ROCKWELL 21-122 milling machine REBUILD

Discussion on all milling machines vertical & horizontal, including but not limited to Bridgeports, Hardinge, South Bend, Clausing, Van Norman, including imports.

Moderators: GlennW, Harold_V

Post Reply
wally318
Posts: 260
Joined: Sun Jun 05, 2011 1:06 am
Location: Kelowna, British Columbia

ROCKWELL 21-122 milling machine REBUILD

Post by wally318 »

In my previous thread I got the knee of the mill unjammed.
This was the beginning of the rebuild. In order to go forward
this had to be done first.
The mill is a Rockwell both horizontal and vertical.
I found it on Ebay a few years ago in Riverside, ca.
I live in Kelowna,BC The seller took it to the local
Fastenal and it was shipped to Ferndale,Wa. near
Bellingham. And I came down with a trailer about 250 mi.
and picked it up. In the meantime, I have been stock piling
tooling for it making parts for it, adapting and making
upgrades and accessories for it. Finish rebuilding a
12 x 24" belt drive lathe to make room for a Colchester
Chipmaster, which I will have up and running shortly.
As well as shop tools mics,verniers etc. All of it near the top
of the food chain, find/looking for all this stuff and finding deals
took a considerable amount of time besides working a full time job/
cycling & working on my audio system and time with my kids.
Let me tell you I made a lot of trips from Kelowna to Oroville,Wa
in the last few years to pick up tools and records through customs.
So here goes.
wally318
Posts: 260
Joined: Sun Jun 05, 2011 1:06 am
Location: Kelowna, British Columbia

Re: ROCKWELL 21-122 milling machine REBUILD

Post by wally318 »

With the mill column on its back and the base off, I took the opportunity
to put the drum switch for the horizontal spindle inside the column.
Pic 1 is the holes drilled for it.
Pic 2 is an extension on the switch to deal with the column thickness.
Pic 3 is the switch installed.
Pic 4 is the the outside of the column- clean look, only the handle.

The swich is well tested for fit/function and mocked up and tested
for motor running and working.
The switch came in and out of the column many times till
I was happy that everything was as it should be.
Including flipping the mill over to grind the inside of the column
for lumps in the casting so that the switch fit nicely.
Let me tell you that was fun 1 handed angle grinding almost 2 feet
up the column almost totally blind. Except for 2 small holes to see a bit
and shine in some light.
Oops, forgot to add pics.
Attachments
P1040293.JPG
P1040294.JPG
P1040296.JPG
P1040297.JPG
Last edited by wally318 on Sat Sep 26, 2020 3:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
wally318
Posts: 260
Joined: Sun Jun 05, 2011 1:06 am
Location: Kelowna, British Columbia

Re: ROCKWELL 21-122 milling machine REBUILD

Post by wally318 »

Before the base came off, I had already
adapted the slotting head to the mill.
The slotting head is a Parkson that I brought
in from England. I think its from a 1N horizontal mill.
It has up to 2 inches of adjustable stroke.
You can angle the head 360 degrees as well as index the
cutter. It has a graduated holder.
Pic 1 is of the crank housing/block machined to slide
over the horizontal spindle seal cover as well as clearance
for the top of the column ways and mounting holes drilled.
Pic 2 are mounting holes drilled/tapped in the column.

Next I will go over all the vertical ways/dovetails before
putting the base back on.
Attachments
P1040299.JPG
P1040298.JPG
User avatar
NP317
Posts: 4557
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 2:57 pm
Location: Northern Oregon, USA

Re: ROCKWELL 21-122 milling machine REBUILD

Post by NP317 »

Wow! Serious work you are doing.
Making a shop to make a shop. Old time fun.
Thanks for sharing.
RussN
wally318
Posts: 260
Joined: Sun Jun 05, 2011 1:06 am
Location: Kelowna, British Columbia

Re: ROCKWELL 21-122 milling machine REBUILD

Post by wally318 »

OK. So I've totally gone over the ways on the column and the vertical ways on the knee.
I used a fine file to clean up any questional burrs at the edges(small chamfer)
and a fine diamond hand lap to touch up any questionable areas and a bit more attention to where the bolt head dug in.
A quick scrub with scotchbrite and varsol.
Then checked all the way surfaces with a parallel and 45 degree angle block.
Couldn't use a 60-angle looks to be about 55 degrees.
Next I put on the knee and then ground off about 7mm from the thin/damaged end of the gib.
Now the bolt head is inside the cavity and more thread grabbing. The top of the lower gib screw
threads seemed quite loose. I checked gib adjustment first, to see how much I could/should grind.
Re-set gib adjustment for a quick check.
Put the base back on the column-hopefully for the last time.
Before the base went back on, I cleaned out all the acumulated crud-oil/grease dirt and metal chips
to get ready for painting. And installed a better drain tube for coolant on the underside.
All the name plates/tags are removed and ready for paint.
When I'm ready to paint, I just have to remove the gearbox parts and spindle.
Then I can slide the knee up and off.
I will lift the mill up on blocks, use paint stripper on the base and then prime before paint.
The column can get paint on top of existing. Paint is still intact.
But for now The mill will sit as is in the corner. I'll put the saddle on loose and slide the table on
just to get it out the way. It'll sit there for now-while I get the Chipmaster up and running and
get the shop organized and tidied.
Attachments
P1040300.JPG
P1040301.JPG
LouStule
Posts: 86
Joined: Fri Sep 11, 2020 7:20 pm
Location: Washington State

Re: ROCKWELL 21-122 milling machine REBUILD

Post by LouStule »

Kelowna BC is beautiful. Nice job on the mill too.
wally318
Posts: 260
Joined: Sun Jun 05, 2011 1:06 am
Location: Kelowna, British Columbia

Re: ROCKWELL 21-122 milling machine REBUILD

Post by wally318 »

OK. Now we're ready to get into the thick of it.
I've removed the gearbox and associated parts, as well as the
spindle/bearings and slide the knee back off.
I weighed the knee just for the heck, its 75 pounds. Just the bare casting.
I've got the base/column up on blocks and the base stand.
Right now I'm stripping the paint off the base only. It was chipped up
quite badly. Also putting threaded fillers into threaded holes, about 10 of them on the
column. There were all sorts of things bolted to it that I didn't need and frankly made
it look quite ugly. The column still has most of paint intact.
So I'll prime the base and a bit of touch up in a few areas of the column and then
paint the final coats on the base and column together.
I'll be using a rust paint type enamel with Valspar enamel hardener mixed in.
I did a bit of research on painting machines a while back and came upon some
info on putting enamel hardener in regular Ace hadware type rust paints.
It was said the paint dryed harder-glossier and quicker than just the
standard rust paints on their own. Sounded like the ticket for getting
a more durable finish on a machine without the mega bucks expense.
and since the colum/base castings aren't real smooth will apply with brush.
Easier than spraying in my small shop area. No concerns about overspray
and covering everything up as well as proper mask for spraying with paint/hardeners
containing isocyanites.
The other smaller parts including the knee will get sprayed at work where we have more
suitable equipment for that, but more suitable to smaller stuff.

When taking off the gearbox and associated parts It was quite a mess inside.
I had a bit of a taste of it when moving the mill to get the lathe in the shop.
I had a couple bolts off the back for the adjustable pulley bracket and when
leaning the mill backwards what came out looked pretty ugly.
So here's a bit of the story as to why.
When I bought the mill back in 2015 the owner said that he took over his fathers shop.
And that his father had bought the mill about 40 years ago 1975. The model number of the
mill is 21-120 a horizontal only. And by looking at the vintage machinery site, was able to figure
out the mill dates to 1968. So the father bought the mill when it was about 7 yrs old and
added or it already had added a Vertical head to it. The son said the father NEVER used
the horizontal spindle in those 40 years. They were using it as a vertical only, specifically
for making some sort of brass/bronze gears, so it hat a small 1/3 hp DC motor/controller with 1 pulley
on the vertical head and the column had some sort of 4th axis controller bolted to it.
I guess for indexing. Both of which I sold right away. The shop lost the contract for the gears and
thats how I got it. So back to the mess in the gearbox. I'm guessing the backgear oil has maybe
never been changed in over 50 YEARS. It was just about as black as any oil you've seen
come out of a car when changing the oil and as thick or thicker than the thickest molasses
that you've ever seen.
I've thrown in a couple pics of column and of gearbox area and parts as well
Attachments
P1040313.JPG
P1040312.JPG
P1040314.JPG
P1040315.JPG
Lazz
Posts: 167
Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2012 11:06 pm
Location: The Warm Arizona Deserts... Phoenix to be precise...

Re: ROCKWELL 21-122 milling machine REBUILD

Post by Lazz »

Ive got one of those...
I use it exclusively as a horizontal.
These are small foot print machines that can to the job.

My vintage 1968 mill started in the Morenci AZ school system and then spent some time as a sign for Moore Tools here in Phoenix
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.4767719 ... 312!8i6656

Thanks again John....
Last edited by Lazz on Mon Dec 12, 2022 10:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
liveaboard
Posts: 1971
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2013 1:40 pm
Location: southern Portugal
Contact:

Re: ROCKWELL 21-122 milling machine REBUILD

Post by liveaboard »

That should be illegal.
wally318
Posts: 260
Joined: Sun Jun 05, 2011 1:06 am
Location: Kelowna, British Columbia

Re: ROCKWELL 21-122 milling machine REBUILD

Post by wally318 »

So I finally got back to working on the mill after deciding to build/finish the chipmaster taper attachment
and looking into some Variator issues and possible final solutions.
So in pic 1 the base was fully stripped and is now primed and just needs a sanding before final paint.
In pic 2 the top 1/4 or so of the column is cleaned and masked for paint.
I decided not to strip the column the paint was still intact and a good starting point for final coats.
Next I'll clean/mask the lower column and the give some prime touch up to areas with bare metal
showing.... and then some new paint.
Attachments
P1040335.JPG
P1040336.JPG
wally318
Posts: 260
Joined: Sun Jun 05, 2011 1:06 am
Location: Kelowna, British Columbia

Re: ROCKWELL 21-122 milling machine REBUILD

Post by wally318 »

<While working on a possible Variator solution of a 3 ph motor/and inverter I came to realize that switching from the 1 Hp
1140 rpm motor for the vertical head of this mill and the steel pulleys that I made up to replace the missing one from
the motor end (all that's left to do is machine the V-grooves) and would give me 230-3950 spindle rpm's to a 1 Hp
3 ph motor and inverter was a Mistake. The reasoning was that to be able to do any helical milling with my Universal
dividing head and not having a swiveling table it would have to be done by tilting the vertical head to get the helix angle.

Just so happens that I had already adapted a Bridgeport Right angle head to my vertical spindle, and not even knowing
at the time that this was a logical use for it, so I could leave the head trammed and use the right angle head to act like the swiveling table. But it was the 230 rpm bottom end speed w/o any back gear that had me worried.

After doing a bit of searching I found a video of a European fellow making some helical gears on his horizontal mill that was
plain-not universal. His solution was to use a 6 x 18" compound slide table set off on the helix angle and then making a set up
for his dividing head and slide table to do helical milling/power feed.
I sold my 6 x 18 slide table a long while back after I sold my 3 in 1 machine and wasn't looking forward to having to buy another
or spending a lot of time rigging up some power feed to it(sows ear to silk purse scenario).

After banging my head on the wall for a bit ... here's my solution. Another use for the Bridgeport right angle head.
Pic 1 is the backside of a 1 x 6" plate 8 inches long and bored to locate on the horizontal spindle seal cover.
And then counter-bored to fit an extension/adaptor tube.

Pic 2 is the adptor mounted on the mill with the extension tube welded in place.

Pic 3 shows the profile of the extension tube bored and turned from a 5" long pc of 4" dia.

Pic 4 shows the collet chuck in place using a 31/32 or 25mm collet to drive the R8 spindle.

This needs to be in place and tightened before sliding the Right angle head onto the adaptor and into the spindle.
As you can see from the pic there is no clamping ears on the right angle head. As it was I found a damaged one on Ebay
that had a cracked ear for a good deal. It was basically brand new but decades old that had maybe been dropped
and has no collet markings in the spindle-looks shiny/new. So I didn't feel bad about milling the height of the Head
down so that it would fit on the vertical quill which has only 2.6 inches of travel vs 5 inches for a Bridgeport.
So with the height shortened the R8 spindle can now go all the way home into the Rockwell quill and all that was left to
do was make a 3-3/8" to 2.950" adaptor sleeve and an external clamp.

Pic 5 shows the head mounted with the external clamp.

It feels rock solid and the spindle seal plate is not tightened all the way home, it out about .100" and only
put there for purpose of mockup and pics. Seeings I'm in the middle of painting. With the seal cover tight/home the adapator would be mounted considerably tighter.

Pic 6 is just a mockup of the arbor in place and set at virtual helix angle with a 3 inch slotting cutter as
a stand in for a gear cutter-don't have any yet.
Attachments
P1040338.JPG
P1040339.JPG
P1040340.JPG
P1040341.JPG
P1040342.JPG
P1040343.JPG
wally318
Posts: 260
Joined: Sun Jun 05, 2011 1:06 am
Location: Kelowna, British Columbia

Re: ROCKWELL 21-122 milling machine REBUILD

Post by wally318 »

I also forgot to mention that I took the Right angle head apart and machined a center in line with
the R8 drive spindle. As it happens when I got the mill, the over arm bracket had a special dead
center inserted into the arbor bushing. Which is perfect to work along with the female center
that I put into the Right angle head for extra stability.
Post Reply