Power Feed.

[gus]

I hope you will post some details of the Shimano Technology and how you will apply it.

Chuck

Gus is still trying to get TurboCad going but to no avail.
Here is my hand drawn sketch.
The worm wheel drives the shaft when the Knob is tightened. When loose the worm wheel spins free. The thrust bearing helps keep friction low when clutch not engaged. Bit of Shimano Drag Grease helps improve clutch drive power.

Power Feed mounted on,fit and adjustment,alignment done and with clutch off, hand feed had no added resistance. Energised d.c. motor and travel was quite smooth. Will DIY Control Box and wire up.

With 100 rpm D.C. motor, the feed is just good for fly-cutting which is done at very low feed speed for good finish. Just placed order for 300 rpm motor to speed up power feed for 4-----12 mm End Milling. Material and parts cost adds up to $50 which is 1/4 of Sieg Power Feed price. Will be another week or two of tinkering before completion.

 

[chucketn]

Thanks, Gus.

Chuck

 

[Swifty]

Gus, I see that you are using oiled cardboard for the clutch, have you thought of using cork instead. It's readily available as cork floor tiles that are not very thick.

Paul.

 

[gus]

Gus, I see that you are using oiled cardboard for the clutch, have you thought of using cork instead. It's readily available as cork floor tiles that are not very thick.

Paul.

Hi Paul ,
Cork sheet is best as clutch medium but hard to find. Recalled this was used with the Matchless/Norton,Triumph,BSA Army surplus motorbikes just after WW-ll. The folder file cardboard with the Shimano Drag Grease should work hopefully.

Drag Clutch Knob done. Control Box done. Drill the 1mm thick panel was a bit dicy. Had it firmly clamped and step drills used avoid grabbing/snatching.Holes dead centre and no tear.Step drills came from Bunnings,Thornleigh,Sydney.

Will wire up tomorrow and live run milling aluminium. My DIY Fly-Cutter has gone AWOL.
For now the Power Feed location seems ideal as Gus does take a seat when using slow feed for finishing. Will decide tomorrow.

 

[goldstar31]

Can I step in and intrude, please?

Cork? Well, there is cork and cork. Trust me, I made a rather lot of pennies from 'Cork' and its accesories. Long time ago but not forgotten.

Your first source is the classic stopper from a bottle. OK, the wine industry is now using all sorts of compounds but the Champagne industry in Reims in France still uses vast quantities. Nice grand piano shop next door to one cork manufacturer. Was there in September- I get around!
The next obvious choice is good old Armstrong Cork Co, 9th Avenue, TVTE Gateshead, next to the family castle- which fell down. American firm, I did the accoustic tile thing and rubber grinding thing but they used to make vinyl flooring. Half of Germany is floored with Accotile and Accoflex!
Of course cork is from the cork oak and the swarf( well?) is recyled as sheets and ends up as sheet again. For a few pennies, every child's paper blackboard thing with drawing pins is chewed up cork.

And then there are Whisky corks- used to be Metal Box co. Made them in Newcastle. I used to do research in negative torroidal seams in tin plate.
So there you are. Solder 'horses' and all sorts of things. All very simple- no money in it but- interesting. Still got my slide rule

Norman

 

[gus]

Hi Norman,

I spent 3 1/2 years operating & set up slitting machines and the can body makers in Metal Box,Singapore. My left ear is half deaf.
On a very hot day,I had 360 cans per minute flying in front of me but no beer. 7Up and CocaCola cans too.PineApple Cans and Milk Cans too.
That was 1965-----1968. Gus was doing his HND Engineering Part Time.

Crown Cork bought Metal Box in Singapore 30 years ago.

 

[goldstar31]

Gus

Small world! Apart from anything else I did HNC Business Studies, A Levels in Heaven knows what and City and Guilds Motor Vehicle Restoration, Accountancy and -well, a lot. Sailing instructor, boat builder, canoed and skied for Good Old Great Britain.

Metal Box- that was Baker Street in London. Was down at Acton and agree with the NOISE! Bill Thompson or William Desmond Thompson RNVR was buyer at Newcastle and we used to canoe camp and whatever. Bill went to India with TMB- probably dead now. Was in the Royal Navy during the War.

Newcastle factory is no longer there- went to Carlisle. I go past it on the way to the Mason's. Oriental Lodge and Chapter. I get about.

Cheers


Norman

 

[gus]

Hi Norman,

In those days,it was high tech. Never mind about bringing over ancient Troyer & Fox Canbody Making Machine. Metal Box,Singapore was creaming the market. Canners had to cough up 50% downpayment with order and balance C.O.D. days before delivery basis Cheque did not bounce.

The food canners had to put up with MB. Then a German Can Making Expert arrived in Singapore and sold some can making lines. The Germans make very good and advance and stable machines. The MB machines were prone to breakdown. Quite a few of my mates went over with higher pay. It is history now.

Metal Box paid for my HND part time study course.However after getting my HND there was no job offer . Ingersoll-Rand took poor Gus off the street.

 

[gb16714]

possibly a detent clutch mech. on the motor shaft adjustable for torque output to stop crash?

 

[gus]

The Shimano Star Drag has three carbon washers to enable 1/4 ----2/3 line tension power so as to permit fish to spool some lines with fish still hooked on. The non-reversible bearing prevent shaft from spinning forward.
Reel/spool will only release line when line tension exceeds tension setting.

I used the drag clutch to drive worm wheel and power take off. See my sketch. Star Drag Clutch System performed to expectation today.Just found a source for corksheet.

The Fishing Members of HMEM will have a good idea of the Star Drag. See foto of my Shimano Cardiff BaitCaster.

 

[gus]

Disaster. One terminal lug broke off. Lesson learnt. Use lighter cable.

Happy Ending but expensive replacement and the motor output speed at 250 rpm gave the mill table good feed rate. Brand new robotic d.c. geared motor c/w rotary encoder cost me S$55.00. Looks like live trial end milling will happen tomorrow by 10am. Feed rate will be good for fly-cutting and end milling.

Labelling the ''Forward----Off-----Reverse'' for same selector switch and ''Low---High'' for Speed Control will be another chore and challenge.Free Hand letter stamping is not preferred so some form of jig required so that stamped letter will not look like Jingle Bell. Labels will be brass strip polished and lacquered.

 

[gus]

Plain/Smooth Clutch Knob w/o knurling is very slippery and hard to get hand hold. Plan to use round nose mill to cut shallow grooves to improve grip. My humble apologies for the felt pen sketch. New resolution for 2015 will be competency with TurboCad or CAD.

 

[ShopShoe]

Gus,

No need for apology for pen sketches. We can understand what you mean and that's all we need. CAD is great, but the knowledge is the important part.

I have been wondering if in your climate and on your balcony you need to take extra steps to protect your electronics from corrosion and high humidity. I don't have the same concerns in my location, but when machines are cold and air is damp in fall and spring then I am worrying about rust all the time, and corrosion of electrics in old cars not being driven. Needless to say, I buy WD40 in bulk.

--ShopShoe

 

[gus]

Hi ShopShoe.
Fortunately not too much rust. The only electronics I have are the the Digital Calipers and Mikes. The DRO is DIYed with Digital Caliper. The balcony have a large roof covering 5 ft beyond and keeps out the bigger rain drops. A bit of fine mist gets in but not damaging.

 

[gus]

Had to do something about the exposed terminal connections on the d.c. motor.Recycled the front end of a scrap motor and it works fine.
Did a live trial test. Slide table feed screw gets 5 turns per min. Fine for finishing cuts. The 250 rpm D.C. Motor came from a Robotics PArts Shop and the power was more than sufficient. With Tapmatic Cutting Fluid applied, a very fine finishing appeared.
Will take my sweet time next week to finish up Power Feed and call it a day.

 

[Philjoe5]

Nice work Gus. Thanks for posting

Cheers,
Phil

 

[Niels Abildgaard]

Hello Gus

Dont You think Your lathe will be a better machine with electric feed ?

 

[Swifty]

Gus, I saw the video on facebook, works great.

Paul.

 

[MCRIPPPer]

good luck on your power feed. i spent many hours building one for my X2 mill. much more enjoyable to use!

i used a dog clutch mechanism to engage and disengage the gearbox so i dont have to fight the gears when manual feeding. your clutch system is brilliant. reminds me of old lathes with power feed knob. i wish mine was able to do smooth engagement.

for wiring you can buy flexible conduit to run the electrical. i bought some from littlemachineshop that matches the x2 mill.

 

[gus]

Hello Gus

Dont You think Your lathe will be a better machine with electric feed ?

Been thinking about it. Will be very fine and smooth feed finish.