# Long Chang LC-30A mill resto



## DavidR8

Hey all, as many of you know, I week or so ago I bought a new-to-me Long Chang LC-30A mill drill.

I bought it from the second owner who bought it from a local machine shop. The fellow I bought it from only used it as a drill press. 
It didn't come with any tooling unless the factory drawbar counts. It has an MT3 spindle which I know is not the norm for mills but it will do for my needs at this point. 

Over all it's in good condition, just really grimy and covered in crud. In disassembling it to get it out of my truck I think that there is still some of the original cosmoline on the column. Nasty stuff. 

My plan is to pull it apart, clean and inspect everything and then reassemble. It will likely get paint as there was a lot of bondo-type filler that was dislodged when I pulled the column off the base.

I need to fashion a gantry crane so I can move the thing around my shop. Getting it off the truck in pieces was one thing, lifting pieces onto my bench is something altogether different.

PIctures to follow


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## mikey

I'll be following along, Dave. These things are all pretty much the same and a lot of us have one so if you get stuck, sing out and I'm sure we can figure it out.


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## DavidR8

Thanks @mikey 
It will be the first time in dig into something like this so I have every expectation that I’ll be calling on the combined brain trust!


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## RYAN S

Pictures please!!


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## DavidR8

These are repeats for a lot of folks but I think it's best to put them all in one place
Mill in the sellers shop


In my truck


Column off for unloading. Motor is already off.


Base coming off


Base in the garage


Shims on the base


Casting dross in the base


Table well


Leadscrew cover


Bondo on base


Column with chipped paint


Y-axis leadscrew. Check out that lump of extra casting!


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## mickri

The stand that my mill/drill sits on has locking casters.  Makes it very easy to move it when I need to and I have not noticed it trying to move around the shop when I use it.
Does your garage have a big beam above the garage door?  My garage has a 4x14 beam over the garage door that I have lag bolted a heavy duty door hinge to about 4 feet in from one side.  I use this with a 1/2 ton chain hoist to pick up heavy items.


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## DavidR8

Thanks @mickri 
I do have a beam across the door opening, a couple of 9' 2x10s on face. That would like be stout enough to lift the mill if I brace them.
Do you have any pics of your base?


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## ttabbal

I use a 2 ton HF engine hoist. It can move a Bridgeport around, should handle your new mill fine. I figured I would try it as I already owned it for its intended use. Turned out to work well for moving and lifting big stuff. 

However you lift stuff. Always try to think about how it can shift. I've had some unexpected results that could have caused injury if I were not careful.


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## DavidR8

Duly noted @ttabbal! I'm no fan of injury


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## mickri




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## DavidR8

mickri said:


> View attachment 314588



Thanks, none of those look to be locking casters. It doesn’t move around when in use?


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## mickri

My mistake.  I thought that two were locking but none are locking.  It doesn't move in use.  But then it is a manual machine.  No auto feeds.  So I am always turning one of the hand cranks.  That must be enough to keep in from moving.


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## Joeman77

We've had several of this kind of units where I work in small satellite shop areas. I've been surprised to see most of them seem to hold up pretty well & keep pretty decent accuracy, even with some of the heavy handed Knuckle-Draggers they turn loose on them! Yours looks to be in much better shape than a lot I've seen with a few years on them. 
 Don't take it too far apart, sometimes those rabbit holes go lots deeper than you want to go. Start with some cleanup & inspection, maybe some paint & lube & see how she works!


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## C-Bag

Joeman77 said:


> Don't take it too far apart, sometimes those rabbit holes go lots deeper than you want to go. Start with some cleanup & inspection, maybe some paint & lube & see how she works!


+1 !   There are some great blogs on the similar machines like Rick Sparber's site. It's very cool yours has the metal guards over the Y lead screw. With mine there was a rubber sheet on the back side between the mast base and the table base and the previous owner didn't think he had to replace it when it died  There was a TON of  swarf in there as 75% of everything goes back there. i hope your table has a hole in the bottom to be able adjust the Y split nut. Pulling and cleaning and lubing the lead screws and nuts along with the table ways made a huge difference in my RF30. 

Personally after you do that and some cleaning up you are going to have your hands full tramming in the head again. Everything is magnified because of the distance between the head and the mast base. Rick Sparber also has an interesting blog on that too. While an engine hoist is not perfect because of the legs sticking out in front it has been a godsend for my use in pulling the head off my RF30 and for lifting the whole thing on and off my table. I'd like a overhead but being a garage shop don't have the overhead clearance or the space. The hoist folds up and has done everything plus some.


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## DavidR8

Thanks @C-Bag I will say that Rick's treatises on tramming are a bit daunting. It sounds as though tramming a mill/drill is many times more difficult than a regular mill. So more distance between the column base and the spindle centre magnifies the fore and aft tram?
I'm trying to wrap my head around this as dig in.


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## C-Bag

DavidR8 said:


> Thanks @C-Bag I will say that Rick's treatises on tramming are a bit daunting. It sounds as though tramming a mill/drill is many times more difficult than a regular mill. So more distance between the column base and the spindle centre magnifies the fore and aft tram?
> I'm trying to wrap my head around this as dig in.


Yup, I knew it looked hard just looking at the weight and the fact that unlike a knee mill you can't just loosen some adjusters and get 'er done. But when you start contemplating the distances involved and how microscopic changes in the base are magnified.......scary. I'm totally a deer in the headlights with the thought of that wabbit hole. Have you checked Stephan Gottswinter's YT on his tackling of this subject on his RF 45 clone? That's in one way the best way possible and the most detailed and daunting way to tackle it. Usual Stephan G. The guy blows my mind. That's not a wabbit hole, it's more like a crater!

The guy before me also messed with the column on mine and I've purposely avoided going there as I knew I needed more time and use under my belt before I jumped into the deep end. For me I like to tackle a known problem after I use something so I can know if it's my inexperience or the machine at fault. YMMV.


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## DavidR8

Thanks @C-Bag, its good to know that I'm not the only one who is daunted by the depth of this subject. 
My situation is likely much like yours, I've never turned on a mill let alone used one so I have zero experience. 

Thanks for the reference to Stephan Gottswinter, I completely forgot that he has an RF mill. I'll check out his video.


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## DavidR8

My column was shimmed so when I re-assemble it I'll replace the shims as they were originally located and see how it turns out.


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## DavidR8

I watched the Stefan Gotteswinter video and I'm bit perplexed.
What I took away from the video is that he raised the column up, placed four pieces of annealed copper wire in the corners, squeezed in metal epoxy to fill the gap and then tightened down the column till he achieved "perfect" tram.  
I assume that the copper wire was squeezed and became the 'shims'.

I don't know if anyone else has watched the video and can confirm my impressions.


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## mikey

Yup, that's pretty much what he did. Have to get it right the first time because if the epoxy bed is not exactly where you need it, trying to tram the column after that is going to be a bear.


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## MontanaLon

Actually the epoxy has a hard time sticking to cast iron that has been oiled. It will usually stick to one side only and peel off the other easily.


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## C-Bag

DavidR8 said:


> I watched the Stefan Gotteswinter video and I'm bit perplexed.
> What I took away from the video is that he raised the column up, placed four pieces of annealed copper wire in the corners, squeezed in metal epoxy to fill the gap and then tightened down the column till he achieved "perfect" tram.
> I assume that the copper wire was squeezed and became the 'shims'.
> 
> I don't know if anyone else has watched the video and can confirm my impressions.


That is kinda sorta. The annealed copper is compressible so you could tighten the tram where you wanted, as opposed to using shims where you have to pull the column up to install new shims. His method appeals to me because every time I've done the "you have to pull it to shim it" process there is a lot of hunt and peck involved. It's been a while since I watched the vid, but I would want to "dry test" the process by just using the copper wire without the epoxy and get a feel for how it goes. The reason he uses the special epoxy is to spread contact out to the whole column base and to make a non compressible base after the epoxy sets. I think Rick Sparber mentioned the effect of torque on the column base bolt too.


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## Dhal22

Would rented 6' x 6' scaffolding on wheels (and a chain hoist) work?


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## DavidR8

Dhal22 said:


> Would rented 6' x 6' scaffolding on wheels (and a chain hoist) work?



That could work depending on how tall they are. I have barely 8’ headroom in my garage and there’s a 3-ply, 2x12 beam running down the centre which cuts the headroom down to about 7’. 


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## francist

Hmm, that might be tight. I have a 1-ton — correction, 1/2-ton — Princess Auto chain fall I used to set up my shaper on its stand and by the time you figure the chain fall, a hook, a link to hang the fall, and the shortest strap possible it still makes for a long setup. Not sure how tall the LC will end up, but engine hoist may be the best for that limited height.

-frank


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## Aaron_W

DavidR8 said:


> That could work depending on how tall they are. I have barely 8’ headroom in my garage and there’s a 3-ply, 2x12 beam running down the centre which cuts the headroom down to about 7’.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



As mentioned before, a 2 ton engine hoist is your friend. I can assure you my space is closer than yours and I'm able to work the hoist around in there, it just takes some thinking ahead and a bit of man-handling the empty hoist to get into position for lifting. The 2 ton is nice because even at full extension you still are rated at 500lbs, although it can get squirrelly if you let the hanging bits start swinging. Engine hoists are kind of clunky to have around, so used ones are not too hard to acquire, and they aren't all that expensive new. 

It seems like most people just fold them up for storage which is still a pretty good size chunk of steel. If instead you take the time to disassemble them when not needed, they really don't take up that much room.


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## C-Bag

A lot of rental places have engine hoists. 

I don't know about your machine DavidR8 but mine has a hollow spot in the head between column and the spindle that's made as a lift point for the machine as a whole. Drop a chain with a bolted loop in it down through the top and when it clears underside of the head stick a pipe through the loop and Bob's your uncle. Just balance with the table X & Y.


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## DavidR8

I’m just out in the shop taking some measurements. 
I have 95” of overall height. 
It’s 15” from the bottom of the base to the underside of the head when the head is cranked all the way down. 
The mill is 46” tall at the top of the column. 
The stand is 29” tall so I don’t see a way to get it onto the stand unless I use a hoist because I won’t have enough headroom for the chainfall etc. 

@C-Bag yes there’s a place nearby that rents hoists. That’s my best best. 
I’m pretty sure my machine has the same hollow spot. There’s a cover on the bottom of the head. I haven’t pulled the pulleys yet so I can’t pull the lower part of the top off and see inside. 
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## DavidR8

On the plus side, the large nut that locks down the pulley onto the spindle just popped right off.
Does anyone know if this is a steel or aluminum pulley? Methinks aluminum but it looks a bit like steel.


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## NortonDommi

Dhal22 said:


> Would rented 6' x 6' scaffolding on wheels (and a chain hoist) work?


  I have a pile of 48.3 mm scaffolding pipe and a big box of assorted clamps.  Very handy for knocking up a temporary gantry for a hoist among other things.  Cheap to source second hand and new clamps are only a few dollars.


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## DavidR8

NortonDommi said:


> I have a pile of 48.3 mm scaffolding pipe and a big box of assorted clamps.  Very handy for knocking up a temporary gantry for a hoist among other things.  Cheap to source second hand and new clamps are only a few dollars.


Now that would be a handy bit of kit to have around!


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## NortonDommi

It has saved the day on many occasions.  I have made feet from scrap and have some jack heads from the scrap yard that got soaked in the Molasses solution, water-blasted, wire buffed and painted.  I can knock up a gantry to lift large items off a trailer in the drive in under 20 minutes.  Jack heads alone are a good investment.  Wood is amazingly strong but my garage is 20' wide so if I use one of the joists to dangle a hoist off I support as close as possible with the jack heads for extra safety.


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## mickri

I spent most of my adult life fooling around with sailboats.  During that time I used more gallons of epoxy than I can remember doing all kinds of repairs and even made a stitch and glue dinghy.  What Stefan did to tram his mill is quite common in building and repairing boats to make bases for winches and other fittings.

First thing is that anything that you don't want to glue together or for the epoxy to stick to you have to put on a thin film of mold release wax.  This is especially important on the threads of screws and what they are screwed into if you every want to take it apart.  Epoxy with no fillers tends to be brittle and is easily cracked.  You can use just about anything you want as a filler.  The most common fillers in boat work are microballoons and cabosil.  Microballons make the epoxy very easy to sand.  Cabosil on the other hand is made out of silica and makes it harder than rocks and will dull tools.  Aluminum powder is another common filler.  As is copper powder.  You could probably use the fine grit from your power hacksaw as a filler. 

Straight epoxy is pretty runny.  As you add fillers it gets thicker.  The most common consistency that I use is similar to the consistency of peanut butter. 

 If I was doing what Stefan did I would use thicker copper wire either "L" shaped at each corner or wrapped around the bolt like a crush washer and then tram the column first before squirting in the epoxy.  With thickened epoxy you could push it into the gap with a putty knife and there would be no need for the foam that Stefan used to keep the epoxy from running.  After a couple of hours and before the epoxy has fully cured I would remove each bolt one at a time just to break any bond with the epoxy.

If you could securely fasten a block to one of the beams in your garage you could run a cable through the block to a come a long to lift the mill onto its stand.  First the base and table.  Then the column and head.  

My stand has wheels.  When I brought it home I had it in 4 pieces in the back of my truck.  The stand, base and table, head and column, and finally the motor.  I slid the base and table onto the stand.  Then I slid the column and head next to the base and table and rocked the column and head onto the base.  Bolted it down.  Attached the motor and wheeled it to its place in the garage.  Broken down to its basic pieces makes it a lot easier to maneuver.

You'll figure it out.


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## MontanaLon

DavidR8 said:


> On the plus side, the large nut that locks down the pulley onto the spindle just popped right off.
> Does anyone know if this is a steel or aluminum pulley? Methinks aluminum but it looks a bit like steel.
> View attachment 314677



Magnet? Mine is steel but a different mill.


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## mikey

Aluminum.


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## DavidR8

MontanaLon said:


> Magnet? Mine is steel but a different mill.



Doh!
(Red faced!)


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## DavidR8

mickri said:


> I spent most of my adult life fooling around with sailboats.  During that time I used more gallons of epoxy than I can remember doing all kinds of repairs and even made a stitch and glue dinghy.  What Stefan did to tram his mill is quite common in building and repairing boats to make bases for winches and other fittings.
> 
> First thing is that anything that you don't want to glue together or for the epoxy to stick to you have to put on a thin film of mold release wax.  This is especially important on the threads of screws and what they are screwed into if you every want to take it apart.  Epoxy with no fillers tends to be brittle and is easily cracked.  You can use just about anything you want as a filler.  The most common fillers in boat work are microballoons and cabosil.  Microballons make the epoxy very easy to sand.  Cabosil on the other hand is made out of silica and makes it harder than rocks and will dull tools.  Aluminum powder is another common filler.  As is copper powder.  You could probably use the fine grit from your power hacksaw as a filler.
> 
> Straight epoxy is pretty runny.  As you add fillers it gets thicker.  The most common consistency that I use is similar to the consistency of peanut butter.
> 
> If I was doing what Stefan did I would use thicker copper wire either "L" shaped at each corner or wrapped around the bolt like a crush washer and then tram the column first before squirting in the epoxy.  With thickened epoxy you could push it into the gap with a putty knife and there would be no need for the foam that Stefan used to keep the epoxy from running.  After a couple of hours and before the epoxy has fully cured I would remove each bolt one at a time just to break any bond with the epoxy.
> 
> If you could securely fasten a block to one of the beams in your garage you could run a cable through the block to a come a long to lift the mill onto its stand.  First the base and table.  Then the column and head.
> 
> My stand has wheels.  When I brought it home I had it in 4 pieces in the back of my truck.  The stand, base and table, head and column, and finally the motor.  I slid the base and table onto the stand.  Then I slid the column and head next to the base and table and rocked the column and head onto the base.  Bolted it down.  Attached the motor and wheeled it to its place in the garage.  Broken down to its basic pieces makes it a lot easier to maneuver.
> 
> You'll figure it out.


Thanks, I've used the West epoxy system a bit in the past, microballoons and cabosil brings back memories of fibreglass boat repairs. 

I think I'll rent a hoist to put it on the stand. Seems easiest and safest to me.


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## DavidR8

Just checked the spindle pulley with a magnet and it is actually steel. 
I’m kinda surprised. 


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## DavidR8

Next step?
Rented a hoist so I can get the mill off the floor and onto its stand for cleaning etc.
I've determined that it's final location will allow me to build a small gantry using the 3-ply 2x12 beam my garage as one side of the gantry. That way I can lift the head as necessary during the cleanup.


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## DavidR8

All righty folks.
Big progress tonight.
I stopped by a local store with the intention of buying a puller to liberate the spindle pulley.
Turns out they have a program where they sell you the tool and you can bring it back and get a full refund. How cool is that?
So I pulled the puller out of the case and pulled the pulley. (see what I did there?  )

A bit of clean up required here!



Pulley bore.



Since I had the sheet metal off I snapped a couple of the inside of the head. Not a pretty sight. For some odd reason there were two pieces of corrugated cardboard inside the head. Odd, very odd...






Then I pulled the table. This is the top of the Y-axis. A bit of cleanup required.
I didn't take a pic of the lead screw but it's in excellent condition.
One thing I noticed is that that nut isn't split to allow for backlash adjustment like I've seen on other RF's. Which would explain why I don't have a hole to make any adjustment. Yes, those are spider webs...


Here's the bottom of the Y-axis. This was pretty challenging to remove because I had to unbolt the leadscrew nut by sticking my ratchet underneath and try to locate the bolt and loosen it.






Overall I'm impressed by the condition. Bolts came loose easily which is always my hope. The only thing that was a problem was the Y-axis gib would not come out by turning the adjustment screw even when the lock was fully removed. That will need some investigation.


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## RYAN S

I was just reading through your adventure, looks like you got a nice machine!! I just want to bring up something that @C-Bag mentioned earlier. Make sure there is a hole in the table so you can adjust or install the split nut!! I remember working on my old rf-30 and having to lift the machine off again to blast one in last minute with the torch!!  

Keep up the good work,
Ryan


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## DavidR8

RYAN S said:


> I was just reading through your adventure, looks like you got a nice machine!! I just want to bring up something that @C-Bag mentioned earlier. Make sure there is a hole in the table so you can adjust or install the split nut!! I remember working on my old rf-30 and having to lift the machine off again to blast one in last minute with the torch!!
> 
> Keep up the good work,
> Ryan



Thanks Ryan, I was looking for a hole but the I realized that the lead screw nuts are not split unfortunately. 


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## DavidR8

Big day today. I decided to buy a hoist when I found one for $300. I figure I'll move the mill at least once, need to hoist my Unisaw onto it's new stand and I want to pull my lathe off its bench and finish the top. And so now I own a 2-ton hoist. Took about 20 mins to assemble the hoist.

So I skidded the stripped down mill closer to where I wanted it to end up.


I bought chain and 1-ton rated shackles. I took the good advice of dropping the chain through the centre of the head and slid a length of 1/2" steel through the loop and clamped the steel bar to the head so it couldn't slip out if the mill tipped at all.



I took a deep breath and started lifting. Many pumps later, it reached the height of the stand. I was struggling for space or I would have come at a different angle.





Finally managed to get it close enough that I could just shove it over on the stand.


For all my worrying it was dead easy to do. Now that I have the hoist I won't hesitate to take it off should I build a new stand. Hint, hint... 

I then started cleaning all the gunk off the mill. I tried Simple Green first but it wasn't touching it. Paint thinner made quick work of it. Took all the goo off the column which made a remarkable difference on cranking the head up.
The muck came off the ways easily and an overall wipe down made a huge difference in it's appearance.
I cleaned the table, the y-axis slide (is that the right term?) and the leadscrews and nuts. Overall, it wasn't too bad.


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## DavidR8

End of a long day and the mill is all back together. There was nothing really amiss with it, just really dirty. 
There wasn't a lot of swarf anywhere, just build up of grease. I don't think it was ever stripped down and the cosmoline removed. The lead screw threads were nice and square and showed little wear. The ways were very clean with no discernible wear. I figured out that the y-axis gib adjustment screw was slightly bent which prevented the gib from moving in or out. I stuck it in the vise and gently bent it straight and filed off a small ridge on the head that had formed when I had tried to remove the gib.
Otherwise, it went back together easily, all the ways are oiled, the leadscrews are butter smooth and the spindle is smooth.
I need to convert the motor to 220v so I can use the 220v outlet that's close by.
And tram it. Sigh.

All buttoned up again.


Shiny new collet chuck and vise


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## MontanaLon

You can spin it by hand and make some small chips.


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## BGHansen

Hi David,

Just curious, now that you have a mill with a MT3 spindle instead of R8, is your handle changing from 'DavidR8' to DavidMT3"?

Bruce


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## DavidR8

BGHansen said:


> Hi David,
> 
> Just curious, now that you have a mill with a MT3 spindle instead of R8, is your handle changing from 'DavidR8' to DavidMT3"?
> 
> Bruce


I'm not sure what to do...
Maybe this?
DavidR8->MT3
or
DavidRMT83 (this one rhymes when spoken)

In truth, the R8 is a wordplay on my last name used by my family for 60+ years


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## MontanaLon

DavidR8 said:


> I'm not sure what to do...
> Maybe this?
> DavidR8->MT3
> or
> DavidRMT83 (this one rhymes when spoken)
> 
> In truth, the R8 is a wordplay on my last name used by my family for 60+ years


R8
AR ATE
A Rat


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## DavidR8

MontanaLon said:


> R8
> AR ATE
> A Rat


Close, oh so close...
Errrrrate


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## Janderso

David,
Celebrate, you bought an old used mil, tore it down to clean and inspect.
You found no significant issues from what I have read. You did well sir.
Sometimes we get lucky, sometimes we learn hard lessons.


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## DavidR8

Janderso said:


> David,
> Celebrate, you bought an old used mil, tore it down to clean and inspect.
> You found no significant issues from what I have read. You did well sir.
> Sometimes we get lucky, sometimes we learn hard lessons.



Thank you  
I do feel quite fortunate. It is pretty much exactly what I wanted, in good condition at price point that was fair for my location. 
I found a good quality vise on sale and likewise the hoist was also on a deep discount. 
Lucky all the way around. 


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## middle.road

Janderso said:


> David,
> Celebrate, you bought an old used mil, tore it down to clean and inspect.
> You found _*no significant issues*_ from what I have read. You did well sir.
> Sometimes we get lucky, sometimes we learn hard lessons.


"no significant issues", That is a major -plus-, given what I saw on the one here awhile back.


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## DavidR8

It lives!
Thanks to all who helped on my voltage conversion question yesterday. 
Got a plug this morning and wired it up. 
Yowsa! It’s a beast 



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## MontanaLon

But does it make chips?


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## DavidR8

MontanaLon said:


> But does it make chips?



I’m sure it would but I only have one T-nut for my vise 


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## ttabbal

DavidR8 said:


> I’m sure it would but I only have one T-nut for my vise
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




Make one on your lathe, bolt down vise, make chips.


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## MontanaLon

DavidR8 said:


> I’m sure it would but I only have one T-nut for my vise


You mean you don't have a 3D replicator?

You have a file? A drill? A 3/8x16 tap?

Or you could take a carriage bolt and shape the head by hand to fit your slots and then use a regular nut on the other end to hold the vise down while you make a T nut.


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## darkzero

DavidR8 said:


> I’m sure it would but I only have one T-nut for my vise
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Just mill on one side of the vise.


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## darkzero

Do you have a clamping set yet?


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## DavidR8

I plan to buy a clamping set tomorrow. 
I thought that I had a suitable piece of stock to make some T-nuts but when I attempted some layout I could not scratch it nor could I mark it with a file. 
So I think I have a 10” x .75x.75” length of very hard steel. 


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## DavidR8

MontanaLon said:


> You mean you don't have a 3D replicator?
> 
> You have a file? A drill? A 3/8x16 tap?
> 
> Or you could take a carriage bolt and shape the head by hand to fit your slots and then use a regular nut on the other end to hold the vise down while you make a T nut.


All excellent ideas. Sadly the only carriage bolts I had were 4" long and only threaded on the last inch


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## darkzero

I'm assuming you have stuff on order but if you don't want to wait it's really easy to make T-slot bolts on the lathe like the example below. If you don't want to single point the threads use a die. The flats you can just grind to size. This will get you by then with the vise mounted you can make proper T-nuts if that was your original plan.

Same method to make T-nuts on the lathe, just thread a hole instead of making a stud. The step can be round. Would need a threaded stud or bolt though of course. Keep in mind if you do use a bolt instead of a stead, be sure the length of the bolt is not too long & doesnxt bottom out on the table when tightened down, othewise bad things can happen!

I actually just made something similar yesterday but without the step.


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## mikes112

I have to dissasemble and move my rong fu 30 on monday. A little nervous but what metric wrench size do I need to seperate the column from the base and what wrench to remove the pulley from the spindle on the top of the machine?


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## DavidR8

I’d take a set of metric wrenches and or sockets. No need to pull the pulley to move it. 

I dropped the motor which is a solid 40lbs. 
I set the spindle down on the table and unbolted the column. 
I walked it down a ramp and let it sit while I fussed with the rest. 

If you have access to an engine hoist it’s far easier. 


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## mikey

mikes112 said:


> I have to dissasemble and move my rong fu 30 on monday. A little nervous but what metric wrench size do I need to seperate the column from the base and what wrench to remove the pulley from the spindle on the top of the machine?


 
The bolts on my base are 23mm. As Dave said, no need to remove the pulley but that top nut measures around 2-1/8", flat to flat.


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## MontanaLon

mikes112 said:


> I have to dissasemble and move my rong fu 30 on monday. A little nervous but what metric wrench size do I need to seperate the column from the base and what wrench to remove the pulley from the spindle on the top of the machine?


Big crescent wrench, metric and standard wrenches up to 19mm and 3/4", metric and standard hex wrenches and the most important part, snap ring pliers to take the split rings off the lead screws. An assortment of screw drivers, big to just larger than precision size. Mostly for bending tabs on nut keepers and disconnecting electrical components.


DavidR8 said:


> I’d take a set of metric wrenches and or sockets. No need to pull the pulley to move it.
> 
> I dropped the motor which is a solid 40lbs.
> I set the spindle down on the table and unbolted the column.
> I walked it down a ramp and let it sit while I fussed with the rest.
> 
> If you have access to an engine hoist it’s far easier.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Mine is a little bigger than an RF 30. 650 pounds or so they say. I took the motor off and disconnected the electrical connections after taking a picture of them. Not sure if the RF30 is comparably wired but my mill has 3 bars of connectors and there was no way I was going to get it right without a picture. Then removed the spindle casting from the head. As I understand it the RF30 is a single casting and that is likely the heaviest piece. I had it broke down into as small of components as I could manage in 1.5 hours in a gravel parking lot, while a storm was coming and it was getting dark. Loaded it up in my compact suv and went down the road.

Did the same with the lathe except no rain, was 100* and I was in the sun. Fun times.


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## mikes112

DavidR8 said:


> I’d take a set of metric wrenches and or sockets. No need to pull the pulley to move it.
> 
> I dropped the motor which is a solid 40lbs.
> I set the spindle down on the table and unbolted the column.
> I walked it down a ramp and let it sit while I fussed with the rest.
> 
> If you have access to an engine hoist it’s far easier.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Do you think I could pull the head up off the top of the column without removing the pulley above the spindle? But I would remove the spindle and motor.


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## DavidR8

mikes112 said:


> Do you think I could pull the head up off the top of the column without removing the pulley above the spindle? But I would remove the spindle and motor.


Hi Mike,
Even without the spindle the head weighs every bit of 100 lbs and you have to lift it over the top of the column.
Unless the mill is on the ground and you have tall, strong friends or a hoist to lift it over the height of the column I do not believe one person could safely remove the head from the column.
I'd give this article a read. It was the inspiration for moving mine. I should also point out that gravity helped me. Every thing came out of my truck down a ramp. Without a hoist there's no way I could have lifted anything more than an inch or two off the ground without injury.
Be safe as the parts are very heavy and injury is easy if not very careful.



			Moving An Enco RF-30 Mill/Drill


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## mikes112

mikes112 said:


> I have to dissasemble and move my rong fu 30 on monday. A little nervous but what metric wrench size do I need to seperate the column from the base and what wrench to remove the pulley from the spindle on the top of the machine?


I got it baby! Yeah! $250 with vice and collets!


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## DavidR8

mikes112 said:


> I got it baby! Yeah! $250 with vice and collets!



Well done!
Pics please 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## mikes112

Pics. Comes with vise, collet set and base.


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## DavidR8

Sweet, did you get the flycutter too?


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## arthurmill

DavidR8 said:


> Hey all, as many of you know, I week or so ago I bought a new-to-me Long Chang LC-30A mill drill.
> 
> I bought it from the second owner who bought it from a local machine shop. The fellow I bought it from only used it as a drill press.
> It didn't come with any tooling unless the factory drawbar counts. It has an MT3 spindle which I know is not the norm for mills but it will do for my needs at this point.
> 
> Over all it's in good condition, just really grimy and covered in crud. In disassembling it to get it out of my truck I think that there is still some of the original cosmoline on the column. Nasty stuff.
> 
> My plan is to pull it apart, clean and inspect everything and then reassemble. It will likely get paint as there was a lot of bondo-type filler that was dislodged when I pulled the column off the base.
> 
> I need to fashion a gantry crane so I can move the thing around my shop. Getting it off the truck in pieces was one thing, lifting pieces onto my bench is something altogether different.
> 
> PIctures to follow


Hi 

I aquired a LC-30A Long Chang mill but the previous owner changed the motor and the motor pulley. I was wondering if you could send me information on what the original motor should be and dimensions on the pulley that goes on it? Thank you.


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## DavidR8

Hi


arthurmill said:


> I aquired a LC-30A Long Chang mill but the previous owner changed the motor and the motor pulley. I was wondering if you could send me information on what the original motor should be and dimensions on the pulley that goes on it? Thank you.


I converted mine to 3-phase but still have to original motor. 
If I recall correctly it's a 1hp. I don't have the pulley dimensions but I can get them for you.


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## arthurmill

Thank you! I would appreciate it very much if you could send me the dimesions of the pulley and if there happens to be a tag on your original motor the numbers off it would be great too.


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## brino

@arthurmill 

Welcome to the group!

I did have to look up where Arthur is. 
It looks like a nice area!

-brino


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## arthurmill

It is. Thank you!


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## WCraig

@arthurmill Welcome from Oakville, ON.  I used to drive through quite often but I don't have as much reason any more.  One of these days!

Craig


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