Greetings,
This is my first posting to the group so I hope I did it right.
I just acquired a Postel Bench Filing Machine off eBay that's nearly identical to the one posted by "shred" (re: Filing Machine-cranking it-old school). I say nearly identical because mine had been crudely repainted, concealing the original finish, which could have been the handsome crinkle finish that's on shred's filer. In addition, it was full of grunge, crud and metal filings, most of which I managed to clean off except in the area under the table, which I 'd like to remove for a thorough cleaning and repaint.
In trying to remove the table, however, I hit a brick wall that perhaps others here have also run into but solved. In the primary axis, the table pivot on two trunnions, and in the secondary axis it pivots on a single trunnion. threaded on one end with double hex nuts. I can't figure out how to remove any of these trunnions, or back them out far enough to release the table. They appear pressed into the housing casting, but I might be wrong about that. Would they require a special fixture to press them out? Perhaps they can be driven out with a brass punch and mallet? If I can't remove the table, then I'm stuck with the crud that's still there and won't be able to refinish the machine as I would like to.
Anyway, moving along, I noticed that the yoke mechanism (oscillating shaft assembly?) was bone dry with only traces of dried lubricant coating the shaft, and dried lumps at the top and bottom of the stroke near the bearings. Would Lubriplate or a similar grease be suitable here or would a dab of medium weight oil from time to time work better?
Also, there's a conical knurled cap screw over the upper bronze bearing. Is there a felt wiper under it or is it conically shaped to deflect filings away from the bearing? And one last question, does it matter which direction the belt pulley rotates? There are no arrows on the pulley, so I'm assuming the direction is not important. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
In the meantime, I installed a 1/4 hp motor with a new, 4L300 Master Mechanic V-belt from my local hardware store, greased up the yoke, then plugged it in. I wasn't prepared for how quiet and relatively smooth the filer runs with very little pounding from the eccentric weight. I also tried it with one of files that were included, and was thrilled to see it quickly square up the hacksawed end of a piece of aluminum.
For whatever it's worth, I grabbed it with Buy-it-Now for $150 plus $25 shipping, soon after it was listed. The seller even built a wooden shipping crate for it, which now doubles as a locker. So, all in all, I think this was a great deal, even if it never comes apart to refinish.
This is my first posting to the group so I hope I did it right.
I just acquired a Postel Bench Filing Machine off eBay that's nearly identical to the one posted by "shred" (re: Filing Machine-cranking it-old school). I say nearly identical because mine had been crudely repainted, concealing the original finish, which could have been the handsome crinkle finish that's on shred's filer. In addition, it was full of grunge, crud and metal filings, most of which I managed to clean off except in the area under the table, which I 'd like to remove for a thorough cleaning and repaint.
In trying to remove the table, however, I hit a brick wall that perhaps others here have also run into but solved. In the primary axis, the table pivot on two trunnions, and in the secondary axis it pivots on a single trunnion. threaded on one end with double hex nuts. I can't figure out how to remove any of these trunnions, or back them out far enough to release the table. They appear pressed into the housing casting, but I might be wrong about that. Would they require a special fixture to press them out? Perhaps they can be driven out with a brass punch and mallet? If I can't remove the table, then I'm stuck with the crud that's still there and won't be able to refinish the machine as I would like to.
Anyway, moving along, I noticed that the yoke mechanism (oscillating shaft assembly?) was bone dry with only traces of dried lubricant coating the shaft, and dried lumps at the top and bottom of the stroke near the bearings. Would Lubriplate or a similar grease be suitable here or would a dab of medium weight oil from time to time work better?
Also, there's a conical knurled cap screw over the upper bronze bearing. Is there a felt wiper under it or is it conically shaped to deflect filings away from the bearing? And one last question, does it matter which direction the belt pulley rotates? There are no arrows on the pulley, so I'm assuming the direction is not important. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
In the meantime, I installed a 1/4 hp motor with a new, 4L300 Master Mechanic V-belt from my local hardware store, greased up the yoke, then plugged it in. I wasn't prepared for how quiet and relatively smooth the filer runs with very little pounding from the eccentric weight. I also tried it with one of files that were included, and was thrilled to see it quickly square up the hacksawed end of a piece of aluminum.
For whatever it's worth, I grabbed it with Buy-it-Now for $150 plus $25 shipping, soon after it was listed. The seller even built a wooden shipping crate for it, which now doubles as a locker. So, all in all, I think this was a great deal, even if it never comes apart to refinish.
