My DIY power drawbar for the PM 940 CNC VS. No air needed.

rodjava

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Take a look at my DIY power drawbar for the PM 940 CNC VS. I already had a Milwaukee right angle impact tool which I used for the drawbar. I can get quite a few tool changes on a single charge. There are two speeds and I only use the slow speed for now. This is my first prototype for this drawbar. It seems to be working just fine. I like it because it doesn't need an air compressor. It was fast and cheap to make. I can still use the impact tool be loosening up 2 set screws.

Rod in San Francisco
 
Nice and simple. I like it.



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Take a look at my DIY power drawbar for the PM 940 CNC VS. I already had a Milwaukee right angle impact tool which I used for the drawbar. I can get quite a few tool changes on a single charge. There are two speeds and I only use the slow speed for now. This is my first prototype for this drawbar. It seems to be working just fine. I like it because it doesn't need an air compressor. It was fast and cheap to make. I can still use the impact tool be loosening up 2 set screws.

Rod in San Francisco
This is really cool Rod!
I really don't want to run an air compressor due to the noise but really want a power drawbar.

Does the Milwaukee have a clutch to adjust so it won't over tighten or are you just doing it by "feel" ?

Jake
 
Good job no rule says it has to be air. I've seen a few made stripping small electric impacts also .
 
Nice job, Rod! I am still waiting for a quick change solution that does not annoy the neighbors. I can run my mill until late in the evening, but I think an air compressor and/or impact wrench takes things beyond what is neighborly...
 
Rod,
Nice idea and seems to work quite well. I may do something similar for my mill, Bridgeport clone. I have seen a lot of other ones using an air impact but like yours because I don't have to fire up a 5 HP compressor. It seems like such a waste to run if that's all you need it for. Kudos man.
 
Thanks everyone who chimed in. I'm glad you like the idea.

Knowing how much to torque is a matter of touch and feel on the trigger. When I manually tightened for a tool change with a wrench, it only
took a 1/2 a turn to torque it just right. The body of this Milwaukee impact can also be turned upside down if you wanted the trigger on the top for a more comfortable grip.
I'm not that tall, so for me the trigger feels right to be on the bottom. I will likely epoxy something on both sides of the forward and reverse control switch to make it easier and faster
to make contact without having to look for it. Right now the control switch is flush to the body and you have to make an effort to locate it to push it in.

I already invested a lot of money in the Milwaukee M18 tool line, so it made sense to me to use something I already have.
 
Nice job, Rod! I am still waiting for a quick change solution that does not annoy the neighbors. I can run my mill until late in the evening, but I think an air compressor and/or impact wrench takes things beyond what is neighborly...

I did something similar on my PM-932D using a corded electric impact wrench. It is not loud at all.

It turned out to be a little more work that I expected since I had to turn a new nose piece to mount it but worth it.

http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/electric-power-drawbar.57423/
 
Jay, Nice work on your drawbar!
Rod in San Francisco

Thanks Rod,

I like your idea of the right angle cordless tool. The cordless drivers are nice and compact. Keeps it simple.

I don't have (or need) a cordless impact driver so I looked for alternatives rather than investing in a cordless system. I'm still working on wearing out the old 18v NiCad cordless tools left over from my construction business.

The corded driver was $23 shipped from fleabay so it was a no brainier to explore if it was feasible to use.
 
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