Thread: GHA Mill (Deckel FP1 clone)

I stumbled across this little mill about a week ago on gumtree
I'm in Tas, and something like this doesn't come up very often.

So despite consulting with people who recommended letting this one pass due to the amount of work required, idiot here bought the mill...

I'll post updates on here as I clean this thing up. I don't know that it will be a full restoration or even painted at the end. We'll see

IMG_20200918_200759_755.jpg

It was definitely worth grabbing. They're nice little machines, way above a Hercus in general utility.

I see that you have the all angle table with it too. Not as rigid as the box table but useful for all sorts of oddball setups.

Funny thing is I'm currently tossing up whether to get a dropped platen type table cast up for this sort of mill as my Romanian copy (slightly bigger) definitely lacks on Z space. Put a rotary table with chuck on top of the table & see how much space you (don't) have left for tooling. PITA.

You'll not have a problem getting rid of it if you ever decide to.

PDW

Originally Posted by PDW

It was definitely worth grabbing. They're nice little machines, way above a Hercus in general utility.

I see that you have the all angle table with it too. Not as rigid as the box table but useful for all sorts of oddball setups.

Funny thing is I'm currently tossing up whether to get a dropped platen type table cast up for this sort of mill as my Romanian copy (slightly bigger) definitely lacks on Z space. Put a rotary table with chuck on top of the table & see how much space you (don't) have left for tooling. PITA.

You'll not have a problem getting rid of it if you ever decide to.

PDW

Yeah not sure if it is a keeper or not, but I think I can sell it quite easily if it comes to that

Out of interest, are the pictures in this post loading for you? My internet seems to be playing up and nothing is showing at my end

Originally Posted by TommyGMachining

Yeah not sure if it is a keeper or not, but I think I can sell it quite easily if it comes to that

Out of interest, are the pictures in this post loading for you? My internet seems to be playing up and nothing is showing at my end

No but there's an absolute ton of code attached to your first post. Not sure what's gone wrong, I can see IMG tags and stuff.

If the machine is in good nick, personally I'd sell the Hercus but that's me - never been a fan of them, same with the lathes. OK machines provided you can't get your hands on anything better. I owned a Hercus lathe for a while, friend has one of the mills, he has the same opinion.

PDW

Im guessing that was the mill that I was 2nd in line for if you didnt buy it on the Friday night.......I think it was in Stowport or somewhere up the coast?? Missing all the power feeds?

Originally Posted by danshell

Im guessing that was the mill that I was 2nd in line for if you didnt buy it on the Friday night.......I think it was in Stowport or somewhere up the coast?? Missing all the power feeds?

Ha ha yes that will bit it

I was on the fence, especially looking at the exterior and what horrors might be lurking inside lol
I might have a Hercus mill on offer soon though...

I got it home and off the trailer with dodgy improvised lifting techniques (I need to build a gantry), and it looks heaps better in the improved light
The ways are very stiff even after oiling. They will need cleaning up

After speaking with people who have used deckels, I was advised to check the bevel gear to the vertical head and the long pinion under the y axis.
Whoops too late, however the vertical bevel gear looks pretty reasonable

IMG_20200920_142657_484.jpg

Originally Posted by TommyGMachining

Ha ha yes that will bit it

I was on the fence, especially looking at the exterior and what horrors might be lurking inside lol
I might have a Hercus mill on offer soon though...

haha small world. If or when your old mill comes up give me a yell, if the price is within my budget I may be interested. I am the 'other' person on gumtree in tassie with the Milling Machine Wanted ad

Originally Posted by TommyGMachining

IMG_20200920_142657_484.jpg

And likewise, if you decide you dont want this project I would be interested in it also. Id prefer this old girl than any modern'ish asian import any day.

Originally Posted by danshell

And likewise, if you decide you dont want this project I would be interested in it also. Id prefer this old girl than any modern'ish asian import any day.

Wise, very wise. The Asian imports at the bottom end of the market are crap, as seen many times. Sure you can improve them after buying a ton of metrology gear and learning to scrape etc, but it's still putting lipstick on a pig. At least putting the same level of work/effort into a Deckel or GHA mill will get you something decent when you're done.

If you're spending $10K plus you can get a decent Asian mill, no problem.

PDW

Nice work, looking forward to a Video on that, what is the spindle taper 3 morse ?, good move on getting a gantry, engine crane's are for lifting engines out of cars, or for tipping over when moving machines

Originally Posted by twopintsplease

Nice work, looking forward to a Video on that, what is the spindle taper 3 morse ?, good move on getting a gantry, engine crane's are for lifting engines out of cars, or for tipping over when moving machines

Both horiz and vertical spindles are MT4. So I'm considering and MT4 to MT3 adapter to suit my tools or bite the bullet and get MT4 tools if I like it.
It came with an original collet chuck and collets, as well as an arbor for both a face mill and boring head, just without the actual boring head and facemill lol

Yeah video will be a while off, and I'm not sure how deep I'm going with this yet. We'll see

Originally Posted by danshell

And likewise, if you decide you dont want this project I would be interested in it also. Id prefer this old girl than any modern'ish asian import any day.

I spent a long time hunting for something like either of TommyGuns milling machines, and after putting off a stack of work I wanted to do, I finally admitted defeat and bought a second hand RF45 clone. Granted, it’s not a Hercus or a Deckel (or Deckel clone) but it’s ok. It’s got more table, and more travel in all three axis. It’s not perfect by any stretch, but I can work to .01 of a metrique on it and while it doesn’t have the same pedigree or even look as nice for that matter, it’s getting parts made for me. They are one of those things that will get the job done, but you kinda don’t wanna take the cover off it while you have your mates are in the shed.

Having said that, I still keep looking for a Hercus, Deckel, or Adcock.

So having a bit more of a look at this mill. I thought I would share a bit more.
After removing the vertical head slide we can see some of the gears look to be in great shape:
1.jpg
The spiral bevel gear within the vertical head looks good too:
4.jpg
All of the exterior looks a bit rusty, but it's not too terrible.
I've never really done this type of restoration, but the parts should clean up nice in a vinegar bath.
2.jpg

All of the power feed mechanisms are missing (see below). I'm torn between rebuilding it, vs making my own version.
I love the idea of the feeds driven off the same motor, but is more work to figure out how I connect it.
I'm tempted to install a new motor and feed lever, but mechanically connect it to the leadscrews as per the original method
3.jpg

Given how clean the interior is, I don't know that I will fully break it down. I will clean the coolant tank in the base.
I'm dreading the horrors that might be lurking in there...

More to come

Thanks for sharing. Obviously I have an interest in it given that I am seeing what I missed out on unfold before me

If you could source the required parts putting the power feed back to original would be nice but so would a more modern set up, and it is fun making these things work. When I get an old machine I like to strip it down just enough to make sure all the vitals are in tact, cleaned and well lubricated. Then once I have it all working as it should I make a decision on a full strip down restoration or not.

I think you find a science experiment or two in that coolant tank