Help, I can't remember how to do something on my Mill.

J

jaded13640

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I've got this small milling machine made by Complex Machine. I'm having a problem because I don't use it much. It's got the ability to power feed the head down for drilling, has a micro feed wheel and the normal "fast feed" with three handles. I can't for the life of me remember how to disable the micro feed and go to the fast feed or how to engage the auto feed. The last time I used it I activated the micro feed and now I can't remember how to disengage it so I can fast feed. I've got several holes to drill and need to not only be able to fast feed it but would like to use the auto feed. I have the manual and it shows the micro feed wheel and the fast feed wheel but the manual doesn't tell you how to engage or disengage it. I thought I just tightened the plastic nut on the fast wheel, drawing the handle it and it engaged the micro feed...but loosening it doesn't seem to disengage it.

Can anyone help?

Thanks,

Wayne
 
My mill drill doesn't have power down feed but I thought you just pulled the handle out to engage the power down feed. To disengage it, you pushed the handle back in. To engage fine feed, you lock the knob in the center of the fast feed wheel and to disengage it, you unlock that knob. Maybe try it?
 
Is there a knob on the axis of the hand feed wheel that can be loosened and tightened to engage power feed? Or perhaps somewhere else? That's what I'd look for.
 
I messed with it for an hour last night and couldn't seem to make the fast feed work. I'm not an idiot but it was pretty late and had been a very long day, I may have just overlooked how simple it was. I kept messing with the knob on the fast feed wheel but never was able to make it disengage the micro feed wheel. The closest I could get was when I tried to turn the fast feed wheel the micro wheel would try to turn as well. Obviously that isn't going to work. I'll have to mess with it some more today.

Thanks,

Wayne
 
jaded13640 said:
The last time I used it I activated the micro feed and now I can't remember how to disengage it so I can fast feed........... I thought I just tightened the plastic nut on the fast wheel, drawing the handle it and it engaged the micro feed...but loosening it doesn't seem to disengage it.
Click to expand...

If you do not use it much, perhaps you have already loosened the proper knob, but something is sticking.
Can you push on that little plastic nut to be sure the shaft released?

I'd also try the good old "give it a little tap with the side of your fist" technique.
It's low-tech, but sometimes it works!

Please report back with what actually works, so we all have the answer saved here.

Good luck.
-brino
 
+1 on what brino said.
Your setup may be different than my mill/drill but mine has a knob on the crank. Tightening the knob draws the taper on the crank into a mating taper on the shaft. As I recall, there is a spring which pushes the crank out.disengaging it from the shaft. Sometimes the taper will stick, preventing a crank from disengaging. A light tap after loosening the knob will usually pop it out.
 
RJ, are you referring to the micro feed knob or the fast feed knob? Because that's what I thought, I've tapped it with my hand, pushed the fast feed in and out...you name it. The closest I got to making it work, like I said, was when I tightened the fast feed knob but then the micro feed wheel would try to turn as I tried to use the fast feed wheel. Odd... to say the least. Yea, I'm thinking something is either stuck or broke. I could be wrong about if having power feed for drilling...like I say, I barely use it. I've made little stuff here and there with it but the last thing I made I was milling and the micro feed was the best option. Now I can't seem to get it back to fast feed.

Thanks, and keep the ideas coming, we'll figure it out, even if we figure out that it's broken.

Wayne
 
I looked for your mill and couldn't find it but I found a manual that suggests its a RF-25. If so, Brino and Bob are correct - the knob that engages the fine feed engages a rack and pinion arrangement. There is a spring that disengages the pinion when the knob is backed off. If the grease inside is old and hardened, the pinion may not disengage. You may need to pull the handle off, clean everything and re-grease it. Not a big deal - takes a few minutes to do.
 
I had a feeling such a thing might be the issue but, not knowing what was behind there, I was a bit afraid to take it apart. The manual I have for the machine doesn't tell you much of anything, including operation, much less repair. On the opposite side of the head there's a unit that, when you loosen the plastic nut you can pull the unit out and rotate it. I had a feeling it was related to the power feed, if in fact it has it.

Wayne
 
jaded13640 said:
I had a feeling such a thing might be the issue but, not knowing what was behind there, I was a bit afraid to take it apart. The manual I have for the machine doesn't tell you much of anything, including operation, much less repair. On the opposite side of the head there's a unit that, when you loosen the plastic nut you can pull the unit out and rotate it. I had a feeling it was related to the power feed, if in fact it has it.

Wayne
Click to expand...
BUT, I don't know what it is or what it does. All I know is that you can loosen the screw and it'll pull out, rotate and drop into two pins that hold it from rotating. I don't know what it is.
 
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