E-Mail   Tony@lathes.co.uk 
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Axelson Model 10R, 10RH & 11/2V Ram-turret
Milling Machines

If you have an Exelson Miller, the writer
would be pleased to hear from you
A manual that might help with the Axelson is the one for the same Fray millers


Appearing to be Fray machine with different badges, so far, three models of the Axelson Ram-turret milling machine have been identified: the standard model 11/2V, the 10R and the very much more unusual - indeed unique - 10RH. Constructed along the lines of a Bridgeport with a strong main column surmounted by a 360° rotating ram that carried the vertical head, the 10R was a vertical-only machine, the 10RH having both the vertical head and a horizontal arbor. Moved by a screw thread, the ram slide sat on a second slide arranged at right-angles, thus allowing the ram to be moved both in and out - in the usual way - but also sideways, or at whatever angle the turret was turned. The fray was also badges as a "Diamond" and the design patented (by Fray) with details here
The in-and-out travel was 18 inches (that, combined with the table's cross traverse of 8 inches gave a total movement of 26 inches) while the one at right-angles had a travel of 16 inches that, combined with the table's longitudinal travel of 22 inches gave a total movement of 38 inches - or 44 inches when the optional longer table was fitted. As the entire turret head also swivelled, the operator was able to position the cutter across a very wide range of positions indeed and arrange it so that - for example - compound angular cuts could be made across the table and such as dovetails machines. Although a very versatile arrangement - and ideal for work on dies and patterns, at the extremes of travel one must assume that only lighter cuts would have been possible. For the No.30 vertical head (the standard offering) the makers offered a choice of 1 and 1.5 h.p. 3-phase motors of 220/440-volt, 50 or 60 cycle and 115/230-volt 1-phase 60-cycle that gave, depending upon the chosen motor speed, 6, 8, 12 or 16 spindle speeds. Also fitted was a 3:1 ratio epicyclic backgear assembly, engaged by a knurled-headed pin, the use of which gave several ranges of speeds that spanned from a slowest of 50 to a highest of 6400 r.p.m.
Able to be moved by either a micrometer-dial equipped fine-feed handwheel at a ratio of 34:1 or a quick-action drilling lever through rack-and-pinion gearing. The quill had 3.5 inches of travel and was manufactured from a heat-treated tube, ground, honed and draw lapped into its housing. It held a spindle in chrome-Moly steel mounted on "#7" high-precision angular contact bearings for radial loads and on a single-row, double-shielded shield ball race at the top. Fitted as standard was an American No.30 National Taper with a positive key drive - though doubtless other options would have been available - as was an adjustable micrometer quill stop graduated to read to in one-thousandths of an inch  Swapping from handwheel to lever feed meant just the pulling out of a pin on the hub of the lever, this engaging a positive-jaw clutch; pushing the pin back in restored the fine-feed drive.
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Power down-feed to the quill was available as an extra-cost option, the feed rates being 0.0015", 0.003" and 0.006" per revolution of the spindle. Two automatic stops were fitted, one being permanent to guard against overrunning and consequent damage, the other able to disengage the drive at any selected point.
For horizontal work, the end of the ram was fitted with a drop bracket and a cutter-holding arbor in a ground-finish, chrome-moly steel that ran in #5 preloaded precision angular contact bearings at the front and a single-row, double-shielded ball race at the other end. The arbor was driven by a housing sitting on a flat surface to the right-hand side of the turret-supporting boss with power provided by a separate, 1 h.p. single or 2-speed motor pivoting from the right of the arbor housing. Drive was through V-belts and an epicyclic backgear assembly - this latter being more heavily built than the one on the vertical head. With the single-speed motor and backgear eight speeds of 110, 255, 280, 980, 1470, 2250 and 3600 r.p.m. were provided and with the 2-speed motor sixteen of 55, 110, 128, 140, 255, 280, 320, 490, 640, 735, 980, 1125, 1470, 1800, 2250 and 3600 r.p.m. Like the vertical spindle - and so allowing the same tooling to be used, the horizontal spindle was fitted with an American No.30 National Standard taper with a positive key drive.
Sliding up and down the main column on a 12-inch wide dovetail cast integral with the main column, the saddle had a 14-inch long bearing support and total vertical travel of 16 inches. Vertical adjustment was by a handwheel, fitted at an angle to the left with a micrometer dial engraved to read at intervals of 0.001". Bevel gears turned the drive through 90° turn a vertical screw resting on an anti-friction bearing.
Fitted as standard was a 9" x 36" table with three T slots, a surrounding coolant trough and both the top and side surfaces ground-finished. Feed was by a hand-tuned screw with balanced handwheels provided at both ends of the table. Longitudinal power feed was an option - though not vertical or in traverse - the drive coming from a 1/3 h.p. motor driving through sets of paired, hardened-steel pick-off gears. By juggling the gear pairs - they were stored in a housing within the main column -  feed rates ranging from 1/2" to 13" per minute were possible. Additional sets of pick-off gears could be ordered such that 81 different feed rates could be selected, these ranging from 0.515" to 13.125" per minute. Adjustable, automatic knock-off stops were provided for both directions of travel as well as a slipping clutch mechanism to protect against overload damage or being fed past the end stop. Fitting the table-feed accessory reduced the table's longitudinal travel by 3 inches.
Lubrication was by a third-party-provided, one-shot system built into the saddle that sent oil to the table and knee ways and the feed-screw nut. A sight-glass level indicator was provided with eight points lubricated by one push of the button. Other oiling points were fitted with the usual Zerk fittings.
In addition to those accessories already listed, 10R and 10RH could be provided with a powered, 4-inch stock self-powered slotting attachment, hydraulic copying, an electric coolant system, precision location equipment with micrometer dials reading down to 0.0001", collet chucks, boring heads, plain and universal dividing heads, 3-jaw chucks, rotary tables, standard and swivel-base machine vices, No.30 NST to Morse taper adapters and various drill chucks.
All castings used in Axelson machine tools - millers and lathes -  were poured in the maker's own foundry in what was termed "Axoly Alexson #35 CNM semi-steel" - this being a formulation containing chrome, nickel and molybdenum. It was claimed to have a modulus of elasticity of approximately twenty million - compared with eight million for ordinary cast iron - and was designed to have high strength, rigidity and great resistance to wear..

11/2V Ram-turret Milling Machine
Identical in layout to the 10R and 10RH millers with the same main column, knee and table and centralised lubrication system, the 11/2V Ram-turret Milling Machine was a simplified model. It had no horizontal ability and a single ram slide with, as standard 12.5 inches of travel or, as an option, the double-slide unit from 10RH with 22 inches. The vertical head - Type 30 all-angle - was also the same, though the epicyclic backgear was an extra-cost option and was the power down feed. In standard, direct drive form the head could be had with a single or two-speed motor that gave 6 and 12 speeds respectively; with backgear fitted a choice of 8 or 16 speeds became available. The full list of speeds is shown below: 

Spindle speeds with the various motor and backgear options on the Axelson 11/2V miller


Axelson Model 10R pure vertical ram-head milling machine

Above and below: the turret ram and compound slide-rest assembly of the Axelson 10R


"All-angle" vertical head on its double-swivel mount

9" x 36" standard hand-feed table the Axelson 10R, 10RH and 11/2V millers

Table power-feed unit


Main column casting

An Axelson Model 10R demonstrating the extra capacity and versatility made available by the double-slide mounting of the vertical head. The pattern being machined was 42 inches long and 16 inches wide and included a variety of milling, boring and drilling operations with a able to be carried out at one setting. Overall tolerances on this job were 0.030" but other jobs could be held to 0.005 " and boring operations to 0.001"

Vertical head showing the 'pull button' to change from
fine-feed by handwheel to rapid feed by lever

Vertical head from the other side showing the adjustable micrometer depth stop


Components of the epicyclic, speed reducing backgear fitted to both the horizontal and vertical drives

Top left: the quill with the rack formed on its back surface for the rapid lever feed. Bottom right: the spindle

Centralised lubrication System

Hydraulic copying unit mounted on the Axelson 10R


Axelson Model 10R, 10RH & 11/2V Ram-turret
Milling Machines

A manual that might help with the Axelson is the one for the same Fray millers

If you have an Exelson Miller, the writer
would be pleased to hear from you

E-Mail   Tony@lathes.co.uk 
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