# Super Max Mill Repair



## Karl_T (Jul 13, 2015)

My SupeMax mill has only three inch quill travel so I tore it down to find the trouble...

Look at the pics. The spline part driving the spindle has three inch travel before binding hard. By pounding up and down and using high pressure air i was able to get some metal bits out of there.

I'm stuck at this point on what else to try to disassemble to broken part. ideas?


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## JimDawson (Jul 13, 2015)

That looks like a broken spring pin, but where the heck did it come from?  I don't think there is one in that area.  I guess I would put a puller on it and use the brute force method at this point.  I might make a pulling plate to minimize the damage, or maybe a bearing puller would get around it.


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## Karl_T (Jul 13, 2015)

Yup. brute force is my LAST option. Most likely that will result in needing the torch to destroy it.

I'm going to bet i can't buy this part. Fabrication will be a real job.


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## JimDawson (Jul 13, 2015)

Like you, I usually escalate the force, using the hot wrench or plasma torch as the last resort.  Sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do!

Depending on the year the machine was built, it could be that a BP part would fit.  In the clone early days, (70s-80s) the machines were pretty much built to BP specs.  Some time in the late 80's (90s maybe) they started switching over to their own designs.

It is probable that a Topwell part might be available, they may have actually built that machine.  They are still in business, and built a lot of the machines that we know as Enco, Eagle, Jet, Webb, and others that I can't remember.  Not sure if they built SuperMax.  
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## Karl_T (Jul 13, 2015)

Got it apart!  Took all day. Spent hours moving it back and forth and picking another piece out. Then about an hour after getting it out polishing the galling. The part slides up/down and even has a slight rattle to it now. I don't even need to replace it.

My guess is the remains of a spring pin was in there. Where it came from???  The brass part must serve as a funnel to help trap foreign material in there.

I was two days tearing down to this point. Bet its three days going back together.

Karl


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## JimDawson (Jul 13, 2015)

That is probably the remains of that spring pin that flew across the shop, never to be seen again, until now.

If I recall it took me about 3 hours to put mine back together.


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## Karl_T (Jul 15, 2015)

JimDawson said:


> If I recall it took me about 3 hours to put mine back together.



Well you're about four times the man I am. I got the gearbox together yesterday. Lot of cleaning and polishing. Only had to put it together three times before it shifted right. Today, I'll shoot for getting the motor and vary speed assembly together and most if not all of the parts on the lower section of the head. ( I had  first tried to slide the cartridge out - no go). I got "the Kid" to come out Thursday evening to help mount it back on the ram. This is a four horse series two size head - DIFFICULT to handle. I'll then spend a day upgrading wiring. (VFD install)

QUESTION  

see pic. there's some kind of snap ring holding a collar on the draw bar. Way to wide for an E-clip. Anybody know what part I'm looking for?

Karl


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## Karl_T (Jul 15, 2015)

pic try two


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## JimDawson (Jul 15, 2015)

The only place I have seen that type of retaining ring is in automotive transmissions.  I did a quick search of McMaster and didn't find anything.  It looks like it keeps a thrust bearing in place.  I'm not sure it is really needed, the bearing can't go anywhere once the draw bar is in place.

Is that a spring pin hole just to the right of the flange on the drawbar?

I did mine the easy way.  First I mounted the lower head assembly to the ram (quill still on the bench), that way it only weighs about 20 lbs or so.  Then I assembled the lower gear box, and installed that.  Then assembled the vari-speed assembly and installed that.  Then installed the motor.  Then last, installed the quill.  I did clean all of the parts when I tore it down, so that was already out of the way.


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## Karl_T (Jul 15, 2015)

"Is that a spring pin hole just to the right of the flange on the drawbar?"

It has a nearly sheared off solid pin in there now. Its an odd size just over 3/16. I'll likely use the base of a drill bit here. I've sheared this off before. The power draw bar uses a strong impact wrench style tightener.

Spent an hour on Mcmaster, This ring needs the groove cut 7 thou deeper and 3 thou wider
http://www.mcmaster.com/#external-snap-rings/=y2brmq

Guess I'll order this to try it.


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## JimDawson (Jul 15, 2015)

Karl_T said:


> It has a nearly sheared off solid pin in there now. Its an odd size just over 3/16. I'll likely use the base of a drill bit here. I've sheared this off before.



I'm guessing that the mystery spring pin that was jammed in the spline came from there.


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## Karl_T (Jul 15, 2015)

JimDawson said:


> I'm guessing that the mystery spring pin that was jammed in the spline came from there.



it would  have had to jump six inches straight up the spindle bore then fall on the outside of the spline. I guess its possible that the pieces fell in there when the draw bar was being lifted out for repair. In that case, it happened over ten years ago before I owned the mill. I've always used a solid shear pin.

In any case, you can bet your a$$ I'll make sure nothing else drops in there again.


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## Silverbullet (Jul 15, 2015)

If you know someone with a surface grinder the snap ring could be ground to fit? As for the old pin getting in of course where else could it go. Hope the next twenty years of the mills life gets better.


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## Karl_T (Jul 16, 2015)

I had taken the head off just sliding onto a die cart and had an awful time. This mill has a three inch cylinder that just slides in the ram's bore. it fits oil tight and the reservoir for the head is in the top of the ram. I had not seen this before. I knew this wouldn't work for re install so i built a bracket today.

"The Kid" (my 31 year old son) stops by Fri night to help me install. I'll have it ready to slide onto the mill table. then we can use the X Y Z cranks to locate the head and slide it in place.


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## JimDawson (Jul 16, 2015)

Pretty cool fixture, maybe you should patent it .  That should make life easier.  That head is a bit different than I have seen before.


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## Karl_T (Jul 18, 2015)

Got the head mounted. Hope i don't have to do THAT again.

Still waiting for a quill return spring but thought I'd go ahead and put the down feed assembly back together to make the mill usable.

I can't get it back together correctly! Pulling what's left of my hair out. I can't even get the cross rod with the bevel gear and quill handle in enough to seat the snap ring. Then the mill could be used without the power down feed.

I'll let it sit a day and maybe the light will come on. I doubt it exists but if somebody know  of a detail assembly procedure here, I'd love to see it.


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