Beauty in The Beast: Webb 5BVK Barn Find/Conversion

[Charlieman22]

New to forum & machining generally.
Working on two stroke motors drove my initial interest to learn.
Started searching for a Bridgeport...
Next thing I knew - I was standing outside a barn, 2 hours from my house, looking at a 4K lb non working CNC Webb knee mill.

More about how I got there and this project in a moment - but first - a big thank you to Jim Dawson, who has been stellar in helping me get some basics in CNC. Let's just say, uncommonly patient...
Some pics and discussion here: https://www.hobby-machinist.com/thr...ted-to-cnc-for-sale.92613/page-11#post-856335

So - about the project.
I've been offered a Webb 5BVK mill from 1989.
For those unfamiliar with this thing - Its basically a Bridgeport. On steroids. Lots and lots of steroids.
4000 lbs and boxed ways.
It came from the factory as a CNC, and was loaded with the goodies of that time.
Power draw bar, automated self oil, lubrication and pan, DC brushed servo motors, 5HP spindle drive.

At first glance, a non operational 5BVK might seem like, well, a terrible place to start for a garage based machine.
1. It could take up half that garage
2. Being able to work on it is 2x harder when everything weighs 2x...
3. It is CNC only, and the CNC doesn't work. Literally there are no handles or places for them.
4-10. Fill in the blank. It's old, smells like cutting oil, and is covered in a layer of oily dust and nastiness.

With that said, there are a couple things that have kinda drawn me in.
1. While this beast is about 6 feet wide, the table is a moderate 42 x 13. Kinda perfect.
2. Without David Hasselhof's 1980's Night Rider boxes hanging off the side - its kinda a handsome and literally half as wide.
3. If I could figure out how to add handles - it would create a manual mill for me with opportunity to go full CNC in Phase II.
4-10. The price is: Free. (kinda buried the lead I suppose on that one).

My basic plan is to tackle this in two phases.
I. Get it cleaned up and operational as a manual. See how I like it and if it has any fatal flaws.
II. Take it CNC - with the ability to use manually as well. DC brushed motors will help allow nice tactile manual feel here (Again - Jim Dawson's input invaluable).

I am completely green with these machines and their use - but I figure learning HOW it operates before I try and OPERATE it is a pretty good base.

Pictures below of this beast (*outside for about 30 days, Im told...)
No significant rust to speak of - surface stuff at worst in a couple places.
Things seem to move freely - but I am holding off that until I can clean it up a bit.
Ways seem in pretty good shape - but will need a closer look after cleaning.

First order of attack will be sorting out a plan for adding hand wheels for manual operation.
A through scrub down and a rolling stand so I can learn the machine/ service, will also be nice.
I'll share my initial thinking in the next post regarding those handles.
Will welcome some critique and ideas on how I might tackle.

Pictures below.
Wife is of course, ecstatic...

 

[JimDawson]

Subscribed!

 

[matthewsx]

If it has the servos it may be easier to wire manual controls for the drives, as opposed to fitting hand wheels. I think that would be one step along the CNC path rather than taking a detour.

John

 

[mikey]

Free?

Awesome score and I'm hopeful that everything will buff out.

Congratulations!!!

 

[Dabbler]

I think you are both brave and ambitious for taking on this project! Once working you will love it!

 

[markba633csi]

Very cool hunk of stuff. You'll have fun and get very messy
-M

 

[Charlieman22]

Thanks gents,
Appreciate everyone checking in to see the circus start.

Free?

I had just watched some YouTuber buy a Bridgeport in spectacular condition.
Someone just called him and said - hey - do you want this?
The (chromed...) ways looked like someone had scraped them in the factory that morning.
And I thought - that never happens to me!
When this this fell in to my lap.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I think you are both brave and ambitious for taking on this rpoject! Once working you will love it!

Something half the size woulda been a wee bit easier to tackle...

If it has the servos it may be easier to wire manual controls for the drives, as opposed to fitting hand wheels. I think that would be one step along the CNC path rather than taking a detour.

John

This is probably as good a place to start as any.
There was some discussion on this as I was laying out phase II (CNC)
The challenge is - the controller has lost its parameters - which I am told is like dementia.
So while it has the (analog) drives - I don't think I can just hook up a digital dial to them.
Open for debate if I am misunderstanding - but think that's the case.
Additionally - I would like to be able to turn the wheels by hand - even if it becomes full CNC.
75% of what I do might still be manual.
I don't have enough experience to know yet.

So the plan currently is:
1. See if I can engineer a means to put some wheels on it. The timing belt cogs are accessible for all of the screws. I don't have a working mill... so I was trying to come up with an off the shelf solution. Was thinking:
Use the face of the timing belt cog:
And then get a keyed flange - which happily - it turned out is an actual thing.
Once I've mounted this to the face of the cog (assuming there is enough meat to do that) then I can use a keyed shaft and a hand wheel. I will have to boar a hole in the cover - and I'd like to make it look nice - so need to think about how I'm going to do that. Chime in if you guys hate it - right now it's my leading candidate for solving.

While the wheels would remain with the addition of CNC, a DRO would not.
But... I'm looking at an inexpensive DRO/magnetic strip/reader combo that would allow me to have manual with a means to measure - and put me in business.

Below - my current set up for cutting chips...

 

[Charlieman22]

That one slipped away a bit quickly.
Question for the crowd.
I'm partial to the look of the polished steel BP style handles.
There is no Z crank either - so I need to find one of those.
Y crank will need to not castrate me when I add power feed - but could be exchanged then if I cant find a nice wheel style with knob.
Does anyone have a favorite brand or a good place to get reasonably priced handles that fit above description?

 

[JimDawson]

Nice Central Pneumatic ''mill''

That one slipped away a bit quickly.
Question for the crowd.
I'm partial to the look of the polished steel BP style handles.
There is no Z crank either - so I need to find one of those.
Y crank will need to not castrate me when I add power feed - but could be exchanged then if I cant find a nice wheel style with knob.
Does anyone have a favorite brand or a good place to get reasonably priced handles that fit above description?

I think this one is actually aluminum, just powder coated black

Amazon.com: uxcell a13110700ux0953 16 mm x 150 mm Inside Ripple Hand Wheel Black w Folding Revolving Handle : Industrial & Scientific

Buy uxcell a13110700ux0953 16 mm x 150 mm Inside Ripple Hand Wheel Black w Folding Revolving Handle: Hand Wheels - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[extropic]

Was thinking: Use the face of the timing belt cog:

Alternative attachment of handwheel(s):
Leave the pully(s) alone. Remove the nut from the end of the shaft. fabricate a stub shaft with internal thread to replace the nut.
Screw the stub shaft onto the leadscrew. Lock (jam) the stub shaft to the leadscrew by means of a coaxial setscrew accessed via a through hole from hand wheel end of shaft. Include some features (flats or hex) on exposed stub shaft for a wrench.

Purchase handwheels with folding handle (or no handle). In CNC mode, a protruding handle is not friendly.

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