Rebuilding my 10' Dia, Circa 1871, Niles Boring Mill

Wow, what a ride! Nice mechanical work. It is very good to appreciate someone like yourself to see the value of restoring a machine like that. I never realised the casting capabilities of circa 1871. It's also great to see the entrepreneurship of average Americans like yourself "going for it - damn the torpedoes"

The last photos were shot in the dark with only the camera flash on - I hope the electricity bills were paid up. Those big 50? HP motors take some juice.

The dogs looked like they were taking the whole rigmarole all in - none the worst for wear.

How are you going to replace the shafts and bolts, etc. that were scrapped before you got the notion to salvage this ingenuous 'muscle of industry'?

Nice documentation too, as the photos really told the story of what was happening in your shop day to day to day, It also seems that you've got some good helpers who believe in your quest!

So, what is your use for the mill? Please keep us up to date as to when it's up and running and throwing off some slivers of metal! (there's a word for slivers of machined metal, but I can't recall it now - is it 'swarf' - or something similar) - Thank you for the ride - Good luck with your new old toy - Loupy

Wow, when you buy toys you don't fool around. When will the YouTube videos be available. I'd love to see that thing turn.

You ought to register and become part of CR4. There are a lot of people that just "drive by" CR4 looking for homework help, but the core group of people here love projects like yours. Who knows, maybe someone can help you someday or maybe someone will need to contact you for your unique services.

Thanks for the pictures,

Bruce

PS I can't believe you let the dogs run the forklift without putting on their seat belt. When I went through forklift training that was forbidden.

It does look like the plastic buckets full of concrete scrap on the rear of the forklift and the extra cart under the forks out front kept the forklift inside its CG. Somehow I must have missed the chapter on these CG compensation techniques.

OK, so after looking at this huge boring mill we need to ask, what is this "Indian River HEP" that required a tool this large?

Nicely done! Its amazing what some people will scrap out and what others will do to keep something like that up and running!

I have to ask about the big black and red generator you have. Is it part of the original building structure or just some project you have?

I am guessing that by the proximity to the river that it could be or was at one time a functional power source for the location you are in.

tcmtech - the generator question is discussed in a recent previous thread on civil engineering - please see; http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/62990/My-Baby-Hydro-Generator-Arrived-Yesterday - Loupy.

Hey Guys:

Thanks for the great comments!!!!! So far we have machined two hydraulic turbine runners, two throat rings, two shift rings and two crown covers for our Indian River Hydraulic turbines. The "VTL" lol started making noises. We pulled up the turn table and found the threaded rod tensioning bolts that hold the giant upper cast iron bearing in place had backed out and fallen down into the drip pan. We had to wade through all that heavy grease to find them. We cleaned up the threads, reinstalled them with Locktite, lowered the table back down and went back into action!!! How did you like the way we re-installed the runners on the turbine shaft? I new how to do the first one with the runner stub being pressed flush with the end. It was my wonderful friends who suggested putting the I-beams across the top of the dumpster to allow room for the other end of the shaft to go down through the runner and stick out into the bottom of the dumpster!!! They are great guys!!! I am off today to do snow removal operations. If I have any extra time, I will try to get the runners and shaft back into the pressure casing.