Power Feed For Pm450g Mill

[joshua43214]

I am back to wanting to put a power feed on my mill.
The problem is that the one that Matt sells for this mill is something like $500.00.
He says it looks just like the ones for small mill in that it sticks off the end, rather than hanging down like they do on big mills. He also said the inexpensive ones he sells do not fit this mill.

Enco has this one
http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PARTPG=INLMKD&PMPXNO=31229649&PMAKA=404-3041
Which with coupons is only $208.00, cheap enough to buy rather than cobble together one from misc stuff from Ebay.

I was wondering if any one has any experience making this style power feed fit on a mill that it does not actually fit on. I assume I will have to cut part of the end of it off, and fabricate brackets and mounting. The lead screw on my mill is much lower than on a comparable sized mill. It is similar to the Grizzly Go722 but has a gear head and weighs a lot more
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Milling-Machine-with-Power-Feed/G0722

There is also another discrepancy with the unit. The link above says 1 - 27 in/min.
but the catalogue says it is 1 - 9 in/min which seems a bit slow.
The website and catalogue also list different power ratings.

 

[coolidge]

I installed the Enco Align brand power feed on my benchtop mill, it was awesome. The '1 to 9 ipm' is a misprint it zips right along. Did Matt confirm the Enco will fit your mill?

The Enco clamps onto the end of your table, it grips onto the edge reaching into your chip tray area. The brackets allow you to adjust up/down and in/out within a given range. If for some reason it doesn't fit your mill out of the box you could modify or make new brackets. Basically you install the large gear that comes with the power feed onto your lead screw shaft. There is a small gear on the power feed unit, you basically adjust the brackets up/down in/out so that the two gears mesh together, its an easy install. By the way its not that puke green as shown in the catalog, its cream colored. I think its important to confirm your lead screw is the correct diameter to match the large gear that comes with the power feed, that's probably the one show stopper.

http://www.align.com.tw/ManuaLib/powerfeed/G00400-AL500D.pdf

 

[coffmajt]

Just finishing adding an Enco power feed to the Knee axis on my Grizzly 3616 Mill. Grizzly did not offer a unit to fit so I ordered one for a Bridgeport from Enco. Had to remove the tables from the mill in order to remove the Knee elevating shaft. Stuck it in the lathe, turned it down to add a new ball bearing, bored some of the original bushings out for the new bearing, added some new threads to the shaft end, and walla - got it working like a charm -- Had to measure many times to make things fit but that's what makes this fun == good luck with your project == Jack

 

[T Bredehoft]

I made a Chrysler window motor work on my PM25, you ought to be able to make an Enco drive work on most anything.

 

[joshua43214]

Thanks for the replies. I am about 99% positive the drive will not fit directly, otherwise the ones Matt sells for the PM25MV would also fit.
The .pdf is a big help, I feel pretty confident that I can make it work. Knowing that it has limit switches makes it that much better.

I will order it and post pics when it is installed.

Thanks again,
-Josh

 

[joshua43214]

The Enco power feed arrived today after getting delayed at the UPS depot.
Here are some pics of it sitting at it's approximate mounting level.

This is left side mounting. It looks like the business end will be just below flush with the table. The rest of the power feed would be above the table though. I really do not like this design, but the feed is meant for a small mill that has very limited space under the table.


Here is a pick of it at the approximate height for mounting it upside down. It would have to be mounted on the right side of the table for this.
As you can see, I have plenty of room under the table for it, it even looks like it will clear the one-shot oiler's manifold.




Either method will require an adaptor for the screw that will extend the driven gear, or replacement of the bearing carrier to bring the feed closer to the table.
The mounting bracket that comes with the feed does look like it will work, but might need a bit of shimming. The downside of the mounting bracket is that it clamps over the top of the table.

I am undecided what to do. I can fabricate an adaptor for it. It would be a pretty complicated part, but looks like a fun thing to make. I would have to drill the table, which I suppose if fine since I already drilled plenty of holes for the DRO.

Left side mounting means I give up being able to put long parts that over hang the mill, and those are the parts I am most likely to want a feed for.
On the other hand, mounting it upside down means the adaptor is a bit more complex, and I give up my right side hand wheel (I am right handed).
The adaptor would have to be milled from a piece of metal approximately 4"x3.5"x5" if mounted upside down, and only slightly smaller if mounted right side up. This pretty much rules out making it from steel because of the added weight.

Any thoughts?
Go back to the drawing board and fabricate one form scratch that fits the left side? It does not look like I can rob the parts from this feed, I would have to send it back.
Any one give up a right side hand wheel? Do you miss it?

 

[rdean]

Never missed the right hand wheel as it was never used. I have too much stuff mounted over there so I couldn't get to it easily anyway. I never saw a setup like yours with straight cut gears. I live a sheltered life.
Ray

 

[coffmajt]

I would try to keep the top of the table free of obstructions even if it means making a special mount for the feed. There will be times when you will need that extra length or width -- Jack

 

[kingmt01]

I almost never use the right wheel even tho I'm right handed. My machine is in a tight place so I usually have my right handle off to gain room on that side of the table & do my work on the right side of the table.