Bridgeport Knee Power Feed

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The Bridgeport knee power feed is a tool that enables a mill operator to raise & lower the knee with a power drill, both more rapidly & with less physical effort than would be required to do the same work manually. It consists of three components: a corded drill, a 1/4" hex -> 3/8" square socket drill adapter (pictured chucked in the drill), and the 3/8" square -> knee crank adapter.

An important note concerning safety: go slowly with this. It's easy to stall the motor by demanding more torque than it can provide, and furthermore, it's probably not a great idea to be running the knee up & down (especially down, given how the vertical ways screech) at breakneck speed. The power provided to the drill can be varied by varying the pressure with which the trigger is pulled.


Bridgeport Knee Power Feed
Bridgeport knee power feed.jpg
Owner/Loaner PS:One
Serial Number n/a
Make/Model n/a
Arrival Date 2017-09-25
Usability yes
Contact McTavish McArdle
Where Large Mill Accessories Cabinet
Authorization Needed no
Hackable yes
Estimated Value $40
Host Area Cold Metals


Bridgeport Knee Power Feed Area: Cold Metals https://wiki.pumpingstationone.org/wiki/Bridgeport_Knee_Power_Feed



To enable future modification, the 3/8" square shank in the crank adapter is retained in the adapter body with a 1/4" x 1" dowel pin: the square shank is machined onto the end of a short section of 5/8" OD steel rod, which fits loosely (but closely) within the 5/8" ID shaft through the center of the crank. By machining a similar such feature onto the end of a similar section of rod, drilling an appropriate cross hole, & replacing the square shank, any number of drive mechanisms could be supported.