Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Checking Bridgeport Series I oil flow

Hello Chuck,


CH> I am working on a conversion of a B-port Series I mill for my home shop.

CH> Yesterday I removed the oil reservoir/pump, cleaned it and verified that the
CH> hand pump does pump oil (took me awhile to figure out that you PULL the knob
CH> on top not PUSH it! <vbg>) and verified that the clock motor does run when
CH> 120 VAC is applied.

CH> Questions:

CH> 1) How does one verify that oil is getting to all the right places? I wiped
CH> the ways clean, manually operated the pump and ran the table back and forth
CH> to its limits several times and I think there is oil on the dovetails and
CH> ways but I want to know how to check for sure. I opened the front of the
CH> spindle and there is oil where the spindle goes through the bottom of the
CH> head casting.

To check mine, I just pulled the plunger a bunch of times and after a while I
had oil dripping out of all the correct places..

CH> 2) How does this pump operate? Does it move the manual handle up and then
CH> release it? How often?

The clock motor rotates a cam which lifts the plunger until it falls off the
edge and delivers a pump stroke. So if the cam is close to the edge, the
plunger will be raised and you cannot do in manually. On my BTC, I think
the cycle is about 30 minutes.

CH> 3) I assume that I should have power to the oil pump motor when power is
CH> applied to the spindle motor (i.e.: not 100% of the time like when the
CH> controller is powered on)?

That is how my BTC was originally. Pump motor runs when the spindle runs. I
guess they figured that if the spindle was not running, then the table would
not be moving and no oil would be required


CH> Chuck Hackett
CH> Omaha, Nebraska, USA

Larry
Alamogordo, NM