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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
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    843

    Default Who made the Herless SM-1 Mill?

    Hi all,

    Anybody know who manufactured the Herless SM-1 milling machine? This old girl:



    She has no S/N plate on her any more - motor says Taiwan. I contacted Hare and Forbes who where helpful enough to confirm that it was an SM-1 and it was Taiwanese, but not who actually manufactured it.

    Lots of manufacturers made similar models (just look at the Grizzly site - people still make 'em).

    Why? I have done a nut-and-bolt on it and it is missing a few parts so if whoever made 'em is still making 'em then there are some bits I'd prefer to buy rather than make.

    (that is a 1941 South Bend 10L in the background - I am keeping myself busy with getting these two back up to scratch)

    .. and yes, they are a fine machine. The ways need a re-scrape but it'll hold 0.01mm from one end of X to the other. Not too shabby.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Victoria, Australia
    Age
    74
    Posts
    5,080

    Default

    If Hares and Forbes don't remember, then you could try emailing the milling machine makers listed in the Taiwan Machine Tools directory

    http://www.machinetools.net.tw/milli...ng_machine.htm

    There's only about 10 or so, send them all an email with a picture, someone might own up to being the manufacturer, or at least know who was/is?

    Ray

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    QLD
    Posts
    735

    Default

    Another place to look would be Lathes UK. They list some of the Taiwan machines...

    http://www.lathes.co.uk/page21.html

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    blackburn vic
    Posts
    297

    Default

    Looks exactly like mine which has an ID plate from "FUGI", Made in Taiwan by the Friendly Manufacturers Corporation.

    Roger

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Location
    Richmond
    Posts
    214

    Default

    I purchased one similar (same?) as the one pictured here from Hare and Forbes, Parramatta pre HAFCO days in 1978. The brand name on my machine was "Kao Fong" or similar spelling. When I sold it in 2005 the book went with it so I can't check. It now resides in Melbourne somewhere with a model engineer by the name of Keith Botting.

    Mr Google found this: http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/thr...VMC-Mill-Parts which may have some info.




    Quote Originally Posted by StrayAlien View Post
    Hi all,

    Anybody know who manufactured the Herless SM-1 milling machine? This old girl:



    She has no S/N plate on her any more - motor says Taiwan. I contacted Hare and Forbes who where helpful enough to confirm that it was an SM-1 and it was Taiwanese, but not who actually manufactured it.

    Lots of manufacturers made similar models (just look at the Grizzly site - people still make 'em).

    Why? I have done a nut-and-bolt on it and it is missing a few parts so if whoever made 'em is still making 'em then there are some bits I'd prefer to buy rather than make.

    (that is a 1941 South Bend 10L in the background - I am keeping myself busy with getting these two back up to scratch)

    .. and yes, they are a fine machine. The ways need a re-scrape but it'll hold 0.01mm from one end of X to the other. Not too shabby.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
    Posts
    843

    Default

    Hey thanks all,

    I'll sniff around the machinetools.tw site for sure. I went through every (yes, every) mill manufacturer on lathes.co.uk with no luck.

    I've posted on PM as well as joined the 6x26 groups on Yahoo looking for info as well. No joy. I recall seeing info about the FUGI mills - they were the same type but there seems to have been quite some makers of this type - including some in Japan and China. YES in Taiwan still do an almost exact version of it, but who knows if any parts would interchange - I doubt it.

    I'll research the info given, thanks. The search goes on!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Frankston south
    Posts
    102

    Default

    The one I have is also by FMC (Friendly manufacturers corporation) called the Fugi FM-VO-B, circa 1978
    FMC
    Po box 58998
    Taipei, Taiwan
    Telex 085 22112 Frema Taipei
    Tel 5921196-8 5918728 5918738
    Good luck

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    1

    Default

    I have a Herless SSB-10BS lathe from 1982 which is a re-branded Shun-Shin

    Any clues in the manual if you have it?

  9. #9
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    Aug 2015
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
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    843

    Default

    Thanks. Good info. I'll research that. Manual? This thing doesn't even have a serial# plate on it! I rescued it from the dust at the back of a farm out the back of Echuca.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Location
    Richmond
    Posts
    214

    Default

    [QUOTE=StrayAlien;1898099]Thanks. Good info. I'll research that. Manual? This thing doesn't even have a serial# plate on it! I rescued it from the dust at the back of a farm out the back of Echuca.[/QUOTE


    From the Hafco archives 1978, here is the info from their sales brochure as well as a photo of actual 1978 mill.. There was a smaller model without fine quill feed.

    If required, I could possibly get a copy of the manual.



    Kao Feng Mill.jpgHafcoMill.jpg

  11. #11
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    Aug 2015
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
    Posts
    843

    Default

    Also good info! Kao Feng eh. The machine in the pic is certainly of the same family. Googling them turns up machinery but I don't find any manufacturers. Well, one that knits!

    This model of machine seems to go back quite some way. I posted a message on PM to see if anybody knew where it all started:

    History of the 6x26 / 8x30

    But didn't get too far.

    I am curious as to why you have a 1978 brochure!?

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    blackburn vic
    Posts
    297

    Default

    If you are looking for a manual, the Grizzly G9959/G9977 is near enough identical.
    You can download it from their website.

    Roger

  13. #13
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    May 2015
    Location
    Richmond
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    214

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by StrayAlien View Post
    Also good info! Kao Feng eh. The machine in the pic is certainly of the same family. Googling them turns up machinery but I don't find any manufacturers. Well, one that knits!

    This model of machine seems to go back quite some way. I posted a message on PM to see if anybody knew where it all started:

    History of the 6x26 / 8x30

    But didn't get too far.

    I am curious as to why you have a 1978 brochure!?
    I called into Hare and Forbes at Parramatta on Thursday and found the 78 brochure in their archives (courtesy of John Hare's son who looks after advertising material). Being a customer since 1975 the task wasn't too difficult! I have the contact info for the model engineer who bought my mill now so maybe I can get a copy of that machine manual rather easy. Let me know if required.

    PS. I just looked at your post on PM. Can you confirm what colour the original paint was. Also, is the quill plain ground cast iron or is it hard chromed. That should tell me if Kao Feng or later Hafco. As a point of interest, my little Kao Feng mill produced all extrusion dies for Carnation (later Nestle') Go Cat dried cat food from 1978 to 1989 and that was only a fraction of it's workload! A great little machine.

  14. #14
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    Aug 2015
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
    Posts
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    Default

    Thanks 'Rusty' / Roger. Apols for late reply.

    Roger: I used the Grizzly manuals and exploded parts diagrams to help when I pulled it down. They were similar but not exact - Especially around the spindle - AC bearings and setup etc. But, not after the manual for this old girl - more seeking who made it so I might save myself the heartache of making some of the parts (which are metric .. and I can't cut Metric threads .. yet)!

    Rusty: When I got the mill is was not painted in original colour. It has some bluey grey much painted on with a horse brush or something. Not a great job. In fact, whoever painted it didn't bother to cover anything - they even painted over some masking tape and just left the tape embedded in the paint on the machine. Underneath was a dark greeny colour - which I assume was the original colour.

    The quill, as far as I can tell it is not chromed. The collar at the base is .. I think.

    IMAG0528[1].jpg

    Re the Kao Feng mill. That is excellent - they are made to be used! I'll be giving this one some love of the coming months (or .. more like .. the coming year). Some things are badly worn or need replacing - and hopefully making a riser block for it out of a great hunk of CI that I snaffled recently.

  15. #15
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    May 2015
    Location
    Richmond
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    214

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by StrayAlien View Post
    Thanks 'Rusty' / Roger. Apols for late reply.

    Roger: I used the Grizzly manuals and exploded parts diagrams to help when I pulled it down. They were similar but not exact - Especially around the spindle - AC bearings and setup etc. But, not after the manual for this old girl - more seeking who made it so I might save myself the heartache of making some of the parts (which are metric .. and I can't cut Metric threads .. yet)!

    Rusty: When I got the mill is was not painted in original colour. It has some bluey grey much painted on with a horse brush or something. Not a great job. In fact, whoever painted it didn't bother to cover anything - they even painted over some masking tape and just left the tape embedded in the paint on the machine. Underneath was a dark greeny colour - which I assume was the original colour.

    The quill, as far as I can tell it is not chromed. The collar at the base is .. I think.

    IMAG0528[1].jpg

    Re the Kao Feng mill. That is excellent - they are made to be used! I'll be giving this one some love of the coming months (or .. more like .. the coming year). Some things are badly worn or need replacing - and hopefully making a riser block for it out of a great hunk of CI that I snaffled recently.

    Metric threads not yet?????? Why not!

    Info on Hafco supplied mills:

    By very early 1980s the cost from Taiwan was getting a bit high so the Hares looked at China for a similar but cheaper alternative. Same basic castings without the finer points of quality. The quill now raw cast iron rather than the hard chrome and the paint a shocking but satisfactory green. Still the same metrics as far as I can remember. A mate here has one of those so let me know if I can check sizes.

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