Quill clock spring repair and rewinding made easy with tools you already have. This is for a Bridgeport clone, it would be the same on many vertical mills.
I just wanted to say thank you, It worked a treat. I just picked an old clapped out J head that I am working on fixing up, so one less thing that I have to spend money on to get it up and running. I was able to do it while the three jaw was still on the lathe. Thanks again!
Thank you for posting this. I wound up using two vise grips and a pair of large worm drive hose clamps screwed together to crank the spring down small enough to get it back into the housing, which worked pretty well.
Thanks Stan, I had used a hose clamp when I rebuilt my Lagun but the spring had broken about a third of the way in from corrosion and I made a new hole like you did. I didn't expect it to last but I have it set like yours and it's been almost 2 years now. Better than the $200 Lagun wants for a new spring.
On my Comet clone I used my caliper depth feature to find the depth of the rivet head on the shaft. Then when I loaded the spring into it's housing I left the whole thing out about .100". It caught the rivet head the first time. My spring had broken diagonally near the inner end. I figured it was from having the inner end forced inward to catch the rivet basically twisting the spring.
Yes, i just removed mine this morning, was looking for this video, so ill do mine in the following few hours or a day or 2😂 got all the goggles and gloves, hopefully i will have both eyes and 10 digits intact when im through. A cheAp pair of safety goggles save my eyes a year or 2 back when a drill fell from lathe gearbox onto a chuck while lathe was working and got smacked😂
Excellent Video! Well explained and as i happens - just what I need to know! The new LMS 5500 small mill comes with a VERY tight quill spring and I'm hoping this technique will allow me to relax it a bit - as it stand now, it will take out a knuckle if you let it slip! Also like the idea of the 'floating' action. Thanks!
Yea im digging the 3 jaw chuck winding method. | did a similar repair on a radial arm at work, where the slotted end had broken off. The boss was like I didn't even know that was possible. Now guess who gets to fix all those crappy Rong Fu mill drill springs that break on the production floor?
Nice trick Stan (it's Stan, correct?) on the three jaw. Saved in the 'old memory bank. I have a similar shop and do the same sorts of things as well. Good to see your videos. Glenn
Hi Stan... Thanks for showing....learned something new! Question....when you removed the spring to start the repair, is there any concern of it popping open or is the tension already released? ....I assume it has released it tension... Hey...you need a new shop shirt...LOL....that one has seen it's day! Best regards Chuck
Hiya Chuck, yea, it was laundry day for the shop coats / shop towels .. hehe. Removing the spring is fast and violent, clamp the center of the spring with vice grips, clamp the vice grips into a bench vice, hold the housing with the opening facing AWAY from you, turn your head and pull. All said and done in the blink of an eye.
I just wanted to say thank you, It worked a treat. I just picked an old clapped out J head that I am working on fixing up, so one less thing that I have to spend money on to get it up and running. I was able to do it while the three jaw was still on the lathe. Thanks again!
Thank you for posting this. For me it's an M-head Bridgeport I'm into, essentially the same arrangement, thanks again!
Out of all the videos, you were the only one who nailed the problem,thanks a million, John C
Thank you for posting this. I wound up using two vise grips and a pair of large worm drive hose clamps screwed together to crank the spring down small enough to get it back into the housing, which worked pretty well.
Thanks for the idea, I used my 4 jaw chuck to rewind a stout drill press spring I had be en struggling with. It worked like a charm, thanks hoss.
I like it. Got all weekend and the chuck is out of the lathe. I’ll give it a try. Thanks
Thanks Stan, I had used a hose clamp when I rebuilt my Lagun but the spring had broken about a third of the way in from corrosion and I made a new hole like you did. I didn't expect it to last but I have it set like yours and it's been almost 2 years now. Better than the $200 Lagun wants for a new spring.
On my Comet clone I used my caliper depth feature to find the depth of the rivet head on the shaft. Then when I loaded the spring into it's housing I left the whole thing out about .100". It caught the rivet head the first time. My spring had broken diagonally near the inner end. I figured it was from having the inner end forced inward to catch the rivet basically twisting the spring.
Yes, i just removed mine this morning, was looking for this video, so ill do mine in the following few hours or a day or 2😂 got all the goggles and gloves, hopefully i will have both eyes and 10 digits intact when im through. A cheAp pair of safety goggles save my eyes a year or 2 back when a drill fell from lathe gearbox onto a chuck while lathe was working and got smacked😂
Great job!! THANKS. Pretty good demo and easy method. Thanks again.
Great demo on fixing a quill spring assembly.
Great idea. Wish I`d seen this a week ago as I`ve just ordered a new spring assembly!
Thank you so much! I've been wrestling with an M head spring for longer than I care to admit.
It worked! took less than an hour.
This helped me a lot thank you so much for sharing this knowledge.
Great job, thanks for making my ife a tad easier (and £65 cheaper) today !
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Helped me with mu Alliant mill rebuild
Excellent Video! Well explained and as i happens - just what I need to know! The new LMS 5500 small mill comes with a VERY tight quill spring and I'm hoping this technique will allow me to relax it a bit - as it stand now, it will take out a knuckle if you let it slip! Also like the idea of the 'floating' action. Thanks!
A quill handle that comes back around and smacks you in the chin is zero fun. BTW this same repair is holding (probably jinks myself now)
Thank you, very useful information.
Hey Stan, thanks for the great instructional video, just picked up a J head mill and it has quill issues that this may be useful for thanks
Very clever indeed!
Thanks for sharing
Yea im digging the 3 jaw chuck winding method. | did a similar repair on a radial arm at work, where the slotted end had broken off. The boss was like I didn't even know that was possible. Now guess who gets to fix all those crappy Rong Fu mill drill springs that break on the production floor?
Awesome, thanks!
Very innovative way of correcting the problem. Thanks for sharing- Fred
Nice trick Stan (it's Stan, correct?) on the three jaw.
Saved in the 'old memory bank. I have a similar shop and do the same sorts of things as well. Good to see your videos.
Glenn
Hiya Glenn,
Happy to share my tricks :)
Stan
Just an FYI....Bridgeport recommends 1 1/2 turns for the clock spring.
Hi Stan...
Thanks for showing....learned something new!
Question....when you removed the spring to start the repair, is there any concern of it popping open or is the tension already released? ....I assume it has released it tension...
Hey...you need a new shop shirt...LOL....that one has seen it's day!
Best regards
Chuck
Hiya Chuck, yea, it was laundry day for the shop coats / shop towels .. hehe.
Removing the spring is fast and violent, clamp the center of the spring with vice grips, clamp the vice grips into a bench vice, hold the housing with the opening facing AWAY from you, turn your head and pull.
All said and done in the blink of an eye.
That's a pretty slick process!
Stan, mine just blew out the hole in the center of the spring.... got a fix for that? I'm guessing buy a new one...LOL
Thanks for the info - clock springs scare me