ROTEX RM-1 Rebuild (kind of)

[Nogoingback]

Great job on your machine so far. What's the dial marked in fractions for?

 

[aztoyman]

The quill is marked in fractions.

 

[Weldingrod1]

I use a homemade single arm indicator holder. The dually would be faster, of course;-)

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

 

[aztoyman]

Got my new motor bearings today. Didn't fit. Same exact brand and part number. I found out the 6202 bearings made today have a 15mm ID. Mine are 16mm. I also found out I can get it with a 16mm ID if I ordered a 6202-16.

My old bearings did NOT have the -16. I'm guessing that 16mm was standard back then. I measured .630". Unfortunately I didn't double check BEFORE I ordered.

So.........the vertical motor takes two 6202-2RS-16 The 2RS is because I ordered it with double rubber seals. The original was two metals shields. (ZZ)

I didn't want Chinese cheapies. I found Nachi and NSK available. Quality made in Japan so I ordered the Nachi just because I could get them faster than the NSK. Same price.

 

[aztoyman]

Well I FINALLY got it done. The motor and spindle run smooth and quiet with new bearings.

I am waiting for an indicator I ordered that reads in tenths so I can tram it in. So far I just got it close using a big shop built angle block that came with the machine. Close enough to make a few chips testing. (Playing)

I secured a chunk of 6061 to the table, grabbed a sharp end mill and tried every speed and feed combination I have. I use HSS with my lathe and I'm guessing it's similar. Match the DOC, speed and feed for desired result in material used. I also compared climb vs conventional.

I ended up tightening up the gib screws as it ran. I'm excited to get learning. I also have to get some tooling. What size vise would be good for this?

 

[Steve-F]

So cool!!

Maybe a 4" Kurt style?

 

[aztoyman]

Thanks Steve, I'll start looking for a 4" vise.

I bought a tramming tool with two indicators. The "eye ball" tram I did with the angle block was out .0025 on the tilt. (X axis) The nod was out .0045. Dialing in the tilt went pretty quick. The nod was frustrating. I had to compensate for the measurement changing as the clamp bolts were tightened.

Thanks for the positive comments and recommendations. I hope this helps any future Rotex owners looking for info.

 

[aztoyman]

Hi everybody, I'm bringing this thread back up mainly because I need some advice for a proper sized vise for this machine. And this question doesn't really quite fit anywhere else. At least it will be with this Rotex machine thread if anyone else does a search.

Anyway, I'm thinking a 4 inch vise might be too big. The table is only 5"x 20" So I'm thinking my best bet would be a 3 or 4 inch screwless vise.

A 3x4 Shars precision toolmakers vise is 7 1/2" long. Maybe the best fit on the 5" wide table.

The 4 x 4 7/8 version is roughly 9 1/2" long. Definitely more overhang. Might be annoying but, doesn't obstruct operation.

The 3" (regular) mill vises aren't very good quality and will hang over the table as much as the 4 inch screwless type.

Opinions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Also, I see the weight for the 3" is 11 pounds and the 4" is 22 pounds. Listed on several websites. Seems like a big difference.

Scott

 

[markba633csi]

Hi Scott- nice machine, I have a hybid- it's a Rotex head on a Diamond horizontal mill
You want a low profile 4" vise. I like swivel types but some folks don't.
I don't know who made mine but it's nice and low: 3.25" tall with swivel, 2.125" without
Of course your machine may have more vertical knee travel than mine- I only have about 9" so the low vise really helps
-Mark

 

[aztoyman]

Thanks for the reply and pics Mark.

Your vise looks ABOUT like the size of the 4" ones I was considering. Hanging off that far doesn't cause any problems?

I can get a pretty decent 4" Shars/Tegara 440V vise that's 12 1/2" long. If that's not a problem I'll wait until they are back in stock.