[rowbare]

I just bought a used Tormach (series 1 circa 2006). It hadn't been used for about a year and a half and had a nice thick coating of dried coolant and chips... After a couple of good cleaning sessions, I am now ready to start looking at the functional aspects of the machine. One of my concerns is the lubrication system. I have no experience with one shot lube so I don't know what to expect of it. Is it reasonable to expect that the oil might have dried in the lines after sitting for so long or can I assume that the lines are ok?

Also, how long should the handle take to go back to its resting position when you pull it out to deliver a shot of oil? Mine seems to take a long time and if I push on the handle there is a lot of resistance. Does this indicate that there may be a blockage or is this normal? How does one check that the oil is getting where it is supposed to go?

I am quite excited to have the Tormach. I am moving up from a Taig so that is a pretty substantial step forward. Funny how these things go. I had long been debating the relative merits of buying a PCNC, either 1100 or 770, versus converting some flavour of Weiss clone. While I really wanted a Tormach, for cost reasons, I decided to do a conversion and was waiting for a shipping quote from one of the dealers.

Come Monday morning, I hadn't heard back so I was going to call, get the quote and if it was reasonable, place the order. Then I logged in here, and saw a Tormach in the featured ads and realized it was only about 140 miles from me... I drove down to see it that night, made the deal and went back on Wednesday in a rented truck to pick it up.

I still have some work ahead of me before I can start making chips but should be able to get it under power sometime this week and jog it around. I hope to get it up on the stand this weekend or next...

bob

[compunerdy]

Welcome Bob

While I cant answer most of your questions I can say that mine takes awhile to go back in and it resists being pushed in.

[philbur]

Remove the way covers, activate the oiler, run the machine end to end on all three axis, then wipe your finger over each ballscrew and each of the slide ways (horizontal and vertical) and check for oil. There are 15 oiling points, one on each slide surface, vertical and horizontal, and one on each ballscrew.

Phil

Welcome Bob

While I cant answer most of your questions I can say that mine takes awhile to go back in and it resists being pushed in.

[Cairns]

I'd say it takes 15-20 seconds? If it's been sitting for a year though, I'd be sure to check that each port is delivering oil. One or two could be clogged but it might still return fairly quickly. In other words I wouldn't use the return time as a gauge for how well the machine is being oiled.

[philbur]

You can't assume the oil lines are OK. However lubricating oil does not "dry out" in such a short time, especially in a such a confined space. The lube hoses can however become crimped or actually detached. Also I believe the hose ends have flow restrictors, which I guess could become blocked if less than clean oil is used. Best procedure is to just check that oil is getting to where it should.

Phil

Is it reasonable to expect that the oil might have dried in the lines after sitting for so long or can I assume that the lines are ok?

[rowbare]

Thanks guys. 15-20 seconds sounds like about how long it takes for the plunger to return so I am in the ballpark there. I will follow Phil's advice and remove the way covers to check that the oil is getting where it is meant to.

bob

[Al_The_Man]

There have been a few recent posts on 1 shot oilers and as mentioned the end point metering devices should be checked, also if waylube oil has been used, this tends to leave a gummy deposit in the tank after a few years, it pays to remove the tank and flush it out every few years.
A sign is if the level sight glass has gone a yellow colour instead of nice and clear.
Al.