Welcome to this Machine Tool video on Kearny and Trecker Mill Operations.
The Kearny and Trecker, K&T, is a manual vertical milling machine.
It’s rigid c-frame design makes it perfect to make heavy cuts like face milling.
Unlike the Bridgeport milling machine, the Kearny and Trecker
doesn’t have a swiveling head or ram.
In this video, we’ll explore the Kearny and Trecker vertical milling machine’s
parts and how to use it in the shop.
The K&T consists of six major components; the base, the column, the knee, the
saddle the table, and the tool head.
The base and the column are the major structural components.
They support and align the other components.
The base supports the milling machine.
It’s leveled by using the four corners.
The column rises from the base.
It holds the dovetail, which allows the knee to move up and down on the column.
The dovetail also holds and allows the head to move up and down.
The head consists of the spindle, spindle on/off brake lever,
and the spindle crank handle.
The knee is mounted to the column, and it moves up and down.
The knee supports the saddle.
The saddle supports the table, and it moves in and out.
The table moves left to right.
This is where the operator mounts the workpiece to be machined.
Proper lubrication keeps the machine in good working condition.
To lubricate the machine, pull the lever out and release it oil will
automatically flow to specific areas.
Use the lubrication chart on the side of the machine to find the
other areas requiring lubrication.
The K&T has a lock for the knee, saddle, table, and head.
They allow the operator to lock an axis during the machining process.
Let’s see how each lock works.
• To lock the knee lock, move the knee lock lever to the up position.
To unlock it, move the knee lock lever to the down position.
• To lock the saddle lock, move the saddle lock lever to the up position.
To unlock it, move the saddle lock lever to the down position.
• To lock the table lock, rotate the table lock lever clockwise.
To unlock it, rotate the table lock lever counterclockwise.
• Finally, to lock the head lock, move the head lock lever down.
To unlock it, move the head lock lever up.
Now, let’s talk about power.
The K&T main power switch starts machine operations.
Turn on the main power by pushing the Master Start button.
You can select the RPM using the RPM selector on the side of the machine.
Start by making sure the spindle is turned off.
Then, pull the lever handle out and rotate it until the desired
RPM lines up with the RPM letters.
To put the machine in gear, move the lever down and engage the pin in
the end of the handle in the hole.
The K&T feed rate selector numbers are in Inches Per Minute.
To select a feed rate, use the feed rate selector dial on the front of the machine.
Pull the handle on the lever out and rotate it until the desired
feed rate lines up with the arrow.
Move the lever to the left or right and put the pin in the
end of the handle in the hole.
Once the RPM has been selected, use the spindle on/off lever.
To turn the spindle on, move the lever up and to turn it off, move the lever down.
To engage the spindle brake, hold the lever down until
the spindle stops rotating.
To run the spindle in reverse, push in the Spindle Reverse lever.
Start by ensuring the spindle is off.
Then, push the Spindle Reverse lever in.
Now the spindle can be turned on and off just as it can
when the spindle runs forward.
All of the axis can be moved manually, at a feed rate, or at rapid.
Let’s look at all of these in more detail.
For each move, start by making sure the table lock is turned off.
• For a manual movement, use the crank handle on the end of the table.
Pull out on the lever.
Rotate it clockwise to move the table to the right and rotate it counterclockwise
to move the table to the left.
• To move the table at a federate, use the feed lever.
It has three positions; to the left means the table feeds left, to the
right means the table feeds right, and in the middle the feed is off.
• To rapid the table, engage the feed lever and then simply
pull up on the rapid lever.
Be careful when using the rapid lever so you don’t run the machine into anything.
Next, let’s look at moving the saddle.
Just like with the table, always make sure the saddle lock is off.
• To move the saddle manually, use the crank handle on the front of the machine.
Push it in to engage and then rotate it clockwise to move the saddle in.
Move the crank handle counterclockwise to move the saddle out.
• To move the table at a federate, first pull the crank handle out.
Then, use the feed lever, which is directly behind the crank handle.
It has three positions; move it left to feed the saddle out, move it to the
right to feed the saddle in, and move it to the middle to turn the feed off.
• To rapid the saddle, engage the feed lever and then pull up on the rapid lever.
Be careful when using the rapid lever so you don’t run the machine into anything.
Now, let’s look at how to move the knee.
As with the other movements, always make sure the knee lock is off.
• To move the knee manually, use the crank handle located
on the front of the machine.
Push it in to engage and then rotate it clockwise to move the table knee up.
Move the crank handle counterclockwise to move the knee down.
• To move the knee at a federate, use the feed lever, which is
directly behind the crank handle.
Pull the crank handle out.
The feed lever has three positions; move it left to feed the knee down,
move it right to feed the knee up, move it to the middle to turn the feed off.
• To rapid the table, engage the feed lever and pull up on the rapid lever.
Be careful when using the rapid lever so you don’t run the machine into anything.
Finally, let’s review how to move the head.
Start by making sure the head lock is off.
• To move the head manually, use the crank handle on the head of the machine.
Rotate it clockwise to move the head down and rotate it
counterclockwise to move the head up.
• To move the head at a federate, use the feed lever on the side of the head.
The feed lever has three positions; up moves the head up,
down moves the head down, and in the middle turns the feed off.
• To rapid the table, engage the feed lever and then simply
pull up on the rapid lever.
Be careful when using the rapid lever so you don’t run the machine into anything.
• Typically, the head stays in the up position, and we use the knee to bring
the workpiece closer to the spindle.
Every axis has a collar, which we use to set zero for the axis.
To move the collar, simply pull it out and rotate it until
the zero aligns with the line.
Let’s finish this video by reviewing how to remove and load tools.
The K&T mill has a drawbar just like the Bridgeport mill.
This is where you’ll load and unload tools.
We’ll start with how to remove a tool in the machine.
We strongly recommend using two people to load and unload the tool.
• First select the lowest RPM on the RPM selection.
• Then, turn off the machine’s main power by pressing the Master Off button.
This ensures the spindle can’t be turned on while you’re changing the tool.
• To remove the tool, the nut on the drawbar, which is on top of
the machine, needs to be loosened.
Use a wrench and rotate the nut in a counterclockwise direction.
• Once the nut is loose, loosen the drawbar by rotating it counterclockwise using
a wrench and making two to three turns.
• If the tool in the spindle doesn’t loosen, tap on the drawbar with a dead blow or
brass hammer until the tool loosens.
Once the tool is loose, unthread the drawbar until it’s out of the tool.
Now that the tool is out, you can load in a new one.
• The first step is to make sure the inside of the spindle
and the tool taper are clean.
• Next, put the tool in the spindle.
Turn the drawbar clockwise by hand to thread it into the end of the tool.
• Once it is snugged by hand and use a wrench to fully tighten the nut.
Remember, never leave the wrench on the drawbar.
Once you’ve finished using the machine, you’ll need shut it down.
We recommend centering the table on the saddle to keep excess weight from
hanging off one side of the machine.
Once the table is centered, press the Master Off button to shut off
the main power to the machine.
In this video, we explored Kearny and Trecker Mill Operation
parts, how to lubricate the machine, and how to operate it.
This completes the overview of the K&T Mill.