SUPERMAX MILL 1 1/2 VS 2 hp - nose cap on quill replacement?

caddguy

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Well I have completely tore down the head on my mill and replaced or made new everything...
But now I have a real head scratcher... The nose cap on the quill some gorilla left the set screw in and cranked the damn thing in ...don't ask how I got it out! Luckily the threads inside the bore are ok. The htreads on the cap are mostly trashed except 6 or 7 from the leading edge which I chucked it in my lathe and cut down the trashed threads so I could at least use it till I found a replacement. So I bought a brand new Bridgeport (Hardinge) nose cap for a series 1 mill that should have worked....should! Whe I got it i wiped off the threads and cleaned everything very carefully and I don't force anything, This darn new cap will not thread it's is close to 6 thou bigger but with the same threads it appears! Now what? I really need this replaced. I am thinking of putting the new cap in my lathe and turning the threads off and enough material to press a blank sleeve on that I can then turn some new threads that match the bore of the quill. What do you guys think?

~Dave
 
You have the part , might as well use it even if it needs bushed and threaded. Nobody will ever know but you and me .
Hey welcome to the site . Sounds like a good thing to do , make sure the threads aren't metric ??? Never know with copies.
 
I thought about first chucking the new one up and just touching the file to the existing threads and seeing if maybe it was just a tolerance hiccup...no real harm done I can then just take the threads off anyways...This mill is weird....really good mill from what I have heard but weird in the fact that 80% of standard BP series 1 mill parts will bolt right on ...the rest are stinking metric...

btw - what is a good number for sizing the bushing for a light press fit; or maybe a thou over and use loctite....?
 
Nothing holds like a good cross-thread !!

would it not be easier, instead of the insert, just make the whole cap??
 
Well I have completely tore down the head on my mill and replaced or made new everything...
But now I have a real head scratcher... The nose cap on the quill some gorilla left the set screw in and cranked the damn thing in ...don't ask how I got it out! Luckily the threads inside the bore are ok. The htreads on the cap are mostly trashed except 6 or 7 from the leading edge which I chucked it in my lathe and cut down the trashed threads so I could at least use it till I found a replacement. So I bought a brand new Bridgeport (Hardinge) nose cap for a series 1 mill that should have worked....should! Whe I got it i wiped off the threads and cleaned everything very carefully and I don't force anything, This darn new cap will not thread it's is close to 6 thou bigger but with the same threads it appears! Now what? I really need this replaced. I am thinking of putting the new cap in my lathe and turning the threads off and enough material to press a blank sleeve on that I can then turn some new threads that match the bore of the quill. What do you guys think?

~Dave
Very interesting, I also have a 1 1/2 hp Supermax Mill and wondered if Bridgeport parts would fit. Do you know if the teard down procedure and bearings are the same as on a Bridgeport? Thanks, Jim.
 
Hey Jim,
Yes the tear down procedure is exactly the same and yes, at least on mine, the bearings are also the same.
One thing to note, when replacing the bearings, make sure you get the sealed bearings instead of the shielded bearings as shown in most manuals. Once you upgrade to these sealed units you should not have to oil them and as a matter of fact, oiling sealed bearings is probably not a good idea. I believe the only oiling you do should be to the spindle walls that is done via the right rear oil cup with some modification, because normally it is dumping oil down onto a felt ring around the back gear area.

As far as turning a new cap, no way is it easier,as there is at least three, maybe four operations going on there and one of them makes a broad oiling canal on the very inside of the cap bore that might be a pain to replicate. I will probably just turn down the new one for light pressing a blank onto it so that I can turn some new matching threads and be done with it.
 
Hey Jim,
Yes the tear down procedure is exactly the same and yes, at least on mine, the bearings are also the same.
One thing to note, when replacing the bearings, make sure you get the sealed bearings instead of the shielded bearings as shown in most manuals. Once you upgrade to these sealed units you should not have to oil them and as a matter of fact, oiling sealed bearings is probably not a good idea. I believe the only oiling you do should be to the spindle walls that is done via the right rear oil cup with some modification, because normally it is dumping oil down onto a felt ring around the back gear area.

As far as turning a new cap, no way is it easier,as there is at least three, maybe four operations going on there and one of them makes a broad oiling canal on the very inside of the cap bore that might be a pain to replicate. I will probably just turn down the new one for light pressing a blank onto it so that I can turn some new matching threads and be done with it.
Thanks for the info, Jim.
 
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