I simply couldnt stand it any longer, not knowing if the mill I recently got into, ran or not. Ive got it stored at a buddies shop until I figure out how to get it home.
So I sucked it up with the forklift and moved it down to the main shop, and ran a suicide cord over to the mill. With some trepidation..I plugged it in,
Hummm..no smoke..no bright lights..so far so good.
Walked over to the mill and turned it on. Nothing. Unplugging the cord..I pulled the main electronics (snicker) control panel. This..is mounted about 6 inches off the floor. Has machine on, spindle forwards/reverse powerfeed forward and reverse, spindle high/low speed and coolant.
When I pulled the panel out...I realized that there was somone on the planet even worse than the British and their Lucas, at doing electrical. Each "switch" appears to have an internal relay. And every one of them were deader than a beer and popcorn fart.
Not to mention someone, probably the drunken dyslexic Italian (hummm I sense a trend here) who had "rewired" my British made Hardinge TFB...had had their fingers in the works. So I started to rewire back to what it SHOULD be...and still no luck. Those relay "switches" were dead. Or I dont have a clue how to hook em up properly.
So I cut out all the deadwood and hard wired the spindle motor..and plugged it back in.
Sumbitch..it runs!!! swapping in the leads for the other speed..and it runs too!
Plugged in the knee feed motor..and blew the breaker. Oh oh..
Opening up the typical Euro junction box at the knee feed motor..I found the Fabric coated wire had disintergrated and was a dead short.
So I cut it loose, ran 3 jumpers and reset the breakers...
HummmI hear a little motor noise..and engage the knee feed...Sumbitch..it works! Lets try rapid!
Whirrrr! as the knee runs upwards..then SPUNG! as the Eagle oiler Id left on the table turned into a work of modern art as it contacted the outboard arbor support at high speed. A very short work of art....
Shit...Im gonna have to watch this in the future...damnit
So I run the knee in all feeds, speeds, in out /sideways and up and down..everything was a bit gummy, but smoothed out nicely after a few moments.
The spindle was a little grumbly at first..then cleared right up as the lube oil got moving around in the works.
tested all spindle speeds and feeds, back gear and direct drive..everything works just freaking hunky!
The original electrical control panel required the operator to work his way around the left end of the table and kneel down to operate the controls. Screw that..I am now looking for a suitable box, as its gonna get mounted on a pendant swung outboard from the ram. With controls where a normal human can reach them
Only an Italian would require you to lay on your back in the chips to turn the machine on. And I had been thinking that shitty electrical was unique to Graziano lathes. NOT!
More as the movie contiues
Gunner
"If I'm going to reach out to the the Democrats then I need a third hand.There's no way I'm letting go of my wallet or my gun while they're around."
"Democrat. In the dictionary it's right after demobilize and right before demode` (out of fashion).
-Buddy Jordan 2001