Ammco 7 shaper

[John RutzenParticipant @johnrutzen76569]

Hi, I've recently acquired an Ammco 7 inch shaper which was is very poor condition so I have stripped it completely to recondition it and repaint. I had a struggle dismantling the internals and wonder if there is a proper sequence to re-assenble it.The original brochure says the machine is easily and quickly dismantled to remove the bull wheel if this should need replacing[ it is tufnol] but doesn't say how. Has anyone experience of putting one of these together?

[John RutzenParticipant @johnrutzen76569]

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

What a dinky little unit, can you upload photos of the stripdown for others to use?

Have sent you a PM

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

Welcome to the Delta Rockwell club (i have the 10" bench lathe)

Just don't expect any spares

[John OlsenParticipant @johnolsen79199]

I have one of these too. They were made at first under the AMMCO name, and specified as six inch, but later on they were acquired by Delta Rockwell and were specified as seven inch, without any changes to the actual machine. I've made up a copy of the dividing attachment, and I've got a copy of the original vice partly machined. The old Yahoo shapers forum had a lot of good discussion on them, I don't know if that material can still be tracked down. Some effort went into trying to work out how the serial numbers worked, to no particular conclusion. If it is labeled AMMCO it is earlier, if it is labeled Rockwell it is later.

I did have mine apart once to allow me to make and fit a new bush to the main shaft, but I don't recall any particular difficulties. I'll take a look at the machine and refresh my memory later. With most machines, you take the ram off the top first, then remove the slotted arm, and that lets you get at the bull wheel. After that, the mainshaft can come out.

John

[John RutzenParticipant @johnrutzen76569]

I'll try to upload some photos. The main problem as I see it is that it seemed impossible to remove the ram without first removing the slotted arm I did it eventually by removing the slotted arm pivot shaft [ which has 3 allen screws holding it in]. This meant I could only do it by lying it flat on the bench having separated the main casting and the base. Having got the shaft out I was able to lower the slotted arm enough to get the ram out. I hope there is an easier way!

[John RutzenParticipant @johnrutzen76569]

[John RutzenParticipant @johnrutzen76569]

This was the machine as I got it. I don't have the original vice. As you can see it's pretty rough but it cost me very little and it was local.

[John OlsenParticipant @johnolsen79199]

Hi John, Having taken a look at mine, I find I am not sure about how I got it apart to get at the bull wheel bearing. The sticking point is the little link inside the ram linking it to the slotted arm. To slide the ram off, you would need to somehow dismantle that, and later reassemble it, and since there is no access I can't see how that would be done. With some machines you would be able to take an extra large gibb strip off the side and that would give enough clearance to lift the ram away, but that will not work on this one. It is over twenty years since I had it apart!

Still even if you do have to take the column off the base, the parts are at least lighter than with bigger machines. On my !8" Alba, the slotted arm alone would weigh as much as the AMMCO.

Yours does have the original fine feed, mine has a not very good home made one done by a previous owner. I wouldn't mind sketches and/or photos of the bits if you felt up to it. Yours is later production than mine, as it has the table height hand wheel out to the side. Mine has the wheel underneath the table, the screw is long enough to poke through. There is no easy way to date these machines, but they started in the thirties and stopped I think in the early sixties. The motor unit on yours is similar to mine, except mine uses a flat belt for the final drive. That may have been a mod on yours .

John

[John OlsenParticipant @johnolsen79199]

Back again, I had another look and even if you did get the ram off the top, you would still not be able to get at the bull wheel and shaft very well unless you took the slotted arm off. Since you can't get at the set screws for that except from underneath, it would seem that taking the column off the base is about the only way to do it.

You mentioned having a brochure, I wonder if it is the same one I have got. Mine is labelled

No 27-100

Delta-Milwaukee

7" precision shaper for metalworking

Instruction manual

PM-1737

There are two pages of operation and then a parts list along with some diagrams showing the part numbers. I can easily scan it if it is different to what you have.

John

[John RutzenParticipant @johnrutzen76569]

hi John, I have all the brochures and the manual thanks all the same. Which parts of the feed are you lacking? Pic attached. Also pix of paintwork and polished ball handles.

[John OlsenParticipant @johnolsen79199]

Mine is missing all the bits shown in your picture. They have been replaced by a very home made looking setup, which includes an extension on the end of the main shaft with an eccentric on it. Still, I don't think there is anything in your picture that I could not make.

regards

John

[John RutzenParticipant @johnrutzen76569]

I've just got it back together but not tried cutting anything yet. There is a problem with the auto feed. It does not feed because the backlash in the screw is sufficient to permit it to just swing back and forth. It would need another ratchet like a lubricator has to prevent the backward [ very difficult to describe!]

[John OlsenParticipant @johnolsen79199]

Usually with shapers when you change direction you have to turn the handle in the new direction a little to take up the backlash. After that, the friction in the nut is enough to stop the screw coming back. If it is not, then adding a little more friction to the screw would be the way to go. You may be able to do this by adjusting the end float. Another ratchet would be complicated and would also need reversing when you reverse the drive, which is why they didn't do it.

John

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Posted by John Rutzen on 19/09/t.
….

 

There is a problem with the auto feed. It does not feed because the backlash in the screw is sufficient to permit it to just swing back and forth. It would need another ratchet like a lubricator has to prevent the backward [ very difficult to describe!]

Might it simply need a little friction, somewhere in that area, to prevent it rolling back? My Drummond has a friction pad expressly for that purpose.  It required just a little bending of the spring steel mounting strip, to afford sufficient resistance to prevent it rolling back a tiny amount and catching the same ratchet tooth on the following stroke.

A you-tuber reported the same symptoms with her Drummond and was considering all sorts of suggested fixes from replies to her plea for help. The friction pad was actually missing and (presumably) solved the problem when replaced.

Edited By not done it yet on 19/09/2020 07:42:37

[John RutzenParticipant @johnrutzen76569]

I wonder if there may have been a friction pad at the other end. The parts list is very unclear on this. Some part numbers are shown on the sketch but there are no corresponding parts in the listing.

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