Fairbanks Morse Model 45- rebuild

[FlJet]

Took the mill further apart this weekend. The more I put my hands on it, the more familiar I'm getting and the more comfortable I feel with having it apart. The only items still in the case are the brass bearings and the tube for the oil pump. It's the only thing on this machine that's stuck. It moves, but will only come up about half an inch before it gets stuck. I think it's just rust on the shaft where it pokes out below the upper portion of the case. I'm hoping I can hit it with some emory cloth and clean it up enough to get it out. Once I do it's off to the car wash to rinse out all of the grease and dirt dauber nests.

Still haven't taken the dive back into drilling the shaft out of the hub. I'll get back on that eventually.

Any advice on sourcing springs? I'm going to start ordering based on estimated length, diameter and wire size, but it's going to be guess and check on each of them on this machine.

[windybob]

What springs?

The tube on mine was stuck. About week of penetrating oil, and tapping it, then turning it in circles worked. It had a lot of rust under the case web, where it went thru. Don't forget the set-screw holding it in. Also there is a drain plug right under the tube. Take it out, and put oil in there too. Mine appeared to be normal black pipe, I could see the paint on it where it went thru the case web. Now I'm not talking about the inner oil tube, but the outer one.

I drilled my hub off. 5/16 drill bit in a circle all the way around the shaft next to the hub. Try to put a hole where the key is also. It came off easy after that. I also had to cut the shaft in 3 other places, as with every other shaft. All the shafts will be replaced. Not a problem.

[FlJet]

All of them unfortunately. Not a single spring on the thing.

[FlJet]

Pump tube is out. A few minutes with some Emory cloth Working on the area under the case web and a few squirts of oil was all it took. Need to check the tube and the pump both to make sure the ball checks are still there.

Now that I have the case stripped down (except for the brass bushings which are staying) it’s time for a trip to the car wash. Easiest way I can think of to get rid of all the grime/oil/dust.

And I lied- I have one spring left on my mill. The brake linkage spring is still in place. The brake shoe spring, the Oiler spring on the main shaft, and the tail spring are all long gone.
And I’ll try drilling my shaft like you suggest. I am partway through drilling the whole shaft out, but there’s plenty of meat for me to drill on without getting into the cast hub. I figure by the time I get the key freed up and out of the way I should be safe to press the rest of the shaft out.

[windybob]

Sounds good. I tried drilling the center of one of the shafts on mine, i almost killed my drill press. lol From now on, it's smaller drill bits around the shaft. Much easier.

[FlJet]

I run into the same issue often. i don't think it's a problem to just make a new shaft. Should be fairly basic, maybe not even any different diameters, just a keyway. That steel is nothing special, just cold rolled. Basic diameter probably. If you want to make a complicated mainshaft, do an Axtell. (nightmare)

If I remember on other Woodmanse mills, the hub is a press-on. Maybe a tapered key (not sure) but anticipate it, and take the hub off (or loose) by pressing towards the rear. Or drill the shaft out first. Whatever. Just if you need to, waste the shaft, save the hub. Don't take too much of a chance.

I don't know if I have a diagram of those or not. I will look.

Well I’ve drilled most of the shaft out. And she just won’t seem to budge. I am supposed to be trying to push the shaft out the back of the hub right?

[windybob]

In case there's a tapered key, shove it out the front. I drilled my key, don't know if it was tapered or not.

What's most of the shaft look like?

I drilled as deep as I could, like maybe 3 inches to beyond the end of the hub.

[FlJet]

Not sure about my key either. I started drilling at my key way and there’s not much of it left. From the backside it looks like someone sleeved the shaft at some point. Curious to check that out once I do get it loose. Going to put it in the press this afternoon and try again. There’s just not a lot of meat left of the shaft inside the hub. Can’t figure out what’s holding it at this point.

[windybob]

Ok, yeah be careful. I'm guessing someone had it apart. The heavy brass bearing are not factory. Supposed to be Hyatt bearing. Hope you get it!

I'm still trying to get my mainshaft out of the case! It is totally frozen in the snout. I will have to run it to a machine shop I guess. I don't have a set of tanks any more, if I did, I could roast it out. I know the bearing is nothing but rust. I'm going to babbitt mine back.

What kind of snout bearing do you have? Don't recall seeing a picture of it.

[pcowley (RIP)]

Not that I am that smart, but I have always had the best luck heating the shaft and the hub from in the middle of the drilled hole. I then cool the shaft by putting water in the drilled hole. (Shrinks the shaft but not the hub)While putting in the water put the shaft under pressure with the press. Press it from the bottom of the hole not the top.(Don't drill the hole deeper than the part that is in the hub because if you get the hole in the shaft to big and long you may split the shaft apart where it comes out of the hub)It may take a dozen times of doing this, but It has always worked for me. You might consider drilling the key completely out because you have allreday drilled it some)and when you put the new shaft in drill a hole that straddles the shaft and hub and thread it and install a bolt instead of a key.( cuts out machinist bill of cutting a a key way in the new shaft)I Leave the shaft sticking out of the hub a little and spot weld the bolt to the end of the shaft. Someone can then grind the weld off an unscrew the bolt with no trouble if or when a new shaft is needed.
You have already drilled the key, but my solution is to put a spot weld on the end of the key so that it becomes bigger than the key way and the key will remain in the hub.(Do not weld the key to the shaft in the process.The reason this works is most of the time the taper key way is cut in the hub)Cut a pipe bigger than the shaft and longer than the recess in the hub so you are pressing the against the solid part of the hub and not the thin outer part.
THAT'S MY STORY AND I AM STICKING TO IT!!