Newbie and the Bridgeport

[diamond]

Yes that's a power drawbar made out of a HF butterfly impact. Another quarantine project I just completed a week ago. I'm pretty happy how that turned out. There's a ton of threads on making those but I haven't seen anyone use a 3-position momentary valve like that. It was cheap off Amazon and worked out really well.

Regarding the big red E button yeah that's pretty much it. I put the emergency stop there just to provide a means to slap something in a hurry. I also thought it would be useful to have during tool changes or other operations where I might want the mill disabled. Turns out that's completely redundant to center position on the fwd/off/rev switch. I realized that after putting it in. The kill switch lights up indicating power so there's that. lol

I'm happy to provide info on the VFD setup & the parts I used. I have that info somewhere on my computer, just need to dig it up this weekend and I'll post it for you.

 

[Ceej0103]

Yes that's a power drawbar made out of a HF butterfly impact. Another quarantine project I just completed a week ago. I'm pretty happy how that turned out. There's a ton of threads on making those but I haven't seen anyone use a 3-position momentary valve like that. It was cheap off Amazon and worked out really well.

Regarding the big red E button yeah that's pretty much it. I put the emergency stop there just to provide a means to slap something in a hurry. I also thought it would be useful to have during tool changes or other operations where I might want the mill disabled. Turns out that's completely redundant to center position on the fwd/off/rev switch. I realized that after putting it in. The kill switch lights up indicating power so there's that. lol

I'm happy to provide info on the VFD setup & the parts I used. I have that info somewhere on my computer, just need to dig it up this weekend and I'll post it for you.

Awesome, many thanks. I'll go get the VFD ordered since I'm going to need that regardless.

 

[diamond]

Ok the attached Excel file has what I could dig up for a parts list. The DIN rail stuff and all is a bit overkill but it sure makes it all look nice and neat. The fiberglass enclosure is technically not necessary but there's some really dangerous voltage in there so I think it's kinda a must for safety. And it keeps the swarf away from all those sensitive electronics. I cut openings for the cooling fan and an exhaust port with filter covers on both to keep the widows from building nests in there. I do think ventilation is needed. You could buy better switches from Mouser etc. and spend a lot more on them. The cheapies I got on Amazon are not top industrial quality but they've held up to hobby use so far.

As others mentioned earlier, you MUST wire the 4 conductor power line from the VFD directly to the motor. You DO NOT switch that line. Your switches use the low voltage inputs on the VFD to control it. I used cat-5 cable for the low voltage control. I have a bunch of it and it's shielded.

I put a 40A NEMA outlet on the wall and used a 4 conductor dryer pigtail to get power into the enclosure. Did the same for my lathe. One 220 circuit feeds both since I really never run both machines at the same time. I put in the outlets so I can pull the plug to work in the enclosure safely without having to go throw the breaker. Just another overkill on my part. You don't need that.

I'll have to dig up the worksheet I used to program the VFD. It was based off the programming from Mark Jacob's lathe setup and tweaked it for the mill controls. There's a couple things you do to run the VFD autotune with your motor etc. then you program the inputs for the switches you're going to use, if you're going to put in the braking resistor (and I recommend it) etc. If you're unfamiliar with VFDs it looks intimidating (there are a zillion options in the VFD) but only a few you really have to mess with.

 

[Ceej0103]

Ok the attached Excel file has what I could dig up for a parts list. The DIN rail stuff and all is a bit overkill but it sure makes it all look nice and neat. The fiberglass enclosure is technically not necessary but there's some really dangerous voltage in there so I think it's kinda a must for safety. And it keeps the swarf away from all those sensitive electronics. I cut openings for the cooling fan and an exhaust port with filter covers on both to keep the widows from building nests in there. I do think ventilation is needed. You could buy better switches from Mouser etc. and spend a lot more on them. The cheapies I got on Amazon are not top industrial quality but they've held up to hobby use so far.

As others mentioned earlier, you MUST wire the 4 conductor power line from the VFD directly to the motor. You DO NOT switch that line. Your switches use the low voltage inputs on the VFD to control it. I used cat-5 cable for the low voltage control. I have a bunch of it and it's shielded.

I put a 40A NEMA outlet on the wall and used a 4 conductor dryer pigtail to get power into the enclosure. Did the same for my lathe. One 220 circuit feeds both since I really never run both machines at the same time. I put in the outlets so I can pull the plug to work in the enclosure safely without having to go throw the breaker. Just another overkill on my part. You don't need that.

I'll have to dig up the worksheet I used to program the VFD. It was based off the programming from Mark Jacob's lathe setup and tweaked it for the mill controls. There's a couple things you do to run the VFD autotune with your motor etc. then you program the inputs for the switches you're going to use, if you're going to put in the braking resistor (and I recommend it) etc. If you're unfamiliar with VFDs it looks intimidating (there are a zillion options in the VFD) but only a few you really have to mess with.

This is awesome, thanks man! I'll start ordering parts.

 

[Ceej0103]

Day 18 and 19...

Not much of an update for you guys at the moment. I have another care package coming from H&W with the parts needed to reassemble the head. I'm in the process of cleaning up all the housings, stripping paint, and prepping to paint all those surfaces. I know originally a portion of the BP head had a polished finish on it and I'm looking forward to spending some time there. I think i'll buff those to a really nice polished finish and hit them with some polishing compound and a buffing wheel.

Many of the parts in the top end spent some time in a bucket of Evaporust and they're coming out looking very refreshed. I can't say enough about Evaporust. I know there's folks out there that would say "just use vinegar...save your money!" and maybe vinegar works, but I've had such great and quick results with Evaporust that I feel it's worth the money. The stuff is non-toxic and does the job really quick. I've taken super rusty (not just surface rust) parts and dipped them in the 5-gallon bucket overnight and they come out clean the next morning. Anyhow, I have small plastic food storage containers sitting on the table with Evaporust and have parts soaking and getting cleaned up. The entire quill housing is dunked right now and it's ready to be pulled to get hit with a light wire wheel and it will be ready for primer. One thing I've learned about Evaporust is that it's best to degrease your parts decently before you dunk them. Otherwise your Evaporust will turn black and will leave almost what appears to be a blackened finish on the parts. That finish easily buffs off and the Evaporust seems to still work fine. One of my buckets is heavily contaminated with oils and the other is still clean and clear.

I did make a head mounting bracket for my bench, and it worked great for the tear down, but I think I'll mount the quill housing back to the machine as I start to rebuild. I would rather reach a little higher to put pieces back together than trying to rig and lift the head as one unit with my engine hoist. It worked to get it off, but getting it lined up well so that I can get all the bolts started, without help (thanks COVID), seems like a challenge I can avoid. The motor isn't really as heavy as I suspected and will be the most difficult lift, but I'm a big boy and can handle that.

 

[diamond]

Ceej when you get to wiring up your control panel and programming the VFD, look at this post. Mark is an outstanding resource and really understands VFDs. The 3 wire control wiring and Hitachi programming he documented in the attachments to his post below is what I followed. It's been working great.

3 wire VFD control by mksj

 

[Ceej0103]

Let me know if you guys can help me understand this part.

 

[Technical Ted]

It looks like you're missing a part. Hi range is selected via a hole in a sliding piece that is adjustable. Looks like you're missing this piece. This missing piece slides in the large slot. Check the parts listing.

Moving the lever retracts the pin and that is how you change ranges.

The book I suggest show all this and how to adjust it.

Edit: Here's the book I always suggest than new owner get. I did and it was a great help:

Amazon.com

Good luck,
Ted

 

[Technical Ted]

While you have it a part, replace these bushings. Make sure you get the correct set for your machine. It looks like it's a 1-1/2 HP head, but verify these are the correct ones:

Bushing Kit for Bridgeport with 1 - 1/2 HP Head | 1037-15

Bushing Kit for Bridgeport Series I with 1.5hp head. Individual items in this kit may not be retuned for refund unless the entire kit is returned for refund. Includes: Motor Bushing (1113), Spindle Bushing (1126), Adj Motor Key (1035-B), Adj Driven Key (1095), 2 Epoxy, Motor Gage Pin (1037-OT)...

www.machinerypartsdepot.com

You do NOT want these to go bad... if they do, you will end up ruining the motor armature, vari-speed pulley bores, etc. These are VERY costly to replace. The bushings are cheap and are a high wear item, requiring replacement from time to time. I would do it now. I think H&W has a video on replacing these. It's pretty easy with their kit.

Ted

 

[Ceej0103]

While you have it a part, replace these bushings. Make sure you get the correct set for your machine. It looks like it's a 1-1/2 HP head, but verify these are the correct ones:

Bushing Kit for Bridgeport with 1 - 1/2 HP Head | 1037-15

Bushing Kit for Bridgeport Series I with 1.5hp head. Individual items in this kit may not be retuned for refund unless the entire kit is returned for refund. Includes: Motor Bushing (1113), Spindle Bushing (1126), Adj Motor Key (1035-B), Adj Driven Key (1095), 2 Epoxy, Motor Gage Pin (1037-OT)...

www.machinerypartsdepot.com

You do NOT want these to go bad... if they do, you will end up ruining the motor armature, vari-speed pulley bores, etc. These are VERY costly to replace. The bushings are cheap and are a high wear item, requiring replacement from time to time. I would do it now. I think H&W has a video on replacing these. It's pretty easy with their kit.

Ted

Thanks for the info in both posts, Ted. I ordered a rebuild kit with my recent order and it's coming with bushings. I'll get those replaced. On the hi-low engagement, I see what you mean now. I finally found some pictures that show the adjustable detent block that can be moved in that channel. That said, I can't find the part anywhere. With a milling machine, I could make one I see the new detent plates just have a hole milled in the location for the hi engagement. I'm assuming some level of adjustment could be achieved by how the handle is timed on the shaft if I no longer have adjustment where the detent is located?

I think the gameplan is going to be this: make a very crude plunger with the drill press. Use this plunger to lock the machine in low gear. Once the machine is operational in low gear, use the machine to make the high side detent adjustment block and a new plunger.

Does the book you mentioned show how to perform the adjustment of the hi-lo engagement while watching the bull gears?