- Joined
- Feb 1, 2015
- Messages
- 10,119
I just finished a big project where I used my old RF30 clone for the much of the machining. It seemed to me that there was some unwanted vibration although the TIR is on the order of a tenth and I could not detect any deflection of the spindle . I decided that it was a good time to pull apart the spindle and do a visual check on the bearings as well as to confirm the bearing numbers in the event that I might want/need to replace or upgrade to AC bearings.
As anyone who has serviced an RF30 or one of its clones, the spindle bearings are preloaded via two nuts which require a hook spanner wrench to loosen or tighten. The usual way is to use a drift and hammer for this task for want of a proper spanner. This didn't appeal to my sensibilities so I decided to make one today. I thought about cutting one out of mild steel plate on the Tormach CNC but decided that I really wanted a carbon steel.
When I bought my Tormach mill 13 years ago, I also bought the TTS tooling system which included six collet chucks. As it turned out, they also sent six sets of collet wrenches so I had five spare sets. I had repurposed two of the wrenches, one for the QCTP nut on my lathe and another for the nut for my lathe spindle stop but I still had four sets hanging on the wall. With a simple sketch, it looked like I could repurpose one of the wrenches for my new spanner.
The wrench was file hard to start so my first step was to heat the business end to a dark red which should remove any hardness. I then sketched my wr3nch design on the old wrench with a carbide scribe and cut away most of the steel that wasn't a spanner with my hack saw and bench grinder. I removed the remaining unwanted material with various files and touched up the outside with the bench grinder and checked the fit and function on the spindle nut. Satisfied with that, I heated to a bright orange, tested with a magnet and quenched in oil. After brightening the surface, I heated the wrench to a bronze color and quenched.
Using the proper tool for a job is doubly satisfying when you have made the tool. Here is the before and after.
As anyone who has serviced an RF30 or one of its clones, the spindle bearings are preloaded via two nuts which require a hook spanner wrench to loosen or tighten. The usual way is to use a drift and hammer for this task for want of a proper spanner. This didn't appeal to my sensibilities so I decided to make one today. I thought about cutting one out of mild steel plate on the Tormach CNC but decided that I really wanted a carbon steel.
When I bought my Tormach mill 13 years ago, I also bought the TTS tooling system which included six collet chucks. As it turned out, they also sent six sets of collet wrenches so I had five spare sets. I had repurposed two of the wrenches, one for the QCTP nut on my lathe and another for the nut for my lathe spindle stop but I still had four sets hanging on the wall. With a simple sketch, it looked like I could repurpose one of the wrenches for my new spanner.
The wrench was file hard to start so my first step was to heat the business end to a dark red which should remove any hardness. I then sketched my wr3nch design on the old wrench with a carbide scribe and cut away most of the steel that wasn't a spanner with my hack saw and bench grinder. I removed the remaining unwanted material with various files and touched up the outside with the bench grinder and checked the fit and function on the spindle nut. Satisfied with that, I heated to a bright orange, tested with a magnet and quenched in oil. After brightening the surface, I heated the wrench to a bronze color and quenched.
Using the proper tool for a job is doubly satisfying when you have made the tool. Here is the before and after.
