Repairing a "parkson" 14" rotary table

[brewdexta]

I've had this hanging a round the workshop for a couple of years and decided to take a look at it 'cos I was sick of tripping over it and another forum member wanted one. I knew it needed a bit of TLC, but as it was given by a neighbour I don't know if it was discarded due to being broken or surplus to requirements due to CNC etc.

Got it on the bench and it was locked solid, supposedly it has an option to disengage the worm so the table spins freely, the selector is on the top left of this picture, you can select handle, spin freely or power fed. The handle or free spinning don't work and cant try the power feed easily but pretty sure this will be the same, basically its seized.

I can't find any instruction manual on the Internet so its a case of trial and error to find out how to take it apart.

First taking the four plugs out underneath handily marked with LH so you know its a left hand thread. quite a lot of water came out of this which doesn't bode well..... These reveal four bolts that I believe hold the table down, obviously via some kind of rotating gubbings or it wouldnt be a rotary table. The nuts at top and bottom of picture are used to lock the table in a given position.

Here's the beast on its back, I've filled its orifices up with parafin to free it up, diesel would probably have been better but I've run out of red. You can just about see the bottom of the centre boss which I'm was in the process of pushing out. This is seperate to the main table and is held in place by two hex bolts on the other side. You can see it still in place on the previous picture.

Not sure whether the table will push out from below with a bit of pressure from underneath on the centre ring or the gears need to be removed first?

As you can see below, the handle is on an eccentric spindle and my neighbour and I was wondering if this was turned the gears would be moved out of the way so the table can be released. There's no obvious way of spinnning it and removing the drive selector at the other end of the spindle hasnt' revealed much. I'm sure we will work it out however if anybody has taken one of these, or similar, apart before and has any tips let me know. I'm going to leave the parafin to soak for a few days until i get soem more workshop time. May be better to put the plugs back in and flip it over with the parafin in it. I'll give that a go next.

EDIT - there may be a way of moving that eccentric shaftm the collar on the shaft behind the handle, plus I'm only guessing the middle postion is free run on the selector, taking the lid off didn't reveal much, it may be no feed but not free runnng.

Cheers
Andy

 

[brewdexta]

Just put the collar on that eccentric spindle assembly and moved it so the gears shoud not be meshed, needed a bit of "gentle" persuasion. The spindle now spins, but the table is still stuck solid, progress of sorts......

 

[brewdexta]

I got bored and seeing as the parafin was leaking out with some water I finished taking the centre boss out of the table and thought I would check out what else I could do in a couple of minutes before dinner.

I tipped up the table again but this time more rusty water came out with the parafin and when I applied a bit of grease to the various nipples a load more rusty water exited. Still no obvious way of releasing the table other than brute force and ignorance however taking the centre boss has revealed that just bashing what I thought was an extension of the table going through to the underneath is probably going to be counter productive as its not in one piece.

Here's the table with the centre boss removed, there's two bolt holes and what looks like a hole for an oiling point.

Here you can see the ring inside the hole showing that it looks like the table casting isn't extended all the way through so just applying force from below may not be the way to go, that's plan A scuppered, no plan B other than dropping the whole thing in a bath of diesel for a week or two.

Cheers
Andy

 

[ronan]

It looks like a quality bit of kit brewdexta, is it as heavy as it looks ? Will it fit on the tom seniors ?

 

[brewdexta]

It looks like a quality bit of kit brewdexta, is it as heavy as it looks ? Will it fit on the tom seniors ?

The weight is half the problem, its not easy to throw it around the bench to find out how it works (or should work), I had to use the engine hoist to get it on there, and moving it and chocking it up to work on it requires a combination of levers and a large amount of grunting

I haven't trapped a finger or limb yet but it has to be treated with respect otherwise if the missus doesn't check the workshop I may have to cut my arm off like that guy in the US stuck in the desert

It may just about fit on the TS but would be pushing it and would only recommend it if you had a specific use for 14" of rotary table. It would be better suited to Wendelspanswick's big chinese mill or the big Beaver that mm289 is up to his elbows in

Cheers
Andy

 

[Wedg1e]

My Jones & Shipman 12" weighs over 50Kg so that is going to be weighty!

On the J&S, as you say the spindle is in an eccentric which allows you to fine-tune the mesh with the table gear. I think the table is kept on the base by a circlip but it's been a few years since I had it in bits - and no sign of a circlip on yours.

 

[brewdexta]

Thanks Wedgie,
I've managed to get the table to move about 5 or 6 degrees and its slowly moving more but its taking a reasonable about of persuasion so its either rusted solid or I'm damaging it, I think its the former due to all the water that's exiting but not sure yet.......

Cheers
Andy

 

[dan.taylor.1]

Keep dousing it with penetrating oil etc as your working it, never had anything beat me yet trying to free it and I work on a lot of farm stuff...!

Dan

 

[brewdexta]

Success, used a combination of paraffin and the neighbouring farmer who's built like a brick outhouse, he picked it up without a hoist, put it on the workmate, we clamped the base down and used a 3 foot bar to turn it, once it turned we flipped it over and drove it out with a wooden drift relatively easily

Full of rusty crud but actually looks OK, but needs the gunk removing first and the spindle is still tight so will strip it down completely, clean it and reassemble, there the odd broken grease nipple etc.

The rotating table upside down, the liquid is mainly paraffin

here's the base

Cheers
Andy

 

[Wedg1e]

Gorgeous

 

[ronan]

It'll be a good bit of kit brewdexta if there is no damage to it, i have a small rotary table that is loose in part of its rotation and tight in another part which makes it hard to use. I'll buy a vertex or something when i get some spare cash.
What are you going to do with it when you have it finished ?

 

[Wedg1e]

Here's mine... just about fits the jog borer's X-Y table





I just make like Precious Mackenzie whenever I need to use it; it lives on two wooden blocks on the floor so I can get my hands underneath... then it's a clean-and-jerk and hope nothing pops out in yer trousers

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Precious Mackenzie, that was a blast from the past!
Cheers

 

[brewdexta]

What are you going to do with it when you have it finished ?

Probably sell it, I'll stick it on here giving Wendelspanswick first dibs as he has already indicated he wants it.

That's a nice sized one Wedgie. Mine is far too big for the Tom Senior. I remember Precious McKenzie being on Blue Peter he was about 7 stone but could lift overweight presenters easily

It looks in good overall condition, just a bit of rust but nothing on the bits that matter, the bits that slide look fine, no pitting.

The greasing method for the rotating table slideway is a new one on me, uses a spring packed with what looks and feels like steel wool, I guess the idea is the grese nipple is high on the hole the spring sit in and when greased it compresses it slightly so the grease soaked steel wool is wiping grease onto the underside of the bed while it rotates. Here's a couple of pics showing whats left, the steel wool looks more like an owl pellet now.

Next job is to get the spindle out, I'm guessing the end cap is the key to getting this out. I think I put a bolt in it and use a puller and out it pops, unless you know better...?

Cheers
Andy

 

[brewdexta]

I made a quick puller and got the cover off which was also the carrier for the gubbins that selects which drive to use.

Gears look in good nick, just needs the old cruddy grease cleaning out

Also freed up the mechanism that selects if the table is driven or free running, this is the drive engaged.

and disengaged

Again, all looks good, all old grease now removed and no sign of water, only parafin. I then had a quick clean up of the slideway where the table sits, looks very good considering. There is some very slight staining but not pitting, you can't feel it with your finger.

If I can clean the old grease from the cogs and can push clean grease through with no more moisture or sign of rusty grease I may leave the spindle well alone. I'm going to bring the bed in to sit next to the boiler for a few days just to make sure its dried out.

Cheers
Andy