Old No. 4 Spindle Disassembly

[bug_hunter]

Hey Guys,

Trying to disassemble the spindle on my old, belt-driven Burke No. 4. From the backside, I got down to the ring to pre-load the brass bushings, but cannot get any further, I can turn the ring about a half revolution, and can tell it is threaded to tighten against the bushing, but cannot move it any more than that nor unthread it off. Any insight or a drawing of the entire spindle assembly would help a lot. I have found a drawing that shows Timken bearings, but nothing showing the brass bushings.

Thanks,

Greg

 

[bug_hunter]

Hey Guys,

I have an old Burke No. 4 (1920's). I pulled out the spindle for a cleanup,, and would like to replace the oil wicks. Can this be done without removing the brass bushings. One side seems relatively easy as there is a slot on the bottom of the bushing, but the other not so. Four small holes of a size that do not appear to accept a felt wick. Any help related to the removal and reinstallation of the rear (non-tapered) bushing would really be appreciated.

Thanks,

Greg

 

[bug_hunter]

Just and FYI for the record. I was able to remove the brass bushing by unscrewing the downstream cap. Had to use a pipe wrench as there are no flats or pin recesses on the disc. This allowed my to push out the bushing and expose the sticky original packing that was housed within the Burke body. The four holes described above were actually oil passages through the bushing, I repacked the oil holding area in the burke body with wool felt, and pressed the bushing back in. I then inserted four wool felt wicks into the four oil passages, and reassembled the spindle. After that, I pulled it all apart so I could install the drive belt I forgot on the initial assembly. Lastly I tweaked the two adjusting disks to minimize any lateral slop in the spindle, but still allowing movement.

Greg

 

[bug_hunter]

Another FYI for any potential Old Burke No. 4 purchasers. I weighed the different components of the machine to establish a finished weight. Keep in mind this is a converted, 1920's, belt drive machine.

Cart + Base = 120
Body w/Spindle = 100
Pan = 22
Flat Plate (holds the countershaft, motor, and speed reducer) = 58
Overarm = 24
Belt Tensioner = 15
Table + Knee = 50
Table Drive = 14
Countershaft = 29
Motor = 55
Speed Reducer = 35
Misc. Parts and Fasteners = 14
Vertical Milling Attachment = 20
Total = 556 pounds (more than I can carry down the stairs, fully assembled)

Hope someone gets some use out of this,

Greg