Tom Senior Light Vertical rebuild

[Shox Dr]

I've had a Tom Senior for the last 8ish yrs. I bought it off a good friend and a fantastic engineer, so I know it had been looked after.

Its lived in another workshop, come store, come compressor/blast cabinet room: Yes I know not the best place for it to live but needs must. And I haven't had the inclination nor time to move it into my new workshop.

Its a really nice little mill, and it's capable of a lot more than they are given credit for, this is a 1" steel plate I milled a 6" hole using a 12" rotary table, granted it took me about 4 hours but it will make an ace large bore fixed steady for the M300 when I finish it

The only fault I have with it is the cross slide is tight at the far end, through not using the whole table for small jobs or repetitive work

So for some reason I decided to move it at 18:30 tonight

By taking the bloody thing to pieces

 

[Robotstar5]

Did you manage to finish before Corrie started?

 

[Shox Dr]

der missed half my post off....


So do I rebuild it as is with just a clean, or do I send it down to Slideway Services and get Brain Caddy to work his magic on it?

Whatever happens I'm going to use one of those reduction motor I have to make it a powered cross feed

 

[ronan]

I have a tom senior meself dr.shox that i bought over the phone unseen, they strike me as an extremely well made machine , like an industrial quality machine only in miniture, does your's show any signs of wear in the slides at all ?

 

[Shox Dr]

Like I say only a little on the rhs of the cross slide, due most like to not moving parts around the table. other than that the table has about .002 on cross slide left to right and about the same over the table

 

[Shox Dr]

What would be the best way to clean the face of the column without damaging the hand scraped finish

I guess the long number is production. But what is the 12 above, it's stamped on all the castings, so is that to identify the parts belong to one machine, and if so I wonder it each are made by one man (hence #12), and possibly an apprentice.

Wonder who many people worked there, little info about the company on lathes.co.uk

 

[MattF]

If it's only fine surface rust, plenty of oil and either fine wire wool or scotchbrite type pads.

 

[Shox Dr]

Not as bad as this I thought, it looked like yrs of rust had been drowned in grease. But a bit of a scrap and things were looking up

with nothing more than a rub, it looks almost new. Must be a very fine casting, only leaving that aged look

 

[CRB]

You have nothing to worry about, at least I don't when a Bottle of Dog is by my side.

 

[Spark plug]

I have a m300 fixed steady if you need any dimensions off it. I'm thinking about making a traveling steady, there's no way I'm paying eBay prices for one.

 

[Shox Dr]

I have a m300 fixed steady if you need any dimensions off it. I'm thinking about making a traveling steady, there's no way I'm paying eBay prices for one.

We've used that peice of steel for the last 5 yrs, as a back gate stay

I saw it at a mates place, and knowing I would at sometime buy a M300 and the hairy cost of fixed steadies I blagged it It's 8x14x1 and was cut with that radius. I'll probably... no no I must finish this project first (although the steady was first)

 

[Spark plug]

We've used that peice of steel for the last 5 yrs, as a back gate stay

I saw it at a mates place, and knowing I would at sometime buy a M300 and the hairy cost of fixed steadies I blagged it It's 8x14x1 and was cut with that radius. I'll probably... no no I must finish this project first (although the steady was first)

Tell me about it, I can't get one thing finished for starting 3 more.

 

[ronan]

Anyone have any drawings for a slotting head for the tom seniors ? I'd like one but they go for telephone numbers on ebay.

 

[madkayaker]

If you can show me which bit I can take some measurements from the one at work

 

[Shox Dr]

Not one for missing an opportunity for another cubby hole, I cut the side out of the Base.

Used a bit of worktop left over from making the top that covers my roller cabinets. Cut in half so it was easier to fit in for a good fit. It also gets rid of someone else I have cluttering the place up

Better than steel as it won't mark tooling I put in it.

 

[MattF]

Cut in half so it was easier to fit in for a good fit. It also gets rid of someone else I have cluttering the place up

The wife upset you then?

 

[Shox Dr]

There's been times I've wanted lay 6cube of concrete over her

 

[Drains]

What would be the best way to clean the face of the column without damaging the hand scraped finish

I guess the long number is production. But what is the 12 above, it's stamped on all the castings, so is that to identify the parts belong to one machine, and if so I wonder it each are made by one man (hence #12), and possibly an apprentice.

Wonder who many people worked there, little info about the company on lathes.co.uk

Slightly grubby machine steel can be well cleaned by this stuff

http://www.axminster.co.uk/garryson-garryflex-abrasive-cleaning-block-prod20009/

Good if there's a bit of rust you don't want to have to grind off.

 

[brightspark]

corse scotch pad and wd 40 and elbow grease

 

[ronan]

corse scotch pad and wd 40 and elbow grease

Or jizer instead of the wd40 , thats what i used on mine and it came up loverly