04-22-2023, 03:33 PM
I have long wanted a powerfeed for my mill, but the price has always been way out of my range. I've watched dozens of videos on the way someone else has DIY it. I even went so far as to buy toothed pulleys and a belt from LMS to accomplish it in a way I saw years ago. I never ended up making that version.
Note that I am blatantly stealing ideas from a video from Phil Vandelay Building a Powerfeed for my Milling Machine (with a Wiper Motor) - YouTube His version is nice, but I still think it is more complicated than it needs to be. I am however, using the exact same electrical parts for the controller side of things, so I won't be covering that here. Everything was purchased on the web, and all parts are readily available and reasonably cheap.
Well, I recently dug out the wiper motor that I bought 20 years ago and modified it for easier wiring. That has led me to actually make parts for fitting it. It isn't finished, but I thought I'd show some progress made so far.
This is the mill table removed from the mill. As you can see, there is a convenient slot in the end of the leadscrew, which I will use to drive it. Many versions make some sort of hex to interface with a socket, but that seems overly complicated to me. So, simple dog clutch will do. Here is the table laying upside down, to take measurements:
I have already made the motor shaft, threaded onto the motor. The brass sleeve and wood block are just there to help align everything. The larger cylinder above that will have the pin shown pressed through at the black mark, and will act as the clutch, sliding on the motor shaft. I heed to slot the end of the motor shaft for clearance of the pin when it is disengaged, as well as cut the clutch cylinder down to length.
More to follow.
Note that I am blatantly stealing ideas from a video from Phil Vandelay Building a Powerfeed for my Milling Machine (with a Wiper Motor) - YouTube His version is nice, but I still think it is more complicated than it needs to be. I am however, using the exact same electrical parts for the controller side of things, so I won't be covering that here. Everything was purchased on the web, and all parts are readily available and reasonably cheap.
Well, I recently dug out the wiper motor that I bought 20 years ago and modified it for easier wiring. That has led me to actually make parts for fitting it. It isn't finished, but I thought I'd show some progress made so far.
This is the mill table removed from the mill. As you can see, there is a convenient slot in the end of the leadscrew, which I will use to drive it. Many versions make some sort of hex to interface with a socket, but that seems overly complicated to me. So, simple dog clutch will do. Here is the table laying upside down, to take measurements:
I have already made the motor shaft, threaded onto the motor. The brass sleeve and wood block are just there to help align everything. The larger cylinder above that will have the pin shown pressed through at the black mark, and will act as the clutch, sliding on the motor shaft. I heed to slot the end of the motor shaft for clearance of the pin when it is disengaged, as well as cut the clutch cylinder down to length.
More to follow.
Full of ideas, but slow to produce parts