# Emco Fb-2 Gears Question



## markba633csi (Sep 13, 2015)

Looking at buying a Emco FB-2 mill and was wondering if there are any fiber gears in the head? I would like to open it up and look but I'm not sure the seller will go for it.  Are parts basically unobtainable for these mills? I haven't seen much on Ebay lately.  The spindle lock handle is missing but I could fab something.
Any tips would be appreciated.
Mark S.
Mt. View, Ca


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## Volharding (Sep 7, 2016)

Hy Mark,
O
No there are no fiber gears in the head only steel. If the seller let you look inthe heat be ware that there is nothing fal in.
Look for some oil leeks around the spindel when the spindel is turning in different speeds an take the spindel up and done.
If there are no oil drups around the spindel than looks that okay. Listening very good to the gears when its turning in the different speeds, you will hear if there is some cracking or other angree nouces. 
Good luck , i am a very satisfine owner of a FB2 even a Maximat Super 11.
Regards Huib


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## markba633csi (Sep 7, 2016)

Hello Huib, thank you for the reply however I did not buy the machine.  The table had some deep milling damage and gouges.  Also I felt the price was too high.  Those machines are very rare here and in retrospect I could have repaired the damage.  Oh, well.  I still have my Unimat DB200.  How do you like your Super 11?
I see you live in South Holland- are there many Emco-Maier machines there? Perhaps I should make a vacation 
Gorinchem looks like a very nice city. 
Best regards,
Mark S.


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## Volharding (Sep 8, 2016)

markba633csi said:


> Hello Huib, thank you for the reply however I did not buy the machine.  The table had some deep milling damage and gouges.  Also I felt the price was too high.  Those machines are very rare here and in retrospect I could have repaired the damage.  Oh, well.  I still have my Unimat DB200.  How do you like your Super 11?
> I see you live in South Holland- are there many Emco-Maier machines there? Perhaps I should make a vacation
> Gorinchem looks like a very nice city.
> Best regards,
> Mark S.


 Hello  Mark,
thanks for your reply, its nice when you got reply from the other site of the World.

 That's a pitty the table was incorrect used so the damage was to much to clean him up.  When the price is good you can spent some to make this kind off damage repairing.   Wait a little longer and you will see on some day you find the good one to buy. I have waiting for 3 years to get one which  was good enough for me, also the Super 11, I am looking for more then 5 years to catch one in my budget.
Even I dreamed sinds I make steamengine's for Emco machines, for 30 years I bought a EBK 450 lathe and he is still one off my favourites becaus I can read and write with him( this is a saying in Dutch)  But the Super 11 is an other class beside's the greater dimensions is it a Lathe with more power and opportunities.
I bought him for 2 yearts and at the moment I am bilding a DRO on him, in the meantime I have bought a supportgrinder, of cause a quick-change toolholder,  a collet chuck, backplate a four chuck and some other things. Some of them on E-bay others on a Dutch advertisement Marketplace or  elsewhere. So in the meantime I spent another lathe on assessories.  The D.R.O. was my last investment on him. I bought these for about  $ 500 with 2 glass  ruler for 2 shafts.

I think you have looked where I come from, it is indeed the Netherlands in the Province Zuid Holland  in a small town named Gorinchem.
Because the production off Maier machines was also in Europe there are a lot off them sold in Europe. In Germany and Austria I think there are the most off them as well   the Super 11 as the FB2. But olso in the Netherlands there are a lot off them and because the quality off the machines they are bought for a lifetime using in the modellingworld of cause, when they have bin used on production milieu they are no more usable for us , to make them in a good condition again it cost to much.
So when you have the opportunity to come to Europe on a vacation you can mayby found one, but i think the shippingcost are too high for such  waight,

I'll hope you liked what i have write to and i hope you understand my Englisch. i am beware there are some arrors in my wrihting, i hope you forgive me for that.

Regards from the Netherlands
Huib Hoogendoorn


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## markba633csi (Nov 5, 2016)

No problem Huib I understand you perfectly, I have in the mean time purchased a horizontal mill of old american brand "Diamond tool company" it has good capabilities and fits in my location very well although much heavier than FB-2.  Here is a picture of the machine with vertical head.  I am now cleaning and repairing old wiring.  I should be making some chips very soon.  Nice to hear from you and hope to visit Holland some day. 
yours truly,
Mark Silva


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## Volharding (Nov 6, 2016)

Hi Mark,

nice to hear back from you.
That's a big one you have bought, it looks some rusty at the surface but no damage also cleaning up and some paint will do well.
Are there attachments with ?  New wiring meens even a new elektric motor?

Greetings from the Netherlands
Huib Hoogendoorn


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## markba633csi (Nov 6, 2016)

Hello Huib, nice to hear from you again-  Yes the machine is sturdy and cleaning up nicely.  I removed the motor for transport,  it is OK and reinstalled now.
I wanted to repaint the mill but I think I will do that later, besides I have not yet decided on a suitable color- bright yellow perhaps? 
I have the attachments for horizontal milling;  I need to get a indexing dividing unit if I decide to make gears.  
Take care Huib, talk to you later
Mark Silva


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## markba633csi (Nov 8, 2016)

Huib is that a model boat I see there? and what is that thing next to it on the right side? Do you build model boats?
Mark S.


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## Volharding (Nov 9, 2016)

Hi Mark,

yes you are wrhite its a model of an old Dutch steamTugg for harbour labor.
The Original is still existing and belongs to a shipmuseum.
The thing next the modell is the steamplant a have made for this boat.
The modell is radiocontrold stearing. The size is about 1,5 meter long an 40 cm wight the total wight is about 40 kilo's.
The model and the steamengine with boiler is all made by myself in about 15 years.
I am a son of a inland skipper so boats and water is where a grow up with.
The interest of steam is comming up at some exibitions where the most beatifull steamengines and other steam stuff was to see.
The model was big enough to put in a steamplant so i made one, the difficult was the skills for making this, i had an education of bakery so metal and lath's and mills are words i didn't no. 
But a wise saying of my father was "put aside, i con not, an take the learning"so i learnd all the skills to be need making this kind of thinks. I bought a lath and a mill to make severall learning parts mostly for the lath. After that i startes withe the 2 cilinder steamangine.

If you like i can put some picture's in this thread so you can see something more of the model and the steamplant.


Greetings
Huib


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## markba633csi (Nov 10, 2016)

That is fascinating yes absolutely Huib you should post some more pictures, I think the other guys here would be interested to see what you have done. Also, personally I would like to see your workshop too! Don't worry if it is messy,  mine is 
Yours truly,
Mark


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## Volharding (Nov 10, 2016)

Hi Mark,
Oké I will do that, but I think its better to open a new thread for this. It has nothing more to do with the FB2 mill, do you agree?
I think its the best to do in the NEW MEMBER INTRODUCTIONS & WELCOMES or in RC models wat do you think?
Greetings
Huib


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## markba633csi (Nov 10, 2016)

Yes Huib open a new thread both are good places to do so.
Mark


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## magicniner (Nov 1, 2017)

It's an old thread but I thought I'd add some info for future searchers for FB-2 knowledge.
When taking the top off the FB-2 one must keep the lid level and lift it vertically, the motor shaft carries not only the primary drive gear but also a long plastic shaft with a an Archimedes screw on the end, that's your oil pump which lifts the oil and allows it to bathe all the gears on it's way back down, the shaft can break fairly easily if bent. 
If you do break the plastic "oil pump" shaft you can repair it by boring the mating ends and joining with epoxy and a bit of speedo drive inner cable, this also makes it less delicate for future maintenance.
The primary driven gear is a Whale Tufnol ring gear pressed onto a knurled metal hub, 

https://www.emcomachinetools.co.uk/gear    (Thanks Volharding for the link) 

I've machined several replacements for mine and for others (just the ring, pressed onto the original carrier), although they are an angled gear the angle is small enough that the gear can be cut on a mill with a standard gear cutter and a universal dividing head set to the gear angle,

- Nick


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## frugalguido (Nov 1, 2017)

A sorted related question, do people that have a FB-2, notice oil seepage from the bottom of the head? Mine is getting pretty bad. I did notice that in the parts manual that there appears to be multiple o-rings.


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## Volharding (Nov 1, 2017)

frugalguido said:


> A sorted related question, do people that have a FB-2, notice oil seepage from the bottom of the head? Mine is getting pretty bad. I did notice that in the parts manual that there appears to be multiple o-rings.


I have bought a new one (o-ring) at https://www.emcomachinetools.co.uk/emco-fb2-mill    they have severall spare parts. 
And Nick thanks for the explanation to repair the plastic oil pump.


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## magicniner (Nov 1, 2017)

frugalguido said:


> A sorted related question, do people that have a FB-2, notice oil seepage from the bottom of the head? Mine is getting pretty bad. I did notice that in the parts manual that there appears to be multiple o-rings.



Yeah, mine leaks like a Triumph motorcycle or a '70s Vauxhall


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