- Joined
- Jul 29, 2014
- Messages
- 58
Hi guys (haven't seen any gals around here).
As nothing much has happened here, I'd like to post something about my "baby".
It's a 1966/67 Deckel FP2, which I bought on German eBay 10½ years ago.
I had been looking at FP1's, but I could never seem to win an auction - at least with the amount
I was willing to pay. Some people had written a "2" took up about the same floor space as the "1",
so I had bid on this nice looking "2". I was overbid in the last minute, but managed to get it in
the last few seconds. €4510 used on a piece of steel - just based on some pictures...
I had sneaked away at work, officially checking schedules of our team. 5 seconds after I won it,
my superior was standing right behind me - and I had to pretend nothing had happened, while being
completely stoked and high...
So I went from Bornholm in the Baltic Sea through southern Sweden, Denmark and down to Köln
(Cologne) in Germany to pay in cash. Fortunately I had brought some extra, as the seller had separated
the accessories. I bought the index head with centering vise and the slotting head; both had been delivered
originally with the mill to Ford in Köln (same serial number), plus a much newer High Speed head. A much
used tilting/swivelling table came with it and while waiting for the pickup, the seller found a set of collets.
When the mill arrived (the second time - see below), I borrowed a local fork lift truck and got it up a small
slope - where I built my shop around it!! Later I went on several "Tool Treks" in Germany, picking up stuff I had
bought on eBay. A tooling cabinet for the FP1 went onto the roof of my Passat and I drove all over Germany
to pick up the rest. A hard voyage as it took several days without a bath, but fun. I have bought most of my
accessories on German eBay over time.
Do not believe a "2" is the same size as the "1". The 1 is a cute little thing, while the 2 is much more intimidating,
at least in my small shop (2.7 meter times 4.7 meters inside). This mill is one of the last of the
older "2"'s, having an x-asis of 500 mm. And it was born with the long reach head, which is very
versatile. It can be slid 300 mm in/out and then fixed. When pulled out, it can work as overarm for horizontal
milling. The spindle can be disabled and finally it can be turned and retracted, giving more space to use the boring
horizontal quill.
Unfortunately, upon arrival I took the fitting oil gun and immediately pumped the ways full of grease!!
Idiot... So in the years I have had it, I have hardly used it, because it's not been lubed. Now I am finally
building my shop crane, so I can take it apart (and project no.1 has been done - fixing the lathe).
At first I didn't have much insulation in the floor, just 6 mm green anti-squeak and the 22 mm plywood,
but later I bought some very strong 100 mm foam. So everything had to go to one end, while I took up the
22 mm plywood and laid the 100 mm foam. I almost lost the mill there, while it was on the hand truck.
It doesn't take much to topple it - but I saved it - phew! I know not everybody have been that lucky.
It would've been the second time it fell, as I had had to store it with some family, until I was ready to build
my shed. The one family member who helped me got home before I did, and he loosened all straps without
hooking it to the winch on the lowbed trailer - and tilted the bed backwards. Unfortunately he had had sand on it, so
the pallet started sliding back on its own. When it hit the concrete, it tilted backwards. And then I arrived,
seeing my mill lying there, bleeding oil. The damage was rather slight, a few bearings, conical pins, y-axis
feed nut and the bracket that hold the y-axis bellows. I got the parts from Franz Singer - except the bracket.
That's mainly cosmetic, so I haven't glued it or gotten another - yet.
At a dealer I found a Fine Boring head with a raising block (FP2 type) and later an FP3 tilt/swivelling table.
So I sold the High Speed head and the normal tilt/swivelling table. But, as the FP3 table is large, I don't
know where to store it! I have serious space problems, but at least not as much as Paul (who also has
machinery for wood in his "shop" or "ship";-)). But don't we all have that kind of problem? ;-)
I have chinese DRO's ready for both the mill (Meister TopTen) and the lathe (Knuth Xpos3 - same as
TopTen, really). I'll try to install the DRO x scale on the slide meant for gauge blocks. I'm not much for
making holes in my pretty mill. It should be possible to mount the other two scales to the t-slots meant for
stops or gauge blocks.
So much for now
Cheers
Erik
As nothing much has happened here, I'd like to post something about my "baby".
It's a 1966/67 Deckel FP2, which I bought on German eBay 10½ years ago.
I had been looking at FP1's, but I could never seem to win an auction - at least with the amount
I was willing to pay. Some people had written a "2" took up about the same floor space as the "1",
so I had bid on this nice looking "2". I was overbid in the last minute, but managed to get it in
the last few seconds. €4510 used on a piece of steel - just based on some pictures...
I had sneaked away at work, officially checking schedules of our team. 5 seconds after I won it,
my superior was standing right behind me - and I had to pretend nothing had happened, while being
completely stoked and high...
So I went from Bornholm in the Baltic Sea through southern Sweden, Denmark and down to Köln
(Cologne) in Germany to pay in cash. Fortunately I had brought some extra, as the seller had separated
the accessories. I bought the index head with centering vise and the slotting head; both had been delivered
originally with the mill to Ford in Köln (same serial number), plus a much newer High Speed head. A much
used tilting/swivelling table came with it and while waiting for the pickup, the seller found a set of collets.
When the mill arrived (the second time - see below), I borrowed a local fork lift truck and got it up a small
slope - where I built my shop around it!! Later I went on several "Tool Treks" in Germany, picking up stuff I had
bought on eBay. A tooling cabinet for the FP1 went onto the roof of my Passat and I drove all over Germany
to pick up the rest. A hard voyage as it took several days without a bath, but fun. I have bought most of my
accessories on German eBay over time.
Do not believe a "2" is the same size as the "1". The 1 is a cute little thing, while the 2 is much more intimidating,
at least in my small shop (2.7 meter times 4.7 meters inside). This mill is one of the last of the
older "2"'s, having an x-asis of 500 mm. And it was born with the long reach head, which is very
versatile. It can be slid 300 mm in/out and then fixed. When pulled out, it can work as overarm for horizontal
milling. The spindle can be disabled and finally it can be turned and retracted, giving more space to use the boring
horizontal quill.
Unfortunately, upon arrival I took the fitting oil gun and immediately pumped the ways full of grease!!
Idiot... So in the years I have had it, I have hardly used it, because it's not been lubed. Now I am finally
building my shop crane, so I can take it apart (and project no.1 has been done - fixing the lathe).
At first I didn't have much insulation in the floor, just 6 mm green anti-squeak and the 22 mm plywood,
but later I bought some very strong 100 mm foam. So everything had to go to one end, while I took up the
22 mm plywood and laid the 100 mm foam. I almost lost the mill there, while it was on the hand truck.
It doesn't take much to topple it - but I saved it - phew! I know not everybody have been that lucky.
It would've been the second time it fell, as I had had to store it with some family, until I was ready to build
my shed. The one family member who helped me got home before I did, and he loosened all straps without
hooking it to the winch on the lowbed trailer - and tilted the bed backwards. Unfortunately he had had sand on it, so
the pallet started sliding back on its own. When it hit the concrete, it tilted backwards. And then I arrived,
seeing my mill lying there, bleeding oil. The damage was rather slight, a few bearings, conical pins, y-axis
feed nut and the bracket that hold the y-axis bellows. I got the parts from Franz Singer - except the bracket.
That's mainly cosmetic, so I haven't glued it or gotten another - yet.
At a dealer I found a Fine Boring head with a raising block (FP2 type) and later an FP3 tilt/swivelling table.
So I sold the High Speed head and the normal tilt/swivelling table. But, as the FP3 table is large, I don't
know where to store it! I have serious space problems, but at least not as much as Paul (who also has
machinery for wood in his "shop" or "ship";-)). But don't we all have that kind of problem? ;-)
I have chinese DRO's ready for both the mill (Meister TopTen) and the lathe (Knuth Xpos3 - same as
TopTen, really). I'll try to install the DRO x scale on the slide meant for gauge blocks. I'm not much for
making holes in my pretty mill. It should be possible to mount the other two scales to the t-slots meant for
stops or gauge blocks.
So much for now
Cheers
Erik
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I was watching a FP1 being auctioned on Surplex last year, I missed the ending so I never found out how much it fetched. It was very nicely tooled and was at a German manufacturing company that was closing. That's really the only way to get one- direct from the fatherland. Or is it motherland? 