Nice catch Paul. I'd have been so concerned about getting everything back in the way it came out, I think I'd have missed that it was in the wrong way round to begin with!
Well diagnosed the spindles bearing spacer had been reassembled incorrectly. I like the way the whole spindle assembly is removed for maintenance. Looks promising.....Tony
Hi Paul. Well done on your deduction regarding the spindle spacer being the wrong way round. You have a knack for “engineering autopsy”. Step by step you will renovate the surface grinder to a high standard. 👏👏👍😂 The mystery machine does indeed have the hallmarks of a drag engraving/slotting machine. Hope you can identify it.
12:27 From someone with limited space as well… You really need to get a work bench. If for no other reason to save your body. Have spent way too much time like that, on the floor…and hate it with a passion. 😬☺️ Great work as usual and a really nice little machine. 👌
Hi, one big consideration is lighting for the video. I have a good large bench in another room and even a (smaller) welding bench in that room but it's hard to set up the cam in the right place. We suffer a lot for our art. 🤣 Cheers
Well done spotting the errant installation of the sleeve, if you'd simply replaced that bearing and reinstalled the assembly the same way you found it, the new bearing would have eventually suffered the same fate as the old one. As for the mystery machine, I've never seen anything like it, but there as many folk with way more experience of those older machine tools out there.
Hi Joseph & Dad, well you have seen taking the spindle 'cassette' out is easy enough. But - actually I think you can see the orientation of the spacer tube just by removing the switches run-stop plate and looking into the head. Do you have a manual? Paul
@@HaxbyShed We do not have a manual and could not find one online. Thanks for the tip about removing the run/stop plate, we will do that as I am sure our machine has been apart before
Hello Paul. A great video. I enjoy disassembling and figuring out how the assembly is supposed to work too, and so I enjoy watching you do it. Very good call on the sleeve being the wrong way round. The bearing you changed was absolutely knackered so good call. I can see some kind of indexing function in the mystery machine but I don't know what it was for. I can't fathom what the t slots in the headstock might have been for.
Is the mystery machine for engraving graduations on micrometer style dials for for focussing etc? I bet if the tube had been on the right way round that bearing would be fine!! Another really interesting video Paul! Phil
Hi Phil, can't think who fitted the spacer tube on the wrong way around because the bearing was sure to be original with those measurement engravings on it (20.0000mm). Might have been a Friday job, after a long lunch at the pub. Cheers
Hi Michel, we are getting close to a name and purpose of the mystery machine. The bearing is about 60 years old so maybe it was about time, but that tube the wrong way around would not help. Cheers
Hi Paul, When you showed the close up of the cylindrical bearing, I was going to comment it was toast and needed changing. You made the right call 👍 Probably a good idea to use a good synthetic grease as well. Have a Happy New Year ! Cheers....
May I wish you and your family a safe 2024. Nice spindle design, good catch on assembly error Paul. Ref mystery machine tool, spiral cutting, face or diameter?, as you say, worm and wheel limits spindle speed, looks like there is a facility to gear spindle to sliding carriage. Vertical slide, as opposed to standard cross slide suggests easy adjustment for spiral groove width. Thanks for sharing
For $32.5 USA to get a full service manual I would go that route because they often have interesting info that you wouldn’t normally find. For any machine you plan to own and maintain for a length of time having the machines original service manual takes all the uncertainty out of the equation. In essence it’s a massive time saver which makes you far more efficient while doing the maintenance. For around $33 US to remove all the guesswork out of a machine that someone has monkeyed around with … shoot I’ll buy it for you.
Well Sir you are right. I was what we call "penny wise, pound foolish". I spent a couple of days chasing a 'fault' which was actually a designed-in feature. You will see in a future video. Anyway, a kind viewer has sent me a parts manual for the Mk1. I'm not sure there was ever an operator's manual as such, just a parts manual (I think). Thanks for the kind offer. Cheers
Good progress and definitely the right move to change the bearing. Look forward to seeing it in use! Could the mystery machine be for engraving large bezels?
That old lathe, looks like it was used to machine the level and transit tubes for the Cooke instruments. Just a guess here, but, it looks like it would be used to set the level vial base locating rings, on the tubes. Not for the long tube levels, it would have to be double the length, but it would have worked wonderfully for the transits, of the day. When I was taking surveying in college, one instructor, had both a Cooke level and a theodolite, in his collection, from the days he worked on the Canadian Pacific Railway. I'm a retired surveyor. Best wishes from Northern Canada.
Hi Carl, I think we have figured out what the machine is (had contact with people who worked at Cooke's) but I'm just waiting for a bit more info before I share it. When I left school I applied for an apprenticeship at Cooke's (Vickers Instruments by then) but I actually took a different job. Good to hear their equipment went around the world. Cheers
be careful with the amount of grease when installing the new bearings, too much grease will cause the bearing to overheat. The type of grease for high speed beaarings is also very important, too thick grease also causes overheating at high speeds. cheers ben.
Good progress!, regarding Stuarts mystery machine it's for gear cutting and was made obsolete by the introduction of horizontal mills, I have a slightly older one and if you have an email I'd be happy to ping you some pictures & what little information I have about them
Hi FlyingRivets, that would be great. My email is in the 'about' section of my channel info page. Hopefully you can find it. I don't like to post my email address in comments because it can get picked up by 'robots' and then I get spammed with all sorts of rubbish. If you can't find the address then comment back and I will work around it somehow. Cheers
Hi Paul, Interesting strip down video. Do you think the orientation of the "spacer" shaft caused premature wear on that bearing?, it's obviously got a different form on the exterior but I couldn't work out why, just curious. Well done for insisting on good quality bearings, That looks like a very good price delivered to your doorstep. I assume they are both identical. I have come across several machines in my travels around here (you will often find them in the most unlikely places) and enjoy trying to find out something about them. For example I was able to track down a corn crusher to the actual factory (Richmond and Chandler) which still exists in Salford with the aid of Graces Guide. There are a lot of entry's in the guide for Cookes, didn't see anything similar to that machine though so far, perhaps it's a bespoke machine that they made in house. I wonder if you and your followers will be able to provide an answer, I hope so. I will keep looking!! At the moment I'm searching for info on some machines that I found in a children's playground nearby, I know the manufacturer's name "Establicamiento Mecanico Bacas" and have found an image of their factory in Badalona, Catalunya. But can't find much more so far. Anyway just time to thank you for all your videos and wish you and your family a very Happy New Year!!
Hi David, the bearing was 60 years old so it's hard to say - those grease fittings and passages were totally dry so I think lack of maintenance was a general issue. Yes - the mystery machine was build in-house. That much I've discovered. When I get a bit more info confirmed I'll explain on cam. Cheers
Well done Paul, especially on discovering the sleeve was fitted the wrong way around. I've no idea what the mystery machine was used for, the T-slots all around the head suggest that either tooling or work items could be fitted somehow. Overall the machine is very lathe-like, I did wonder if it was some sort of cutter/grinder arrangement, looks as though the head could be indexed possibly. I'm sure someone out there in Internetland will know the answer.
Not come across a lentils polishing machine, but is/was it used for polishing lenses? My bet would be that this is used for exactly that purpose. From what I've heard from friends who have ground their own telescope lenses, the process is a bit like lapping where the lap has to be moved away from the lens periodically for the application of fresh lapping compound. The levers may well be for allowing this and also varying the pressure on the lap. I'm no expert in this area, but there seems to be all the facilities you would need for making a lens. Vickers would probably have needed lenses for gun sights. Be very interested in any further information that comes to light as it looks like a very solid machine from the late 1800's or early 1900's ( my hand shaper has a not dissimilar construction and that is from this period ).
I'm in touch with people who were connected with Cooke's and getting a pretty clearer picture of what it was for. I will reveal in a later vid, when I'm sure. As for Chris' comment, let the man who was never a victim of auto-correct cast the first stone. 🤣😁 Cheers
Opppps! Sorry. I'd not thought about a typo ( névé or what! ) I'd assumed that perhaps Pierreflamand was one of your continental followers who had come across something that I hadn't @@HaxbyShed
looks like some sort of banjo on the right of the machine. at a guess i think it's for indexing and engraving dials. you did right replacing the bearings for £30 it's a no brainer.
Chris you just taught me a new word, I'd not heard of that technique. Just in case I'm not the only one this is what Google says "Guilloché is a highly decorative technique used in metalwork, which combines mechanical engraving and translucent enamels to create surface embellishment. Guilloché enamelling can only be achieved with specialised machinery known as ornamental lathes." Maybe then it could be. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed it is fascinating to watch it being done. It is much used in ornamenting the surface of metal objects,think of the patterns on metal cigarette cases, you and i are old enough to remember cigarettes, as well as the underlying surface for enamel. What led me to think it could be something of the sort is the slow turning geared headstock, although it could also just be some form of dividing device.
Nice catch Paul. I'd have been so concerned about getting everything back in the way it came out, I think I'd have missed that it was in the wrong way round to begin with!
Hi Matt, it just did not feel right from the start. Then you question yourself - "how can it be wrong?" - but it evidently was. Cheers
Glad the manual has been some help....shame I couldn't get it to you earlier...
Really appreciate the manual Dave. It was very useful (rewarding/reassuring) to confirm my thoughts. Many thanks.
Hey guys.
I recently acquired a Herbert as well (in fact it's still on my trailer). Where can I get a copy of that manual as well?
Well diagnosed the spindles bearing spacer had been reassembled incorrectly. I like the way the whole spindle assembly is removed for maintenance. Looks promising.....Tony
Hi Tony, yes the whole spindle unit comes out as a module. It's quite a simply-constructed machine really. Cheers
Hi Paul. Well done on your deduction regarding the spindle spacer being the wrong way round. You have a knack for “engineering autopsy”. Step by step you will renovate the surface grinder to a high standard. 👏👏👍😂
The mystery machine does indeed have the hallmarks of a drag engraving/slotting machine. Hope you can identify it.
Hi Andrew, 80% sure we know what the machine is now but just waiting for more of the 'back story'. Cheers
12:27 From someone with limited space as well…
You really need to get a work bench. If for no other reason to save your body.
Have spent way too much time like that, on the floor…and hate it with a passion. 😬☺️
Great work as usual and a really nice little machine. 👌
Hi, one big consideration is lighting for the video. I have a good large bench in another room and even a (smaller) welding bench in that room but it's hard to set up the cam in the right place. We suffer a lot for our art. 🤣 Cheers
@@HaxbyShed 😂 I hear you do!
For your own sake I hope you find a solution to that issue. Lights, camera and bench. In the same space. 😊
Great job sorting the spindle bearings . Absolutely no idea what the mystery machine was used for ! That camera is doing a great job . Cheers 👍
Hi Max, I should not be a camera snob but it is absolutely amazing with a 20x optical zoom (40x software) and built-in gimbal. Cheers Paul
Well done spotting the errant installation of the sleeve, if you'd simply replaced that bearing and reinstalled the assembly the same way you found it, the new bearing would have eventually suffered the same fate as the old one. As for the mystery machine, I've never seen anything like it, but there as many folk with way more experience of those older machine tools out there.
Hi Paul, at first I could not believe that the bearing sleeve was wrong but then all logic said it was. Trust nothing, question everything. Cheers
This was interesting and you have got us thinking about if we should pull the head apart on our grinder
Hi Joseph & Dad, well you have seen taking the spindle 'cassette' out is easy enough. But - actually I think you can see the orientation of the spacer tube just by removing the switches run-stop plate and looking into the head. Do you have a manual? Paul
@@HaxbyShed We do not have a manual and could not find one online. Thanks for the tip about removing the run/stop plate, we will do that as I am sure our machine has been apart before
Hello Paul. A great video. I enjoy disassembling and figuring out how the assembly is supposed to work too, and so I enjoy watching you do it. Very good call on the sleeve being the wrong way round. The bearing you changed was absolutely knackered so good call.
I can see some kind of indexing function in the mystery machine but I don't know what it was for. I can't fathom what the t slots in the headstock might have been for.
Hi Carl, I now know the T-slots in the headstock were for machining attachments. More later .... Cheers
very good video and good job..thanks for your time
👍Thank you. I'm enjoying this project. Cheers
Is the mystery machine for engraving graduations on micrometer style dials for for focussing etc?
I bet if the tube had been on the right way round that bearing would be fine!! Another really interesting video Paul!
Phil
Hi Phil, can't think who fitted the spacer tube on the wrong way around because the bearing was sure to be original with those measurement engravings on it (20.0000mm). Might have been a Friday job, after a long lunch at the pub. Cheers
Now i's very clear why that bearing is dead. If it doesn't receive any grease...
And I don't know what th mystery machine is. I hope you'll find out.
Hi Michel, we are getting close to a name and purpose of the mystery machine. The bearing is about 60 years old so maybe it was about time, but that tube the wrong way around would not help. Cheers
Hi Paul, When you showed the close up of the cylindrical bearing, I was going to comment it was toast and needed changing. You made the right call 👍
Probably a good idea to use a good synthetic grease as well.
Have a Happy New Year !
Cheers....
Hi Dean, it was just me being tight, I did not want to spend the money. 🤣 Cheers
May I wish you and your family a safe 2024.
Nice spindle design, good catch on assembly error Paul.
Ref mystery machine tool, spiral cutting, face or diameter?, as you say, worm and wheel limits spindle speed, looks like there is a facility to gear spindle to sliding carriage. Vertical slide, as opposed to standard cross slide suggests easy adjustment for spiral groove width.
Thanks for sharing
Hi John, the mystery machine did a bit of all sorts. I've a good idea now but I will be able to say more later I hope. Cheers
For $32.5 USA to get a full service manual I would go that route because they often have interesting info that you wouldn’t normally find. For any machine you plan to own and maintain for a length of time having the machines original service manual takes all the uncertainty out of the equation. In essence it’s a massive time saver which makes you far more efficient while doing the maintenance. For around $33 US to remove all the guesswork out of a machine that someone has monkeyed around with … shoot I’ll buy it for you.
Well Sir you are right. I was what we call "penny wise, pound foolish". I spent a couple of days chasing a 'fault' which was actually a designed-in feature. You will see in a future video. Anyway, a kind viewer has sent me a parts manual for the Mk1. I'm not sure there was ever an operator's manual as such, just a parts manual (I think). Thanks for the kind offer. Cheers
Good progress and definitely the right move to change the bearing. Look forward to seeing it in use!
Could the mystery machine be for engraving large bezels?
Hi Clive, err umm ... me thinks me knows what it is now .... later .... Cheers
That old lathe, looks like it was used to machine the level and transit tubes for the Cooke instruments. Just a guess here, but, it looks like it would be used to set the level vial base locating rings, on the tubes.
Not for the long tube levels, it would have to be double the length, but it would have worked wonderfully for the transits, of the day.
When I was taking surveying in college, one instructor, had both a Cooke level and a theodolite, in his collection, from the days he worked on the Canadian Pacific Railway.
I'm a retired surveyor.
Best wishes from Northern Canada.
Hi Carl, I think we have figured out what the machine is (had contact with people who worked at Cooke's) but I'm just waiting for a bit more info before I share it. When I left school I applied for an apprenticeship at Cooke's (Vickers Instruments by then) but I actually took a different job. Good to hear their equipment went around the world. Cheers
Great sleuthing and deductions on the grinder spindle bearing assembly. Good New Year to you and yours.
Happy new year W65er, so far it's been rain, rain, rain here, but unseasonably warmer. Cheers
Great job mate
Thank Matty, take care of yourself. Happy New Year. Cheers
be careful with the amount of grease when installing the new bearings, too much grease will cause the bearing to overheat.
The type of grease for high speed beaarings is also very important, too thick grease also causes overheating at high speeds.
cheers ben.
Hi Ben, I've been gifted a Mk1 parts manual but alas no mention of the grease and no mention on any machine plate. Cheers
Good progress!, regarding Stuarts mystery machine it's for gear cutting and was made obsolete by the introduction of horizontal mills, I have a slightly older one and if you have an email I'd be happy to ping you some pictures & what little information I have about them
Hi FlyingRivets, that would be great. My email is in the 'about' section of my channel info page. Hopefully you can find it. I don't like to post my email address in comments because it can get picked up by 'robots' and then I get spammed with all sorts of rubbish. If you can't find the address then comment back and I will work around it somehow. Cheers
Hi Paul, Interesting strip down video.
Do you think the orientation of the "spacer" shaft caused premature wear on that bearing?, it's obviously got a different form on the exterior but I couldn't work out why, just curious. Well done for insisting on good quality bearings, That looks like a very good price delivered to your doorstep. I assume they are both identical.
I have come across several machines in my travels around here (you will often find them in the most unlikely places) and enjoy trying to find out something about them. For example I was able to track down a corn crusher to the actual factory (Richmond and Chandler) which still exists in Salford with the aid of Graces Guide.
There are a lot of entry's in the guide for Cookes, didn't see anything similar to that machine though so far, perhaps it's a bespoke machine that they made in house. I wonder if you and your followers will be able to provide an answer, I hope so. I will keep looking!!
At the moment I'm searching for info on some machines that I found in a children's playground nearby, I know the manufacturer's name "Establicamiento Mecanico Bacas" and have found an image of their factory in Badalona, Catalunya. But can't find much more so far.
Anyway just time to thank you for all your videos and wish you and your family a very Happy New Year!!
Hi David, the bearing was 60 years old so it's hard to say - those grease fittings and passages were totally dry so I think lack of maintenance was a general issue. Yes - the mystery machine was build in-house. That much I've discovered. When I get a bit more info confirmed I'll explain on cam. Cheers
Well done Paul, especially on discovering the sleeve was fitted the wrong way around. I've no idea what the mystery machine was used for, the T-slots all around the head suggest that either tooling or work items could be fitted somehow. Overall the machine is very lathe-like, I did wonder if it was some sort of cutter/grinder arrangement, looks as though the head could be indexed possibly. I'm sure someone out there in Internetland will know the answer.
Hi Jason, I've got a provisional answer about the mystery machine and I hope to confirm that soon. Cheers
The mystery machine looks like som sort of a machine dial engraving machine.
Hi Anton, I'm growing to that idea. Maybe a telescope or gun sight base ring bezel engraver or something like that. Cheers
A lentils polishing machine?
Not come across a lentils polishing machine, but is/was it used for polishing lenses? My bet would be that this is used for exactly that purpose. From what I've heard from friends who have ground their own telescope lenses, the process is a bit like lapping where the lap has to be moved away from the lens periodically for the application of fresh lapping compound. The levers may well be for allowing this and also varying the pressure on the lap. I'm no expert in this area, but there seems to be all the facilities you would need for making a lens. Vickers would probably have needed lenses for gun sights. Be very interested in any further information that comes to light as it looks like a very solid machine from the late 1800's or early 1900's ( my hand shaper has a not dissimilar construction and that is from this period ).
I'm in touch with people who were connected with Cooke's and getting a pretty clearer picture of what it was for. I will reveal in a later vid, when I'm sure. As for Chris' comment, let the man who was never a victim of auto-correct cast the first stone. 🤣😁 Cheers
Opppps! Sorry. I'd not thought about a typo ( névé or what! ) I'd assumed that perhaps Pierreflamand was one of your continental followers who had come across something that I hadn't @@HaxbyShed
Total guess: is it some sort of lapidary machine for lenses?
Hi, we are getting close to a confirmed name/use for the mystery machine. When I'm certain I'll report it in a future vid. Cheers.
looks like some sort of banjo on the right of the machine. at a guess i think it's for indexing and engraving dials. you did right replacing the bearings for £30 it's a no brainer.
Hi Paul, Yorkshire folk do not like to spend money unless the case is proven beyond doubt, and these some 🤣 Cheers
a man after my own heart😁where about's in yorkshire are you from?@@HaxbyShed
@@paulrayner4514 from York, but moved around quite a bit before coming back. Cheers
The mystery machine looks like it could be well accessorized. Hopefully someone out there can tell you what it is.
Well that is true Robert, because I have learned that the t-slots in the head was to take machining attachments. More later ..... Cheers
Could it be some form of guilloche machine?
Chris you just taught me a new word, I'd not heard of that technique. Just in case I'm not the only one this is what Google says "Guilloché is a highly decorative technique used in metalwork, which combines mechanical engraving and translucent enamels to create surface embellishment. Guilloché enamelling can only be achieved with specialised machinery known as ornamental lathes." Maybe then it could be. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed it is fascinating to watch it being done. It is much used in ornamenting the surface of metal objects,think of the patterns on metal cigarette cases, you and i are old enough to remember cigarettes, as well as the underlying surface for enamel.
What led me to think it could be something of the sort is the slow turning geared headstock, although it could also just be some form of dividing device.