How not to repair an X1 Milling Machine

[Former Member2Participant @formermember2]

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

Gray,

It all boils down to, you know what you are doing and can, they did not have a clue and did not know it!

K

Edited By KWIL on 31/10/2012 11:31:21

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

Hi Gray,

Why not convert to belt drive?

Neil

[Michael Cox 1Participant @michaelcox1]

Hi Gray,

I have done a belt drive mod and a power feed on my X1, see

**LINK**

I am sure you will make much better mods than I did but it is always good to see how others achieve a result.

Kind regards

Mike

[Pat BraveryParticipant @patbravery]

Hi, Your X1 is the same as my Clarke CMD10 and the gears also failed on mine. When I looked at it I found that the 4mm key was too short and only engaged about half of the keyway slot this caused undue strain in driving the gear and stripped the keyway. I replaced the gears from Arc and fitted a longer 4mm key and it has been fine since.

[Gray62Participant @gray62]

Gray,

As always an over engineered but perfectly excecuted set of modifications.

Over engineering as you is never a bad thing as you rarely need to revisit.

The quality of your work never ceases to impress me. Looking forward to seeing how you approach the belt drive mod.

I have an X2 clone (of mitsubishi origin) which shed its plastic change gears at the first sign of a light cut.

I did a quick and VERY dirty belt drive mod to get it up and running, then progressed very quickly to an Ajax AJT4 so the x2 sits lonely in the corner of the workshop and is rarely if ever used. One day it will get a cnc conversion and a rebuilt belt drive (once I find a suitable bucket of inspiration)

These little machines are ok as they go but benefit from a little TLC

Graeme

[Tony Pratt 1Participant @tonypratt1]

Graeme, 'over engineered' how so?

Tony

[Gray62Participant @gray62]

Tony,

This was not meant as any form of criticism, merely an observation of Grays excellent perception of engineering and making things to last.

G

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

Another very lovely job; there is a real aesthetic sense there, a lttle more than form follows function.

I was not overly keen to use the machine due to having to do mental arithmetic just to convert the numbers on the existing dial to read Millimetres, (2mm pitch feedscrew and dial graduated 0 to 80).

My X2 has 1.5mm pitch leadscrews with dials graduated 0 to 75. i plan to replace them with 0-60 so I don't have to do mental maths either

Funny old world!

Neil

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Hi Gray,

Why not convert to belt drive?

—-

Now there's a challenge… not really a challenge… a mission

Make it easier for future muppets

 

he-he…looks like you're not as obsolete as you hoped…

 

live long and prosper buddy

 

ady

 

 

btw I have yet another metric threads on an imperial lathes system to throw out there

its based upon the interruptor gear used in ww1 machine guns which fired through propellors

(was reading about it on wiki and thought…uhh… hang on a minit…)

adyedit:

miles simpler than my digital system

 

been drinking tonite…

 

damn.. being alive is so… WONDERFUL

 

Edited By Ady1 on 11/04/2013 01:15:01

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Heck, lets get it out there girls, before someone claims it as their own

What revolves constantly, like a propellor, with one way in and out?

A leadscrew clutch

da-da-da-da-da da-da-da

(or duh-duh-duh-duh-duh… lol)

What revolves non-constantly in time with the leadscrew clutch?

The headstock !!!

So if you have a locking leadscrew AND a headstock collar CONNECTED to that leadscrew pull-in-bar it stands to reason that there's only one position you can pull that leadscrew into position

The correct position

A double interruptor gear

da-da-da—-da-da—da—-da-da—–da-da-da

simples !

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Your search – "double interruptor gear" – did not match any documents.

It's a bit disconcerting

Interruptor gear was about 100 years ago and 100 years later double interruptor gear still does not exist ?

Maths has advanced hugely in 100 years, producing unlimited interruptor gearing

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

It's got sod -all to do with "me"

We invented the industrial revolution

we invented the jet engine and patented it… and didn't have 30 quid to maintain the patent…

we invent a wooden aeroplane like the mosquito and Goering watches them buzz all over occupied Europe

…it's definitely a Brit thing

[Steamer1915Participant @steamer1915]

Head a bit sore this morning is it?

Steve.

Edited By Steamer1915 on 11/04/2013 08:29:15

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

Hi Gray,

It's definitely 1.5mm pitch on the X2. The dials have 75 graduations at 0.02mm – and they must be right as my gears come out with the correct depth teeth!

Remember the mini-lathes have fine-pitch leadscrews as well, 1/16" on the imperial ones. Xan you confirm if the metric ones are 2mm or 1.5mm – from memeory I think it's the former.

I hope Ady can find the paracetamol this morning…

Neil

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

I have a Clarke CMD10 and I am sure that it has 1.5mm pitch leadscrews (definitely so on the Z anyway)

Its not accessible at the moment but it has a silly number of graduations on the dials but with DRO fitted its irrelevant.

Ian P

[Thor 🇳🇴Participant @thor]

Hi Gray,

that's a neat power feed. I assume there's a worm gear inside the aluminium housing? And a way to disconnect if you want manual feed?

Thor

[Michael Cox 1Participant @michaelcox1]

Hi Graham,

I really like your power feed but what attracted my eye was that beautiful little vice mounted on the table. Is that a commercial item or something you have built yourself? If the latter do you have ant drawings?

Mike

[Russell EberhardtParticipant @russelleberhardt48058]

Gray,

That power feed looks neat. Any chance of a look inside?

Russell

[Martin CottrellParticipant @martincottrell21329]

Posted by Graham Meek on 01/04/2014 19:05:28:

Hi Michael,

The vice is something that I designed specifically for this mill, the base was made from a piece of Cast Iron continually cast section, the moving jaw is Mild steel as is the vice screw bearing bracket. The Jaws are Ground Flat stock, or Gauge Plate, and the Vice Screw is made from EN 8 with a 2 mm pitch Trapezoidal thread.

Un-like a convention vice this design is such that it pulls the work down into the vice, it also ensures that there is more contact between the milling machine cross-slide slideways, (less overhang), for the majority of work.

There are some drawings but currently they need tidying up to get them up to date, when I originally designed the vice I had intended to write an article on the build but now I am not so sure.

Gray,

Hi Gray,

I'm sure a construction article on your vice would be well appreciated by many readers. I for one could learn a great deal from the techniques you've used to get such a nice finish on the parts even if I didn't have an immediate need to build the vice. Likewise your power feed would be of interest to many mill owners, myself included!

Regards, Martin.

[Mike ClarkeParticipant @mikeclarke87958]

Posted by Michael Cox 1 on 01/04/2014 18:22:17:

Hi Graham,

I really like your power feed but what attracted my eye was that beautiful little vice mounted on the table. Is that a commercial item or something you have built yourself? If the latter do you have ant drawings?

Mike

Hi – it, and the other items, sure are beautifully made.

If you want something similar that's commercially available, then you may be interested in the 60mm machine vice available from Pro Machine Tools (I bought one for my Emco mill several years ago and was always very pleased with it). It is very similar in design to Gray's.

Regards,

Mike.

[Matt InkelParticipant @mattinkel67388]

Love what your doing to this ..my own X1 stripped gears this mornng and whilst I want a bigger machine relatively soon Im keen to make home mods to improve the little fellow ..its served me over 10 years and with extra upgrades it will keep going Im sure ..first up is the new gears and then a longer table frim Arc

[Russ BParticipant @russb]

My X1L stripped the motor pinion but I managed to get a couple (or 3?) cheap from Chester and with slightly more gentle use I've avoided breaking any more.

I now have a WMD20V so I'm selling the SX1L this week but my plan was to make a belt drive using the cheaply available DB200/SL1000 pulleys which if driven directly from the motor would give speeds of 800, 1500 and 2600 rpm, I just never go around to it – I'm still tempted now but I have no idea why I'm so committed to it, I need to sell it before it distracts me………..

LittleMachineShop hosts a detailed drawing of the X1 spindle which might help if your thinking about it **LINK**

I also got a ridgid column sent over from them too, it was under £100 delivered and really stiffened my mill up, I think I have the dims for the adapter plate somewhere if anyone wants them

[Matt InkelParticipant @mattinkel67388]

And wouldnt you know it …now the gear change fork has broken! Looks like cast iron .which seems an odd choice… making a brass copy to get by with for now

[Matt InkelParticipant @mattinkel67388]

That’s exactly what I did Gray!

You may be right about the sintered metal,im swapping the Bronze bushing for Delrin as they really only act to slide the gearing because the lay shaft is held at either end..Im swapping those bearings out too for flanged ballraces when they arrive.

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