Introduced in 1964, and named after its designer, Edgar T. Westbury, the first version of this popular "home-build" machine was known simply as the "Westbury" (pictures at the bottom of this page). Initially, sets of casting and drawings were made available for the enthusiastic amateur to machine - unfortunately some proving so large that they were beyond the scope of all but the most generously equipped workshop. In 1967 Arnold Throp C.Eng., F.I.Mech.E. (who lived in the suburb of Dore, Sheffield, South Yorkshire), assisted the designer with a complete rethink and this resulted in a machine of both greater capacity and improved versatility. Now called the "Dore-Westbury" the miller went on to become one of the most popular in the model engineering world - for nothing else on sale at the time could offer the enthusiast such a remarkable combination of value, adaptability and compact dimensions. The marketing of the machine was also revised and the kit of parts soon included the all the larger castings with the bigger machining operating already completed. Everything else could be finished on a Myford ML7, or a similar sized lathe, and a bench drill.
A later, Mk. 2 Model was also produced and this offered a number of important refinements including a larger table of 16" x 5.5" with 11" of lengthwise movement and 5" crosswise (Mk. 1 tables seem to vary in size and travel). 14 T-slots, designed to take standard 3/8" bolts and which needed no machining, were cast into the periphery of the table and enormous (almost jig-borer size) micrometer dials could be fitted in place of the tiny ones offered on the Mk. 1.  Instead of a simple coil spring to pull the spindle back up a proper "clock" spring was held in a housing on the left-hand side of the column and the spindle clamping arrangement improved by greatly increasing the size of the boss that drew together the split down the front of the casting. Both the Mk. 1 and Mk. 2 used epicyclic gearing built into the head to provide low speeds. The Mk. 1 had 3 direct-drive belt-driven speeds and 3 through the gears whilst the Mk. 2 was given a considerably improved range of 10 speeds--6 by belt and 4 though the gears--it being inadvisable (but possible) to use the two highest speeds through the reduction gearing. On all but late models of the Mk. 2 the epicyclic gearbox used inexpensive, off-the-shelf Myford changewheels and was rather clattery. The final machines were re-engineered to incorporate a much improved set-up with helical gears running in an oil bath, a modification that resulted in a much quieter and smoother drive. The range of speeds - approximately 32, 59, 106, 157, 200, 364, 660, 947, 1287 and 1880 r.p.m. - was certainly impressive and added considerably to the miller's versatility. To engage the gears one - and sometimes two - small pins have to be pulled out from under the pulley housing. They will be retained either by the friction of an "O" ring or tiny, hard-to-find grub screws. The pins should have been made so that one of them can be passed through the side of the drum into a hole bored in the side of the head casing - so locking the outer ring of the gear unit and allowing the planet wheels to turn and produce a low-ratio drive.
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