New Enco Bridgeport clone owner

I dunno. I am just passing on advice from an expert. If you want more detail, call Tim. He's a super nice guy (although he does hate a bit on H&W - I'm not exactly sure why) but is always willing to help someone out. He's been doing this stuff forever and should probably slow down, especially after his most recent heart attack, but he never quits.

Maybe it would be "fine" for a hobbyist. I have no idea.

I have a machine that's worth thousands of dollars, that I have months of work into rehabbing. I personally don't see the point in skimping on how I feed it power. I've never used a VFD, maybe someday for some application I will, they have their purpose, but for me, the little extra money it takes to make an RPC out of an old 5hp motor, or if you want dependability and a warranty (as I did), get one from American Rotary (mine is a 10hp and was around $700). Plus I have multiple 3 phase pieces of equipment I power with one RPC vs. multiple VFDs.

Like I tell my Jeep friends when they ask about this mod or that mod - it's your Jeep, do what makes you happy. Just don't put one of them stupid rubber ducks on mine! LOL!
 
GENIUS!!

I'll have the only Bridgeport type milling machine with a rubber duck!!
 
I've been going through the head of the mill I bought last Saturday and the extra head I bought Sunday. I was going to stick with the Varispeed and use a VFD set at 60Hz to get up and running quick, but the Varispeed is missing the speed control gearing and would be more complicated to maintain in the long run. So, simplicity is going to win out here.

That decision eliminates that fancy stock indicator dial for spindle speed. I can get how fast the motor is spinning from the VFD, and use that to make a graph of VFD reading vs spindle speed for each of the belt settings and high vs low gearing. That's what I have now on my treadmill motor powered RongFu-45 clone. But, that is so hokey.

I can get a $20 tach kit all day long. It requires a magnet to be mounted somewhere, and the BP spindle doesn't have a convenient place. Mounting to the pulley sheaves would give a different reading depending on whether you are in high or low gear, and frankly is not better than reading the motor rpm off the VFD.

Has anyone ever considered an adapter between the drawbar and spindle? I'm thinking an aluminum plate with a pocket on one side for the magnet. A couple pins to match the <whatever you call those two pin holes used to remove the bearing cap>. The belted head is thinner than the Varispeed head by about 2" as best as I can tell. So a 2" thick plate would give me a place to mount the magnet AND allow me to retain the draw bar I currently have.
 
Sounds like a lot of this is just "hokey" - to use your term, if you ask me. lol. I don't know how fancy your speed change is on the clone, but my Bridgeport uses a simple Reeves type CVT. Nothing overly complicated. Although the parts can be expensive.
 
The parts to fix the speed change is nothing more than a worm gear connected to a handle. Seems to be very little supply, but if I can find them and if they'd fit, I'm looking at $150. Compared to a couple sheaves and a standard belt, that is already expensive. I agree the Reeves drive is not OVERLY complicated. But, when comparing to a couple sheaves and a standard belt. . . .

I could make the parts, but I don't want that side project right now. The tachometer isn't necessary, but a nice to have. . . and the digital tach reading off the spindle would even be more accurate and reliable than the dial that is there now.
 
Well. Dang.
This won't work for low gear. In low gear the driven sheave gets disconnected from the spindle and is driven through some gearing that is not quite 10:1.
I'll just need to make a disc that will sit as a collar around the top of the draw bar, held with a set screw.
 
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