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How to put the table back on a Vernier FV3A?

Mr Steel

Plastic
Joined
May 22, 2022
I have recently bought a Vernier FV3A universal mill, but in order to get it into the shop the table will have to be removed. Would anyone here happen to have any advice on reattaching the table on this model of machine?
 
Removing a table is easy enough as long as you’ve got something really sturdy to slide the table on to. Disconnect any coolant drain pipes. Remove the lead screw brackets at either end. Wind out the leadscrew, being careful to support it. Leadscrews aren’t as strong as they look. Your eye only sees the outside diameter, it’s the diameter at the bottom of the screw that counts. Back off the taper gibs after measuring or marking their location for future reference. Remove any DRO attachments. Carefully slide the table onto whatever you have that will safely take the table‘s weight.
Re-fitting the table is easy enough, more or less that process in reverse with added use of the imperial oil can.

Regards Tyrone.
 
Removing a table is easy enough as long as you’ve got something really sturdy to slide the table on to. Disconnect any coolant drain pipes. Remove the lead screw brackets at either end. Wind out the leadscrew, being careful to support it. Leadscrews aren’t as strong as they look. Your eye only sees the outside diameter, it’s the diameter at the bottom of the screw that counts. Back off the taper gibs after measuring or marking their location for future reference. Remove any DRO attachments. Carefully slide the table onto whatever you have that will safely take the table‘s weight.
Re-fitting the table is easy enough, more or less that process in reverse with added use of the imperial oil can.

Regards Tyrone.
Are you sure this will work with this particular mill? The previous owner said it is a two hour job that requires two people.
 
Are you sure this will work with this particular mill? The previous owner said it is a two hour job that requires two people.
I’ve never worked on a “ Vernier “ mill, there aren’t many of them out in the field, they were quite expensive as I recall. However I’ve removed dozens of milling machine tables and 99% of them work the same way. Yours might be slightly different but I doubt it.
Maybe the previous owner had never removed a table before. I did this sort of work professionally. If I started on the job on my own at 8-00 am I’d be disappointed if I hadn’t got it off and out of the way by dinner time. On some simpler machines I’d say 10-30am.

Regards Tyrone.
 
I’ve never worked on a “ Vernier “ mill, there aren’t many of them out in the field, they were quite expensive as I recall. However I’ve removed dozens of milling machine tables and 99% of them work the same way. Yours might be slightly different but I doubt it.
Maybe the previous owner had never removed a table before. I did this sort of work professionally. If I started on the job on my own at 8-00 am I’d be disappointed if I hadn’t got it off and out of the way by dinner time. On some simpler machines I’d say 10-30am.

Regards Tyrone.
Thank you
 
Got to say thanks Milacron, your pic almost twenty years ago led me to install a 36” door instead of standard in the addition to my garage at home. Been useful for many tools, not just my B-port.
 
Unfortunately that could not be done as the machine had to be pushed up a narrow ramp.
 
Me and the previous owner have been trying to get the table on for a while now. Does anyone have experience with re mounting the table on a Vernier?
 
What’s preventing you from re-assembling the machine ?

Regards Tyrone.
It seems to be the anti backlash nut, we tried adjusting it quite a bit, but no luck.

The leadscrew will not engage the fixed nut, except when the moving nut is removed.

We are considering just putting it on with the moving nut removed, but that is not ideal.
 
Are you trying to fit the leadscrew into the backlash eliminster/ travel nut with the table in place ? IE doing it blind. Try fitting the screw into the eliminator/travel nut first. It came out so it has to go back in. It can be a bit fiddly.

Regards Tyrone.
 
Are you trying to fit the leadscrew into the backlash eliminster/ travel nut with the table in place ? IE doing it blind. Try fitting the screw into the eliminator/travel nut first. It came out so it has to go back in. It can be a bit fiddly.

Regards Tyrone.
Yes, I tried it blind, it is a pain to remove the leadscrew from the table because it is connected to a shaft through a gearbox at the end of the table.

I will try to find a drawing.
 
Here are some technical drawings of the mechanism.

1660554109087.png

1660554175283.png


It has a nut threaded onto the moving nut that pulls the moving nut away from the fixed nut
 
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Mm, that’s an unusual design in that the leadscrew is tensioned up on the left hand side. Normally the leadscrew is drawn through and tensioned on the right hand side at the far end of the leadscrew. It’s still do-able though. You can still fit the leadscrew through the backlash eliminator and the travel nut then build the left hand end of the leadscrew ( bearings and lock nuts etc ) up in the extended bracket on the left. Then slide the table on from the right hand side to join up with the left hand bracket. Fit the little right hand bracket last.

By the way those are drawings for 1) a universal table. 2) a standard table. Which one have you got ?

I was talking about buying a Renault Clio with my mechanic a while ago. He said “ But Tyrone, they’re French ! “ I knew exactly what he meant by that. If the French can find a way of doing something that’s different to everybody else they’ll do exactly that.

Regards Tyrone.
 
Mm, that’s an unusual design in that the leadscrew is tensioned up on the left hand side. Normally the leadscrew is drawn through and tensioned on the right hand side at the far end of the leadscrew. It’s still do-able though. You can still fit the leadscrew through the backlash eliminator and the travel nut then build the left hand end of the leadscrew ( bearings and lock nuts etc ) up in the extended bracket on the left. Then slide the table on from the right hand side to join up with the left hand bracket. Fit the little right hand bracket last.

By the way those are drawings for 1) a universal table. 2) a standard table. Which one have you got ?

I was talking about buying a Renault Clio with my mechanic a while ago. He said “ But Tyrone, they’re French ! “ I knew exactly what he meant by that. If the French can find a way of doing something that’s different to everybody else they’ll do exactly that.

Regards Tyrone.
My machine has a standard table.

The fixed nut appears to have something wrong with it, this morning I got it the engage, but it was incredibly stiff. This had nothing to do with the anti backlash mechanism as I later removed that and it was still stiff and would not thread in any further than a centimeter.
 
It seems to be the anti backlash nut, we tried adjusting it quite a bit, but no luck.

The leadscrew will not engage the fixed nut, except when the moving nut is removed.

We are considering just putting it on with the moving nut removed, but that is not ideal.
Perhaps this works
Remove the fixed nut Then put the leadscrew and table in so it just extends the position of the fixed nut Then turn the fixed nut on Srew it in place You might need to adjust the moving nut while tightening the fixed nut
Then install the bracket on the right

Peter
 








 
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