Skunk Works

Milling Machine Drive

In this photo, you see the means of engaging and dis-engaging the power-feed from the table feed-screw. When giving thought as to how I would accomplish this, I came up with the idea of removing the output shaft from the gear-box main drive gear, located in the gearbox. I made up a new output-shaft that was increased in length, so that the output shaft now exits out the gear-box on both ends of the case.

To allow this to happen, I bored a hole in the case at the opposite end, from the output-shaft. The protruding shaft end has a knob installed, allowing for the output-shaft to slide back and forth, and the drive-dogs to be picked up by the brass adapter that I machined for the end of the lead-screw, located in the milling machine table.

I should add that I machined a slot in the output shaft, and made the output shaft a sliding fit in the main drive gear. I also installed a drive-pin through the hub of the main-drive-gear that rides in the slot that I machined in the output-shaft, allowing the output shaft to be driven by the main gear, but I can now engage and disengage the drive when required.
The motor is reversible with the toggle switch shown on the control box. The indicator-lights show the direction of travel.

0441