# sherline 5400 possible purchase help



## Speedy (Dec 4, 2009)

I have an opportunity to purchase a sherline 5400 mill.
Included is a vice for the table, a 1/4" Jacobs chuck, a 3/8" end mill holder and a hold down set.
he is asking 250$ but it has a sloppy x axis that he says you just need to get a new gib.

I think its a decent deal as they are about 1000$.


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## Twmaster (Dec 4, 2009)

Um, if you don't buy that.... Send me his contact info.... I will!


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## Speedy (Dec 4, 2009)

even if it has barely visible surface rust and dings on the table?

okay I still am talking to the seller, he said he has about 4 other serious inquires before me but lets see where this goes.
I live about 10 mins from him.


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## Twmaster (Dec 4, 2009)

Next time you tlak to the seller advise him that the thing is a piece of crap and you'll give him $200 in unrolled nickels because you are saving your pennies....


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## vlmarshall (Dec 4, 2009)

Sounds like a great deal. Get it!


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## ksouers (Dec 4, 2009)

Speedy  said:
			
		

> even if it has barely visible surface rust and dings on the table?
> 
> okay I still am talking to the seller, he said he has about 4 other serious inquires before me but lets see where this goes.
> I live about 10 mins from him.



RUST????

Uh, isn't the table ALUMINUM?


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## Speedy (Dec 4, 2009)

the ways are steel I believe.
the table is aluminum, sorry for that 
need to watch my wording :-[

its just very light surface, no deep pits.


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## ksouers (Dec 4, 2009)

Sorry Mike. I didn't mean for that to sound like a criticism.
I was more wondering if maybe the table had been replaced.

Yes, the bed of my Sherline lathe is steel, I would assume the mill to be also.

It sounds like a great deal. I say go for it  8)


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## Speedy (Dec 4, 2009)

nono Ksouers, I went back and looked at my initial posting and it even sounded like I meant the table was rusty. my wording should have read better.
were all good 8)

lets see if he will take 200$.


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## Twmaster (Dec 4, 2009)

I was joking...

The $250 is still a steal


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## vlmarshall (Dec 4, 2009)

Yeah the Z column is steel, X&Y are anodized aluminum. If Z was rusted so badly that it needed replacement, Sherline's longer-travel column and leadscrew aren't too much more expensive.

I wonder if your machine really needs a new gib for X, or just replacement...


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## Deanofid (Dec 4, 2009)

At $250, it sounds like a very good deal, unless it's just plain beat. Sherline makes a fine machine, and you won't have any problem getting parts for it, like that gib, if needed.

Dean


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## D.C.Clark (Dec 5, 2009)

Buy it and join the Sherline group at: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/sherline/

There you will get any help you may need to get it up and running.

David Clark in Southern Maryland, USA


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## itowbig (Dec 5, 2009)

send me the info ill by it wont even ask any ?s  go for it man go for it


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## Twmaster (Dec 5, 2009)

So Speedy, didja get that mill? Hoping for a YES!!

DC Clark.. Where in SoMD? I'm in Laurel.


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## Speedy (Dec 5, 2009)

I was going to look at it today, but I needed to go pick up engine parts so I can rebuild my case tractors engine.
had to go to the guys house 2 hours each way so my day was shot when I got back.

am going to view the mill tomorrow, it just sucks being financially impaired at the moment.
your all telling me its a great price so I think I should jump on it.

its the same price I got my lathe for I believe 250$, and if any of you remember the post of all the starret tools, the guy got back to me and will sell them all for $250 guess 250 is the magical number? so 250x3 = 750 tied up in this hobby, not bad at all.

now lets see if it will still be around tomorrow, he told me everyone thats interested says they were going to show but never did.


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## Deanofid (Dec 6, 2009)

I'm not certain that this is the reason, but maybe the X axis is sloppy because he has it on backwards.
Seeing it, I would get it for that price for sure, unless it is just a complete bag of bones. 
Bring it home, tear it all down and clean it well. Put the X on so the dial is on the right, and make some chips.

Dean


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## Speedy (Dec 6, 2009)

forgot to mention, he said its about 4-5 years old, used it to make some tattoo machine parts out of 1018.


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## D.C.Clark (Dec 6, 2009)

I'm in Calvert County, Maryland, 20736 Have a Sherline CNC lathe and mill. Visitors welcome, drop me a line.

[email protected]


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## Speedy (Dec 6, 2009)

how would I know if its a bag of bones :S


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## Speedy (Dec 6, 2009)

just got back from looking at it.

soo, the motor is wobbly.
the y axis will move away from you but you cant bring it back. when you try bringing it back it feels like it binds and grinds.
also, he mentioned he milled just a touch off the y axis base (where the table rides on) because of chips burring the surface.

hmmmmm.

still worth it? he x and z were very smooth.
what is needed to get the y back up and running.


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## vlmarshall (Dec 6, 2009)

Where's the motor wobbling, at the mounting bracket? Unless he's done something heavy-handed to it, like stripping out the mounting screws, that doesn't sound too bad.

I'm guessing he's milled out the middle of the Y saddle, which isn't really a contact point anyway, the dovetails locate the saddle. Not a terrible thing to go hacking on, but I don't know why he's done it...

The Y-axis binding _could_ be from chips under the saddle, or leadscrew/leadnut problems, either more chips, or something else loose. The Y leadscrew goes through a little 'thrust collar' where it attaches to the mill base, that could be loose and cause binding... hard to guess without seeing the mill.

Still, it doesn't sound like it has any big problems. My Sherline was ex-highschool shop class, and had a few problems of it's own. ;D

http://www.sherline.com/prices3.htm


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## Speedy (Dec 6, 2009)

tops it would cost me $30 from sherline to repair it, well it seems that way anyways.

good news, the deal is done.
I emailed him after the visit with some more questions and what I found on sherlines site in regards to spares.

he said he would accept $200 
just waiting to see if hes alright with me picking it up tonight.

will keep you all posted. thanks for all the help.


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## ksouers (Dec 6, 2009)

Don't forget the DETAILED pictures ;D


 th_wwp


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## vlmarshall (Dec 6, 2009)

ksouers  said:
			
		

> Don't forget the DETAILED pictures ;D
> 
> 
> th_wwp


...and a rebuild thread. ;D


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## Speedy (Dec 6, 2009)

Vernon  said:
			
		

> ...and a rebuild thread. ;D



aslong as you guys assist me 
it may be in a week or 2 depending on how I feel. need to study for my final exams then im on winter break.

have somany things on the go, I need to rebuild my kohler k301 engine so that might take priority.

but you guys will get to see pictures tonight!  ;D


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## chuck foster (Dec 6, 2009)

Thm: SPEEDY GOT A MILL SPEEDY GOT A MILL Thm:

congrats on the mill.

chuck


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## Twmaster (Dec 6, 2009)

$200!! Sweet! You'll have to change your .sig now!


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## Speedy (Dec 6, 2009)

thanks everyone!
sig changed and mill where it should be (well almost, need to make room and bolt it down)


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## ksouers (Dec 6, 2009)

SPEEDY'S GOT A MILL!

Cool!

Make sure when you mount it you aren't throwing chips into the motor for the Taig.
You don't need any man-made lightening


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## Deanofid (Dec 6, 2009)

Good going, Speedy. I don't know how you could do any better than two bills and have a real Sherline. 
Sounds like a steal to me!

Dean


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## Speedy (Dec 6, 2009)

I am very exited about this purchase.
thank you all for the kind comments!

once I get some other things set aside I will tear it down and get it fully operational again.
you guys will hear a bunch from me when I rebuild the bottom end. just like when I first got my Taig with all those questions ;D

im glade we have this forum with a bunch of kind members.


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## vlmarshall (Dec 7, 2009)

Hey... is the anodizing worn off of the base in the bottom of the Y dovetails? ???


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## Speedy (Dec 7, 2009)

that would be the milling he decided to do on the base.
it doesnt seem to be to bad. hopefully that didnt just kill the 200$ deal.


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## vlmarshall (Dec 7, 2009)

Aw, man. I misread what you said last night, thinking he'd milled the underside of the saddle or the center section of the base.
Well... if it's straight and flat I guess its not terrible...or unusable. Losing the anodizing is too bad, though, it was a harder-than-steel, low-friction surface. Hmm.


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## vlmarshall (Dec 7, 2009)

Is the saddle dragging in the middle now? Pull this thing apart, I want to SEE it. ;D I know, you've got other things to do first.


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## Speedy (Dec 7, 2009)

where the screw is it seems like it is marking up all the anodizing.
I will be happy if it moves smooth when I get it sorted.

if not I am sure I can sell it for 200$.
or pursue a new table from sherline, they told me they give student discounts so it would be cheaper then buying a complete new mill.


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## Speedy (Dec 7, 2009)

let me know what you think I should do, if its worth holding onto or not.

if I tear it down I can get it anodized again. I know 2 companies 10 mins away from me.


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## vlmarshall (Dec 7, 2009)

Yeah, it'll work out. It's still a great deal. The student discount sounds nice, I didn't know they'd do that. 

 Send me the mill base and I'll re-anodize it for ya.


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## vlmarshall (Dec 7, 2009)

Speedy  said:
			
		

> if I tear it down I can get it anodized again. I know 2 companies 10 mins away from me.


Oh, that works, too.
I'd hang on to it, Sherline parts are inexpensive and good quality, and you'll have a good little mill when you're done.

If I wasn't saving to get a lathe, I'd almost be trying to talk you out of it. ;D


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## Speedy (Dec 7, 2009)

hehe thanks Vernon
I just emailed sherline so I can see my options incase something goes wrong.

I did take this picture last night just didnt think of uploading it.


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## vlmarshall (Dec 7, 2009)

Ah, he's cut new dovetails. Sherline uses an odd angle, something like 55.5 degrees, because that's what was on the original Clisby machines and they wanted to maintain backwards-compatibility. 

Well, if it were mine, I'd clean up those tool marks, check the dovetail for straightness, re-anodize it, and run it like it is. Oh yeah, also cut a thou or two clearance under the saddle or on the top of the base. The middle isn't supposed to be a contact surface.


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## Speedy (Dec 8, 2009)

Vernon  said:
			
		

> Ah, he's cut new dovetails. Sherline uses an odd angle, something like 55.5 degrees, because that's what was on the original Clisby machines and they wanted to maintain backwards-compatibility.
> 
> Well, if it were mine, I'd clean up those tool marks, check the dovetail for straightness, re-anodize it, and run it like it is. Oh yeah, also cut a thou or two clearance under the saddle or on the top of the base. The middle isn't supposed to be a contact surface.



WHAAAAA?!!!! baby steps baby steps.
 :big: thats all foreign to me.

sherline says 10% discount off of the 144$ it will cost to replace the bottom, im not exactly sure what the bottom consists of because the part number they provided doesnt show a picture on their site.


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## vlmarshall (Dec 8, 2009)

Speedy  said:
			
		

> WHAAAAA?!!!! baby steps baby steps.
> :big: thats all foreign to me.
> 
> sherline says 10% discount off of the 144$ it will cost to replace the bottom, im not exactly sure what the bottom consists of because the part number they provided doesnt show a picture on their site.



Haha! P# 54020, bottom left corner of this pic: http://www.sherline.com/MillExPN.pdf

The rest can wait until don't have to worry about studying, and have time to pop that table off.


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## Speedy (Dec 8, 2009)

well just had a coffee break, decided to take the table off. was easy!
but I didnt break it down yet, already see parts that need replacement, I think its called the thrust collar after the hand wheel. 
the two holes are elongated one more so then the other but it seems that my taig lathe can make a new one!

thats when the coffee ran out (I gulp it down :big so the rest needs to wait for another day/time.

back to studying I go. :noidea:


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## vlmarshall (Dec 8, 2009)

Ha, yes, disassembly is so much easier when the machines are tiny.


My X-axis leadscrew locked up at the thrust collar during a 60ipm rapid (oh yeah, it's CNC'd, from a time before Sherline offered CNC conversions, with bearings), so I added a counterbore to either side, and a pair of miniature ball bearings. I still need to do the Y axis.


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## Speedy (Dec 12, 2009)

okay so the brass nut inside the table slide just slipped out. I moved it back into position and tightened down the grub screw.
assembled it and it works. but its slipping inside the table slightly, maybe I didnt tighten it down good enough.
I dont see any need to buy anything..... yet.

the table was on backwards, now its proper with the measurements in the front.

it saddens me to see how people treat their tools. plenty of little things that annoy me on this mill.

I am debating wether or not to sell this.
the biggest concern is the machining he did to the mill.

the money can surely be used in my tractor addiction. 8)
but then I will be without a mill again. can always keep the vise


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## vlmarshall (Dec 13, 2009)

Keep it. The spindle is small but high-quality. Maybe use it and the column to make a milling attachment for your lathe. Actually I've seen Taigs with Sherline spindle motors on them, supposedly lighter and more powerful.

If the Y gib can be adjusted to make the axis slop-free, it's not a terrible thing...but yeah, I know what you mean about seeing tools abused like that. Some people should be limited to plastic knives and safety scissors.


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## Speedy (Dec 13, 2009)

I am going to go over it again, but this time I will clean every thing and take pictures along the way for you all to see and comment on.
probably would be wise if I got it working, then gave it a shot at milling. 

Vernon how would I clean up the machining marks on the sherline, I ran my finger across them and they are far from smooth.


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## vlmarshall (Dec 13, 2009)

Speedy  said:
			
		

> Vernon how would I clean up the machining marks on the sherline, I ran my finger across them and they are far from smooth.


umm.... :-\ I keep forgetting that not everyone has access to bigger machines... handwork? What's the table travel on your lathe? It would be nice to be able to use it to run an indicator along the Sherline base.


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## Speedy (Dec 13, 2009)

this is straight from Taig.

CAPACITY

Max. turning dia. 4.5 in. (extendable to 6.5 in.)
Swing over cross slide 2.375 in.
Overall length of bed 15.5 in.
Overall length of lathe 16.5 in.
Tool bit size standard 1/4 in.
Drill chuck capacity 1/4 in.
Distance between centers 9.75 in. (with tailstock).
Carriage travel 9.0 in.
Cross slide travel 1.75 in.


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## vlmarshall (Dec 13, 2009)

Ah, enough that you could use it as a movable base to run an indicator along the bottom surface of the dovetail and check it for flatness...
First, though... does the Y-axis gib adjust far enough to take the slop out now? It sure wouldn't be fun to smooth out those surfaces and find out you've run out of adjustment. How about the inside surface of the dovetail. Is it in need of smoothing, too? I guess with a good straightegde and time, you can handwork those surfaces flat again... hard to get into the dovetail corner, though.
Darn. :-\


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## vlmarshall (Dec 17, 2009)

Hey Speedy. Checkitout. 
http://cgi.ebay.com/SHERLINE-STD-12...ol_Vehicles?hash=item33586ccc51#ht_500wt_1182


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## Speedy (Dec 17, 2009)

hey Vernon. looked at that yesterday.
I dont have paypal nor ebay :'(.


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## ChooChooMike (Dec 18, 2009)

It's definitely worth your time & knowledge to take apart the mill to clean & adjust & correct it as necessary. 

I did that with a used 5400 I had purchased a few years back that I finally paid some attention to .....  

The Y-axis/handweel was slightly binding near the thrust collar and I couldn't figure that one out. I was upgrading to the DRO which required installation of the handwheel encoders. I finally disassembled most of the mill to remove the Y-axis and components. Turns out the leadscrew to handwheel coupler widget was slightly off-kilter and the handwheel end of the leadscrew was corresponding slightly bent. I'm figuring the handwheel was whacked pretty hard (or took a fall ?) in it's former lifetime. I confirmed the leadscrew wasn't flat by simply rolling it across my surface plate and watching it wobble. I replaced the leadscrew with a new one from Sherline and now it turns very smoothly !

In the process, I cleaned and readjusted the whole mill - gibs, saddle, backlash adjusters, tables, added in the Z-axis backlash adjuster, upgraded to the DRO on all 3-axis, etc. Took a while, but was worth the knowledge gained in how the mill is put together and operates.

Mike


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## Speedy (Dec 19, 2009)

choochoo
I did take it apart once and intend to do it and fully service it. 

Vernon you have a pm.


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## vlmarshall (Jan 8, 2010)

Mess with the Sherline lately?


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## Speedy (Jan 8, 2010)

havnt yet. and still not sure what to do.

atlas machinery carries sherline and its 15 mins from the university I go to so I will walk their one day to check it out.
I want to replace the gib ( the plastic thing on the side to get rid of backlash) then I want to fix that slipping nut in the table.

if that gives me a working machine I will be happy untill I have enough cash to replace the base.


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## Russel (Feb 5, 2010)

I was checking the monthly special for Feb-2010 and when I saw it was mill bases, I thought of this thread. If you want to replace the base of the 5400, now would be a good time.

http://www.sherline.com/special.htm


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