FP1 bogging down

[sblack]

I finally got my 60s era lever transmission FP1 working. First cuts were quite promising but after 15 -20 min it starts loading up and slowing down. I initially thought it was an issue with the motor and vfd I installed, but then when I turned the handwheel at the back there was a lot of resistance. More than I recall. I guess something is heating up and binding? I ran it again with the feed transmission in neutral and it didn't help, so I guess that narrows it down somewhat. Does anyone know what might be causing this? is it a known issue on deckels? I felt around to see if I could find something getting hot but no luck. Baffling.

 

[ballen]

Take off motor belt to see if problem is motor or what follows

 

[thanvg]

If it does not improve with spindle gears in neutral then it's not the spindle binding, that's good news

(I assume it's plain bronze bearing spindle)

 

[jdm1]

I guess something is heating up and binding? I ran it again with the feed transmission in neutral and it didn't help, so I guess that narrows it down somewhat.

Feeds were in neutral but not the spindle(s)?
You didn't say what spindle speed you were running. Spindle bearings issue tend to happen at higher speeds. One can feel by hand that the spindle, one or the other, gets too hot, not just well warm.
Accurate maintenance and correct lubrication of the spindles bearings is crucial. Not a difficult task, but takes time, and requires some mechanical skills.
That much I know owning a machine very similar to these early FP1s, it has bound once on the horizontal spindle, now after much work and care to the spindles, all seems good.

 

[AlfaGTA]

Is the spindle getting hot while running?
Is there oil in the spindle gearbox? (upper sight glass)

 

[sblack]

So I didn’t realize that the vertical spindle runs in a plain bearing. It needed lubrication. The oil goes in a keyway at the top of the quil. Now it is running well. Hopefully I didn’t damage anything. Thanks for the comments that pointed me in the right direction.

 

[mjautek]

the horizontal spindle runs in a plain bearing as well - make sure you have oil in the gutters on either side of Y axis ram (beside the spindle) and it's not a bad idea to remove the horiz spindle to take a look at the condition of the bearings. the first FP1 I bought seemed to have been run with no oil anywhere and the horizontal spindle was pitted and scored and sometimes would stall the machine...