Import Power Feeds for Milling Machines

[MrWhoopee]

Considering a y-axis power feed for my Kent (BP clone) mill. As usual, I'm looking for a bargain. That puts Servo and even Align out of the running. All of the Chinese made power feeds look to be exactly the same, but looks can be deceiving and there's a wide spread in pricing. I'd appreciate some input from those who've used some of them.

 

[ttabbal]

I have a Vevor on my BP Y axis. Like you said, looks like all the others. They claim the one I have is more powerful than another model they sell. I haven't got one of the others to compare to. I have an Align on Z and the old style BP gearbox on X.

I've used it for general movement and while milling. Works great. I get consistent motion and haven't had any trouble.

I did have to adapt it a little, and make a short extension shaft for the Y screw and handle. It was designed for the X, Y specific units seemed difficult to find outside the big brands. Nothing difficult to adapt, but it's only fair to mention it. I also seem to remember needing to drill and tap the bearing cap to mount it.

 

[projectnut]

I was going to recommend an Align power feed. I purchased on for my BP in 2020 from a vendor on eBay and have been more than happy with it. At the time I paid $289.00. I see today they cost anywhere from $389.00 to $450.00

 

[pontiac428]

I put a china unit on my previous RF-31. It works and improved my user experience magnificently. It was fine enough on the potentiometer to control feed, disengaged quick with a snap, and has all the power it needed for the biggest cuts. The only real con is the speed was always a little different when throwing the lever and reversing direction, but whatever. Like I said, did the job and I never had any trouble with it.

Now, I'm running a Servo, and can really see the difference... I'm glad I have it, but is it $1,000 worth of difference? Probably not, but it is much smoother, finer, quieter, quicker, and consistent in speed in both directions.

Y'all know I'm picky, but if $400 is more palatable to you, I think you'll find the import a nice addition to your setup.

 

[OTmachine]

I had an Align on my Rockwell X axis that the Left / Right feed lever went bad. Replaced it with one of the ones listed below which works good.

Power Feed X-Axis 150 Lbs Torque for Bridgeport Type Milling Machines 0-200 RPM 895800908294 | eBay

Our feed kit features a robust shell and precise components. It works efficiently on a milling machine with a 5/8" shaft end. Besides, it is designed with buttons and knobs for simple operation. The cutter feeder is an indispensable collocation for milling machines.

www.ebay.com

 

[Radials]

I had purchased the ebay generic pf as used in this post on retrofitting to the mill I had at the time.

8x30 Power X-Axis Power Feed

I've had an 8x30 x-axis power feed modification on the back burner for quite sometime now and I'm getting close with the project being complete. A goal of this project was to also replace the leadscrew bearing blocks on either end and align the leadscrew which was not parallel to the table. The...

www.hobby-machinist.com

It worked just fine in my opinion, but I that's not a long term review as I believe I only had that machine for about another year after installing it. The machine I purchased after it was used and came with a Bestline power feed on it. While in shipping that mill was damaged and insurance paid full value for the mill. I went ahead and replaced the power feed with an Align unit and to my eye they are identical. The Bestline has been sitting on the shelf now for a couple years and every time I head to the scrap yard I contemplate taking it. It's in one piece, but damaged and if fixable might take some skill. For the price of shipping its free if you want to take on a project.

Nick

 

[Winegrower]

I have reported previously about installing several different brands of power feeds, including Align, Bestline, and Vevor, and maybe one or two others. Frankly they are so identical it's bizarre. From way up in the $800's to the $125 including shipping of the Vevor, they all have as far as I can tell identical performance, useless instructions, and all have needed some kind of adapting before they fit. I put the two Vevor units on my Rockwell EFI drill press, and they move the heavy table and head with no problem...slower up than down, but that's physics. I've taken a couple of them apart, and as I say, they are very similar in concept, with some trivial parts slightly different, but conceptually exactly alike. The Vevor have a helical main gear, while I think the others were straight teeth. I kind of forget exactly.

I tell you, I've now purchased from Vevor a sauna heater, an ultrasonic cleaner, some machine skates and now a pizza oven with a crank to spin the pizza stone. Each has been priced significantly below the competitors, the quality impressive, especially the stainless sheet metal work, and they have just plain worked. So I'm a fan.

Edit: Vevor has two models, and from the specs it's impossible to see which is more powerful. I called Vevor and quizzed them...they don't know either. So I bought one of each. Yep, they are identical, near as I can tell.

Another Edit: Oh, and I also bought a heated bathroom towel rack. Also flawless, and pretty nice to use on cold mornings.

 

[Larry$]

I've purchased a few things from Vevor. They have been as described and very similar or the same as other more expensive ones. My only issue is the packaging could be a lot better. They have a huge variety of products.

 

[Provincial]

A friend and I bought no-name China power feeds for his Bridgeport and my Ram clone over a year ago. He put his on immediately and uses it constantly with no issues. I haven't had the time to install mine yet. The only problem he had with his installation is that the keyway for the drive was metric, which he fixed by using a piece of 1/8" tool bit for a broach, since he only needed to take out a few thousands from the brass gear. My Ram has a metric key, so it won't need any modification.

 

[OTmachine]

A friend and I bought no-name China power feeds for his Bridgeport and my Ram clone over a year ago. He put his on immediately and uses it constantly with no issues. I haven't had the time to install mine yet. The only problem he had with his installation is that the keyway for the drive was metric, which he fixed by using a piece of 1/8" tool bit for a broach, since he only needed to take out a few thousands from the brass gear. My Ram has a metric key, so it won't need any modification.

Could also make a stepped key from a slightly larger key