Tom Senior Light Vertical Milling Machine

[damianParticipant @damiannoble34800]

Posted by thaiguzzi on 02/09/2016 07:12:25:

# The Great Shrine to Bling…

# Is there a Concors D'elegance class for post WWII original British milling machines?

# The grey one in the above pic – looks nothing wrong with that to me.

# The original TS green restored one in the above pics – i'd be too scared to use it and get it dirty. Presumably photos taken prior to useage…

# As per my previous post, whilst the thing is in pieces prior to repainting, i'd have got some keyways machined and fitted to the clamp castings and a long keyway machined on the ram for keeping tram and being able to move the ram further forward to give you a larger work envelope for that odd big job.

# My M1 unfortunately has the S head fixed to the Z dovetails, and for boring out bearing housings on m/c wheels etc, i run out of room. I've done disc brake mount mods on a 17" wheel rim, just, with difficulty, and one day, will get round to making an adapter for the head where i can fit in a 19" wheel on a table extension,and do brg housing mods without dismantling the wheel.

I guess there should be a concors although I very much doubt mine will be up there.Whilst its in bits I might as well fettle it a little was my thoughts.

The mill will be used primarily for machining small aluminium parts but as you say most owners always try to get the biggest jobs they can on the table.

I dont envisage a problem with the tram as the head will only infrequently be pulled forward (blue moons spring to mind) and I could always machine a block to replace the one thats there that extends over the top of the scale.

I'll get it back together something like first, inverter and dro fitted before tinkering further.

Damian

[damianParticipant @damiannoble34800]

Posted by Alan Jackson on 02/09/2016 09:56:08:

A while ago I fixed up my M1. I did not have a vertical head so I added a Dore Westbury head. This gives plenty of daylight.

Alan

Thanks for posting Alan. It looks a very useful and well done addition.

[damianParticipant @damiannoble34800]

The paint has arrived today so all set for finishing. Just need to get the main column finished with the filler and the etch primer can go on everything.

[damianParticipant @damiannoble34800]

Managed to get some painting done. After priming all the parts it was out with the Tom Senior green

First off the main Column, door and head assembly

Then the base and drip tray.

I've used about half a litre up to press and it needs some more to make all the surfaces glossy. It has painted quite well and to say it was my first time spraying with a little compressor I really got into it.

I took the name plate off the S-Type head to a local firm who will see what they can do. I'm waiting for them to get back to me but one off's aren't cheap.

The original base name plate I'm going to bead blast and then try to match the red colour could do with searching out the best colour for it? Humbrol enamel?

More soon

Damian

[damianParticipant @damiannoble34800]

Another coat of TS green paint and then I did the interior of the column and base the off white. I also took off all the masking

[damianParticipant @damiannoble34800]

Next up I need to paint the door interior off white, finish off the lip of the column and the inside of the pulley box for the S type head .

I cleaned up the cross slide which also needs a bit of paint underneath.

I can then reassemble the large parts and get the garage back to looking something like tidy!

[Nick TParticipant @nickt]

Looking good Damian! I found this type of thread so useful when I bought my TS. I have been using mine for the past six hours or so and it is a joy to work with. Each to his own but I agree with you that if you have it in pieces you might as well paint it. I bought some workshop flooring mats from Halfords for my workshop floor and cut up two of them to make a cover for the TS tray. I have dropped a few heavy things that would have dinged the tray but they bounce a treat on the rubber matting. Good luck!

[damianParticipant @damiannoble34800]

Posted by Nick T on 09/09/2016 20:52:49:

Looking good Damian! I found this type of thread so useful when I bought my TS. I have been using mine for the past six hours or so and it is a joy to work with. Each to his own but I agree with you that if you have it in pieces you might as well paint it. I bought some workshop flooring mats from Halfords for my workshop floor and cut up two of them to make a cover for the TS tray. I have dropped a few heavy things that would have dinged the tray but they bounce a treat on the rubber matting. Good luck!

Thanks for commenting Nick and for the tip on the mats. I'd noticed those in your pic and thought it a good Idea.

As well as it being in bits and painted its an opportunity to get to know the machine intimately and make sure everything is as it should be and replace bits if necessary.

Just my opinion but a clean machine will work better and wear less as will any mechanical item. Yes it's going to get used and grubby but I'll try to keep it something like.

Threads where people rebuild something are useful as some of the info isn't out there any more. The amount of help and advice is great.

More pics soon

Damian

[ianjParticipant @ians]

Your making an excellent job there Damien. Have you managed to remove the chuck yet or are you waiting until it's all reassembled?

Ian

[damianParticipant @damiannoble34800]

Posted by ian j on 10/09/2016 08:28:02:

Your making an excellent job there Damien. Have you managed to remove the chuck yet or are you waiting until it's all reassembled?

Ian

Thanks Ian

I've had a quick look and tap but it's still in there? more penetrating fluid down it but it's plenty of time till I get around to putting the head back together.

Been cleaning up the Knee today and done quite a bit of white painting. Second coat to do then I can shuffle the garage around and position the mill where I want it.

Damian

[damianParticipant @damiannoble34800]

Got a bit more done today. Painted all the internal off white sections of the mill.

[damianParticipant @damiannoble34800]

I also start to clean and smooth the knee after virtually stripping it.

The only part left in is the shaft and pinion for the table raise/lower as the peg that holds the pinion on is solid and wont budge. I'll work round it.

The raise nut mount has been cleaned ready for paint And I am going to give the motor and hand wheels a clean up with the bead blaster so I can get the painting out of the way.

More photos soon and then back to rebuilding.

Damian

[damianParticipant @damiannoble34800]

More progress today.

The Knee I managed to get finished and masked off. I also gave the motor a bead blast and then stripped it to regrease the bearings and reassembled it awaiting final clean and paint.

The Tom Senior brass badge on the base I also bead blasted and it came up quite nice. I need to source some maroon paint for it and was considering some Humbrol enamel probably this one

**LINK**

So to the final painting and the etch primer went on

So back to the TS green next. More updates to follow

Damian

[damianParticipant @damiannoble34800]

The etch primer dried in a very short space of time so I cracked on with the green. Just put the second coat on after some tea.

Will leave it to dry nowfor a couple of days as work has finally got in the way. I'll position it in the garage/workshop then I can finally start the rebuild.

I Will check the spindle out first and replace the bearings if need be. As far as I am aware the bearings are Timken 32007x but I shall check once it's dis-assembled.

[VicParticipant @vic]

Looking good!

[damianParticipant @damiannoble34800]

Last night I managed to finally remove the Clarkson Auto lock chuck which had seized in the morse taper.
I had to strip the quill which wasn’t too involved.
Fistly the pulley sleeve which just slides off once the draw bar is removed.
After unscrewing the outer lock ring in the quill I then removed the split inner race locknut/end float adjuster by slackening the allen bolt and the nut (L/H thread).
I had to remove the bearings so I could apply some light heat to the bottom of the spindle shaft.
The top inner race I removed by tapping on the spindle shaft with the quill held in the vice with wooden protectors.
The lower bearing I removed by using the lower lock plate over the vice once the quill was unscrewed. Care needs to be taken whilst doing this as to not mark the spindle shaft.
The chuck taper came free with the lightest of taps of the hammer shafts.
I then inspected the bearings and all o.k so refitted the lower bearing inner race and on went the quill and reverse order reassembly. A grease up and all looked o.k. but may have used tge wrong grease as its shell gadus s3
So may have to strip the lot again.
I set up the preload but need to run it to see if its o.k.
Damian

[Andy Freeman 1Participant @andyfreeman1]

Hi Damian,

Do you know what the correct grease is for the quill bearings.

[damianParticipant @damiannoble34800]

Posted by Andy Freeman 1 on 15/09/2016 00:36:49:

Hi Damian,

Do you know what the correct grease is for the quill bearings.

Hi Andy, I've got the manual for the Tom Senior machines and in it it states Shell Alvania grease 3 for the spindle bearings.

Heres the current alternatives as detailed on the Tom Senior Yahoo group.

Thank you for your enquiry. Please see notes below.

Shell Vitrea Oil 33 and Shell Vitrea Oil 37

-nearest alternative in the current UK portfolio for both the obsolete grades Vitrea 33 and 37, is Morlina S2 B 68.

Shell Alvania Grease 2

-For Alvania 2 grease, we have several Alvania 2 greases with different suffixes. For example: If referring to Alvania R2 or G2, then alternative is Gadus S2 V100 2. If Alvania EP 2, then Gadus S2 V220 2. Please verify the product name.

Shell Alvania Grease 3

-Shell Alvania Greases (Original Formulations – ie. without any suffices) were superior industrial greases, which used lithium hydroxystearate thickener and highly refined base oils. They were rust-inhibited greases which had excellent mechanical stability and oxidation resistance. They were intended for applications such as sealed-for-life bearings where durability and long life were desired and for multi-purpose industrial applications which called for premium soap-base greases.

Shell Alvania Greases (No suffix) were withdrawn internationally on the introduction of the Alvania R and Alvania G ranges which were then replaced by the Alvania RL range. The current UK alternative is Shell Gadus S2 V100 3.

Today I shall consult our lubrication guy and see whether we have any of the correct grease.

[damianParticipant @damiannoble34800]

Only a tiny bit of progress today.

 

Firstly a coat of the Tom Senior name plate in the Humbrol Crimson gloss. Camera seems to lighten the colour but it does look darker in reality. Needs another coat.

 

I also acquired some Alvania R3 for the spindle bearings from our lubrication guy. The Shell vitrea 33 he's not seen or heard of in years but looked it up and suggested shell tonna which I shall have to source.

 

Damian

Edited By damian noble on 16/09/2016 16:28:53

Edited By damian noble on 16/09/2016 16:29:26

[damianParticipant @damiannoble34800]

Hi all

A little more progress today. I stripped the quill/spindle assembly again and after cleaning regreased with the correct grade.

I also finished off the knee paint job and refitted the table raise scale and hand wheel. All ready for fitting.

The nameplate had its writing picked out with a couple of coats of white and refitted.

[mark smith 20Participant @marksmith20]

Damian, very nice paint job, i wish the one i`m doing (not a tom senior)was so straight forward. What do you think of the Paragon paint??

Ive been using it again on mine and i had the base finished and dropped a spanner on it and a big chip came off . I used epoxy as a primer, the epoxy came off with the paragon enamel .  I only used epoxy around the based area hopefully for more protection .

Is the painted name plate like they were when new ,as the ones on mine are a similar thick brass casting but the background is blackened and the highlights exposed brass. just asking as its rather expensive to use brass and then paint the whole thing.

Edited By mark smith 20 on 18/09/2016 18:21:38

[damianParticipant @damiannoble34800]

Hi mark

I think the paint is o.k. if a little soft but seems to harden over time judging by the first bits I painted. It sprays o.k. but it's the first time I've used a gun so can't really compare it experience wise.

I've looked at quite a few light verticals and they all seem to have the red nameplate. The M1's seem to have black ones but to be honest I'm not 100% sure so just redid what was there to start with.

I wanted to get all the painting done before the weather changes which I have managed and I've started to oil everything up to stop the rust creeping in as the garage/workshop is unheated.

[damianParticipant @damiannoble34800]

Over the last couple of days I have managed to start re-assembly.

With the aid of a friend the main column went on the base.

[damianParticipant @damiannoble34800]

The knee then went on

[damianParticipant @damiannoble34800]

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