Gorton 8-1/2d X-axis Feed Slipping

[leeko]

Hi all,

I finally got around to wiring in the vfd for my gorton mill's power feed. All works fine, except that the mechanical clutch won't stay engaged when feeding the x axis left to right. It stays engaged for 1, maybe 2 revolutions of the lead screw, then it slips out of gear. The other direction, and the other axis all work fine. The problem happens in all feed speeds, except the very lowest (0.6ipm).

I'm guessing it's a problem with the clutch itself, but I'm not sure how to get at the internals - i dont see an obvious entry point to the clutch mechanism. If anyone could help me troubleshoot this, I'd be very grateful!

Thanks very much,

Lee

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[4GSR]

Lee,

You will have to remove the table to access the clutch mechanism. It's not too hard to do. The 9J mills are equally the same as the 8-1/2D except for the size.
First thing to do is remove the brackets on each end that support the x-axis feed screw. (the long feed screw) Next, remove the table gib. Last, slide the table off with help of over head crane or engine hoist. Way too heavy to remove by yourself, even if you have a helper to help. It's heavy! Once the table is off, look at the clutches and go from there. I suspect you probably have a lot of crud that has accumulated in the clutch mechanism causing problems. The clutches are a straight tooth type. They could be worn, just have to check them out.

Ken

 

[leeko]

Ken, that's exactly the info i needed. It'll likely need to wait until i can fit a hoist in that part of the shop (the B&S micromaster is in the way). But, it's good to know that it's likely fixable

Thanks,

Lee

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