INSTALLING A POWERFEED on the Bridgeport Mill
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ย. 2024
- Although I do not recommend this item, here are the links to the VEVOR Power Feed.
US power feed: s.vevor.com/bf...
CA power feed: s.vevor.com/bf...
Discount code: VVS10 (use this code to save 10$)
Good morning. Don't underestimate your appeal to anyone interested in shop work. Thanks for the videos.
Thanks
I don’t own a mill but I like this conversion. And your honesty.
😄
Same as me
Mr. Pete, you are so much more than just a “shop teacher”. The level of detail that you go into, and the information that you provide was never taught in any shop class that I attended. You are a gem. Thank you.
Wow, thank you!
I agree 1000% ❤
Hello Lyle,
These power feeds share a lot in common no mater where they are from. I have installed several over the last few years on various machines. I just recently installed one (from ALSGS, model AL-310S) for my Grizzly G0755 ( the G0755 was a tent sale - damaged purchase) So I have a few suggestions and recommendations for you.
#1, the 2 black springs left over are for the limit switch cover. They fit over the limit switch buttons and are carefully fitted into the limit switch cover. This keeps the cover centered and in place. It is a bit fiddly to install but works great.
#2, Pay attention to the limit switch cover that it does not rub on the mounting spacers. Some trimming of the cover back side may be required.
#3, Take a file and lengthen the top of the limit switch to table mounting slots as needed to to ensure the limit stops hit the switches perfectly centered.
#4, Lead screw modifications.. Occasionally an additional woodruff key will need to be cut to ensure the brass bevel gear has sufficient contact. This will also allow you to shorten the out side of the gear and move the manual handle in for a few more threads available.
#5, pick up a spare plastic driven gear (typically blue colored) These occasionally fail due to crash or over load and are very inexpensive.
#6, In the past where the DRO scale has to remain in front, I have made offset (downward) stops and a lowered limit switch bracket.
Now some travel rate (feed) specs on my last install....
19.5" (495mm) travel range...
Fast, 1 minute 6 seconds
Slow, 33 minutes, 16 seconds
Rapid, 47 seconds
Additional advice concerning travel over shoot. These do not have a rapid braking so at high rates of speed it is easy to over shoot by .75" (19mm) so pay attention to your max table travel and move the stops in towards the center accordingly. (another reason to keep a spare plastic shear gear on hand)
Thank you so much. I intend to print this out so that I can study your ideas. these are excellent suggestions. In fact they should’ve been included in the directions. I should tell Iris, my contact in China to include this, lol. By the way, I was wondering what those extra springs were for
@@mrpete222 No problem sir, glad to help
Adding braking to such a motor is pretty easy. It may need a relay, depending on the controller wiring. Basically you set it up so that the motor connections are shorted out the when power feed is disengaged.
This makes the motor act as a generator against a 100% load, which stops it almost instantly. For safety, it maybe better to add an "engine braking resistor" which you can buy from China, however you will need electronics knowledge to calculate the ohms value.
Good Morning Mr. Pete. I have the same unit on my Bridgeport with similar problems and a few differences. I finally had to replace the original Bridgeport unit when the circuit board shorted out. The speed control on yours is faulty beyond repair and the seller should send you a replacement and pay for return shipping. The problem on both units is bad potentiometers. Mine will completely stop and crawl at any speed with full torque but won’t repeat at the same setting after stopping and restarting.
I can live with mine but yours is definitely not acceptable. The factory is obviously not testing these units properly before shipment or they would have caught the variable feed problem.
With your exposure to the American market you should have no problem getting a replacement. Thanks again for all you do.
Totally agree with everything you just said
I've been considering one of these (or similar) for a long time. The installation video is very informative and will save some folks the heartache of ironing out the details. I was sold until the speed thing, now I might consider tracking down an original Bridgeport power feed and paying the price. Thanks for the presentation.
Servo power feeds from H & W lists for over $900. Good luck.
I bought a similar one but a different brand for about 150 a few years ago and it had english parts and mated up with no issues
it also crawls at slow speed, so shop well
Look at Align brand power feed. I bought one a couple years ago from Precision Matthews in Pittsburgh PA for I think around 275.00. I haven't had an issue with it at all in that time period with using it 2-3 days a week in my shop. I do a lot of face milling and I can put a mirror finish on with it if needed. The speed control works great and will go from 0 IPM on up without the torque loss. I did however have to broach the keyway in the drive hub like Mr. Pete did, but other than that, it wasn't bad to do, and I saved a ton of money over the Servo brand which would have been a grand. The Align brand apparently has a little better motor and speed control than some of the other import units like the Vevor, but it looks pretty much the same. I know you get what you pay for, so I was hesitant to pull the trigger on the Align brand, but I'm glad I did so far.
There should be a trim pot or two inside the power feed that will let you adjust voltage to the motor. Mark the trim pots so you’ll know the original position of the screws and then adjust to get get the best balance between speed and torque.
I really do not want to take the thing apart at this time. My contact at the company said that she would show this video to her engineers.
You can't adjust the speed of a non synchronous motor without losing bundles of torque. The only way it can be done is with a variable frequency drive or a gearbox.
@@Phantom-mk4kp What I stated as a solution is essentially what Mr. Pete did with the Dremel speed control box. Obviously you will lose some torque as Mr. Pete demonstrated. You could put a sewing machine foot control in between the power feed and the power supply and get the same result but without a fixed speed setting. What he did was find a “happy medium” he could live with. That’s all I was suggesting rather than relying on a “go between” unit. Just open the power feed up and tweak the trim pots. I never implied there would be no torque loss. I never implied that it was the perfect solution. I just suggested it as another solution to the problem. Reread my comment and feel free to point out any other statements you imagine I might have made in error.
@@FriedPi-mc5yt @FriedPi-mc5yt There will not be any trim pots inside I guarantee. It will have a triac phase angle controller and the only variable component will be the control on the outside
@@Phantom-mk4kp So you know exactly what’s inside of it? When did you open one up? Have you got the schematic of the electrical components?
Mark the gears up with a chalk pen to read the backlash on the brass worm gear, just like if you were setting the backlash on a ring gear and pinion in your cars rear end
Yup, or Bearing Blue.
I'm not a machinist, but I do enjoy learning how things work.
Good to hear
Noticed the mark on the potentiometer was at about 11 o clock, you should be able to rotate ccw to stop the feed and turn cw to increase.
I have 2 power feeds very similar.
If you cannot stop the feed with the pot you have a problem
I agree, if you can't turn the knob down far enough to stop rotation, then there is something wrong.
AGREED - thats how mine is, when you engage the lever, you can turn the knob so it goes so slow it stops.......... (mines not a Vevor Brand)
I AIM to be a machinist, but I wouldn't call me one yet. I keep picking up all kinds of metal junk because it might be useful, and all machinists seem to be afflicted with that problem, but I'm still just learning to throw things out. A few years ago I would save everything except metal chips, now I throw anything smaller than about half an inch. Progress!
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Unfortunately, I was a blacksmith also, so would also save metal chips for pattern forge welding in a canister for Damascus steel axes and knives. That's why those two hobbies go together so well. I totally loved machining good tool steel. But no air hardening steel. Oh, hey Lyle. Not a bad upgrade. Even if the brass gear had enough copper in it that they called it copper!
🗜️⚒️🧙♂️ 乁( ⁰͡ Ĺ̯ ⁰͡ ) ㄏ
Only havibg a little suitcase sized lathe the video was entertaining.
Modifying the 1/8 inch woodruff key, preserving the conversion kit, was brilliant.
It's interesting to motorize the mini mill. Made it for the Mini lathe leadscrew.
I think the saying,you get what you pay for applies Mr Pete .
Thanks for the honest review.
I have had one of those for several years never gotten around to installing it. I don't care to bother with the slow speed setting and having to use a dremel to achieve proper speed so I am going to leave it in the box of which it came. Great video, you saved me from some wasted work and time to install then have to remove it....
Many people have told me through the comments that they have that unit and it works great. Possibly I have a factory reject?
I installed a similar unit on my Precision Matthews mill, makes a world of difference not having to turn the crank! No complaints so far, been using it about 2 years.
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Hello Mr Pete, great video! I installed one of these on my Kingston mill a couple of years ago. Works great! A little less power than the one I replaced but much smoother and quieter. Old one had straight cut gears! I didn't install the switch and stops because of my x scale is also front mounted. In my 50+ years of machining I only used stops maybe a half dozen times!Thanks for your time and sharing! 👍😎✌️
I wish mine worked out well. And yes, I already removed the stops. For the same reason. I really have never use them either. There is definitely something wrong with mine from the factory.
@@mrpete222 I know they're keeping track of you so hopefully they'll send a replacement so they can garner some positive feedback. There's a bunch of us viewers that make book on your opinions! A replacement would really go a long ways with a positive endorsement from you! Maybe they'll take note! Thanks again Mr Pete!
Mill up a nice rectangle spacer block to set the limit switch to the right distance for that mill. I love my power feed you will too, great video.
That's a great idea!
China taking America one dollar at a time from the outside and our politicians taking it from the inside. Thank you Mr. Pete for your honesty!
I have been saying for years, that all of the dollar stores are selling, incredibly cheap, worthless junk. The real point is, they are transferring our money to their economy.
@@mrpete222
Dollar stores aren't the problem, it's the high dollar machinery and big pharma sales.
@@WayneMarion You’re correct, but the dollar stores serve as a symbol for the larger problem.
@@riva02
No they don't. They serve the very poor in the worst Dem s**t holes in America.
Surely you can move the limit switches to the front of the electronic scale, if you just install a channel on the front of it!
I applaud you for keeping the china companies honest and it will encourage them to continue making improvements hopefully.
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*communist Chinese America hating atheists.
It wasn't just the key that was damaged. The internal keyway on the collar you had to use a puller to remove is also damaged (pass the reamer through it to confirm). The metal is disrupted on either side of the keyway. Those burrs are what damaged the shaft inboard of the key when somebody had to drive the collar back on with a hammer. I suspect the machine had been used for a period of time with the clamp nut loose and the key was taking all of the load.
The load on that collar is squat, hardly enough to damage/overload the key, it just keeps the graduated collar consistant when locked. Probably forced on when misaligned, got a nasty burr that wasn't cleaned up for the 2nd or whatever it took to get it pushed/banged home.
I had a similar power feed on my Bridgeport for about 9 years, never had issues with it. It did have better speed control as I could slow the speed down to a crawl.
That’s exactly what I had hoped for. Being able to slow it to a crawl.
My Chinese unit will crawl extremely slowly- if you turn it to zero it stops.
@mrpete222 Mr. Pete, as I told you before after retiring I've downsized my shop. I went from a Bridgeport to a Clausing 8530 mill. I bought the same Vevor power feed and I'm taking measurements on how to adapt it to my smaller mill.
There's something wrong with that power feed as mine will go at a much slower feed rate staight out of the box. Mine looks exactly the same except I bought it at Enco years ago.
Glad you were able to make it work.
So many of these import tools are 95% of the way there.
I hope they take your suggestions and improve.
If anyone else want to buy one of these Harbor Freight has a speed controller that should work.
Part number 59386, rated for 8 amps.
Mrpete, thanks for all your videos,. It already has a speed adjustment built in.
The black knob with the white line on it in front of the feed switch lever adjusts the speed of travel .
Of course I know that. Maybe I did not show it in the video.
It's a minor detail but I really like that the roll pins have their slots oriented in a mirror fashion (at least looks like that from here).
so the two springs you have in your spare parts are for the limit switch. you put them on the ears of the switch, compress them as you put the cover on and it holds it in place. My dial nut is not as out of shape as yours. It's very good as a matter of fact. Enjoy, what a difference it makes having a power feed. Much nicer. I get a slower speed on my vevor x.
I suspect you can adjust it. Mine will crawl. Mine is so powerful it will feed on a tightened gib lock.
And I widened the keyway on the brass gear, rather than changing the key.
Your speed control is horrible, doing what you did with the dremel will burn out the mosfet inside. I really suggest you try talking to Vevor.
I wish they would’ve explained what those extra springs were for in the directions, lol. You are the second person to set me straight.
I used a window motor from a vehicle and if things bind in any way it stops from pressure just right. I can get very slow with my potentiometer so I'm happy. Great review !
Interesting!
Mr. Pete. according to the specifications on the internet, the speed range is 0-200 rpm. So there must be some issue as some people have suggested. Maybe you can make a video to replace that plastic nut with an aluminum or brass one , if it suits your pleasure, lol.
For the price of the unit, you almost cannot complain. It's possible to spend that kind of money just going out for dinner for two people at a regular restaurant.
I agree with you 100%. My contact at the company claims she will check this out with her engineers.
Funny I thought I was the only one using the restaurant cost of lunch or dinner to justify a tool purchase..👍
Always a good job. Your viewers had excellent suggestions to improve the Vevor unit. So, overall very helpful.
I have three fitted on my Bridgport, exactly the same as yours but a different make. They work perfectly well and will go extremely slowly, torque is not a problem. The unit fitted to the knee has no problem at slow speed, very useful when boring. I keep the slideways well lubricated with the Bridgeport oiling system installed.
Good to know!
Thank you sir. While I don’t have a Bridgeport, I was considering for my mill. The company claims it does fit. I will have to give it more consideration for the cons over the pros.
I have two simular units on my Grizzly G0705. Although differant branding I believe the same manufacturer makes them all. That being said both of mine will slow to a crawl and actually stop. I would remove the knob and see if the dtop is built into the knob. Bossibly needs repositioning. Either its defective or some minor adjustment is needed.
I will try that
That is a Chinese copy of a Taiwan made Align. The Align is a perfect unit, with the control knob fully anti clockwise the unit will not run at all. Operate the direction lever, slowly turn the knob, you should here a nice "Click" and the handle start to rotate, you can have it so the handle barely moves and has the full torque. You would need a very slow feed for slitting saws or side and face cutters .I bought a brand new Taiwan clone of the BP, that came with the X drive fitted, when the warranty ran out I purchased another identical unit for the Y axis. No problems fitting at all with either unit and it gets used several times a week for short runs. Hope you can sort your one out. I know it was free but complain to Vevor. Regards from Australia.
Thank you, I didn’t complain
I have the Align power feed on my Bridgeport Z axis and it works perfectly, Cost a little more than Mr. Pete's unit but the money is well spent.
As always, you are a great teacher. Thank you.
Many thanks!
I built a power feed for my mill/drill after not being able to find a commercial unit that I liked. It's based on a Dayton gear motor, and works great, but its' fastest speed is about the same as the Vevor's slowest speed. No rapid traverse, but it can be disengaged with a lever, and my goal was basically just help milling long, slow cuts.
Very cool!
Good video. Just to note, there are Taiwanese version of these power feeds that look the same but are of much higher quality. 1. The knurled nut is metal. The slowest speed is much slower. Fits and finish is much better. I have mine on a Precision Matthews Mill which is also made in Taiwan. The Chinese machines are much lower quality, overall.
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That’s a heck of a deal for an aftermarket powerfeed!!!! Unless someone has never installed one of these before, the setup of the brass gear is more fun than you can have with your clothes on!!! I’ve installed probably 15 of this type feed unit of all of my new mills when they were delivered. We used to put them on the X, Y, and the knee of all the machines. Sometimes it would take 6+ hours to install all three!! Wish I could remember the name of the feed unit I used all the time. Think they were made in Pasadena California. The last new Bridgeport I bought I got a little smarter, I had Machinery Sales (my local dealer) install the units at there facility. Turns out the didn’t even charge me for the install. Go figure!!! I’ll bet the change the motor or gearing on the future units after your review, as I think they respect your knowledge and opinions!!! Thanks for another interesting video!!!!! Wish you could make it to more auctions in the future. They are my favorite videos you produce. We almost never have a farm auction or even a machine shop auction here in Phoenix. Thanks again!!!
Thank you for watching. There have been very few auctions in the last several years.
another great video! Your tone is similar to what mine was when I installed one on my Bridgeport - disappointment. I was replacing a burnt out 20 year old one. I bought the "Taiwanese" one thinking it would be better. It's nearly the same as the Vevor. I don't use mine much because I've yet to get a good gear engagement and can't get the dial and nut to work properly - I ran out of patience. I have all of the shims installed. The woodruff key issue was a good excuse to use my surface grinder. My kit came with a nut for the handle that threaded down the shaft more because it went into the handle body. I think mine can be slowed to a crawl.
I fitted a similar unit to a Tiwanese B/P knock off at the Railway Museum that I volounteer at, last year. Instruction not too good, but worked it out OK. No problems with the key, as all metric to start with. Took some time to set up the spacing for the gear mesh, the limit set up went on the front and fitted OK, as the DRO scale is on the back and not as wide as yours. The table feed can be set low enough to actually stop it and it works a treat. This unit cost about A$700.00 and is a different brand.
Mr. Pete, adjustment pots may be available on the circuit board inside the power feed box. Unplug it and remove the cover, there may be adjustments on the speed circuit board. I love your videos, Mr. Pete, I even watch them backward.😂
Thanks for the tip!
Hey, Mr. Pete, I think I know of a guy that could make you a metric knurled nut to replace that plastic piece of junk…. 😉. Great video! Congrats on the power feed.
Thanks for the honest review Mr. Pete. We count on you to keep it real.
Our clausing kondia has a power feed on it and it can feed extremely slow with torque I'm not sure the brand of power feeder but when you turn the speed dial all the way left it stops the power feed so it's nice to be able to adjust from 0 to whatever speed I need.
Hi mrpete, I have watch your videos for years and always seem to learn something. I was thinking that maybe the knob for the speed adjustment is not installed on its shaft in the correct location? it may need to be loosened off and rotated on the shaft to allow for slower speed? Just thinking it may not have been assembled correctly in factory. Thanks.
usually the potentiometer itself has the end stops, not the knob. I'm sure if you opened it up and reverse engineered how the speed control works, it would be possible to adjust the range electronically. It could be that they ran out of some component value, and some "smart person" in manufacturing substituted something "close enough" which wasn't close enough at all
I added a spacer block of Aluminum to each side of the glass scale and to the reader head to shim them out and around the limit switches, works fine (mine is NOT a Vevor brand, but some other Asian copy)
Thanks
I have same power feed that adapted to the Y axis on my mill and I can slow down to dead stop. you may want to check with them about that.
Well, their ad clearly says 0~200 rpm. So either something's wrong or failed. QC in China is more a concept than a practice. For that price I'll likely get one for my mill. Thanks Lyle!
You will want to to make a stand-off to give you a little more space between the crank and the unit, I got my hand pinched by one of those when I hit the feed by accident.
I was not the only one at that university shop to do that so the guys running the student shop made extension collars so your hand couldn't get stuck
Great idea. If possible, send me a picture. Although if I cannot get this unit to run slower, I may remove it. And go back to the Armstrong method.
@@mrpete222 I wish I was still in proximity to that shop, I miss those guys.
It was just a shaft extension they machined to fit onto the shaft in the place of the handle and moved it out about 2". I think they used set screws to hold it on which isn't ideal but how often are you taking it on and off?
I modified one of these, (not a vevor, but a weng ding, looks identical to what you have there.) for my Hardinge TM, I had to make a different end plate, and a lead screw extension with thrust bearing, but it does the job just fine. One point of note, if you do a lot of cast iron work place a piece of packing tape over the rapid button, it will keep the fines out otherwise it will jam up and cause issues.otherwise its been a fine item.
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I think I would open up that unit to see if you can adjust the minimum speed pot on the drive board?
I would also buy a spare gear that goes on the bottom of the unit. It is a sacrificial plastic item. One crash and it's done.
Thanks
I would probably look at taking a little off the end of the brass gear to get that nut to have more thread engagement.
Good idea
I wish Vevor would send me a power feed for my mill.😁😊
Thanks for sharing. Ken
Maybe they will
I'm not going to hold my breath!@@mrpete222
these standard powerfeeds are desingd for hobby machines with 2 mm (1/12) pitch spindles the bridgport has probebly 1/8 or 3/16 pitch . max speed is higher and so the slowspeed is faster nice job
Excellent analysis, never thought about that. But they should have taken that into consideration.
Good Morning Mr. Pete......I remember some guys being accused of milking the job with the power feed. So the boss came over to crank up the feeds and snapped a few endmills : )
lol
I agree with Mr. Pete. Vevor needs to re-engineer the drive for slower and more range of the variable speed to accommodate heavier torque requirements.
Thanks for sharing.
Vevor doesn't engineer or make any of this stuff - they just slap their name / sticker on it
I think something is rotten in Denmark. Maybe some adjustment needs to be made internally. I am certain all of those regardless of brand or cost are made in the same factory and made the same way. Using the little speed adjust knob in the center of the direction lever I can slow down the feed until it actually stops. They were exactly the same on the Grizzley I had and the Precision Matthews. Thanks for the video keep on keeping on.
Yes, I’m sure they’re all made on the same factory. I am waiting to see what the company has to say about this, if anything.
Better Business Bureau profile for Vevor
CURRENT ALERTS FOR THIS BUSINESS
Pattern of Complaint:
BBB files indicate that this business has a pattern of complaints concerning problems with online purchases. Consumers allege items are not being delivered in a timely manner. Other consumers have reported issues with items received. Items will come defective or they receive the incorrect items. Also, consumers report issues with contacting the company. Some indicated the company has failed to respond to their requests or just don't communicate with them at all. On January 4, 2022, BBB submitted a written request to the company encouraging them to address the pattern of complaints. As of January 20, 2022, BBB has had no response.
Stop supporting the America hating Chinese atheists.
Appreciate honest reviews like this. Too many creators get free crap and shamelessly shill to get more free crap.
Great product review. Like most if not all Chinese products I have experienced, a person has to finish making it or modifying it to work. They cut down on the windings on the motor and it has to run fast. I guess it's only $100 but, I'm sure people would pay a $100 more to get one that operated correctly. Thanks for the video . That oblong knurled knob would drive me nuts. Small detail but, I couldn't buy it either for that reason alone.
Totally agree
I picked one of these up from ebay about a month ago, wish I had seen your video first. Mine does run slower, according to my DRO 3/4 IPM. When I installed mine it immediately tripped the GFCI and the rapid override is not intermittent, it will run on rapid until the lever is shifted to neutral. The seller preferred to give it to me for less than $20 rather than return it and at that price I'm more than happy with it. I wouldn't have kept it at much more than that though.
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Those springs can be put inside that little cover/box thing and they will help to keep It from flopping around and provide resistance against the plungers. It's odd that you can't slow it down any further. Mine will go very slow. There should be a POT right on the side of the unit, I believe I can even see it in your video. Try using that to slow it down. It's separate from the speed control on the front and is adjusted with a screwdriver. (You might need to pop a little plastic cover off, the POT is underneath)
Thank you, I will look for that
I'm lucky enough to have a Bridgeport feed on my mills, but I have considered one of these sort of units for the Y axis
Hi Mr Pete....I may have to get one of those.....a young lad at work trashed
the one on my Bridgeport......Cheers, Paul
Has he learned a useful lesson?
Free is nice.. Servo is better.. !! I owned a tool and die shop 37 years. We had 9 vertical knee mills. I had mostly all servo brand (pricey but America) but I bought a couple of these or similar from China and we wore them out pretty quick. If you’ve been hand cranking all this time I’m betting you’ll get decent mileage out of this one. A cross feed and a knee feed should be next on your wish list. The shoulder joints get old and the ability to catch a sip of coffee between feed cuts is always nice. I’ve served my apprenticeship under my dad and we had 3 Index Model 55’s.. later After he passed I bought Bridgeport, Lagun, Comet(junk), Millport (ehh!) Enco and An A Trump (loved that mill had a 40 taper spindle and 5 hp) now I have an Acer.. it’s my second one and I have to say I love it. I’m working as an Engineer/Tool and Die Designer/maker for an old old customer these days. Keep cranking those handles.. it keeps us sharp and in shape. You know what CNC really stands for??? Christ No Cranks…
Pleased that you looked at that 'gift horse' right in the mouth
😂😂. If the gift horse has no teeth and won’t plow you have to send it back.
I can tell right now I wouldn't be happy with that unit. That too fast feed speed would bother me every time I used it. I put a Shars power feed on my Bridgeport and it feeds much slower but is a little fussy to set. Very tweekie to adjust. I also had to do more than my fair share of modifications to make it work. You would think there's enough Bridgeports out there that someone could make a value priced feed that is designed to better fit.
My thoughts exactly
It has to be a Chinese translation thing calling brass copper. I've seen it in many catalog items and even some of the things I've bought. (step 2 "install copper shim ) I looked all through the box a few times, there were no copper shims but there was a bag of brass washers, ah-ha!. It took a minute but I figured it out. I have a bench mill with a drive like that, that mounts horizontally. Most likely made by the same company but it seems to be able to turn a lot slower than yours. For the price you can't beat them.
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I have a Grizzly mill. Love it BUT. there power feed sticks straight out the side, making the table area needing more room. Also with there power feed you loose a handle one one end. I would be interested in installing this one to improve on these faults. Also the limit bumps were only adjustable by loosening them and moving them. Impossible to make fine adjustments. I remade them out of aluminum and installed screws to contact the switch. Now you can very easily make fine adjustments.
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Now that you have upgrades the Bridgeport with power feed, you'll have to come up with a project to put it to use. I'm really looking forward with what that project will be. KOKO!
Excellent timing, I am installing my new (to me) Bridgeport mill at the weekend, and the factory traverse is missing the control module as it apparently went pop, so I have been looking at these exact conversion unit. Luckily my DRO scale is factory fitted on the rear of the table and appear to be slimline versions of the scale. Mine is the later Varispeed head model, I used a friends one recently to skim a straight six Triumph cast iron cylinderhead with a big flycutter I made, and the original traverse on his worked great and gave a good finish
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My Vevor X feed power works well. The limit switch is mounted without any washers. To slow down the feed turn the speed control all the way counter clock ways. Then turn clockwise slowly and the slowest speed turns on. I did have fun with those spacer rings. Remember that the keyway is up when the ball of the handle is up. My keys are loose so they fall, out easily done with the hand handle up. A comment below says there are speed controls inside.
I did exactly that, although it was not shown in the video
Was looking for this comment. I never saw him actually turn the big trim pot, but he responded here saying he did. Didn’t think he would miss something so obvious, and he didn’t! We just didn’t see him do it.
But that is disappointing.
Looks like the plastic knurl nut would make good future content on the lathe😉 maybe a nice brass one.
That is a good idea, but I bet it is a metric thread
@@mrpete222 That would make it an even better project, since most of us have imperial machines, but need to make a metric thread occasionally. Showing how that's done would be an AP lesson on threading.
@@mrpete222 oh yeah. Forgot about that. Probably not atlas or clausing friendly.
Quite an useful info,mrpete.Thank you.
Now I see why it’s 200 bucks. Thank you for helping me not waste my money. Does vevor make a 6f and 8f version I wonder?
Mr Pete,
I would recommend contacting vevor. If you look at the product description on the link you posted, it says power feed from 0-200 RPM. Maybe something is wrong with the one they provided or maybe something you're missing. Hope that helps! To me 0-200 means 0 not 60 or so
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The price is good, I'm just wondering what the long term use will show. if used daily or more often? I think I'd just buy a better unit if it were me.
I have the same unit on my Bridgeport. Mine will slow down with the dial to barely crawling. Something isn't right with yours I think.
I was actually wondering the same thing. Perhaps it is a defective unit?
I love mine but I had to make it fit on a Horror Fright knee mill. Lead screw extension, adapter to fit between the drive and the graduated dial, and using the lathe to broach the keyway into the drive gear. But it works slick as cat snot. Now we need to convince Vevor to do a power Z feed as well. Everything out there I can find is $400 or more and that is an awful lot of cranking by hand to make it worthwhile.
Yes, I sure would like one on the knee
I installed the same powerfeed about a year or two ago. I used a keyway broach to make my gear fit. The instructions leave a lot to be desired. You're best bet is to throw the instructions away and figure it out yourself.
Edit: mine is much slower too. If i turn mine completely CCW, it doesn't move at all.
I share your thought about finding work arounds when it comes to new products. We shouldn't need to re-engineer a product to make it work properly. I would think that since the product was produced using milling machines or devices such as that, that someone at the factory would know about surface finishes.
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I would put some dedicated stop posts on the extreme ends just to prevent it from harming itself, and put the switch lower out of the way maybe??
As a hobby machinist, I understand trying to get the most bang for your buck, but I avoid buying chinese as much as possible
I spent the big bucks and bought a genuine Servo, happy I did.
You tested with a block of aluminum that would make a great spacer for the limit switch....
For the price of the unit it may be worth taking the risk..
Thanks for doing the review. I bought an economy model from ebay and have not been happy with it. At a slower speed it is jumpy and will ramp up without warning or encouragement. That is hard on end mills and that cuts into the budget! Researching a better unit, but it doesn't look like it will be a Vevor!
Great video and honest review. I agree, I don't find that unit very impressive. And that crazy fast feed speed, what were they thinking? lol
Thanks again Mr. Pete!
I just bought a milling machine similar to a bridgeport but its made by Famco. I believe it was made in Wisconsin. It has feed on all 3 axis but it does not have feed on the quill which I found odd. It also has digital readout on 2 axis. It has a 30 nmtb spindle. I paid 850 for it.
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All they need to do is change the gear ratio, slowing down the speed and increasing the torque. They should offer that as an upgrade. That one may be optimized for a finer lead screw pitch.
The gear ratio is fine. The potentiometer is faulty.
Very interesting & helpful video thanks Mr Pete.
Mr. Pete I have two of the Vevor 450-inch lb. units myself. So far, I like them with one exception and that is the plastic lock nut for the micrometer scale. I tried a steel nut off of another unit and it will not work so I guess the plastic one is what I am stuck with. But for the money no other issues.
I would like to make a steel or brass not. I suspect they are metric.
Cool video on the power feed unit, definitely a shame it doesn't have considerable slower speed for fine finishing cuts. That is when it is most needed. Atleast the price was right for you Tubalcain.
May be time to spend a pile of money on a new DRO to fix that thickness issue! Sorry… pretty sure my DRO was 3x more than the rebuilt power feed, and the power feed costs almost as much as the used mill. The new ones have magnostrictive scales that are only 1/2” thick, more with a chip guard but not big enough to limit the travel when mounted to the back of the table. I am a fan of the limit switches on the front as well as the ability to clamp stuff to the front edge. The switch on mine is set up with movable and fixed stops. The fixed stops stop the movable stops to limit the table travel to prevent a crash they just bolts. The movable ones i use to limit travel in situations where clearances are tight, like when using a dividing head or sometimes on a sign plate or to avoid toe clamps. The movable ones are nice knurled knobs in tee nuts that I made.
I had the same too high feed rate on my after market power feed on my Millrite.. I sometimes connect a heavy duty router speed control when I need an extra fine feed. It's a simple 110V plug and cord plug on the speed control.
Brass is classified as a copper alloy. That is probably why the Chinese call it copper.
I thought the same thing, but they need to consider that they are talking to the American market
Yeah, right.😂 They say the same for other steels, too. We call 1018-1026 steels, they call it C20 steel. And similar for other greades, too.@@mrpete222
Yes, and a lot of people in China consider the Silkworm a delicacy... 😕
I was never offered Silkworm to eat on any of my trips over there in years past. Just wanted to sell me counterfeit watches and high priced silk underwear! Yikes!@@Daledavispratt
My scrapyard/metal recycler calls bronze, brass, no red or yellow brass differential. Then again, they're mostly copper base.
I watch whatever Mr. Pete is doing. even Thow I don't have the equipment he is showing expertise on. like his auction finds, because that is more my bag. eagle
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Thanks for sharing 👍
Mr. Pete I had to work on a pipe beveler similar type of operation. There it was a minor adjustment located in side the drive. I would try to contact Vevor and ask if their is an adjustment. I know you should not have to do this. But it should be able to slow it down to better speed. Nice looking powerfeed but looks is not everything. Thanks for the video.
This particular problem is something I've dealt with on both American made units and the cheap Chinese ones like this Vevor or the ALSGS. On all of them I've found that in order to overcome the initial friction to get the table moving I often have to turn the dial past the speed I wan it to go then dial it back down to get the feed rate I'm looking for. You may have just gotten a bad unit with a bad rheostat though.
Be sure to watch the follow up video. Video number 888.
I am shocked that it won't turn slower. Next you should see if they'll send you one for the Z axis. I love mine, don't miss manually raising the table at all.
I would love to have one for the z-axis. I wouldn’t mind if it was fast, L O L.
@@mrpete222I can’t find a Z-axis Vevor unit, have either of you found one?
Thank You. This was very informative.
Im no machinist but i just love learning about this old trade. I love those machines better then cars and i can only wish that one day i can make some chips with on of ´em.
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