OK,
I was able to turn the quill motor and one I get it about 1/2-3/4" down it will move up and down fine. The brake is released and I've removed the air from the machine. Well I should say I think the brake is released, the lever that actuated it moves up and down and it's in the off position with no air to the machine.
Seems to me like the spindle drive shaft is bent, twisted or both but I can't be sure yet. The spindle motor does run but only if I pull the hi/lo lever in the middle where the gears are disengaged and hold it there so I don't grind the gears. If I do that the motor spins but I still can't turn the spindle.
Is it even remotely possible to by replacement parts for this machine? Will I have to sell my first born? LOL.
I've got all the manuals at home so I'm going to take a look there for an exploded diagram so I can see how it's put together. This is kinda depressing, I've been having a lot of fun with it lately now that I've gotten good with canned cycles, loops and macros. Still lots to learn but it's neat watching the machine run.
Oh and Fred, no binding of the pulleys, that's the first thing I checked, well after checking the belt anyway. I'm going to take a closer look to see what I have to do to get a look at the brake so I can be sure it's disengaged.
BTW the largest endmill I've ever used was a 1/2" I don't load the machine all that much but I do frequently run near the top of the RPMS cutting aluminum with a small endmill.
Is it possible the topend lube is messed up and the gear case ran dry? I notice way oil on the floor when I run the machine a lot and the ways are in great shape. The quill always appears to be well lubed as well.  |