Author Topic: Boxford back from the dead  (Read 27582 times)

Offline chipenter

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #25 on: June 05, 2019, 12:07:12 PM »
I don' know about Boxford but South Bend used taper pins all over the lathe .
Jeff

Offline seadog

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #26 on: June 05, 2019, 02:22:51 PM »
I'm struggling to think where there is a taper pin on my AUD. Possibly the gearbox, I can't think of anywhere else.

Offline nrml

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #27 on: June 05, 2019, 02:37:00 PM »
Now that you have the lathe completely dismantled, can't you get the base of the feet ground to take out most of the twist?

Offline AdeV

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #28 on: June 05, 2019, 05:41:44 PM »
Chipenter - no taper pins so far! Everything's held together with grub screws, cap-head bolts or regular nuts/bolts. I'm sure I'll find some when I come to dismantle the slides.

Nrml - I'm thinking, per Pekka's comment, that I might just ignore it for the time being. Once I strap it down to a base (unfortunately I don't have the original base - it was there, but I couldn't transport it) I'll see what happens. With a bit of luck, it'll pull itself back into shape without needing any work.

So, on to tonights shennanigans. Only did a bit tonight, I'm knackered! And getting all sorts of aches and twinges from lumping all these heavy, er, lumps around.

First up, I figured I'd have one last look at the countershaft/motor plate/headstock foot, to see if I couldn't wrangle the buggers free. And what do you know? It just slid right out!! The GT85 penetrating fluid I'm using in lieu of WD40 must have quietly done its work over the last 24 hours.

With the foot now separated from the base plate, I can see that the weird bit is, indeed, a "screw" of sorts. There's supposed to be a protruding lump on the shaft (it's missing) which engages in the slot. Twisting the lever 1/4 turn would thus push the motor plate out about 3/4" (very approx measurements, based entirely on guesswork at this point), which I assume is enough to swap the belt to a different set of pulleys.

Photo 35 shows you just how badly bent that shaft is. I tried to remove it through the foot casting, but it won't go. A rub down with some emery cloth might be enough to get the job done, if not, I'll cut the end off it. However, I'd quite like to extract it whole if I can, so I can take measurements to turn up a replacement. Photo 36 shows the hole where the knob would have gone, which then engages in the slot in the "quick screw" device (visible in the previous pic, and also the last pic in the last update post I wrote). This has to handle the belt tension, so it would need to be fairly strong. Hasn't stopped it escaping though!

So, having got that far, I need some emery, a pin spanner, and more time for the penetrating oil to make it all slippy, to go any further, so I set that aside and tackled the pulley carrier. I didn't take any pictures of disassembly, it all went with dreary ease. Finally I was down to just the bearing holding the pulleys. This bearing is ruined:



However, I should be able to press it off the shaft easily enough, and press on a replacement. The numbers are on the other side, though, so I have to remove it before I will know what to get! That'll be a job for the weekend. Pic 37 shows the offending item, although I could have sworn I'd taken the bearing cover off before I took the picture  :scratch:
Cheers!
Ade.
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Occasionally: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...

Offline AdeV

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #29 on: June 05, 2019, 05:55:24 PM »
So finally tonight, I had a bit of a poke around the headstock. Removing the "inconvenient and slow to change bolted up" tumble reverse was a doddle, it slipped out smooth as silk. A little playing around got the back gear running just fine (the lever can be pushed too far, which over-meshes the gears and locks everything up. I suspect there should be a stop somewhere, but it's either broken, or missing, or it's supposed to be the operator's skill that does it... am unsure. The main front bearing is just fine (pics 38, 39).

Further evidence that this really IS one of the very early lathes is on the bearings - the inner race is marked "2788", just like the Lathes.co.uk site said it would be, if it were an early machine. These are, apparently, the more expensive bearings (typical!). Fortunately, it was packed full of old, but still greasy grease, and it's silent and smooth when turning, so I think there's life in the old dog yet. I'd wiped most of the grease away for the picture.

The bearings on the back-gear shaft are another story, they're quite rough. Hopefully they're just fairly ordinary ball bearings. Once I get the shaft out, I'll take a look. I'm not yet sure how to do that...

I couldn't get the back cover off the rear bearing, I think it's stuck on with old paint. I'll have a go at running a knife around the edge of it another day. Pic 39, boring as it is, shows where I got to. I had a go at removing the front lever, but it's stuck on tight. I don't know if it just needs some of the magic penetrating oil, or if there's more to it than just a grub screw.

Looks like I'll need a C pin spanner at the very least to undo the spindle assembly to disassemble further.

Now... if it really is an early machine, and all the evidence except for the pulleys, which should be flat belt pulleys, and the speed chart on the front (which is correct for the 4-speed pulley), that means it's got the exact same spindle as a South Bend (60 degree thread form) instead of the more usual Whitworth (55 degree). So if I ever want more chucks for this thing, I'll have to buy old South Bend stuff from the States. The gift that just keeps on giving  :palm:


A question for you: What's the best way to shift old moly grease? Dissolve in petrol (gasoline) & wash it out? Dissolve in something else? Take it a long way outside, near to someone you don't like, and blast it with high pressure air?  :wack: Best idea wins a cup of tea, which I will drink on your behalf. Or coffee, if you prefer.  :coffee:
Cheers!
Ade.
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Location: Wallasey, Merseyside. A long way from anywhere.
Occasionally: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...

Offline Jim Dobson

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #30 on: June 05, 2019, 06:35:11 PM »
Nice restoration!

Offline seadog

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #31 on: June 05, 2019, 06:53:27 PM »
There is a spring detent on the rear lever end of the spindle.

Unless it changed, the back gear runs on plain bushes. You need to remove the bolt and washer on the right hand side of the shaft, slacken the (non-existant?) detent (grub screw on the underside of the casting), and then draw the spindle out. There are spacer washers inside between the gear and the casting.

Slacken the front lever screw and tap it with a soft-faced mallet, it should start to move.

If it is a unified thread form you might be able to shave it with a chaser. There's not a great deal to remove. Remember the chuck location is purely from the plain register behind the thread. The thread's only purpose is to hold the chuck on the spindle.

Offline nrml

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #32 on: June 06, 2019, 08:27:40 AM »
I use paraffin to wash out old  grease. It is cheap, doesn't fill the room with nasty fumes as quickly and is less of a fire hazard than solvents.

Offline chipenter

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #33 on: June 06, 2019, 10:25:45 AM »
The South Bend register is 1.509" all the Boxford face plates I bought for mine needed enlarging , so you might have to recut the threads .
Jeff

Offline Will_D

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #34 on: June 06, 2019, 04:24:33 PM »
Talking of English lathe's quality, check this out:



At 13:20 or so: under water induction hardening of the gear teeth: Awesome!!
Engineer and Chemist to the NHC.ie
http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.ie/forum/

Offline AdeV

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #35 on: June 06, 2019, 04:45:15 PM »
Just a quick update tonight: It turns out that staying up until 1-2am, then getting up again at 6, and expecting to do a decent day's work in between, is a young man's game...  :Doh: So tonight, I'm retiring to my pit early...

So: Jim - thanks! But reserve judgement until I've finished... It might all still go horribly wrong!

Seadog - again, thanks! I actually found the detent ball, not sure if it was in there all along and just fell out when I removed the handle, or whether it'd fallen out a while back and was embedded in the grease  :scratch: I put the handle back in after taking the shaft out, and it makes a lovely "click" at either end of its travel now - but it seems unlikely the ball has sat in the grease this long without disappearing, so I'm none the wiser. No sign of any spacers on the shaft, unless you mean the big eccentric mounts. There was a good 1/8" to 3/16" of longitudinal  movement in the back gears, so maybe the washer is missing. It'll be easy enough to turn up a little spacer to go in there.  I didn't get the front lever off, I think I'll clean up the insides of the headstock first, so I can see what's going on on the other side.

Finally, I took a quick look at the apron; nothing untoward there, it's pretty simple, with just the half nut and the threading dial and the carriage handle/gear. The half-nut works exactly as expected. If you recall, I was concerned about backlash in the carriage wheel. Turns out, most of what I was feeling was actually the handle moving on its shaft, like it's a "D" shaped shaft with a bunch of wear in it. Then there's also the driver cog, which is quite worn, and has a little movement within the driven cog. So a new cog, and whatever I need to do to rectify that shaft wear, should result in a nice tight carriage handle (what's it called? Somehow that doesn't feel like the right name).

There's only a couple of pics from tonight and they're still on my phone, I'll extract and add them to this post tomorrow. they're not very exciting anyway.

Last comments: I'm going to keep the spindle nose original, I think; unless it's already been done. It came with 3 chucks and a faceplate, which seems like plenty to me. If they work properly that is....

nrml: Paraffin, I'll give that a go, I have some kicking around. I've got a few other solvents and nasties about as well, so something ought to work!

Chipenter: I just measured my spindle register, and it's coming in at exactly 1.4985ish on the verniers. I'll need to mike it to be completely sure, but I'd say it's pretty close to bob on 1.5". Interesting the SB should be 10 thou bigger - maybe you've just got a big nose? :ddb: :lol:
Cheers!
Ade.
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Location: Wallasey, Merseyside. A long way from anywhere.
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Offline seadog

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #36 on: June 06, 2019, 06:10:32 PM »
No sign of any spacers on the shaft, unless you mean the big eccentric mounts. There was a good 1/8" to 3/16" of longitudinal  movement in the back gears, so maybe the washer is missing.

I'm sure there should be a thrust washer at each end. However, I can't see them in the parts list. There shouldn't be any appreciable float in the back gear.

BTW, if you're not aware of it, this is the link to the Boxford spares pages. Most of the engineering drawings are quite poor quality.

http://www.boxford-software.com/spares/3656menu.html

Offline chipenter

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #37 on: June 07, 2019, 01:50:10 AM »
No the spindle register is 1,509" spec ,
Jeff

Offline AdeV

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #38 on: June 07, 2019, 07:05:48 PM »
Thanks for another great link Seadog, much appreciated.  :thumbup: Some of their bits are a bit pricey though - £68 for the carriage handwheel pinion!! I think I'll make one...

Anyway, tonight I decided to tackle the tailstock. This was completely seized, with a dead centre firmly rusted into it. However, after liberal applications of GT85, I managed to get the handwheel off. So that was a good start... The back also came off fairly easily, once the two retaining grub screws were removed, allowing me to squirt a load more GT85 down the back. This was enough (when the handwheel was re-fitted) to break the leaadscrew thread loose. Interestingly, it's not an ACME thread, but just a normal thread. Possibly a Whitworth, but it may also be a UNC. The bronze nut has, unsurprisingly, got considerable wear, so a new one will have to be made. That shouldn't be a problem, once I extract it from the barrel. I don't have the tools here to do that without marring the leadscrew shaft, so that's a job for the real workshop tomorrow. After filling the backside with more penetrating oil, and clamping the rusty dead centre in the vice, a few gentle twists broke it loose. After that, a socket extension bar proved to be the perfect diameter to tap out the tailstock barrel, With the exception of the last 3/4", which is a bit rusty, it slides remarkably well in the bore. So all in all, I'm happy with that. All I need is a base, and I think I'll make one of those. Unlike most Boxford tailstocks, this one is supposed to have a bolt that protrudes into the central cavity, and is tightened/loosened with a spanner; rather than the usual cam operated mechanism. I plan to make a hex-headed bolt for this which will take a lever, so I get the convenience of not needing to find a spanner, but without having to make any modifications to the original part.

Last up, I took a quicky look at the saddle and slides. These actually look to be in reasonable shape, excepting the dreadful cross slide handle, and some rust on the micrometer dials. There's also the to-be-expected backlash and wear in the screws. With a favourable wind, these will just need new bronze nuts, which I should be able to turn up myself.

So... now I've looked at all of the bits of the lathe, and after the disappointment of the headstock foot/countershaft plate, I have to say, the rest of it doesn't actually look too bad! A bit of rust which hopefully a nice gentle acid bath will address; plenty of clean-up, and the mechanical bits should be good to go. Fixing the foot will be the biggest challenge.... Now that I know this lathe is (mostly) a true survivor from the very very early days, I intend to try to repair the castings. That will be my biggest challenge. Fortunately, my lathe has the aluminium feet rather than the cast iron ones, which will make it conducive to TIG welding.

Tomorrow I'll take the whole machine down to the shed and get it in the parts washer, so hopefully I can see how to dismantle the rest of the headstock. I'd also like to get the saddle apart, and thoroughly clean, press the countershaft bearing off and get a replacement ordered, and maybe turn up a spacer to cure the end float on the back gear.

Just a couple of piccies for you tonight... the exploded tailstock, and the saddle after I found the release for the the top slide & managed to get it spinning.
Cheers!
Ade.
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Location: Wallasey, Merseyside. A long way from anywhere.
Occasionally: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...

Offline allanchrister

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #39 on: June 08, 2019, 03:34:25 AM »
a Fantastic project and I wished sometimes I lived in the UK and could go searching for resurrection candidates like this. Unfortunately, I’m in Pakistan for 80% of my time, on a major Chinese funded and constructed infrastructure project in the wilds of Kashmir/Punjab. Most of you believe that Chinese equipment is dodgy, well, so is their civil engineering...... :bugeye:

BTW, when I was at college training to be a QS, a standard imperial brick was 9”x 4-½” x 3”, so you were close and had the right proportions. The French still measure areas of brickwork in roods, I think. I guess someone is going to be Googling this, but not me.....

Offline seadog

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #40 on: June 08, 2019, 04:06:58 AM »
Don't believe the prices. I needed a nut for my taper turning attachment. It was shown as £14.44although I see they have updated it to £32. Well, it cost me £41, plus VAT, plus £10 admin, plus P&P. (2018 prices)

Offline AdeV

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #41 on: June 09, 2019, 04:57:38 PM »
Thanks Allen - I wasn't specifically after a restoration project, but I seem to have got one anyway  :doh:  Maybe next time I'll spend a few extra pennies and get a working one!

Anyhow... moving on! As expected, on Saturday I was visited by a plague of locusts visitors, which is not to say they weren't welcome, just distracting... but despite this, I managed to get a bit further with the disassembly. The countershaft is proving to be a bear: I can't shift the pulleys on the shaft, despite the lack of a locking screw, or possibly the locking screw is broken, I'm not sure. And I can't get the bearing out because I can't make the setup work on my press. I'll need to make a jig to hold it such that I can push the shaft off the bearing (and thus out of the countershaft bracket); then I can look to pushing the shaft off the pulleys. That'll have to wait until next week, as I absolutely can't do that without the press.

Today (Sunday) I prepared a 200 litre barrel of citric acid (!), I used about 2/3rds of one bag of acid granules, but I've no idea how strong it really is. It tasted kind of lemony fresh  :lol: and very sharp, so I think I've got it right. Various parts are in there soaking now. I'm pretty sure I can leave them in there all week without doing the metal any harm. Citric acid really isn't that strong after all... is it? Anyone with experience, please speak now if I need to head down there tomorrow night to rescue them. The reason I needed so much? No suitable container for the leadscrew... On the bright side, I should be able to de-rust absolutely anything for the rest of time, without making any more. Shame I didn't have the foresight to put the barrel on a pallet, moving it around will be a nightmare!

I also managed to shift (pardon the pun) the gear shift lever off the front of the headstock. Turns out it just needed a spot of brutalising, and it popped right off. Unscrewing the cover this revealed allowed the eccentric and it's shifter block to slide out very easily.

Next up, tackling that pulley adjustment rod/broken casting. Attacking the rod with a file allowed me to finally withdraw it from the back part of the foot, which I put to one side. Removing the grub screw allowed the strange (more on that in a moment) knurled thing on the front with pin spanner holes in it to move, but it was really REALLY stiff. Eventually I just closed my eyes and used the arbour press to push it out. Which it did... it took a flake of the casting with it, and now I can see how it's gone wrong. I'll take some more photos of that tomorrow, if anyone's interested, with a bit of an explanation. Hats off to the Boxford engineers, though, it's a surprisingly elegant solution to the belt-changing problem, and deserved to last longer on the machine's production run than it did. The good news is, other than the thoroughly bent shaft, all the other bits can be saved and re-used.

So finally today, after an unexpectedly early finish was called due to an offer of a pub dinner, I glued the foot casting back together with some superglue. Obviously, that's not so I can use it like this(!), the idea is, by getting it 99% correct, I can now grind away a few areas with a burr, and TIG-weld the casting back together. I'll start by tacking it in a few places, then over a few days, I'll grind out more and more of the tacks and re-build with the TIG. Eventually, I should end up with a piece that looks original, IS mostly original, and should be more or less as strong as the original. A bit of work with the mill should bring it all back to square and flat. Hopefully, by tackling it bit by bit like this, with small welds and plenty of cool-down time, I'll minimise any distortion. Worst case, I'll have to ream through the existing holes to re-square them with respect to each other, to replace the tensioning shaft.

So... as  :worthless:, please find attached a few photos of the jigsaw I put together earlier.

Tomorrow, I'll do some details on the shaft, and some of the other bits and pieces.

Cheers!
Ade.
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Location: Wallasey, Merseyside. A long way from anywhere.
Occasionally: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...

Offline AdeV

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #42 on: June 10, 2019, 04:07:47 PM »
Tonight's episode: Shafted!

So... cast (sorry  :hammer:) your mind back a few days, and I showed you this upside-down picture of the headstock foot (before I completely broke it):



Observe, if you will... the central shaft, which (you can almost make out) has a 3/4" hex head at the front (right-hand side), goes through a boss, there's a threaded section, then the shaft continues through the back of the foot and into an elongated boss on the pulley/motor plate. The other two shafts, one of which looks bent (but I don't think it is) carry the weight of the motor/pulley. I'm pretty sure that the "Y" piece at the far end (left) bolts to the bed so the foot isn't actually expected to take the entire leverage exerted by a heavy motor; although that's actually the first time I've noticed the hole in it's foot!

So... here's the shaft after a painful extraction from the casting:



You'd expect, looking at the above, that this would be a 2-piece shaft... except the OD of the threads is the same as the OD of the shaft... so how on earth did they do it?!

Simples, when you see it:



Yep - THREE pieces! The main 1/2" x 10 1/4" shaft, with a threaded section, and a relief on the end. The part that fits in the boss, and then a separate sleeved section carrying the hex head. Please excuse the condition of the threads by the way... the only way I could get the boss section far enough up the shaft to remove the hex end was to put it in the Edgwick and effectively destroy the threads.

Note the two "divots" in the shaft: The far (left) end has broken off, but one assumes it was a large screwed-in affair, with a protruding head. This engages in the "boss" under the motor shaft, and provides the "quick screw" action to tension/un-tension the belts. The entire effort of that thread/unthread - which one imagines could be quite considerable, was carried by the small grub screw passing through the outer sleeve and into a hole in the shaft. No wonder it looks more like a volcano crater than a nicely drilled hole! TO my mind, this is probably the weakest part of the design, and I may try something a little more robust when I rebuild this part.

Finally - the adjuster nut. This is the clever bit (in my opinion!) - it's designed to rotate in the headstock foot (hence the C-spanner pin holes), by "tightening" it (clockwise) one loosens the belts a bit, and "loosening" it conversely tightens the belts. So a nice easy way to take up any variation in belt length if you had to change it, or as it stretched over time. The 2 1/2" thread length also allows access to the hex sleeve grub screw, without having to drill any unsightly access holes. It's all about the aesthetics! I assume that, as it's knurled, it's supposed to be easy to turn.... mine was wedged most thoroughly in the hole though, and required the arbour press to remove it. The reason:



The grub screw, which also acts as a retainer to keep the adjuster nut in place, has bashed its way into the backside of the slot it's supposed to run in, so hard that it's gouged half it's own diameter out. Further evidence that this lathe fell over backwards. Possibly over a cliff. The burr raised is what made it impossible to turn, or withdraw; and obviously using the press will have damaged the casting (it pulled a flake off the front, I imagine it's also left a huge gouge in the bore. Nothing a bit of emery won't fix). I did file it down a spot, to see if it would slip back in, but it was still resisting, so I've not forced it.

So - my plan:

First - make a new shaft, which is as easy as pie. I'll put a phosphor bronze insert in at the end to engage with the quick screw tensioner.

Now... here's where I'm undecided. I quite fancy making a new sleeve, and using the die sinker, erode a hexagonal hole into it. THEN drill/tap for a grub screw. That way, the forces on the shaft, when tightening, will be taken by the hex that I'll cut on the end of the shaft, instead of by the poor grub screw alone. Also, it gives me an excellent excuse to finally use the spark eroder for an actual job - justifying the few hundred quid I spent buying it!

Last but not least, I'll weld up the damage to the adjuster nut, and clean it up on t'other lathe. I can either turn the end off a grubscrew to give a smooth running surface, or even cut a small fozzy-bronze block to ride in the slot. It won't stop it getting mangled if the lathe falls off another cliff.... but it might make it easier to take apart afterwards!

I also need to make a new tailstock nut. No pictures of that, 'cos it's literally very ordinary. The only thing that took me slightly by surprise its it runs on a normal 1/2" Whitworth thread, and not an Acme screw. Still, that should make it a tad easier to cut the threads.

Right, I'm off to haunt eBay  :wave:, I need some fozzy bronze  :palm:
Cheers!
Ade.
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Location: Wallasey, Merseyside. A long way from anywhere.
Occasionally: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...

Offline AdeV

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #43 on: June 10, 2019, 05:23:43 PM »
A little bit of CADdery later, this is what I reckon the shaft & head will look like. Maybe not quite that colour...

Cheers!
Ade.
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Location: Wallasey, Merseyside. A long way from anywhere.
Occasionally: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...

Offline JD

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #44 on: June 11, 2019, 12:33:27 AM »
Ade have a look at G&M tools in West Sussex for boxford spares a phone call may be you best bet, speak to Tim or Digger.
 In my folder John W stuff on Boxford forum is a wiring diag for a model c (later model) may be of use.

John
If you cant fix it hit it with a bigger hammer

Offline pycoed

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #45 on: June 11, 2019, 06:13:29 AM »
I seem to be in a minority of one on this - but hasn't anyone heard of the term "flogging a dead horse"?
I mean this is not a Hotzapffel lathe, it's a bloody Boxford CUD made in the thousands.
Save some undamaged bits & go & buy another working one for <£400 & save yourself months of effort?

Offline JD

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #46 on: June 11, 2019, 08:21:09 AM »
Funny thought this forum called MadModder, :proj: MAD being the operative word ?

John
If you cant fix it hit it with a bigger hammer

Offline nrml

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #47 on: June 11, 2019, 08:43:31 AM »
I seem to be in a minority of one on this - but hasn't anyone heard of the term "flogging a dead horse"?
I mean this is not a Hotzapffel lathe, it's a bloody Boxford CUD made in the thousands.
Save some undamaged bits & go & buy another working one for <£400 & save yourself months of effort?

AdeV is a better man than me :bow:. If I had that lathe in my garage, it would have been consigned to the scrapyard. Still, it is very entertaining and rewarding to see a machine like this resurrected / rescued from the scrap bin. I am pretty certain that by the time he is finished, it would have cost less in money and labour to buy a small Harrison or Colchester but I think he is in it more for the challenge of the project than the end product.

Offline awemawson

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #48 on: June 11, 2019, 09:52:01 AM »
Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do  :thumbup:

In my case it's usually the fun of the chase rather than the quarry that drives me.
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline AdeV

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Re: Boxford back from the dead
« Reply #49 on: June 11, 2019, 12:33:14 PM »
I seem to be in a minority of one on this - but hasn't anyone heard of the term "flogging a dead horse"?
I mean this is not a Hotzapffel lathe, it's a bloody Boxford CUD made in the thousands.
Save some undamaged bits & go & buy another working one for <£400 & save yourself months of effort?

It's a fair comment; but...

 - It may not be a Hotzapffel, but it's not a CUD either: It's one of probably the first 100 Boxfords ever made. For that alone, it's interesting.
 - Second - Dead horse? Far from it... considering all it's suffered, most of it is in very servicable condition. However, as I've now embarked on a nut-and-bolt restoration, that's what I intend to do.
 - Third: If this were my first lathe (and it might well have been my last, if it were), well, I wouldn't have bought it. But I have another lathe, which I can use to make or fettle the bits on this one. This lathe is to give me a second "workshop" at home, so it's not like I'm in a desperate rush to use it.
 - Fourth, and most importantly, I am enjoying this challenge. I'm going to learn new things along the way, practice some skills that I've let get rusty (TIG welding aluminium for example), and come the end of it, I hope to have a superb example of an extremely early Boxford to show for it.

It also helps, as John suggests, to be more than a little bit mad. Which I clearly am...

It also helps that I'm not charging myself labour. Heck, if I charged my own day rate I'd be broke before the week was out :D

And finally, I agree with Andrew - this is as much about the chase, as it is about stuffing and mounting the quarry's head on the wall. Or on the bench, in this case....


I hope to post a little more progress on the disassembly tonight. I'm aiming to get the spindle out, but first I have to collect a new pin spanner, and I'm going to call into the real workshop to check the progress of the citric acid pickling.
Cheers!
Ade.
--
Location: Wallasey, Merseyside. A long way from anywhere.
Occasionally: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...