Fitting Power Feed to Chester Super Lux Mill

[Colin HeseltineParticipant @colinheseltine48622]

I am looking at fitting power feed to X axis on table of my Chester Super Lux Mill. The RF Power Feed unit from Axminster looks a very good buy at £208 including transformer VAT and free delivery. Does anyone have any experience of these units or aware of any issues. Chester do a similar unit but the price is higher and does not include transformer or VAT. I know you get what you pay for but I believe both units are made by Align.

 

Many Thanks,

 

Colin

[Colin HeseltineParticipant @colinheseltine48622]

[Colin AbreyParticipant @colinabrey20074]

Colin, I have fitted a similar (Warco) unit to my LUX mill & am quite happy with it. The picture of the RF unit looks identical to those from Warco, Chronos & Chester. The RF price includes the transformer which the others may not.

 

 

The unit is quite long so make sure you have enough space to the left to accommodate it as it protrudes 11 inches from the table.

 

Colin

[confused.engParticipant @confused-eng]

Glad you posted this, I am going to get one ordered, can be my xmas project to get it fitted.

Rang Axminster about the unit, tech guy forwarded a picture, the ZX unit as they didn’t have anything on the RF unit.

 

Chester have got the power feeds on offer at the moment but they are still £100 more expensive.

When I get the unit I will post details of how I got on fitting the unit.

[Colin HeseltineParticipant @colinheseltine48622]

Colin.

Thanks for that. I can just about cope with 11″ overhang. If the worst comes to the worst and I need full table travel I will need to move my Gabro folder out of the way temporarily.

My table is 9 1/2″ wide. What width is the Warco power feed. Could you post a picture if poss.

 

Many Thanks,

 

Colin

[Ex contributorParticipant @mgnbuk]

Have a look here :

 

http://www.use-enco.com/Machinery/205-6404.pdf

 

for the Enco version manual, which appears to be largely the same as the Align unit fitted to my RF30 mill/drill .

 

HTH,

 

Nigel B.

[confused.engParticipant @confused-eng]

Manuals can be obtained direct from the Align website at:

 

http://www.align.com.tw/alignhtml/EN/index.html

 

Various models but looks like the model no.s differ depending on who is selling them.

Axminster seem to be helpful with providing info, they provided some photos of the installation of the unit fitted to one of their mills (thank you Axminster).

 

Quite a bit of overhang but looing at the other photos provided it may be possible to mount the unit vertical with a bit of adaption.

 

Phil.

[Lawrie Alush-JaggsParticipant @lawriealush-jaggs50843]

Hi Chris

I made the type of thing you are looking at for my mill about eighteen months ago.

For power I used a 10 amp car battery charger and bought a PWM controller off Ebay for $25.00. It has worked very well though the pot on it is flakey and I have to replace that.

The motor I had came from an electric scooter and included a toothed belt and a pulley for which I made up a mounting plate. Made up some mounts for the motor, a box for the PWM and a swing arm for it. The swing arm moves under the table so that it can be got right out of the way.

Not anywhere as pretty as Mike’s job and it does not contain any microswitches or relays, but for about $50.00 all up, it works very well with the machine I have, which although not the same as yours has a similar table size.

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

My power feed is no pretty, its ugly, but I built it in about 2 hrs, it consists of a windscreen wiper motor, and a bit of bike chain, a 20 tooth sprocket on the lead scew (ex bike), I made a 10 tooth sprocket to fit an extention on the worm wheel of the wiper motor. Speed variation is via a four possition switch, switching in resistors made from Nichrome wire from an old heater. The unit is run from a low voltage (18 v)supply that I have in the work shop. It was going to be a temporary solution, but it has’nt broken yet, thats about 12 years, and it looks as if it will do another 12. Total cost nil. The main control is a double pole three possition switch, on, off, on giving left, off. right. The chain is loose enough on the sprockets so that it may be lifted off, this enables manual use without needing a clutch. Ian S C

[Colin AbreyParticipant @colinabrey20074]

Colin, The table on my Lux is also 9.5 ins. The picture from Phil says it all./

 

Colin

[michael coleParticipant @michaelcole91146]

Hi Colin

I have one of these align powerfeeds fitted to my Chester Lux Mill. Works OK, the speed range is on the high side if you are milling steel, so I tend to have the speed controller just cracked open.. Not to bad to fit a bit fiddly to get the right hight for the gears to mesh.

 

Mike

[JonParticipant @jon]

Colin look at the specs, 36.6ft/lb torque. Ok for a bit of diy on a Sieg or RF25 either that my maths are out or specs wrong.

 

I have a proper feed on the right hand side adapted to suit using extention to lead screw, shim pack, two brass gears and a 626 dial all in £170 with transformer. Prices gone through the roof last two years so expect £400. Torque value on mine states 150 in/lb and i can get it to slow! Model Align CE 250

Speeds are spot on from a controllable nothing to about 45 secs to travel 23/ 3/4″, dont need any higher limited to 1250 rpm even doing plastics and wood.

 

This style adapted on mine http://www.chestermachinetools.com/Products/Product.aspx?productID=34

I do have to angle the feed upwards at an angle to clear a cast iron stand coolant tray.

 

The usual type of power feed offered to fit these hangs off the left, ok if left handed but more importantly will interfere with work holding at inoportune times.

 

Edited By Jon on 09/12/2011 23:27:24

[JonParticipant @jon]

While on subject of Super Lux and associated other brand names, i am after a transfer box which bolts to powered head motor and sandwiched to top of upright dovetail column.

 

Should be some around as they are junked when converting to CNC.

[SpringbokParticipant @springbok]

Hi

Have a look at my photos for a pic of the power feed on a Chester626 might be of help

also manuals can be downloaded from grizzly.com they are written by this company but being american go ott the top with elf and safety and they are not in chingalees they cover allmost every machine comeing out of china

 

good luck whatever way you go

Bob

[john fletcher 1Participant @johnfletcher1]

I made a power cross feed using an up/down car window motor which are designed to go forward and reverse, not all wiper motors are.I used gears from an old photo copier, I made a sliding dog clutch and made the simple speed controller from a circuit in MEW years ago.One thing I should point out most of these simple circuits say use a 5K linear pot,I’ve found that a multi turn pot is much better for fine speed control rather than a cheap 270 degree type.

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

For speed control on my old Lucas wound field windscreen wiper motor, I made up resistors from double thickness of Nichrome wire, I made a rotary switch that gives me high, med, low, and off, the speeds look about right, the resistors don’t get too hot, and the motor goes both ways OK. Ian S C

[Colin HeseltineParticipant @colinheseltine48622]

Have bitten the bullet and bought the Axminster Unit which is made by Align. The only issue I can see so far is that when the new drive gear is fully engaged with the drive dogs on end of leadscrew the gear teeth only engage my about 1/8″ with the drive gear on Align unit. Looks as through will need to remove the existing drive dog (held in place by a roll pin and make a new one to move the drive dogs out by around 3/8″ . Getting the alignment right to replace the roll ping through the existing hole in leadscrew may be fun.

 

Am I correct in recalling seeing an article within last 6 mbnths on MEW on machining a dog clutch or has anyone else had to do this.

 

Thanks for all feedback.

 

Colin

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

Colin,

 

I too have used the Axminster supplied unit on my small mill, however I made a new end plate for the table and made/installed a gearbox (1:1) to realign (pardon the pun) the shafts so that the table remained flat right across rather than having a step at the end because of how it is intended to be mounted.

 

No problems with the unit at all.

 

K

Edited By KWIL on 13/12/2011 16:12:22

[JonParticipant @jon]

Colins, this the style but mounted vertically meannt for X axis Bridgeporthttp://www.model-engineer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/images/member_albums/77646/powerfeed.jpg

 

This is what i have done 7 1/2 years ago mounted on the right hand side vertically.

If havent received you will need the lead screw extention think its about 5″ long.

An extention off the end plate, i used 3 1/8″ round around 2 1/2″ long else the X axis mounting goes well past the Y axis inside almost to the bed locks.

 

You will also need the kit to adapt the 626 variants from memory 45 degree cog 15mm bore, think Lux is 14mm, shim kit and some thought.

 

I can get you an overall piccy if you require and dont mind the mess.

 

 

[Colin HeseltineParticipant @colinheseltine48622]

Well,

 

Made a replacement dog drive to go on leadscrew on left hand end of table which is 1/4″ longer than original and this has spaced out the drive gear for Align unit to the end of the shaft. All gears now mesh nicely and a quick test of all controls and the table whizz’s from left to right and vice versa quite nicely and quieter than I expected. Just need to fit the table stops and central cutout switch to miller and find a location for the 110v power supply.

 

Learnt several lessons tho.

1. When learning to bore on lathe, make a go/no go gauge before starting to ensure bore is not oversize. Made go/nogo for third attempt.

 

2.When drilling hole for roll pin, do not assume that the Chinese Engineer!!!! who built the miller would put the existing hole in center of shaft. He hadn’t.

 

3.Laser Center Finder is wonderful.

 

Kwil, I might change to your method with a gearbox, if I find I need full table width. But I think It will take a few more years practice. I am currently trying to build UPT from Hemingwaykit, and have a Stuart Half Beam to start at some point. I should have watched my father a lot more he was a time served apprentice at Cincinnatti milling machines (worked there all his working life) and I have had lathes and milling machines around since mid eighties. He still uses lathe and he is 91, but tend to be for turning for Dolls House furniture.

 

Colin

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

Colin,

 

There is photo in my album if you look.

 

K

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