nichols milling machine?

I can email you a manual if you wish. Let me know either way. I bought a "Tool Room" Nichols mill off eBay and am happy with it. I have Since bought a vertical mill that I use more but there are times I use the Nichols.

Generally if its been fitted with an air/oil feed, the manual parts are gone.

If anyone wants a VERY nice Nichols that does indeed have a air/oil feed unit installed..I have one available for $500

Located in So. Cal and includes at least one arbor and spacers

Gunner

That rifle hanging on the wall of the working-class flat or labourer's cottage is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there. - George Orwell

It appears to be an interesting machine -- including a pneumatically-operated center, and (I think) a pneumatically-operated index head. It also appears to include a pneumatic link for the vertical motion of the head (that red lever going out to the left, with a link going downwards to the pneumatic links.) Normally, that is a long hand-operated lever, and that should be easy to replace with a home-made lever to plug into the socket.

I've never dealt with one with pneumatics -- especially one set up as complex as that one is. I suspect that it was designed to make either splined shafts, or gears with what I see on it.

Note that the Y-axis and Z-axis handscrews are in place, but you are missing both the optional X-axis leadscrew, and the standard X-axis lever feed. It should be a shaft which comes out of the hole to the left of center below the table and engages with a rack gear on the bottom of the table.

You might want to download the manual scanned to PDF format which I have available. Check:

and you will be able to download the scanned manual. Note that it is rather large -- 33,019,673 bytes (33 MB), so it will take you a while to download -- especially if you are on a slow dialup.

Step up one level:

to see what my experiences have been with a much older version.

Good Luck, DoN.

At a local auction (I'm in North Central New Jersey) two weeks ago there was an old Nichols horizontal mill that nobody bid on. It was in decent shape, just old. They ended up leaving it in the parking lot, free for the taking. If you're interested and this is anywhere in your area, let me know and I'll check if it's still there.

Thanks everyone for the advice. I think you may have been looking at the wrong auction though Don, check out this one just to be sure:

It has pneumatics, but its not quite as tricked out as the blue and yellow one ending sooner which I think you might have had in mind.

Seems like the chances to buy the screws/nuts/handles for manual operation are probably pretty slim, although there were some messages in the archive about people maybe parting out some machines.

I might go ahead and do it, but on the other hand maybe it is best to wait for one that isn't automatic'd up. There is a nice Heald on ebay now, but it would be way more expensive since I would need to ship it. Plenty of Nichols on there too, but this one I'm looking at is local, hence its particular attraction.

Well, thanks for the advice,

-Holly

Geez, thats crazy. I would be interested, except I don't have a car and driving a uhaul to NJ would be expensive. Getting a local one is still going to make sense for me, even spending a few hundred $.

If it is around though and you could extract some key parts from it I could buy them from you. I think I will be looking for the screws/nuts/handles that would be taken off (or never installed) for pneumatic operation.

Thanks for the lead in any case,

-Holly

O.K. I tend not to ask people for the auction numbers in a newsgroup, since it could stir up competition for the item.

You were right -- I was looking at a different auction.

Looking at these photos, I have some comments to make:

1) The Y-axis leadscrew is present -- with a handwheel, instead of the crank which mine uses. 2) The fitting for the lever feed is present (to the left of the saddle, but the actual lever is missing. You will need to either find one or make one. It is a shaft ending in a ring with a tapered hole, and held onto the taper of the lever feed shaft with a big nut (which you may also have to make). The original lever is steel, with a flat going the whole length, and a pair of wood handles fitted to the flat to round it out. 3) It *is* new enough to have the mounting ring for the vertical head, which will save you a lot of work compared to my experience. 4) You will also have to make a lever to plug into the socket in the head to move it vertically. 5) It is also new enough to have the five-step pulleys (based on the shape of the belt guard) instead of the two-step double belt setup which mine started with, where you had to interchange the pulleys between the spindle and the motor to get the other two speeds. 6) All of the angles of the photos are wrong to check this for sure, but you should have a manual knee feed, too. The only thing which is pneumatic is the X-axis, and you do have the lever mechanism (at least the difficult part) present. You can even drive it with a square socket wrench until you make the X-axis lever. 7) However, you do *not* appear to have the X-axis leadscrew. 8) He seems to have a fleet of Nichols horizontal millers there. I see at least one on either side of it.

The price is currently at what I paid for mine (exclusive of shipping), so I would say go for it.

Note that it is well over 1000 pounds, so be sure that you have a way to move it -- and to get it out of the truck safely.

Best of Luck, DoN.

Well, I finally got my nichols mill delivered to my work loading dock. It is so cute; I love it!. Starting to take it apart now for the trip to my basement. I also got the vertical head (complete with splined adapter and t bolts), two arbors, the overarm, some extra cranks and levers, and the pullout coolant resevoir/pump. It is very dirty, but appears to be in great shape. It is the "semiautomatic" model, which is a standard one but with pneumatic operation for the long axis.

So for you other nichols owners or machinery hoarders out there:

- Anyone have the lead screw and half nut for the x (long) axis? According to Don's scanned manual, it was available as an optional accessory for my model so its not surprising that the guy I bought it from didn't have it. If anyone has one sitting around, or comes across one on a mill that is going to get scrapped, I would be interested in it.

- Anyone have a short (< 10 in) 1" arbor?

- How about a 1.5" arbor?

My 1" arbor is really long and it seems like it would be nice to have a shorter one for everyday stuff.

Any recommendations on what size vice will fit well on it? 3" Kurt style perhaps...

Thanks for all the help by the way,

-Holly

Nice, aren't they?

Great!

Extra levers? Wooden handle around steel sandwich, with a tapered ID ring on the end? If so, that is for the rack-gear for manual X-axis feed. Also, there should be another one, with a cylindrical plug on the end, with a notch out of the side. That one goes in the sector gear around the spindle to move the head up and down.

Yep -- I've only seen those in auctions and the manual.

Well ... yes, but they stay with my machine. No spares.

Good luck with that.

Yes -- but again, no spares.

Nope -- not yet.

If it is too long, there is not sufficient support. The really long ones need bushing support somewhere in the middle, and there is no provision for that on this machine.

However, you might try turning an adaptor for the 40-taper on your lathe, then put the long arbor in there, with a bushing and a stead rest, and try your hand at cutting one to length. The most critical part will probably be turning the pilot bearing on the end, as it has to fit a needle roller cage in the support arm. (Squirt grease into that before putting a load on it, too.) Note that some have been replaced with bronze bushings, but the needle roller was the original.

Exactly. I use a 3" Kurt clone on a swivel base, and it is a very nice fit. I also have a 4" which works better without a swivel base, and just clamped to the table, if you need to hold larger workpieces. It limits the Y-axis travel, because of the extension of the back end of the vise (when it is mounted at right angles to the table).

Best of luck, DoN.

Thats gonna be a bit big for the mill. Try a 1.25 arbor. Its more common and will turn a cutter that will max out the mill. I suggest calling Reliable Tool in Erwindale California. They often have 40 taper arbors

Pick up a chunk of 1 1/8 CRS and a 1" 40 taper end mill holder. Turn down a 1" shank on the bar so its a very snug fit in the end mill holder, with the proper bearing surface on the other end, and make your own. If you want dead nuts, simply put a lathe tool in your vise, and using your infeed, turn the new arbor to the proper diameter. Then thread the proper end on your lathe.

Ive made any number of such arbors for horizontal mills, including specials. Its quite easy. If you feel the need for a keyway..simply slot it in the mill using the proper cutter. (check Machinery's Handbook for proper depth.)

40 taper endmill holders are quite cheap and you can make any number of tools this way.

Gunner

That rifle hanging on the wall of the working-class flat or labourer's cottage is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there. - George Orwell

Well ... actually, I *didn't* write that -- the original poster did, and I was trying to answer him. You don't seem to have quoted anything that I actually said -- just my attribution. :-)

For that matter, I have milling cutters (slotting saws) which will max it out (just barely clear the overarm), which mount on a 1" arbor.

With the problem that most 40-taper arbors are both too long, and too fat on the bearing at the end. As long as you have the original support arm, it should have a 9/16" needle roller bearing cage in it. And a grease fitting to lube it properly, which you should not forget.

And make sure to mill a good Weldon flat for the setscrew, as you're going to have lots of torque on that thing. Without the flat, it will spin, and bur badly enough so you may never get it back out. :-)

Agreed.

With the other arbor which you've already made for it. :-)

Agreed.

The original arbors from Nichols don't have the usual flange with two notches to drive it. Instead, they are cross-drilled, and some drill rod is put in, and held (with a flat) with a setscrew at right angles.

The drive studs on the Nichols spindle are simply the heads of Allen head capscrews. There are usually four tapped holes, of which only two are needed for the drive studs. They will work with the standard flanges, too.

Enjoy, DoN.

Indeed. However..when making up mine, I give the arbor/end mill holder a bit of either LocTite permanant before pressing the arbor home, or give it a shot from the mig welder in a couple places. Once Ive made one up, I never take them apart again. End mill holders are cheap enough of you are a good scrounger.

Be sure to make enough arbor spacers as well when making up a new size. I like to make mine from thick wall pipe, turning to size, cutting to length, then boring them. Its quite fast to make up a complete set if you start out with pipe nearly the right size. They dont need to be works of art, just a good slip fit and perfectly square on the ends..IE perpendicular to the ID. For making sure they are square, I lathe turn a "post" from any handy steel, with a largish end, and then put it in the surface grinder. Slide the spacer down the post (slip fit) , do a quick grind on one end, spin it over, grind the other end, and repeat until they are all done. The short ones may be stacked and done one at a time. A bit of dykem on the ends before grinding, prevents you from missing the unground ones

Using an endmill holder also allows you to make up special tools, such as a morse taper holder that is also sleeved into the endmill holder.

Gunner

That rifle hanging on the wall of the working-class flat or labourer's cottage is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there. - George Orwell