Zimmermann FZ-5

[Brian]

Awesome, sounds like things are moving along nicely! Sorry to hear about the landcruiser, but it's for a good cause

[Chris Pyle]

Sold my Landcruiser today

It went to Tennessee and I will never see it again.

People at Fritz Ernst contacted me today. They are back from vacation, and we are moving forward!!

Got my customs broker involved today, and tomorrow I will order up a transformer. Moving along...

Can't wait to see how you move this beast into your shop. Hope it's a smooth sail over after everything is boxed.

[Chris Hall]

On page 2 of this thread I noted that there didn't appear to have been an FZ-2 in the Zimmermann line up, however that was simply because i hadn't come across one yet. The FZ-2 was made in the early 1960s, and has some rather more curvaceous castings:

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The cylindrical columns though would be less stiff than the larger box section columns adopted on later models.

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These use a #4 Morse taper for tool attachment.

[Brian]

Interesting looking machine. When do you expect to receive your machines?

I appreciated that last blog post, being (in my opinion) and honest seller I've always preferred a happy customer to ripping off someone for a few bucks/quick sale.

[Chris Hall]

The Zimmermann will be crated this week. No idea as to the shipment date as of yet.

The Wadkin is getting cleaned up inspected, a new blade put on, etc., so it is ready to use when it gets to me. I'm thinking it could be to the shippers in the next week's time. I might end up getting both machines at around the same time.

I've go to do some various modifications to the shop space, including electrical work. The transformer has been ordered and will take 2~3 weeks. I imagine I'll see it by the end of September. I hope to have both machines up and running by the early part of October if at all possible, and all procedures going smoothly. Not sure I'd want to bet on that though...

[Brian]

I'm sure it will be very enjoyable once everything is setup. Both will likely need a huge amount of space. I was surprised by how much the mill needed.

[Chris Hall]

Chris,
I waited until Brian replied about the vise. Kurt is the vise of my choice. We had several in the tool room where I worked. They were of the two bolt configuration but I requested the one that was designated for CNC as I used it on a vertical machining center. I also used it on a Lagun mill which is comparable to Bridgeport. There were two major benefits as well as the precision it afforded. They were that I could simply mount and align the vise with a 12" Starrett square if my work was just needed to be close and not have to use an indicator to align the vise and I made a bracket that I could mount the vise on its side which I used to machine parts in that configuration.

By the way the precision repeat and holding of Kurt is phenomenal.

What you spoke of using a 90 degree knee block is what I used regularly.

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Well Jack I took your advice and obtained a new Kurt Anglock D688 model vise with 8.8" opening off of eBay last night.

The machine should be shipped from Germany any day now. My shop is slowly getting reorganized.

[Jack_Ervin.]

Well Jack I took your advice and obtained a new Kurt Anglock D688 model vise with 8.8" opening off of eBay last night.

The machine should be shipped from Germany any day now. My shop is slowly getting reorganized.

Chris

I know that vise won't disappoint you. I'm sure you did your homework and found the Kurt site with manuals for all their vises but since you are so involved with all the recent purchases, projects and Blogging you may have not found this. This is a link to the D688 Operating Instructions Manual which gives detail of its inner works. http://www.kurtworkholding.com/download ... e_D688.pdf Any way for others not familiar with Kurt compared to Bridgeport and Bridgeport style vises, that will show the design and inner works. We had several that were abused by others that didn't understand that hand force on the handle was all that is needed to hold the workpiece securely. Kurt makes a repair kit (http://www.kurtworkholding.com/d688-kit-p-480-l-en.html) that includes thrust washers, seals, bearing, and Spherical Segment for $24.00.
That vise will give you many hours of precision enjoyable clamping.

Jack

[Chris Hall]

Thanks so much for the info Jack.

I gotta say the whole idea of 'precision clamping' is a new one for me to wrap my head around.

[Chris Hall]

I'm sure it will be very enjoyable once everything is setup. Both will likely need a huge amount of space. I was surprised by how much the mill needed.

Some portions of the floor have rotted out, and recent work I have done to move my wood rack have exposed one of those sections. Surprisingly, under the 1x6 flooring was a 3x6 t&g floor, and sleepers under that on top of concrete. Some sections of the floor have concrete and some have gravel. I was worried that the FZ-5V might break through the floor due to its weight, but I know now that at least the furthest it can sink is about 6"(!)

Hopefully things won't come to that.

The extra costs associated to these two new machines, in terms of transformer, disconnect, sub panel, and other fittings - plus dust collection expansion for the Wadkin - is definitely straining my finances. It's often surprising how much everything costs when all aspects are factored in. Wire - that is, copper - is bloody expensive, but at least I can do the work myself and do not have to pay an electrician.

I've been a little apprehensive about wiring in the transformer, and have been studying the differences between various sorts of 3-phase systems. I now understand that the main supply into my building is 4-wire three-phase, 120/208v wye. I even understand why it is 208v. not 240v. in an industrial setting...

The addition of a neutral wire is mandated by code, however none of my 3-phase machines (and all of them are 3-phase) employs a neutral. It is essentially 'decorative' when hooking up such a machine, though it is handy if you also want to run 120v single phase circuits from the load center.