to tighten the collet on your machine I would like to have a look your designs, I have started to make a collar that fits over the top circular section of the spindle with a view to welding in three dogs to locate in the three slots in the bearing adjusting collar, and like you I intend to use the two dowels as the other location.

 

Regards

 

Paul

 

[VersabossParticipant @versaboss]

In my experience there is always the danger of cutters slipping (and be pulled doewnwards) in this type of collet. I never liked e.g. the Deckel collets or the W20 as cutter holders. I would not bother to get a 5/8″ collet, as possibly with such a cutter you could only take very small cuts. Been there… as they say.

Greetings, Hansrudolf

[Mark Turner 1Participant @markturner1]

Those collets look different to the Mk1 I have.  Ive just taken it apart as the lead screws had loads of wear. I ended up cutting the nuts in half and taking the lash out that way.  Although plan B was to get new Acme screws from Kingston engineering.

 

My spindle has taper bronze bearings both top and bottom and they do sometimes lock up under heavy vertical load.

 

Since the leadscrews have been sorted and I adjusted the jib strips it seems very nice with no vibration.  

 

The only annoyance is the strange collett system and lack of a taper in the spindle. However it looks that it may be possible to cut a 2 MT taper and this would open up a whole load of options then!!

 

Has any one got experience of doing something similar??

 

FYI my chuck uses 2  C spanners with just one peg. 

 

Thanks

 

Mark 

[_Paul_Participant @_paul_]

I found with using 2 “C” spanners I ended up dropping whatever was in the chuck onto the table so I made a “circular” spanner which sits on top of my spindle and locks it in place leaving both hands free to slacken the chuck with a home made “C” spanner and take out the tooling without dropping it.

My vibration still is a worn universal joint feeding the table driveshaft I cant get it off to replace/repair, it seems to be held on by a tapered pin which refuses to budge.

Cutting the spindle with a taper might it not be better to manufacture some kind of Taylor-MT2 adapter?

Regards

Paul

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