Bridgeport Mk1 2HP Milling Machine re-commissioning

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
It is really good that at least those types of machine that were once so common across industry in the UK are being restored and used once again even if they
have outlived the industries where they were once so common. I can remember engineering firms where there would be rows of mills, lathes and other machinery all perfoming various task to manufacture some component and all those skilled machinist who would go home at the end of the day smelling of cutting fluid but that was what manufacturing was all about.
 
Yes the motors will be three phase and operated via contactors but all the control and contactor coil voltages will probably be at 110 volts. Fully agree that you need a real electrician with industrial experience and not a domestic have a go type.

I shall be roping in the assistance of an electro-mechanical guru mate (his day job is designing, building, maintaining, installing and generally being about the only person capable of fixing, seismology equipment), he has previous...and is responsible for me having 3 Land Rovers in various states of disrepair...along with part responsibility for the Lathe coming my way...the other projects are entirely my own doing!

It is really good that at least those types of machine that were once so common across industry in the UK are being restored and used once again even if they
have outlived the industries where they were once so common. I can remember engineering firms where there would be rows of mills, lathes and other machinery all perfoming various task to manufacture some component and all those skilled machinist who would go home at the end of the day smelling of cutting fluid but that was what manufacturing was all about.

You're going to like some of my other treasures then ;)
 
It is really good that at least those types of machine that were once so common across industry in the UK are being restored and used once again even if they
have outlived the industries where they were once so common. I can remember engineering firms where there would be rows of mills, lathes and other machinery all perfoming various task to manufacture some component and all those skilled machinist who would go home at the end of the day smelling of cutting fluid but that was what manufacturing was all about.
The smell always reminds me of my dad. Even when he got to a position where he had no real need to get hands on the machines he couldn't resist it.
Talking to some of those who worked for him one thing that came across loud and clear was the respect they had for someone who might be "management", but knew their job inside out and could still get hands on with the machines. Sadly that is something that we seem have lost to a great extent nowadays.
 
So, rolling back a bit to the transformer and 110V single phase, am I correct in understanding that the 110V it is supplying is feeding the controls, probably the light, and the DRO so therefore could be fed a 220V Single phase input, while the table drives and spindle motor are fed 3 Phase 415?

When it's turn comes round I fully intend to check each wire, while it's dead, with a DVM and then number them up so I can build up a circuit diagram of what's there and connected to something before hooking up any power!
 
So I had one of a my 'sod it' moments over the weekend and decided to get some bits in with a view to getting the Bridgeport running sooner rather than later. It needs less work than the Harrison, so I thought I'd line the bits up ready to get it running, after a couple of decent conversations with Jason Kerr from JFK Electrical I settled on one of his 4kW Digital Phase Converters, and abused my credit card... https://www.jfkelectricalni.com/product/digital-phase-converter-4kw-5-5hp-240v-in-400v-out/

Also bought some sockets, plugs, isolators, and E-Stops from him too

I'm going to probably use this Phase Converter to run my Bradbury Liftmaster Mk3, on a change over switch, at somepoint further down the line as that's another toy I've had on the round-to-it list for far too long
 
So, rolling back a bit to the transformer and 110V single phase, am I correct in understanding that the 110V it is supplying is feeding the controls, probably the light, and the DRO so therefore could be fed a 220V Single phase input, while the table drives and spindle motor are fed 3 Phase 415?

When it's turn comes round I fully intend to check each wire, while it's dead, with a DVM and then number them up so I can build up a circuit diagram of what's there and connected to something before hooking up any power!
Does your DRO have this sticker on the back

IMG_20241016_093313309.jpeg


I don’t mess with electrics but after seeing your post I had a look on the back of the DRO it would appear it can work on 110 or 220v though a look in the electrical box showed everything bar 220v

IMG_20241016_094102959.jpeg

So presumably you’re thinking of using an independent 220v feed?
 
Does your DRO have this sticker on the back

I don’t mess with electrics but after seeing your post I had a look on the back of the DRO it would appear it can work on 110 or 220v though a look in the electrical box showed everything bar 220v

So presumably you’re thinking of using an independent 220v feed?

It does!

Bridgeport Mk1 2HP 013.jpg


But I was going to independantly feed my transformer in the electrical cabinet with 220V Single Phase and just run all the 110V circuits from that

Before I hook anything up though I'm going to go ID every connection in the cabinet, and bought a load of numbered wire markers cheaply off Amazon to do just that.
 
Back
Top