I am open to suggestions on any maintanence or checking before I use the mill.
Hi Jack,
I'm a little surprised at the lack of responses here. I do not know this machine per-se, (and I have no idea of your experience level) but here's a few things I learned after finding my big, old Cincinnati mill outside....
-check the entire machine over, a couple times. I have never found a manual for my machine(c. 1916), so a complete going over was the best way to get acquainted, find all the oil passages, etc.
-clean it! Since my machine had been outside, several of my oil ports had been used by mud wasps. They create a little chamber with dirt and spit, lay an egg(sometimes on a little caterpillar) and then seal it with more mud and spit. I went to great lengths to vacuum and flush all the sandy grit out of it.
-if it has a hollow base for coolant, it will likely be filled with years of accumulated crap. I spent a messy few days try to scrape all the old compacted and hardened chips out of the reservoir. The water based coolant had apparently separated over the years, rusting much of it together.
-check all the slides and gibs. Grab each sliding part and try shoving it (within reason) in all possible directions. At the same time watch the "oil line" at that sliding joint. This way you can see the slop in all the slides. If there is slop you may notice the fluid at the joint creep or move. Hopefully, you have set screws to tighten any loose gibs. Any slop will lead to noticeable vibration during machining.
-before you turn on the power be sure everything moves by hand and that your new, fresh lubricant has reached every bearing, bushing, dovetail, lead-screw, etc. Especially if you used any solvents to remove the "varnish"...be sure the solvent is gone and the lube is in!
Treat it right and that machine should be with you a long time.
It will also make your shop time much more fun and extend the capabilities of what you can do.
Have fun and be safe!
-brino
PS. pictures would still be appreciated!
