Worth picking up a mill/drill?

[MashingMetal]

Quote. I've dragged lots of machines home and fixed them up that I didn't need and conclude its a mistake. My intent with metal working was model engines. I've barely touched any in a decade as I recondition and fix up old machines, usually that I didn't need but they were cheap. I focused on high quality ones, but the results are the same. My weakness was I can recondition a machine in an evening ..... in my head. In the real world it takes forever.

Right!
The reason I can’t fit a piece of paper , sideways in my shop!

You and me both. Like that car parking lot puzzle game.

 

[Susquatch]

My weakness was I can recondition a machine in an evening ..... in my head. In the real world it takes forever.

This is my problem with almost everything I do. Even worse, my head will work on dozens of projects simultaneously in that one evening. That sometimes results in FrankenStuff in the weeks that follow.

I have no interest in modelling or reconditioning machines for their own sake. My biggest interest is learning. After that comes machining to support farming and 100 other hobbies.

 

[MashingMetal]

This is my problem with almost everything I do. Even worse, my head will work on dozens of projects simultaneously in that one evening. That sometimes results in FrankenStuff in the weeks that follow.

I have no interest in modelling or reconditioning machines for their own sake. My biggest interest is learning. After that comes machining to support farming and 100 other hobbies.

I agree, the learning part of the journey is very satisfying. I call it brain food, it’s all floating around in there and my wife gets frustrated when I am not paying attention.

 

[Dan Dubeau]

I would pass too. Same reason as Mcgyver. Define your goals, do you want to build and make things, or to you want to have a shop full of tools that all provide overlapping capabilities and take up space for projects. For me, it's purely make things. I could have had a nice 10" atlas lathe last week for very cheap, but I have no room for it, and it's extra capacity vs my Myford vs the hassle of moving it in, and rearranging everything was just not worth it. I will reserve that headache for something more worthy. I only have so much "shop time", I don't want to spend it playing the sliding box game with machines anymore. Every machine in my shop has moved to every spot on the floor at one point in time. I'm done (for now) and just want to make things with what I've got in my current iteration of the shop.

We're all different though, so if you like bringing machines like that back from near death, then go for it.

None of my machines are what I would consider excellent shape. They all work, and I'm able to hold the tolerances I need for the projects I work on, but they are all far from factory specs. Certainly helps that my entire career was spent on near clapped out machines, and tickling tight tolerances out of them became an acquired skill. I wouldn't even know what to do with a brand new machine. I certainly have no business owning one lol.

 

[djberta]

Pull it apart, take it home. Clean it up. Get it working. Like it keep it. Don’t like it sell it. I do agree with others about getting stuff just to fix it as well. I now have 4 lathes, only use one. I have 4 3d printers. Only really use 2. I have 3 tractors, only 2 run. So it might be a theme for some of us. I do have to say tho, another mill drill would be a good asset in a guys garage.

 

[MashingMetal]

Pull it apart, take it home. Clean it up. Get it working. Like it keep it. Don’t like it sell it. I do agree with others about getting stuff just to fix it as well. I now have 4 lathes, only use one. I have 4 3d printers. Only really use 2. I have 3 tractors, only 2 run. So it might be a theme for some of us. I do have to say tho, another mill drill would be a good asset in a guys garage.

Thanks @djberta. I know there are many different ways to look at a “project” I am more of a glass 1/2 full guy when it comes to project machines.
I have run into a problem a few times and not wanting to break down a mill setup. I was going to try and track down a vertical head for my Harrison but they are a rare in Canada and modifying anything a huge project. So maybe a mill drill makes sense. Anyway having fun which is the whole point of this.

 

[djberta]

Thanks @djberta. I know there are many different ways to look at a “project” I am more of a glass 1/2 full guy when it comes to project machines.
I have run into a problem a few times and not wanting to break down a mill setup. I was going to try and track down a vertical head for my Harrison but they are a rare in Canada and modifying anything a huge project. So maybe a mill drill makes sense. Anyway having fun which is the whole point of this.

Having fun is the whole point. If you can actually use it to make something usable is a huge bonus but not required.

 

[MashingMetal]

Pull it apart, take it home. Clean it up. Get it working.

 

[MashingMetal]

Just a bit of an update. What a pain this thing has been to get apart. Someone used grease at some point and the cross slide jammed up with crud. I backed off the gib screws, and removed the main cross slide screws. And by using wood clamps able to force the slides along. last picture is the bent gib adjuster screw. It’s going to require some carefully straightening. Any suggestions?
Next is cleaning and painting.

 

[David]

Were it me I'd remake that screw. The threads on the end look pretty rolled over.

 

[Susquatch]

Any suggestions?

Seems like old machines are like old machinists. Stubborn, worn, stuck, and survived a few operations. Glad you found a way to get it apart. I'm with @David, don't bother straightening it. Not only are the threads damaged, but you can't really "bend it back" without still further weakening it. Just make a new one.

 

[MashingMetal]

Thanks @David and @Susquatch a new part on the lathe it is!

I finished prepping the base peeling with the needle scaler. Makes for fast work of paint removal. Then I will prime and paint Vista green. I make sure to avoid the ground surfaces.

 

[mbond]

Just a bit of an update. What a pain this thing has been to get apart. Someone used grease at some point and the cross slide jammed up with crud. I backed off the gib screws, and removed the main cross slide screws. And by using wood clamps able to force the slides along. last picture is the bent gib adjuster screw. It’s going to require some carefully straightening. Any suggestions?
Next is cleaning and painting.

That's almost impossible to fix. Even if you can over bend it back to get it straight without destroying the threads, the grain structure has been irreversibly damaged by yielding.

 

[MashingMetal]

More collective wisdom please.

The milling head is an Mt3 and abused and rusty inside. Should I buy a cheap hand reamer off Aliexpress? Should I mount the whole milling spindle in the lathe or can I clean it up in place? Thinking the lathe maybe the way to go, get it dialed in on centre with the 4 jaw. The reamer will find centre ok?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Susquatch]

Yes, the reamer will follow the hole. But I wouldn't bother with the lathe unless you already have the quill out and it's easy to do. It will clean up just fine by hand in the drill press. Keep in mind that rust isn't good for the reamer. Might be good to clean it up first without changing the taper. I used a rag and penetrating oil to clean out most of the rust and then made an MT3 arbour out of hardwood and added a slot to hold sandpaper to clean mine up. The results as proven by bluing were good enough that I didn't even need a reamer. That was 20 years ago and it's still working great.

 

[MashingMetal]

Thanks @Susquatch thanks for the advice. Hopefully I can get the rust out with some rust remover. The Mt3 shaft was stuck pretty good it there.
I will order the reamer anyway.

 

[MashingMetal]

More progress, base is cleaned up. Like any machine base it was thick with oil and dirt and had to be degreased and stripped of the chipped paint. I went around and cleaned up the casting a big more with the die grinder before paint.