I've seen three of these 8x32 mini BP clones over the years and they were all in pretty nice shape. I think the story is that these were too small for pro shops and were mostly purchased by HSMs with money. Hence many are well cared for.
Thanks for all the kind words. Things were going so smooth on the install that something was bound to go south. Funny how that happens.
My recent snag is trying to install a grounding rod outside my garage. I've tried a half dozen locations in my preferred area to drive it in but I keep getting hung up on rocks or tree roots. Once I got it over 5 feet deep before it jammed up. That was a real bear to pull out. hew:
I'm going to try again today maybe driving it at an angle or using a water drill method I saw on utube. Wish me luck.
I have the Enco version of that machine. They are a very cute alternative if you don't have room for a BP. The only negative is the fairly small Z range (under 14").
I installed my VFD today. Turns out that there was a panel on the back of the base to allow access to an internal coolant pump. This seemed like an ideal location for a remote mount of the main box. As you might notice in the picture, I mounted the mill to a pair of 2x6 timbers. This way I can roll my pallet jack underneath and move it around if necessary.
Here's the VFD remote. Right now it is just ziptie'd to the DRO. I need to make a bracket for it and then it should be good to go. I wired it up to the drum switch so that I could run both the HI and LO speed configurations of the two speed motor. I read that you can fry a VFD by disconnecting it from a running motor, so to make sure that doesn't happen I removed the control knob that goes to the drum switch. Now if I want to go from HI speed to LO I have to unplug the VFD, wait for it to fully power off, find the control knob for the drum switch and use it to change motor speeds, then plug the VFD back in and go. I tested it and it works just fine.
Now I just need to get some collets and such, and also read up on the nuances of the VFD. For instance, I am not sure why the analog knob doesn't seem to be active.
Nice clean install. I like the timbers under it, makes life a bit easier.
I do have a couple of comments. The VFD is installed upside down which may interfere with the cooling air flow. The fans normally blow from bottom to top. This leads me to the next issue. The picture below is my electrical outlet on the back of my mill, it's about 3 ft off the floor, and the top of it is covered with aluminium chips. The VFD won't like chips. I would install a shield over the top, but not so close that it would interfere with the air flow.
I agree with Jim but I would go one step further and mount it in some kind of an enclosure. I mounted mine in a large NEMA 1 enclosure to ward off swarf.
Nice looking mill, very clean and appears to be in great condition.
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