Crankshaft milling machine

Claim 1

A crankshaft milling machine, comprising milling slide means, drive spindle means rotatably supported in said milling slide means, milling tool means including a plurality of disk milling cutters maintained at axial spacings from one another along said tool means, milling tool bearing means rotatably supporting said milling tool means at least at two axially spaced locations in said milling slide means, said milling tool bearing means comprising at least one axial bearing, said milling tool bearing means mounting the milling tool means for rotation directly on the milling slide means independently of the drive spindle means and along a common axis of rotation with said drive spindle means, and clutch means operatively interposed between said drive spindle means and said milling tool means, said clutch means comprising cooperating surface means including clutch surface means and complementary surface means formed in the drive spindle means and in said milling tool means, said cooperating surface means being oriented generally parallel to the common axis of rotation, said clutch means further comprising means for engaging said cooperating surface means thereby transmitting torque but not axial forces, wherein said clutch surface means comprise expandable first wedge means (19, 20) defining the clutch surface means on the outside thereof, contractable second wedge means (21, 22) operatively positioned between the first wedge means, and means (24, 25) for contracting the second wedge means to expand the first wedge means, thereby engaging said cooperating surfaces.