- Joined
- Jul 20, 2013
- Messages
- 86
OK, this is my first post (here and Chaski). My Index 55 mill project started back in 2001 when I dragged it home from work (the boss gave it to me, it was left over from a batch of press brakes and shears he bought from a closed business). Got going hot and heavy then stopped (sidetracked) after it got painted. I had reassembled most of it, but wanted to do something with the extremely ugly table. Reading these machine forums convinced me not to further mess with it, so I removed the rust and grime and put it back on the saddle last week, holes and all. This is the first time in about a dozen years the table and column are back together. The table moves very well with pretty much equal effort from side to side, especially after I got the way oil in the 10 zerk fittings today.
My next effort is to wire it up and assemble my rotary phase converter. I had the electric shop at work do the controls to my design, forward and reverse starters high and low speed windings on the main spindle motor, forward and reverse on the table feed motor. Controls are in the box on the left side of the column. (I was going to go VFD the last year (we use a lot of them at work), but hey, I have the RPC already in the garage, and a (hopefully) good two speed motor, so why not let it spin.) My boss said look at those old motors, twice the weight of new motors, so maybe expect more flywheel effect during milling with the same horsepower, giving a smoother cut...
Current problem is that there is no nameplate for the table feed gear box, so I don't know which lever does what on the box, also, no instructions on the box. Can you shift while running??? (It's almost impossible to shift with the input shaft NOT spinning by hand.) Anyone have the lever functions and instructions??? (Rick Robison of Wells-Index hasn't answered me yet on this query. Wells-Index did the R8 regrind on the B&S #9 spindle, it will now hold BOTH, but you need different drawbars.)
My next effort is to wire it up and assemble my rotary phase converter. I had the electric shop at work do the controls to my design, forward and reverse starters high and low speed windings on the main spindle motor, forward and reverse on the table feed motor. Controls are in the box on the left side of the column. (I was going to go VFD the last year (we use a lot of them at work), but hey, I have the RPC already in the garage, and a (hopefully) good two speed motor, so why not let it spin.) My boss said look at those old motors, twice the weight of new motors, so maybe expect more flywheel effect during milling with the same horsepower, giving a smoother cut...
Current problem is that there is no nameplate for the table feed gear box, so I don't know which lever does what on the box, also, no instructions on the box. Can you shift while running??? (It's almost impossible to shift with the input shaft NOT spinning by hand.) Anyone have the lever functions and instructions??? (Rick Robison of Wells-Index hasn't answered me yet on this query. Wells-Index did the R8 regrind on the B&S #9 spindle, it will now hold BOTH, but you need different drawbars.)