Barker horizontal milling machine

[JPWH 6,092]

It's an old machine that needs some cleaning and TLC. It's a model PM serial no. 239

I had to disassemble it to move it in the shop so I decided to clean it up so I could paint it before reassembly.

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 03:00 AM by JPWH

[Mickwhitt 4,717]

That looks a neat little machine. 

I'm not sure how robust it will be for larger milling jobs as the Y axis is operated by a lever and rack rather than hand wheel and leadscrew. Kind of like a surface grinder where load on the Y axis is low. Plus it has only a slitting saw mounted on the tool mandrel so it's probably only for light use.

Internet says it works well on non ferrous materials, so it may have been made to slit aluminium clamping brackets or the like. 

I think it would be fairly limited in what it could do but if you have room for it and the right kind of work it would be a fine addition to any shop. 

Mick 

[JPWH 6,092]

It is a very robust machine. It will cut steel as long as you understand it's limits and make cuts accordingly. It was made as a production machine. I am replacing the levers and racks with lead screws. It is also  limited for speed control so I am replacing the motor with a 3 phase controlled by a vfd. Based on what I cleaned out of this machine I think this one was used for aluminum.

I also received several slitting and grooving cutters with the machine as well as an indexer.

[ri702bill 8,482]

27 minutes ago, JPWH said:

It was made as a production machine.

You can usually pick up a decent horizontal milling machine, fully functional, for scrap price. Why?? These were Production Machines, used to do either a first or second operation on the same setup, day after day. In Business, time and floorspace is money. I recall seeing a ROW of this type machine at Bostitch cranking out stapler components. The modern approach to better utilize floorspace. is to scrap those dedicated machines and replace them with CNC Machining Centers. Much more universal......

[midpack 890]

27 minutes ago, ri702bill said:

 The modern approach to better utilize floorspace. is to scrap those dedicated machines and replace them with CNC Machining Centers. Much more universal......

Faster too.

[ri702bill 8,482]

I used to have one Machine Shop Vendor that had a relic of a huge early tape-reader 3 axis Milling Machine that was retrofitted to CNC. It was great for putting hole patterns in 5 Ft long tabletops where two or more adjacent stations had to line up with each other. It ate up more than half the floorspace in the back row and was used maybe 3 days a month, tops.

He practically gave it away to free up the space for two new Maching Centers that are used 4 or more days a week.... time & space is money.

[Pullstart 63,081]

Very cool Jay!  I use the Bridgeport and lathe in my shop quite frequently.  They are very appreciated (abandoned?) pieces of equipment of the previous owner of the place!  If he would ever come get his CNC that takes up too much room, I’d like that!  

[953 nut 55,742]

3 hours ago, JPWH said:

I am replacing the levers and racks with lead screws. It is also  limited for speed control so I am replacing the motor with a 3 phase controlled by a vfd.

Sounds like you have a plan for your time when you retire in a few months.  Mu wood lathe has the variable frequency drive speed control and I love it.  

[Mickwhitt 4,717]

A new motor with speed control would be my first thought, it will make the mill much easier to use.

Converting the Y axis is also a good call,  the lever is fine for a surface grinder or light cuts but a lead screw offers more  control 

 

I bought a light vertical milling machine some years ago and when i stripped it to clean and rebuild it I found it was full of saw dust. One previous owner had used it as a router which must have worked for him. 

 

Please keep us posted on your progress. 

[JPWH 6,092]

3 hours ago, 953 nut said:

Sounds like you have a plan for your time when you retire in a few months.

I do. When I was pricing machine work for cutting keyways in 2 axles the price was almost as much as I paid for this machine. With the 3 phase motor and vfd I will have about 60 rpm to 1000 rpm without a belt change.

3 hours ago, Mickwhitt said:

Converting the Y axis is also a good call,  the lever is fine for a surface grinder or light cuts but a lead screw offers more  control

I agree. But Barker wanted 1700.00 for each lead screw so I will have to make my own.

Edited Wednesday at 05:39 PM by JPWH

[ri702bill 8,482]

34 minutes ago, JPWH said:

Barker wanted 1700.00 for each lead screw so I will have to make my own.

 

Machine Tool motion screws come in several varieties. Generally speaking, when Horizontal milling, the direction of cut is always in one direction only. All the backlash (clearance or play) between the screw threads and the nut are removed as those two sliding surfaces are in compression. A good quality ACME type leadscrew and a two-piece anti-backlash nut should be fine.

No need to go up to ballscrews and ball nuts - you are only transferring motion, not doing positioning.

 

Did the Barker come with any pressureized lubrication device like a Bijur One-Shot?? Adequate lubrication for the screws and ways is crucial. Even single point oil cups are better than nothing...

Sounds like you have a solid gameplan - enjoy!

[JPWH 6,092]

1 hour ago, ri702bill said:

Did the Barker come with any pressurized lubrication device like a Bijur One-Shot?

No pressurized lubrication but it does have a flood lubrication pump that sits in the bottom of the cabinet the top of the cabinet is designed as a lubricant catch and drain back to the pump reservoir. It has oil cups for the spindle bearings. i may install a pressurized system when i start re-assembly. 

[ri702bill 8,482]

49 minutes ago, JPWH said:

but it does have a flood lubrication pump that sits in the bottom of the cabinet

OK - that is for cutting oil to aid the material removal while milling. Some even have a poseable flex hose to help clear out chips.If some clean oil gets onto the ways, it is better than nothing, even though it is the wrong type of oil.

The gundrilling machines I used to assemble had pressurized oil thru the drill - 1000 to 2200 PSI depending on drill size. Those needed a full metal / lexan enclosure to keep the oil mist in check!!