# Just Bought A Burke #4



## thenrie (Nov 30, 2015)

Just brought home my first milling machine. It's a cute little thing, but sized about right for my workshop. From what I've been able to read about the Burke #4 on several forums, it is a capable little machine and will do what I need...for now. I paid too much for it, but it is in very nice condition, and out here in Utah, they just don't come up very often. Between this and a Chinese mill/drill machine, I chose this.

It has the original geared motor, 115V single-phase, still has the belt drive and step pulleys for speed changes, has the 3-1/2 X 20 table, which also gives it the 12" travel in the X axis, and has the universal table that has 30* of rotation both directions. Table and ways are in very nice shape and the machine is tight, showing no damage other than a couple minor marks on the table.  All the screws show just a tad more backlash than I would like, but certainly nothing that will affect the level of accuracy I need. Even has the original paint that is still in good shape. Just needs a spit-shine and cleanup.

The one downside of this purchase - the one that made the price higher than I would have liked - is that it came with almost no tooling at all. No vertical head, no arbors, only 1 end mill holder, and a small, but very nice vice. So, it looks like I'll be collecting tooling for my little mill over the next while.


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## FOMOGO (Nov 30, 2015)

Nice little machine. Keep an eye on ebay for tooling. Mike


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## thenrie (Nov 30, 2015)

Yep. Already looking and watching.


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## thenrie (Dec 1, 2015)

Just bought a drawbar and 1" arbor with spacers from a forum member. And so it begins...


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## Silverbullet (Dec 1, 2015)

thenrie said:


> Just bought a drawbar and 1" arbor with spacers from a forum member. And so it begins...


Begins , ha it never ends .


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## woodtickgreg (Dec 2, 2015)

Looks to be in very good condition. I think the ones with the table swivel like you have are getting harder to find. I love my little Burke, as a hobbiest it serves me just fine. It is a capable little machine.


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## thenrie (Dec 2, 2015)

I hope I get some folks like you following with me. I'm going to need a lot of advice and instruction as I learn to use it well. I have always loved old machinery. Can't hardly walk past an old, beat-up, broken machine without wanting to rebuild/restore it. This Burke will be the perfect complement for my 1947 South Bend 9A, which is currently undergoing a refurbishment.


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## brino (Dec 4, 2015)

Hi Tony,

Great find; Beautiful mill!
Congratulations.

Thanks for the clear pictures.
I hope you have many years and projects together.

-brino

Edit: cool, I just noticed in the "similar thread" section that I see below a few other members with similar machines. You should find a great fellowship here.


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## Ulma Doctor (Dec 5, 2015)

nice find on the NO4


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## thenrie (Dec 5, 2015)

I'm going to start a separate thread about cutters for this mill. I've got a few projects in mind, so I want to be able to acquire a set of cutters that will give me the capabilities I want without buying a lot of stuff I don't need or that won't work well on this mill. Hope you will take a look and give some advice on that thread.


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## thenrie (Dec 14, 2015)

Ok. So I didn't get the response I was hoping for on the thread I started about tooling, so I will not be watching or responding to those other two threads I started. I'l be posting everything to this thread.

So far, I have purchased enough tooling to get me started. Haven't yet received it all. As I get it I'll post photos.

I have bought:

1-2-3 blocks
Angle plate (too large, I'll need to get a smaller one as well)
Clamping set (Shars)
1-1/8" finish end mill
1/2" end mill
a pair of 1/32X4" slotting blades
a 1/2" X 6" cutter

Two 1" X 12" horizontal arbors
Several used horizontal cutters and slotting blades
One Porter Cable Mark II vertical milling head.
I got lucky on one of the arbors I bought. It was listed on eBay as a horizontal arbor with an MT taper. The seller said he didn't think the 6" X 1/2" cutter could be removed (seized) from the arbor. He took pretty good photos, though, and it looked to me like a B&S #9 taper and a 1" arbor. I figured I could resell it for at least what he was asking for it - $10 - so I bought it. Turns out I was right. It is a 12" X 1" arbor with a B&S #9 taper. Had a dusting of surface rust on the taper, but a few seconds with some 00 steel wool dressed it right up. Once chucked up in the mill, the nut and spacers came right off. The arbor and spacers are in nice shape. The cutter has no chipped or broken teeth and appears to have seen very little use. For the $22.65 I paid, including shipping, I did well. It is in much better condition than the same arbor I bought a couple weeks ago for $95 with no cutter. Neither arbor has a keyway, so I may take one and cut a keyway on it, to secure the cutters a little better.

I should receive the rest of the stuff this week. Stay tuned.


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## woodtickgreg (Dec 14, 2015)

Tony it's looking really good. Your off to a good start. I myself just kind of buy tools as I need them or if I stumble across a great deal on something. I am looking forward to seeing the porter cable vert attachment.


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## thenrie (Dec 15, 2015)

Received the Porter Cable milling head today. Looks and feels to be in great condition. The spindle turns smoothly, at least by hand. It's going to be a chore getting the overarm shaft out to turn it down, but it will be do-able. The seller said the spindle has a MT-2 taper, but I'm not sure. It has a 1/2" collet in it, and the collet appears to be MT-2, but when I try my MT-2 tools in it, such as a dead-center and a drill bit, they slip all the way in past the end of the taper, yet the taper feels like it's engaging fully.  I need to compare it to a B&S #7 taper and see if that's it. I have read that the B&S #7 was a common taper for the PC milling heads.

It's going to be a while before I can get it fitted to the Burke, but I'm looking forward to it. I'll keep everybody posted.


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## woodtickgreg (Dec 15, 2015)

Very cool looking head.


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## thenrie (Dec 17, 2015)

I just did some looking and measuring with my new PC milling head and the Burke mill. It looks like I'm going to have do a little more adaptation than I figured. I'm going to have to make a new overarm shaft for it. The one on it is 2.25" diameter and 10.25" long - not including the portion that fits into the head, which is 2" diameter and about 1-3/4" long, making the shaft a total of 12" long.  That comes to a couple of inches too short. I was originally intending to remove the shaft and turn it down to 2", but it will still be a little too short. It would work, since the drive shaft is long enough to reach past the mill's frame, but then I hadn't figured on the mill's overarm shaft being so close to the drive shaft for the horizontal head. Makes it so there's not much room for a pulley to drive the vertical head off the horizontal shaft pulley. Which means I'm probably going to have to have a separate drive motor and drive system for the vertical head. That means I'm going to need an overarm that is long enough to reach past the drive pulley for the horizontal shaft in back of the mill. So I'm going to have to make a new 2" overarm shaft for the milling head.

Now, I was wondering whether low-carbon mild steel would be a good material to make it from, or would cast iron be better. The cost is pretty close to the same for the raw material. It would have to be turned to 2" and bored for the drive shaft and bearings, so mild steel would be easier to machine, but what about stiffness and vibration? Any thoughts?


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## thenrie (Dec 19, 2015)

Ordered a 4" milling vise. It's a cheap one. We'll see how it works when it gets here. I think that's the last of the tooling I'm going to buy for a while. I was tempted to buy an Ellis indexer, but I figure I'll just wait until I actually need one. For now, I have a nice little assortment of cutters and end mills that will get me started. I just need to get my South Bend lathe finished, so I can start playing.


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## thenrie (Dec 19, 2015)

I've decided, after taking measurements and doing some reading, that the spindle on my new Porter Cable milling head is has a B&S #7 taper, rather than MT-2. I think I'm going to wait a while before I buy tooling for it...at least until I get it operational. I have some adaptation to do.


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## Charles Spencer (Dec 19, 2015)

Nice find on that Porter Cable head.  I'll have to keep my eyes open for one.  I have a Garvin horizontal mill with a B&S#7 taper.

The cutter that you got with the arbor is easily worth twice what you paid for both items.

I made an arbor for my mill and cut a keyway in it.  You have the perfect machine for cutting a keyway in a horizontal mill.

I got B&S#7 collets from Little Machine Shop.  The price isn't bad and they have worked well for me:

http://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=2999&category=

That's a pretty machine and you seem to be off to a very good start.  Good luck.


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## thenrie (Dec 20, 2015)

What do you find more useful, split collets or end mill holders?


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## Charles Spencer (Dec 20, 2015)

That answer is easy - collets.

But that's because I can afford them more easily.  The end mill holders I have came in a tooling lot purchase and don't fit my machines. 

Therefore the collets are obviously more useful.


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## thenrie (Dec 20, 2015)

There's a set of B&S #7 end mill holders on eBay right now, which is why I was asking. Both do the same thing. I was just wondering which is better at holding end mills and other tools.


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