Chester Super Lux advice

[Taf_PembsParticipant @taf_pembs]

The upper bearing cup, on extraction, which wasn’t easy as it was a seriously tight fit – I had to warm the quill and still had to use a bit of serious welly to drift it out. Once out it was clear that there were significant areas of the cup that weren’t in contact with its seat in the Quill.

The wear marks on both cups is also off, just a small band in the middle (and rough!!)

 

So I chucked up the quill in the 4 jaw and gave the upper cup seat a very light pass to see how it looked. It certainly wasn’t round, the outer ground surface of the quill was indicating within just about 0.01mm which I was utterly shocked about but the bearing seat was terrible.

I gave it a few very very light passes, again just using some freshly sharpened and pointy HSS so as to minimise contact pressure, and it came good just as I could press the cup in by hand so that’ll do with a bit of retainer too.

Poor picture sorry but you get the drift..

I’m yet to do another test assembly using the old bearings just to check everything again but I think I’m about there.

That’s about if for now, thanks for the comments from folk that are still interested in me continuing this, appreciate it and I’ll kep going till the end as long as people are still following. I know it’s not to everyone’s taste but I’m learning a shed load and really enjoying doing it 👍🍻

 

Oh, missed the pic of chasing the thread on the spindle so here you go (not that its very interesting!)

😊

[LathejackParticipant @lathejack]

Yes keep it coming, I’m certainly still interested and following your progress with improving this machine.

[Taf_PembsParticipant @taf_pembs]

Arf’noon all..

Cheers Lathejack, here’s a little more .. 👍

Where were we.. The Nut.

I made up an arbour so I could mount the nut in a collet chuck and then thanks AGAIN! to Mr J up the road and his mill the locking tab slots were all cut.

I also decided that on the chance that things line up nicely I put an M5 threaded hole for a locking screw in it too, easy to do and not an issue if not suitable – here with the arbour and the wee brass insert for the locking screw. Still a little cleaning up to do but turned out decent enough.

That’s another bit done.

[Taf_PembsParticipant @taf_pembs]

One thing about the spindle & quill set up that struck me when I was stripping the thing was that the splined drive collar that drives the spindle has shaft seals round it’s outer surface where it comes through the plate above the the Quill housing inside the gear head but there is nothing to prevent any ware material from the drive to the spindle splines, or any dirt / foreign crap that gets on the splines when getting to the drawbar on top of the spindle from getting straight down to the spindle bearings. Seemed a little odd 🤔

Here is the top of the quill showing the upper bearing, might make it easier to under stand what I’m trying to say, anything that gets on the splines can drop straight onto the upper bearing.

The bearing is just open. so I spent a few pence .. ok couple of quid on a flat hub seal, like is used on a lot of motorcycle upper steering head bearings. It is a very light touch fit to the quill but should certainly help prevent anything getting in there.

 

The bottom of the quill also only had a metal cover screwed into it with the best part of a 2mm gap between it and the protruding section of spindle, again leaving the lower bearing open to any coolant / bits that get sent in its direction. Grizzly call it a Spindle End Cap and Chester call it a Bearing Cup (although I don’t believe it contacts the bottom bearing cup, even when fully inserted it didn’t tighten up on it).

This is the cover fitted to the bottom of the quill (just pretend you cant see a seal in it!).

I checked the parts diagram for the Grizzly equivalent (kindly suggested by Robert Butler) and that shows a seal fitted into the cover.

I ordered a seal and fitted it but when fitted onto the quill the outer lip on the seal was fouling the cage of the bottom bearing race so I used a small amount of glue to bond the seal inn, stuck it in the lathe and turned off the outer rim of the seal.

After a clean up it will now fit as before without interfering with anything.

I reassembled the spindle again (still using the old bearings just to check everything) and all seems tickety boo so that’s that job done!

 

Well.. it was until I decided that as it was all apart (or was!) now would be a the perfect time to have a go at making a captive drawbar then I don’t have to hit the thing again as they will be new bearings.

Oh well.. here goes.. 😬

So until I have done a bit of that – in the Buggs Bunny style – err That’s All Folks!

🍻

 

[Alan JacksonParticipant @alanjackson47790]

Hi Taf,

Thank you for doing this most interesting write up on your soon to be super smooth mill. I found the way you found,  analysed and solved the machine errors to be a roll model for others to follow and copy. You remind me of similar things I had to do with older worn machines.

Alan

[Taf_PembsParticipant @taf_pembs]

Thanks Alan, really appreciate the comments!

It’s keeping me out of mischief and relatively sane while waiting for me to get fixed and more importantly keeping the grey matter occupied, just a shame I can only manage little bits here and there, should have been finished ages ago!

🍻

[Author]

Posts