I Got myself a "New to me" mill

I saw an off name on EBAY being an INDEX milling machine, it looked to be about the same size as a Bport and looking Over the lathes.co.uk page i found out that index is still in operation as "Wells-Index" and the have parts for all their machines made after 1940

the machine seems to have som minor issues but at a 500 dollar pricetag and about 1500 once all the transportation is done i cant complain (It was a 480 mile drive for em earlier this week to pick it up)

Local Mills of that size cost easily over 4000 and the import machines are at least 2000 too for a Mill drill or an 8520 clone

I found out the mill is 50 years old and that they have parts (Although the index model 45 is NOT listed in lathes.co.uk it seems to eb the model before the Index 645) the downside was it had a 9 B&S taper on it but wen i emailed wells index they offer a service to recut it to R8 for $250 (I think thats a very reasonable price but some production machinists might be able to confirm)

BUT the important question now that i'm done rambling is that my googling of this group for a source of 1 to 1.5 HP single phase input VFD's has drawn a blank

it could just be bad googling on my part but does anyone have links to a VFD source (Ideally in canada)

thanks all

Reply to
Brent
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Good score!

Shars has B&S #9 collets for $13.21

Enco has them on sale this month

Reply to
Rex

Does a B&S collet look like an ER collet but just not have the ring around it?

if so i have a B&S collet holder but when i look for the type of collet i draw a blank it LOOKS liek an er collet but matches no other pattern in the machinery's handbook

thanks for the heads up I'll surf on down to enco now

Reply to
Brent

Dunno, no experience with ER collets. It's all steel, like an R8 with only one taper. Looks like a MT taper p, if that means anything to you.

I guess you could have a ER collet adapter for B&S taper.

Reply to
Rex

Congrats on obtaining your own mill. My new to me bridgeport sits lonely out in the garage with a winter storm in full action. We would really like to bond.

As far as the VFD, have you looked into a rotary phase converter?

Ebay should be a source of vfd's it that is what you have to have.

Wes

Reply to
clutch

========= also see

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110 single in 220 3 out.

Unka' George [George McDuffee]

------------------------------ Watch out w'en you'er gittin all you want. Fattenin' hogs ain't in luck.

Joel Chandler Harris (1848-1908), U.S. journalist. Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings, "Plantation Proverbs" (1880).

Reply to
F. George McDuffee

Minarik makes a nice open frame VFD that won't cost you much more than a rotary converter, maybe less, and the soft start is very helpful. Other companies, such as DELTA (not the tool company) make inexpensive small VFDs that would be good for this application

Reply to
Bill N

They have electricity in Canada? I thought everything ran on Beer and moose-farts! (Those Index Mills are what Bridgeports aspire to be!)

Reply to
Tom Gardner

The driveswarehouse URL is a treasure trove of information and manuals you can download.

Select the model number and find a Canadian supplier, or email driveswarehouse as they may have a Canadian operation. That VAT is a killer.

Unka' George [George McDuffee]

------------------------------ Watch out w'en you'er gittin all you want. Fattenin' hogs ain't in luck.

Joel Chandler Harris (1848-1908), U.S. journalist. Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings, "Plantation Proverbs" (1880).

Reply to
F. George McDuffee

Tom we have tons of electricity,

we run ourselves on the beer the moosefarts power our cars and the BEAVER DAMS give us more HYDROELECTRIC power than we could ever use =)

Reply to
Brent

I thnink i'm just going to declare it a "mystery collet" although i will check out the site it seems to be wiser to use the extremely common R8 taper and have easy to find and support tooling

Reply to
Brent

Nope -- not at all like it. A B&S collet looks much like a Morse taper collet, except that the sizes are a little different as are the tapers.

It might be one of the many sizes of DA collets, depending on the size.

Or it might be one of the holders for the old Unimat SL-1000, which used small collets which looked like ER except that they did not have the self-extraction groove. Probably others were made in various sizes.

Can you put a photo in the dropbox (ideally with a scale in there so we can see the size):

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Click on the "About the dropbox" bar to find out how to upload the image (and the accompanying ".txt" explanation file), and then, once you have received the confirmation e-mail, post the URL here for us to follow and examine.

Enjoy, DoN.

Reply to
DoN. Nichols

messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

thank you

I knew i'd seen links before on here but i just hadn't been able to google them out

I prefer the VFD option for two reasons

One is that i would like the fine speed control since it is available at a price that is not unreasonable. Two is because i am going into machining from an industrial electronics background and I am familliar with and have been trained on VFD's and they are technology i am very comfortable with.

I've also had experiences with motors being run on single phase and they are a lot less happy. Motor happiness being judged by amperage draw on the other legs and Loudness of operation. The Noise level difference between a three phase motor being run at three phase and a three phase motor being single phased got permanently ingrained in my mind as a student. I've worked with audio and the first time you hear a motor that "Sounds Wrong" because it is you remember. When a motor becomes 10 times louder its because things are making contact where they shouldnt or are being pulled in unexpected ways

i figure the few hundred for fine speed control and a happier motor seems to be a wise long term investment. Especially if it draws less amperage on the single phase side to do it.

Reply to
Brent

My theory is that the RPC is a good idea for constant speed applications I will likely build one if i scrounge up a compressor or a jointer or planer or a dust collector for example where it is a constant speed type tool the RPC idea is excellent. But when it comes to tools where the SFPM factor is important like lathes or mills it makes more sense to have the option of fine cutter speed control.

Reply to
Brent

Don i think you have it the overall angle is the same at 30 degrees and the collets do not have the self extraction groove When i find batteries for the digital camera i'll take a few pictures and post them.

Reply to
Brent

I don't believe you! Send me a case of "Blue" and I'll send you a lifetime supply of brushes and believe!

Reply to
Tom Gardner

I was fortunate to have an uncle that found a rotophase in a dumpster at a site he delivered porta-potties to. Haven't figured out why it was in the dumpster. Maybe the slightest sign of bearing noise which I'll pop for new ones if it increases.

VFD's seem like a natural for mills with step pulleys and the other day when I was winding a spring, I'd have loved to drop the lowest spindle speed on the lathe I was using a bit further.

Wes

Reply to
clutch

I just got rid of one that came with my b'port clone, when we were able to get 3 phase power directly. Try googling Mitsubishi Freqrol A-200. It appears that this particular model has been supersede by the A-400, but any of the VFD's in this product line are high quality pieces of equipment. The A-200 and, I presume, the A-400 that replaced it, had single phase input and three phase output. Here's a good site

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Hope this gives a lead in the right direction. ww88

Reply to
woodworker88

Do you have pictures? We really like pictures.

Wes

Reply to
clutch

I dont have pictures yet and i know it will be at least a month before the machine is up and working

I'm planning on pictures, I didnt get them of the load and offload to get it here but i will of the setup especially as i take the spindle out to get it reground to R8

Reply to
Brent

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