Cataract No. 5 mill ?

[Mechanik]

In some forums, big pics are a problem, so I started conservative. Here it is max res,' large'
I see what you mean by Z, that might explain the flat vise, which I'd wondered about
but it will drop a couple of inches... and the quill is dropped all the way down. I see what uou mean about horizontal - it looks like the Hardinge part was a horizontal mill.

 

[Mechanik]

odd, just posted higher res pic isn't turning up. So here it is again. Sorry if its a duplicate and I clog the forum

 

[C-Bag]

Since we are so picture oriented here (no pics, it didn’t happen) there is nobody dinging you for size. And the more info you can post the more likely you’ll get help. That’s another thing we are into around here if you haven’t noticed. So the quill can go up it looks like but where’s the mechanism to raise and lower it? It doesn’t look like they use a mill head I’m familiar with, which is not saying much. No pics of the other side?

I hate to say it but small knee mills as cool as they are, are always hurting for Z. There are ways to deal with it but it’s something that if you are not thinking about it will block you from getting it to be useful if most of your projects are too big. With my mill drill I have a lot of Z but I hate to re register after starting a project and then have to raise the head. So it makes me hyper aware of Z.

 

[brino]

Holy step-pulleys Batman!

Check here:
The Harding Cataract horizontal #5 mill
http://www.lathes.co.uk/cataract miller/index.html

Another much larger and stronger miller, the No. 5, was also produced from around 1912 and continued to be manufactured, in a modified form with neat, enclosed drive systems and 2-speed motors, into the 1930s and 1940s.

then about 3/4 of the way down the page this picture:



The one in this thread has the horizontal spindle removed.
I wonder if the vertical spindle and motor both mount on a shaft in the over-arm location.

This one also looks like the plate that the spindle is mounted on could rotate......but I wonder about the motor and belt alignment......

-brino

 

[Mechanik]

"Holy step-pulleys Batman!"
yeah right - lol
"The Harding Cataract horizontal #5 mill"
that's it, alright. Its a shame its not in original condition.
Still the owner (deceased) appears to have done a decade to two work with it.
"This one also looks like the plate that the spindle is mounted on could rotate......but I wonder about the motor and belt alignment......"
Clearly that wouldn't work
The spindle/quill/headstock and its backing plate looks like it came from another machine - slightly different color
Does anyone recognise this arrangement from another mill?