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Westbury milling machine cone nuts

I have been restoring to working order an old Westbury (not Dore Westbury) milling machine. By the standards of the mills mentioned here this is probably so small that it would get lost in the workshop!

The design of the cone nuts and micrometer dials has confused me. Each feedscrew beyond the thrust washer is threaded 7/16x26tpi and the very end is threaded 3/8 BSF. Onto the 7/16" thread screws a cone nut which has two flats for a spanner. Then on goes the micrometer dial which is internally bored to match the cone. A three turn spring follows to press the micrometer dial onto the cone. Then the strange part, a disc of 3/4" steel threaded 7/16, followed by a Picador handwheel which is held on by the 3/8" nut.

I cannot see how one is supposed to adjust this strange locking arangement for end play. The flats on the cone nut are not accessible to a spanner once the micrometer dial is in place, but the micrometer dial must be fitted before the threaded disk and there is no provision for a spanner to tighten the disk up against the cone nut as a lock nut.

To me it would make much more sense if the threaded disk were bored clearance size and the locking were effected between the cone nut and the 3/8" nut securing the handwheel.

However, before changing this I'd like to make sure I have not overlooked some clever feature of Westbury's original design (or was this a bizare modification from the original design?).

Alan

Reply to
Alan Bain
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HI

Had this been the one from MES I could have had you sorted as I have built about 15 of them over the years.

Link below, Whilst not greatly helpful shows the date the write up was in ME.

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HTH

Tony

Reply to
latheman

Assuming that I understand the setup fully, I would...

Obtain an additional 3/8 BSF nut.

Assemble the cone nut to the shaft with a tad of loctite. Fit the two BSF nuts and lock them together. Adjust the cone nut to give the required feel against the thrust washer (I assume there is a thrust ball or roller bearing). Spin the leadscrew with a spanner on one of the nuts for test. Let loctite go off. Remove BSF nuts. Fit Dial, spring and threaded disc. Adjust disc to give required tension to dial. Fit handwheel and nut. I assume handwheel is keyed. If you do not like the loctite option then drill and tap the cone nut and fit a grubscrew with a copper or nylon plug ahead of it.

Richard

Reply to
Richard Edwards

Alan

I have copies of Westbury's orginal articles published in M.E. The drawings show a spring washer tensioning the micrometer dial, with a washer between the sping washer and the ball handle. No threaded disc, and the ball handle and washer bearing directly against the cone nut.

Incindentally, this is very similar to the arrangement on my Dore- Westbury mill. The only difference is that an o-ring is used instead of a spring washer.

HTH

Mike

Reply to
mikecb1

[cut]

I am assuming not as it has dovetailed slides whereas tyhe MES one appears to use slide ways build up from strip.

Thanks for that link. It was most helpful as it shows that the handwheel design I have is clearly a modification. I've removed the 3/4" threaded discs and replaced them with spacers reamed 7/16" at which point making an adjustment seems feasible.

Alan

Reply to
Alan Bain

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