Help me identify this old Index mill

[Excitable Boy]

An older lady that lives around the corner from me has a small vertical mill in her garage that I've agreed to help her find a home for. It's an Index mill but is unlike any other I've ever seen. It belonged to her father in law and was passed down to her husband who has also now passed on. I would say it's a bit smaller than a Millrite, but just a bit bigger than a Rockwell or small Clausing. The table's about 8"x32" and it has a mechanical power feed on the X axis. Her husband was a bit of a pack rat and there's stuff cluttered all around it so I didn't get a good picture of the machine overall but here's a couple images:

http://img2.photobucket.com/albums/v11/jmxcpter/DSCN2362.jpg

http://img2.photobucket.com/albums/v11/jmxcpter/DSCN2363.jpg

http://img2.photobucket.com/albums/v11/jmxcpter/DSCN2364.jpg

All the markings on it say Index, not Wells Index and it was made in Johnson Michigan. It it looks a little like the model 55 on the lathes.co.uk site but seems to be an older model:

http://www.lathes.co.uk/index/page4.html

The main casting is sort of C shaped up where the head mounts. The head will tilt on the X axis and is controlled by a fixed screw on the rear of the machine. From what I can tell there is no ram to move forward and back.

This mill would make a great home shop machine and I'd be all over it if I didn't already have a Bridgeport. It is currently hard wired through flex and seems to have been rewired to operate on single phase 220. The motor says three phase on it but the lady mentioned that her husband had had the motors rewound to operate on single phase. I did power it up and it seems to work fine.

Any ideas?

John



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Pursue Excellence and the rest will follow.

[G.A. Ewen]

I wish that I lived in CA.

[l.bentilla]

The mill in question is an Index Mdl 45. The 3 examples I've seen have all had 9B&S tapered spindles. I own an Index Mdl. Super 55 with the same taper. I'd guess that your machine eas made in the fifties before Bridgeports patents ran out corner from me has a small vertical mill in her garage that I've agreed to help her find a home for. It's an Index mill but is unlike any other I've ever seen. It belonged to her father in law and was passed down to her husband who has also now passed on. I would say it's a bit smaller than a Millrite, but just a bit bigger than a Rockwell or small Clausing. The table's about 8"x32" and it has a mechanical power feed on the X axis. Her husband was a bit of a pack rat and there's stuff cluttered all around it so I didn't get a good picture of the machine overall but here's a couple images:

http://img2.photobucket.com/albums/v11/jmxcpter/DSCN2362.jpg

http://img2.photobucket.com/albums/v11/jmxcpter/DSCN2363.jpg

http://img2.photobucket.com/albums/v11/jmxcpter/DSCN2364.jpg

All the markings on it say Index, not Wells Index and it was made in Johnson Michigan. It it looks a little like the model 55 on the lathes.co.uk site but seems to be an older model:

http://www.lathes.co.uk/index/page4.html

The main casting is sort of C shaped up where the head mounts. The head will tilt on the X axis and is controlled by a fixed screw on the rear of the machine. From what I can tell there is no ram to move forward and back.

This mill would make a great home shop machine and I'd be all over it if I didn't already have a Bridgeport. It is currently hard wired through flex and seems to have been rewired to operate on single phase 220. The motor says three phase on it but the lady mentioned that her husband had had the motors rewound to operate on single phase. I did power it up and it seems to work fine.

Any ideas?

John

[/B][/QUOTE]

[wirewrkr]

where is this puppy located? asking price?
Robert in CA

[Al Messer]

SOB!! I'm 3,000 miles away!

[MarkT]

Michigan doesn't seem to have a city named Johnson, at least it isn't on the current state map. It might have been a dot that failed, but even unincorporated dots are on the map. Could it be Jackson?

[This message has been edited by MarkT (edited 07-21-2004).]

[Steve Stube]

It is an Index Model 40, identified on another forum where the question was asked.

The information on the print that is offered for the Model 40 by Well-Index today is identified with Muskegon, Michigan but my machine tag is for Jackson, Michigan - good catch mark.

701 West Clay Ave.
Muskegon, MI 49440-1064
TEL: (231) 759-0950
FAX: (231) 728-7456
E-MAIL: wellsindex@aol.com

Here is my little helper.
http://img6.photobucket.com/albums/v19/ceethese/Shop%20Photos/Index_40_Mill_4.jpg

[Tomzhere]

How much?

If you want to e-mail me just remove "junk" from my address.

Details of taking delivery too. Shop access etc.

[Excitable Boy]

I think it might have been Jackson, you're right. It was dark and there's two flex conduits running over that part of the plate.

It's in Simi Valley CA.

John

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Pursue Excellence and the rest will follow.