ME 1207 DL Is The New Hampshire Ball Bearing Number

can the spindle/spindle bearings be rep[laced without removing the upper casting and motor/pulley assembly?

PanamaSticks The slight wiggle/movement is normal. Essentially side play in the bearing. The bearing in the top cover will support the top of the shaft. As to the drag, if it is very slight, I would not worry too much. But if it is significant, then there may be something wrong with the brake shows, or how they are installed....

The Machinery Repair Shop I discovered that the bearing, which I purchased at Hardinge's online store, was sliding in bearing cap. I looked for cracks in the cap, and could not find any. I noticed that the bearing was made in China. Surprised that Hardinge, the licensee for Bridgeport, should source a Chinese made bearing. Maybe it was undersized? I applied a light line of blue Loctite to the outer bearing race, and left it to cure for 3 days. The wiggle is considerably reduced. I assembled the machine yesterday morning, following the procedures in your videos. What a DRASTIC improvement new bushings, two new bearings and a better quality belt make. I have been using this machine for 15 years. It has never been this quiet before. I actually have to listen closely to see if it is running! Thanks for the great videos.

SnakePL - I sort of said that tongue in cheek.While they reference it as a "factory adjustment" and I am sure there is a procedure somewhere, it is not that involved,or sophisticated... As I am sure you noticed there is quite a bit of "slop" between the two housings and their alignment when those bolts are loose. This affects the mating of the spindle shaft into the drive splines on the back gear. Your goal is to have them centered. The best way to adjust it is to leave the bolts loose - maybe a half turn, just so the top housing can move around, and then turn the machine on. Things will tend to self center themselves, you might wiggle it a little bit by hand. You are searching for the least noise, including moving the quill up and down, and the smoothest up and down motion of the quill. One you think you have found the sweet spot, tighten the bolts down a little at a time in sequence with the machine still running. That should be all you need.Long before they would be misaligned to cause any harm, you would notice a bit of a bind when moving the quill. Indeed this is something to try if the quill is binding in a bit, or if noise comes and goes when moving the quill handle.

imystery man There are a few things that can cause a "rattle". Does it happen in lo gear, hi gear, both, and/or neutral? One of the most common causes in high speed only is the clutch dogs (the teeth that engage for high speed). These teeth are tapered, and when new they are designed to engage about 1/2 way down. As they wear they eventually bottom out, causing a rattle. Try moving the hi-lo shift lever to see if you can reduce or eliminate it. There is an adjustable plate under the index hole for hi on this lever. This can be adjusted to compensate for a lot of wear. Although they normally cause vibration, another cause can be the movable pulley bushings on the vari-discs. Any slop in these is normally bad news at some level. There are kits available to replace these bushings if they are the older plastic ones. Most of the bearings will not cause a rattle, but I have seen some where a bad bull gear support bearing will cause a rattle in Hi and low, but not neutral. These are the bearings under the large back/bull gear. The slop in the back gear in low can sometimes cause a rattle like noise, especially when cutting, but that is just the nature of the beast. Finally, if there is not a tool in the machine, the drawbar itself may be rattling - try pulling it out. When we recondition a 2J head, we normally replace both belts, the bushings, and all the bearings (in the drive section - not the spindle!!!). Cheap insurance for a longer life.

Thanks for your reply I mainly hear the noise in low gear and neutral, it is very slight in high if any. I replaced all the bearings and the plastic pulley bushings and the belt. The noise I hear sounds like a cross between a belt noise and a rubbing noise. Is there a trick to adjusting the screw with the lock nut right in front of the motor on top of the housing? My mill is a variable speed 2 hp.