# Burke No. 0



## Gary Ayres (Jul 9, 2014)

Hi -

thought I'd introduce myself as I just received a 'new' Burke No.0  today. Having found that there is very little information about the No. 0  online and very few pictures, I thought I'd better raise its profile a  bit!

I live in the British Channel Islands and had the machine shipped over  from mainland England after buying it on Gumtree. It has been in England  for at least 35 years but probably much longer. My intention is to  restore it to working order. It's in pretty good condition - the X and Y  axes slide beautifully. The knee is stuck but I'm sure it will free up  easily enough once it has been stripped down and cleaned up. The spindle  runs freely but the oilers will need some attention. Also, of course,  it needs some pulleys. Overall, it's a tiny gem...

Here it is:




I'll probably be back with some questions as I work on the mill over the next few weeks as I'm fairly new to machining...

Cheers,

gary


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## Don B (Jul 9, 2014)

That will be a nice little machine, I was recently given a No.4 hand mill, I'm going to convert it to a little surface grinder this winter if time allows, there's some info on burke mills here.

http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=132&tab=4

But I don't think the 0 is there, I just recently seen a restored one in a thread someplace if I can find it I'll post the link.


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## Gary Ayres (Jul 9, 2014)

> I just recently seen a restored one in a thread someplace if I can find it I'll post the link.



Hi Don -

was it this one, by any chance?:




I ask because it's the only photo of a recently restored No. 0 I could find on the net.

I have already seen the link you posted - as you say, the No. 0 is conspicuous by its absence, as it is in most Burke sites and forums that I have seen.

The No. 4 is a nice machine, I reckon - should be an enjoyable way to spend the Winter months.

I lived in Nova Scotia - Truro - for a year in the 1980's. Loved it... )

All the best,

gary


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## Don B (Jul 9, 2014)

Gary Ayres said:


> Hi Don -
> 
> was it this one, by any chance?:
> 
> ...



Hi Gary

Yes Sir that's the one, if I had a No.0 I wouldn't be considering hacking it up but the No.4's seem to be plentiful enough.
Truro, it's a small world by times, my wife and I are hoping to move there in the near future, my wife has an ailing mother in New Glasgow and we have a Grandson in Halifax, split the difference so to speak, you'll know what I mean.
Good to have met you, hopefully we'll talk in the future.

Don


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## Gary Ayres (Jul 9, 2014)

Don B said:


> Truro, it's a small world by times, my wife and I are hoping to move there in the near future, my wife has an ailing mother in New Glasgow and we have a Grandson in Halifax, split the difference so to speak, you'll know what I mean.



I do indeed, Don.

Yes, No. 4's appear to be common in North America. I don't think any Burkes are common on this side of the Atlantic, though.

Good to chat with you too...

Cheers,

gary


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## Gary Ayres (Jul 11, 2014)

Thought I'd add a couple of pictures as my restoration project is now under way. Smell that kerosene...


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## Gary Ayres (Jul 14, 2014)

A few more pics. Stripped old paint from main casting and applied first coat of new matt black stove paint. Bit of an experiment to use that kind of paint on a machine, but it seems to work well on stoves... 

Work in progress.


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## Gary Ayres (Jul 14, 2014)

Three coats of matt black and the raised lettering picked out in grey. Oh - and I couldn't resist putting a couple of cherries on top even though the cake isn't fully baked yet. I know you won't blame me though...  ;-)


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## Don B (Jul 14, 2014)

Gary Ayres said:


> Three coats of matt black and the raised lettering picked out in grey. Oh - and I couldn't resist putting a couple of cherries on top even though the cake isn't fully baked yet. I know you won't blame me though...  ;-)



 That looks great Gary...!)


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## Gary Ayres (Jul 14, 2014)

Many thanks Don - very kind of you.


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## 12bolts (Jul 14, 2014)

Nice job. Looking forward to seeing it complete

Cheers Phil


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## Gary Ayres (Jul 15, 2014)

Cheers Phil )


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## Gary Ayres (Jul 15, 2014)

I bought a V-belt step pulley which I had to machine to fit. First of all, widening the bore to fit the spindle:




Then turning off the widest pulley (as the whole thing was too big to fit in the 'throat' of the mill):






- - - Updated - - -

And now, a question. 

Please see photo below. In order to hold the spindle in position and stop it from sliding back and forward I'll obviously need to screw some kind of nut or threaded collar on the back end of it. However, that will move with the spindle and rub against the static face of the bronze bearing housing. Can any of you guys advise me of the best thing to use as a washer or spacer to minimise friction between the collar and the bearing? I have acetal, bronze, brass, steel... and I think I have also heard of someone using some kind of fibre washer. Or is it ok just to let a steel collar run against the bronze? I have a similar issue with the collar at the other side of the bearing. Advice appreciated!  :thinking:


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## Gary Ayres (Jul 15, 2014)

I decided to try fibre washers as I reckon that they will wear out before anything else does and are replaceable. However, after I go them someone recommended surface ground steel, which I will try if I have any issues with the fibre ones.

- - - Updated - - -

The washers problem is pretty minor in comparison to my next question. The nut at the back of the spindle is the only thing that appears to be missing from this machine. It appears to be 15/16" x 20 tpi, which - in my part of the world at least - is about as non-standard as it gets. It's a very fine and shallow thread. As it's an American machine, is it likely to be a UNS thread? If so, there's a tap for sale which I think meets the spec. If possible, I'd rather use a tap than try to cut it on the lathe. Would very much welcome your thoughts on this...


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## Gary Ayres (Jul 15, 2014)

Have decided to cut the thread on the lathe. Time to learn a new skill...)


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## Ulma Doctor (Jul 15, 2014)

thanks for starting the thread, it's very interesting to see the lil machine coming together!
all the best
mike)


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## Gary Ayres (Jul 15, 2014)

Thank you Mike.

gary


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## Gary Ayres (Jul 16, 2014)

At risk of seeming inconsistent I have changed my mind and am going to try the tap option for the spindle nut. 

Reasons:



I just remembered that both my lathes have metric leadscrews


A 15/16" x 20 tpi tap was available on ebay UK for GBP 18 (31 US Dollars) including postage.

Surfing  around, I gather that a metric lathe can cut imperial threads but that  it's not always straightforward, and I'd like to get the job done as  simply and quickly as possible. If it's the right tap, I can always make  2 or 3 of the nuts I need and then sell the tap on. If it's not, then  it's back to the lathe idea.


I have decided to learn to  cut threads on the lathe soon, but will start with metric ones...


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## starion007 (Jul 17, 2014)

Hi Gary, I was looking over the pictures of the complete mill and yours and wonder about a coupe of things. You mentioned that you wanted to make this nut and a backing washer/shim to keep the spindle from backing out. I'm wondering if the pulley assemble with hardened washers against the inside edges of the spindle supports actually hold the spindle in place? The bolt hole or flat on the spindle looks like where the pulley locks in place. 
Also the threaded end, in the picture of a completed machine kind of looks like an adapter for a collet closer? I would think you need something there to hold cutters? Maybe it is missing a draw-bar?

Just my ramblings, maybe relevant maybe not, lol 

Cool machine, and a cool project.

Mark


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## Gary Ayres (Jul 18, 2014)

Hi Mark -

thanks for all your good thoughts.



starion007 said:


> You mentioned that you wanted to make this nut and a backing washer/shim to keep the spindle from backing out. I'm wondering if the pulley assemble with hardened washers against the inside edges of the spindle supports actually hold the spindle in place? The bolt hole or flat on the spindle looks like where the pulley locks in place.



It's possible that in the original machine the pulley cone (which would have been 3 flat belt pulleys) played a part in holding the spindle in place. And yes, the hole in the spindle is where the grub screw holding the pulleys would have rested. However, the pulleys were missing from the machine when I bought it. I'm using a v-belt step pulley which is probably shorter so if I were to follow your suggestion some spacers would be required and I think that could work.

That said, the spindle will not slide out towards the back end of the machine because the front bearing is tapered (as is the front end of the spindle, to match). The only way that the spindle will slide out is forward, so if I were to use something on the insides of the spindle supports to prevent this it would have to be against the inside of the front bearing. That would leave the rear end of the spindle 'floating', if you follow me, so I think that plan A might still be the one to try first, i.e. the spindle is held in place by the taper on the front bearing and a nut or collar on the outside of the rear bearing (i.e. where the thread is).Actually, I have just looked and someone on the other forum I am discussing this on has suggested the use of two locking collars, one fore and one aft of the rear bearing, with the tapered front end of the spindle floating in the front bearing with a tiny amount of play.



> Also the threaded end, in the picture of a completed machine kind of looks like an adapter for a collet closer? I would think you need something there to hold cutters? Maybe it is missing a draw-bar?



Yes, it's definitely missing a drawbar - something I'll have to make. However, don't know if I'm understanding you correctly or not, but the threaded end is at the rear. I guess it would have been threaded either for something to tension the drawbar with, or for a spindle locking nut. The front end takes Brown and Sharpe #7 collets. At least I hope it does, because I have just ordered a set from your side of the Atlantic!



> Cool machine, and a cool project.




Great to know, Mark! Thanks for your encouragement   )

gary


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## starion007 (Jul 18, 2014)

Hi Gary, I see what you mean now about the tapers. I was thinking the spindle rode in straight bushings, I also had the front and back swapped! lol
I have a Starke #4 lathe, (early 1900's) and it uses the same type system with a tapered front and a spanner nut at the back, pulleys in the middle. 

Your making great progress, keep up the good work!!


Mark


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## Gary Ayres (Jul 19, 2014)

Understood, Mark.

Following input on another forum I think that in the original machine there would have been two threaded collars in front of the rear bearing and two threaded collars aft of it.That way you can fine-tune the way that the front taper of the spindle sits in the bearing, then lock it in position. I need to replicate that principle, which shouldn't be too difficult now that I 'get' it.

BTW a couple of other people also had the front and back of the machine mixed up. Very easy to do when looking at photos.

Again, thanks for your positive  thoughts. I hope to make a bit more progress over the weekend.

Cheers,

g


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## Gary Ayres (Jul 19, 2014)

Stripping old paint off and repainting the knee and saddle.


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## Gary Ayres (Jul 20, 2014)

Knee and saddle replaced and trial fit of pulleys. Also, I had a spare handwheel left over from a mini-lathe upgrade a couple of years ago, so I have decided to modify it for the No. 0 so that it can be used as an alternative to the lever feed on the z axis, like the blue mill higher up in the thread. I will of course also keep the lever so that it can be swapped over with the handwheel at any time.

The handwheel will need to be bored out to fit the shaft. It will also need to be faced off because much as I love metallic red, this mill does not require it :shocked:. Neither did the mini-lathe, actually...  Might also mill a couple of curved slots in the wheel on the rotary table for funkiness's sake...


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## Gary Ayres (Jul 21, 2014)

The feed hand levers for the x and z axes: the heads - which are original - were stripped of the old light green paint and painted matt black. I suspect the handles are not original, but they are pretty cool anyway. They are made of aluminium and they polished up nice and shiny. They are also long - each lever stood on end is as long as the mill is high. This is much longer than the single handle which can be seen on the blue example above.


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## Gary Ayres (Jul 23, 2014)

Here are the levers temporarily attached to the mill in development, just to give a sense of what it looks like:




Also, the Brown & Sharpe #7 collets arrived today, all the way from China via America. They are the right size. Yay!


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## Gary Ayres (Aug 3, 2014)

Step pulleys fitted to spindle: three equidistant holes drilled through the bottom of the groove of the smallest pulley and tapped M6 for grub screws. Corresponding locating points drilled in spindle; pulley was then secured with grub screws. It's positioned to give clearance to a Powertwist link belt. This job was done on my Dore Westbury mill, which I bought in May this year and have not long finished restoring. It was the first time I have used the DW. It's sweet! No comparison to the import plastic-geared machine that it replaced...


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## Gary Ayres (Aug 6, 2014)

Now on to properly fitting the pulleys.

This is the original step-pulley as purchased:




It was too big to fit the machine, so as shown higher in the thread, I had to get rid of the largest pulley:




As you can see, this left a plain cylindrical section where the large pulley had been. Initially my intention had been to keep this section as a kind of visual 'nod' to the fact that the machine in its original state would have had flat belt pulleys (though of course the flat section shown here would not operate as a pulley, it was to be for visual effect only). However, I intend to use a Powertwist link belt to drive the machine. Due to the small size of the mill, there is not much clearance between the bottom of the pulleys and the main casting. To prevent the belt from fouling the top part of the main casting, the pulleys have to sit quite far back on the spindle where the gap at the top of the casting is deepest. With the flat section in place as shown above, this was problematic because (1) the flat section overhung the rear bearing and blocked access to the threaded part of the spindle and the inner spindle locking nut and (2) the whole thing looked unbalanced from a visual point of view. I therefore had to turn off the flat section, leaving me with this:




This now allows access to the spindle locking nut. Also, although it's not too obvious from the picture (due to the camera angle) it looks more balanced as there is a gap of about 1 cm between the back edge of the largest pulley and the front of the rear bearing. That said, the pulleys still sit a bit further back on the spindle than I'd ideally like from an aesthetic point of view. However, while I am using an A-section Powertwist link belt this is as good as it's going to get. In any case, the system should now drive the spindle with a satisfying amount of torque.


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## Gary Ayres (Aug 9, 2014)

Thanks for the likes, guys. Very kind of you.

And now to handwheels - a new one for the Z-axis and the original one for the Y-axis. I took the shiny red handwheel pictured a few posts above and faced it off roughly in the lathe to lose the red. I then milled two curved slots in it using a rotary table on the Dore Westbury, after which I gave it a few finishing passes in the lathe. The bore was then widened to fit the z-axis shaft which controls the rack and pinion lifting mechanism for the knee. Finally, I gave it a polish:






Now, in the picture below two things are apparent. One is the condition of the table prior to it being cleaned up, and the other is the way that a previous owner had mounted the existing Y-axis handwheel. A collar - which was too wide for the shaft - had been inserted behind the handwheel. This caused the handwheel to sit too far out on its shaft so that the cap-head screw that you can see in the picture did not sit in the locating point and the threaded section at the end of the shaft did not protrude out of the bore of the wheel:




I replaced the cap head screw with a grub screw and got rid of the offending collar, allowing the grub screw to rest in the locating point. This also gave some clearance to the shaft so I was able to finish off its threaded end with a couple of washers and a domed nut. The picture below shows both handwheels (existing and new) properly in situ. The new handwheel can be easily removed and so can be regarded as interchangeable with the original lever. The boss was already pre-drilled and tapped so I drilled a corresponding locating point in the shaft for a grub screw:




To finish off a good day of progress, I got going on the table with WD-40, Scotch-Brite and sandpaper. A tedious task, it has to be said. The picture below shows the result and that's as far as I'm going to go with it. The machine is possibly 100-plus years old, so why kill myself trying to make it look brand new? IMHO the residual patina looks good anyway. The surrounding table casting will of course be painted black. Incidentally, despite soaking the table in kerosene for two weeks and then drowning it several times in WD-40, I couldn't take it down any further as the screws holding the flat strips to the casting just wouldn't come out without me chewing their heads. I decided just to leave well alone...


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## Don B (Aug 9, 2014)

Gary Ayres said:


> View attachment 81632



Very nice work Gary....!)


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## Gary Ayres (Aug 9, 2014)

Many thanks, Don and Woodtickgreg.


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## Gary Ayres (Aug 10, 2014)

Good progress again today.

First, the table casting was stripped of the old light green paint:





It was then given three coats of matt black stove paint and reinstalled on the machine. OK - this picture proves that I'd rather faff about with vintage machine tools than weed my back yard:




I then started working on making a rear spindle locking nut. On another forum I was given to understand that using a tap to match the external thread on the back of the spindle would be a fool's errand. However, rather than embark upon learning screwcutting (and clamber over my drill press to crane into the corner of my tiny workshop to access the lathe changewheels), use a tap I'm afraid I did. And here is that tap, proudly displayed on the newly-cleaned table of the Number Zero. It's a bit of a belter:




It worked! Here is a trial 'nut' made from aluminium demonstrating that the tap matches the thread on the spindle:




There won't be any further development on the No.0 now for about a month because I'm making three different trips away and will hardly be at home. In the meantime, can you advise me what I should make the spindle locking nuts from? Will bronze or brass do the job? Is aluminium solely for wimps...?


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## woodtickgreg (Aug 11, 2014)

I like the black paint, looks nice. And what weeds? lol.


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## Gary Ayres (Aug 11, 2014)

Thanks Don.

Cheers WTG  

Oh yes - weeds. Weeds? You're right.... I see no weeds...


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## mattthemuppet2 (Aug 12, 2014)

what a cool looking mill. Sounds like you're stocking up a really neat workshop!

For the rear spindle nut, I would personally make a keyed steel lock washer (you may even be able to buy one), polish it on the bronze bearing side and mill a matching key through the threads on the spindle. Slide it on and then use the nut (personally I'd make it out of steel) to take up the slack in the bearing. A suitably sized belleville washer (I think that's what they're called) between the lock washer and a double nut is another option as this will allow some movement when the machine heats up from use, but maintain the correct bearing preload. Either way, oil from the oiler should keep any friction to a minimum, although you could always grind a couple of oil ways in the washer to make sure.

The first option is sort of how my ancient mini lathe works. Very occasionally I have to slacken it off a touch if the garage is hot and I do a lot of work with it, but most of the time it stays as it is. I tighten it to the point where the chuck stops after 1/2 a rotation or so. I would avoid any kind of compressible washer as the spindle will move when it cuts, leading to chatter and other kinds of mess.

As for the stuck flat head screws, use an impact screwdriver. One of the ones that you hold in your hand and smack the end with a mallet. The impact drives the driver into the screw, so it doesn't slip out, and also provides the shock needed to break the threads loose. I had to use mine to take apart the cross slide on my lathe and it worked a treat, came loose with one tap after several different nerve wracking attempts using a normal screwdriver.


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## Gary Ayres (Aug 13, 2014)

Hi MTM - stocking up a neat workshop, or feeding a burgeoning addiction. Or both...   

Interesting advice regarding the nut and washer. What I think I'll do is start off with the simplest solutiuon (i.e. two locking nuts behind the bearing and a similar arrangement in front of it) and see how it goes. I think the machine was probably originally designed that way. Also, I'm not too keen to cut a keyway in the spindle if I can avoid it. If problems become apparent with heat or anything else (and as I get braver!) I could look towards implementing a system along the lines of your suggestion. I do still wonder whether simple fibre washers might do the job quite well, though.

As for the screws, they are actually hex head, not slotted. Is there such a thing as an impact screwdriver for hex head? It would have to be a very small one though. That said, the problem isn't a huge one because there's no real need for me to dismantle the table. I only managed to get two of the screws out. On each of the table surface plates, the central screw hole is actually an oiling point (you can see the word 'OIL' marked on the front one in the picture). The oil goes down into the slideways for the x-axis travel. One of the two screws I managed to get out was one of the oiling point screws - the only other one it would really be useful to remove is the other oiling point screw. A very small hex head impact driver (if such a thing exists) might be just the job for that.

Thank you!

gary


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## mattthemuppet2 (Aug 13, 2014)

as addictions go, it's probably one of the more socially acceptable/ useful ones 

I vaguely remember reading somewhere else on here another machine tool that held the spindle in the same way - double nut in front of and behind the rear bearing, so I'm sure that would work, I just liked the sound of my approach! I'd be wary of anything, like a squishy washer, in the preload set up that can't resist a bunch of pressure before deforming as even a hair off snug on my lathe spindle allows a ton of run out. Still, that might be because it's an ancient abused tool that's used way beyond its reasonable work envelope 

My impact screwdriver uses hex shank bits, so I'm sure you'd be able to find hex shank hex head bits for one. The big plus is that using one would reduce the risk of rounding that small hex bolts are prone to, something I've fought with a lot in the past.


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## Gary Ayres (Aug 13, 2014)

Ah, yes - I take your point about the squishy washer. The No 0 I'm working on is in surprisingly good condition. As far as I'm aware for at least the last third of its life the only abuse it has suffered was to sit under someone's workbench for 30 years, and it shows very few signs of having been abused prior to that. However, I can see that a soft washer could lead to accuracy problems. You have certainly given me some food for thought, particularly if my  initial attempts at solution don't work out.

On the table screws: good to know. Although it may not be essential to get them out, it would be nice to know that I can, especially that second oiler screw. Will look into what you suggest.

Agreed - not the most destructive of addictions. Quite an expensive one, though. At least until I figure out how to get some of the money I have have spent back again.  That could take me a while...  

Cheers,

gary


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## mattthemuppet2 (Aug 13, 2014)

well, I don't drink, take drugs or have mistresses (!!) and if I'm not in the house, at work or on the bike my wife knows that she can always find me in the garage. Plus she thinks it's endearing that I'm such a toolaholic, at least until she found out how much they cost to move across country!


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## Gary Ayres (Aug 14, 2014)

Ha, yes. My girlfriend and I keep separate accounts. Something she has never regretted...   :allgood:


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## Gary Ayres (Aug 22, 2014)

Managed to find some time between trips to do a little more work on the spindle locking arrangements. As previously noted, there should be two locking nuts behind and two in front of the rear bearing. Of the four, only one was present on the machine - in front of the bearing. Unlike the portion of the spindle behind the bearing (which is completely threaded), the spindle in front of the bearing has unthreaded space available forward of the threaded portion. Because of this, I was able to make a bronze collar as backup for the existing nut instead of a second nut. No threading required, you see - just a drilled and tapped hole for a grub screw which rests against the unthreaded portion of the spindle. In this way I avoided damaging the existing threads with the grub screw. Because there is minimal thrust, this grub screw probably won't need a locating point drilled in the spindle.


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## Gary Ayres (Aug 23, 2014)

Thanks for the likes, guys. Very kind of you.


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## Gary Ayres (Sep 1, 2014)

Back for a couple of days before my last trip away for the Summer...

Mike (aka Ulma Doctor), who has contributed comments higher up in this thread, very kindly sent me (from California) an endmill holder to fit this machine. Made by the Putnam Tool Co., Detroit, Michigan,  it has a B&S #7 taper and holds a 3/8" endmill. It's a cool vintage piece of tooling which really suits the machine and has tons more character than the set of import collets I bought. Here it is:






Cheers Mike!     :thanks:

Now, I might even be able to make some progress with the rear spindle locking nuts before I go away again...


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## Gary Ayres (Sep 1, 2014)

Woodtickgreg and Ulma Doctor - thanks for the like and the thanks.

Now, at last, the rear spindle locking nuts which have been keeping me awake at nights...

I went for a splined (I hope I'm using the term correctly) thumb-nut kind of approach (due to the minimal level of thrust which they will bear), and to achieve this - after roughly boring out some brass stock on the lathe - once again called upon the services of the good old Dore Westbury, which I have come to love:





Rocking the rotary table, dancing with the dividing plate, then back to the lathe to part off the two nuts:




These were the easy bits. However, due to what my daughter refers to as a 'rookie error' in measuring the spindle thread and an elusive final bore, cuttiing the threads was a bit of a mission. However, my trusty tap came up trumps in the end, resulting in the final nuts:




They fit the spindle. I just hope they remain locked together in the right place at speed...

When I come back from my trip away I plan to faff about with stainless steel washers to try to find a satisfactory but easy way to minimise friction against the bearings.

Cheers guys  )


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## Gary Ayres (Sep 12, 2014)

Back from my travels.

I bored and turned two steel washers to size and gave the pulleys a polish. All of the components for the spindle are now complete. Here they are, disassembled but laid out in the correct order. The spanners represent the plain bearings. Left is the back, right is the front end. So, from left to right we have: 2 brass locking nuts, a steel washer, the rear bearing, a steel washer, an original steel locking nut, a bronze locking collar with grub screw, the pulleys, the front bearing, an endmill holder. Below that lot is the spindle itself:





Here is the completed spindle, assembled and in situ on the machine:




I have taken quite a bit bit of advice to get me to this point, and I see no reason why this arrangement shouldn't work. However, my plan is to keep it like this until I have tested it out under power. As you will see in due course, it will be quite some time before I do this...

Meanwhile, the next thing is the drawbar...


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## HMF (Sep 12, 2014)

Very nice job!!

I just added (with permission) Mick Finch's Burke #1 restoration:

http://www.hobby-machinist.com/showthread.php?t=25774&p=227861#post227861


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## Don B (Sep 12, 2014)

Gary Ayres said:


> View attachment 83588
> 
> 
> Meanwhile, the next thing is the drawbar...



It's looking great Gary, nice work...)


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## woodtickgreg (Sep 12, 2014)

I agree, lookin good!


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## Gary Ayres (Sep 12, 2014)

Many thanks, guys. Very kind of you.

Nels - interestingly I just read Mick's blog earlier today via another forum. It's very impressive, and what a fine machine. There is however sometimes some confusion as there are two different horizontal mills that are commonly called the Burke No.1. One of these is the one Mick has, which I believe is actually a U.S. Machine Tools No.1 but often gets called a Burke because the two companies later merged. The other Burke No.1 is a small horizontal benchtop mill pretty similar to the No.0 but a little bit bigger, as shown in the first picture of catalogue pages below. The second photograph shows - I believe - two No.1's on stands. The third image - another catalogue page - is interesting because the machine looks like a No.1 but the dimensions are different from either the No.1 or the No.0 as specified in the first catalogue pages. The catalogue also locates Burke in Cleveland, Ohio, while the raised lettering on the two in the photo (and on my No.0) places Burke in Conneaut, Ohio. This change may have something to do with the merger with U.S. Machine Tools but  I have no idea what this machine is. It may be a different version of the original Burke No.1, but it definitely isn't a U.S. Machine Tools No.1 like Mick's. If you are reading this and you know, please feel free to put a post about it on this thread.


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## Gary Ayres (Sep 13, 2014)

Mike - thanks for the Likes.


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## core-oil (Sep 13, 2014)

Lovely work Gary, That is a sweet little machine & is a nice complimentary machine to your Dore Westbury, ( Westbury was a genius) Thanks also to all the guys who have added to this excellent thread also


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## Gary Ayres (Sep 14, 2014)

Hi core-oil, and many thanks for your kind words.

I live in Guernsey but am actually from Dumfries - just down the road from you


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## Gary Ayres (Sep 18, 2014)

Now, the drawbar.

Drawing inspiration from (i.e. stealing the idea from) the blue coloured No 0 pictured near the start of this thread, I decided that the machine would look good with a big chunky locking knob at the back of the drawbar. I turned a piece of aluminium on the lathe using my new radius turning attachment to get a nice curve, and cut grooves using the Dore Westbury and dividing setup. A polish up resulted in the finished knob:






I also used dies to cut threads on the ends of a section of steel bar to make the drawbar, and turned a collar to fit between the knob and the drawbar to act as a spacer and to keep the back end of the drawbar centred:




The pictures below show the drawbar assembly plus a Brown and Sharpe No.7 collet and endmill:





Here is the completed drawbar in situ on the machine:




Almost there...


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## woodtickgreg (Sep 18, 2014)

It just keeps getting better. Nice work!


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## Gary Ayres (Sep 18, 2014)

Thanks Mike and Woodtickgreg.


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## Gary Ayres (Sep 18, 2014)

Done at last!




But what about the motor?

Well, that question is answered in another thread  .

Many thanks, guys, for all your kind interest, advice and support.

Now, I'd better do something about those weeds...   ;-)


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## mattthemuppet2 (Sep 19, 2014)

what a beautiful job, but with only one tiny picture?! We need, nay, demand more! That's some really fantastic work there Gary and you should be proud of yourself. It almost, but not quite, inspires me to do the same to my ancient no-name mini lathe and WT drill press. One day, when I have more time (or just time) than I do now.


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## Gary Ayres (Sep 19, 2014)

Matt - 

thanks for your feedback. I encourage you to restore your old machines!

OK - Tony at Lathes UK has asked me to do a few good quality pictures of the machine which he will post on his wonderful archive. Once he has done so, I'll post a link in this thread.

All the best,

gary

)


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## Ulma Doctor (Sep 19, 2014)

just beautiful work Gary!!!
thanks for taking the time to share your machine rebuild with us.
all the best
mike)


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## Gary Ayres (Sep 20, 2014)

Thanks Mike!


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## Gary Ayres (Sep 25, 2014)

mattthemuppet said:


> what a beautiful job, but with only one tiny  picture?! We need, nay, demand more!



)

I have sent some photos to Tony at lathes UK as he requested, but it's taking a little longer than usual for him to post them - he is probably very busy. So - meanwhile- here are a few decent pictures of the finished machine:


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## mattthemuppet2 (Sep 25, 2014)

that is beautiful, thank you!


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## Gary Ayres (Sep 26, 2014)

Mattthemuppet - many thanks for your kind feedback and encouragement.

gary


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## Gary Ayres (May 13, 2015)

Tony at lathes.co.uk has now added a page on the No.0 featuring the photos of this machine.

Here it is:

http://www.lathes.co.uk/burke

gary


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## Ulma Doctor (May 13, 2015)

always nice to hear from you, 
the Burke is looking more beautiful than when it was new!


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## mattthemuppet2 (May 13, 2015)

that's fantastic, congrats on getting your Burke featured!


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## Gary Ayres (Sep 6, 2018)

Mike and Matt - thanks!
I'm a bit late in replying, I know...


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## Tim9 (Sep 7, 2018)

That is just a beautiful restoration of a Burke # 0. I picked up a model 0 a few years back. Its was really butchered at some point by a previous owner,  but I didn't have a mill yet so when I saw it on Ebay cheap; I bought it. Someone had cut a chunk of the upper housing in order to install a V-belt pulley. In any case I modified it and made a frame to mount a motor. Used it a few times to cut keyways. But it's so ugly and your restoration is awesome. You've shamed me. LOL  You did a wonderful job Gary.


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## 9t8z28 (Sep 8, 2018)

Very cool find Gary.  I recently purchased a small horizontal mill and with it he gave me a Burke #4.  It looks very similiar to your #0.  I am not sure I am gonna keep the Burke as I do not have access to 3 phase power.  I know there are cheap ways around it but I dont think I’ll go that route.  

Don B, I am interested in your #4 surface grinder conversion.  Do you have a theead you are updating with your progress?  I am actually considering converting the horizontal mill into a surface grinder.  Both machines have a rack and pinion X axis which would be perfect for a surface grinder.


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## Gary Ayres (Sep 8, 2018)

Thank you both, guys.

@ Tim - something about silk purses and sow's ears comes to mind. It would have been hard for you to make that beautiful. Amazing that someone could do that is it not? Presumably they didn't understand the value of what they were hacking at...

@ 9t8z28 - I'd encourage you to think about the possibility of an inverter. I have converted both my drill press and lathe, and they are great (the drill press especially). Just imagine your No.4 with massive torque and variable speed control! Having said that, I don't know what your other horizontall is . Will look at your postings in aa minute to see if it's featured.

BTW am planning to convert my 0 back to flat belt as I'm building a lineshaft in my shop in France...

Cheers,

gary


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## Tim9 (Sep 8, 2018)

Don B said:


> That will be a nice little machine, I was recently given a No.4 hand mill, I'm going to convert it to a little surface grinder this winter if time allows, there's some info on burke mills here.
> 
> http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=132&tab=4
> 
> But I don't think the 0 is there, I just recently seen a restored one in a thread someplace if I can find it I'll post the link.


Don, I like your idea of converting it to a small surface grinder. I'd love to see your project once you get going with it. I'm sure others would also. Its a good idea. I think that's the best option for my butchered Model 0.


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## Tim9 (Sep 10, 2018)

Gary Ayres said:


> Thank you both, guys.
> 
> @ Tim - something about silk purses and sow's ears comes to mind. It would have been hard for you to make that beautiful. Amazing that someone could do that is it not? Presumably they didn't understand the value of what they were hacking at...
> 
> ...


You are so right Gary. But I'm guessing it was butchered many years ago when these were probably a dime a dozen. I can just envision a medium sized factory with a 100 or so women sitting in from of  Burke 0's that eventually shut down and half of the Burke 0's went to the dump... Or the War effort scrap recycle yard. 
   In any case... Now that I have an operational Hobby machine shop, I'll definitely patch that hole with some brazing and a steel patch. Then I'll either restore it or convert it to a small bench surface grinder.  
  By the way... A Line shaft shop.  That will be very cool.


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## Gary Ayres (Sep 11, 2018)

Yes indeed. As a wise woman once sang: 'you don't know what you've got till it's gone'.

Great that you are going to fix it though!

Yes, the lineshaft shop should be great, thanks. It's not a short-term project though...


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## Gary Ayres (Sep 11, 2018)

Gary Ayres said:


> Just imagine your No.4 with massive torque and variable speed control!



Another way to do it could be with a DC motor and PWM controller...


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