4/15/2015

Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

BridgeportJheadrebuildstepbystep

DonotcopythiswithoutpermissionfromtheAuthor,tom.jelly@comcast.net

BridgeportJheadsteppulleydisassemblyandreassembly.Notesomepicturesshowtheheadpartiallypainted,
butitisthesamemachine.

Loosenmotormountingbolts,slackendrivebelt,disconnectwiringfromjunctionboxratherthanatthemotor
switchifpossibleandremovemotorfromtopofaluminumhousing.

Unboltaluminumpulleyhousingfrombackgearplatebyunscrewingtheallenboltsfromunderneath.

Removeheadfromrambyremovingthe4hexnutsfromthefrontofthehead.Supporttheheadasyouremove
thelastnut.Itwillslideoffoftheboltsasyoupullforward.

Removethebackgearhousingfromthelowerhousing.

Removethe2screws,retainerandfeltfromabovethetopspindlebearing.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Removeslottedscrewfromtoprightofdepthadjuster.Underneathyouwillfindathreadedholeintheendof
thepivot.Putamachinescrewintheendofthepivotsoyoucanpullitoutofthehole.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Removethesnapringfromthebottomofthedepthadjuster,thenscrewthedepthadjusterupwardandoffof
thetop.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Removethesetscrewtheretainsthebottompivotandremovethepivot,andslidethedepthadjusterdownand
out.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Removethesetscrewinthesideofthequill,thenusingapinwrench,unscrewthebottomofthequill

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Tapthespindleoutofthequillbyhittingthesplinedendoftheshaftfromthetopwithasoftheavyrubbermallet.
Removetheallenboltthatretainsthepartofthedepthadjusterthatcontactsthedepthstop(thepartattachedto
thequill).Slidethequilloutofthebottomofthehousing.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Removethe2allenscrewsfromunderthefinefeedhandle.Removetheslottedscrewfromthesleevebelow
andthespringanddetentballunderneath.Removetheallensetscrewfromtheoppositeside,andslideoffthe
collar.Dontlosethekey.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Removethepowerdownfeedclutchcover

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Removetheplunger,springandtiny,easytolosebrassshimsfromunderthespring.Seethemtotherightofthe
spring?.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Removethepowerdownfeedspeedselectorcover.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Removethedoublesetscrewsthatretainthewormcradleinsidethetheupperpartofthehousing.The
setscrewsareinsidetheedgeoftheselectorcover.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Liftoutthewormcradle,snakingaroundthegearstotheright.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Removetheslidinggearsetupperbushingsetscrews.Thereare2screwsineachhole,asetscrewANDa1/8
talllockingscrew,sodontputyourallenkeyintoodeeporyouwillhavegreatdifficultybecauseyouwillbe
tryingtogetthemoutatthesametimeastheyarelockedtogether.Makesureyoujustgettheouterscrew
alonefirst.Removethesetscrewsforthelowerbushingalso,samedealwiththelockingouterscrew.Takea
3/8thickbarandmakea90degreehookatbothends.Putthehookunderthebushingandtapupwardtopull
upthebushing.Thiswashardtodo,probablybecausethesetscrewsputaburronthebushingmakingithardto
getoutofthehousing.Takeyourtimeandworkaroundittappinggentlysoitcomesupevenly.Atthispoint
youcanremovetheshaftandtakeouttheslidinggears,thenputtheshaftbackdownthereandstickalong(16
xx1/8orso)barparalleltothefinefeedhandleshaftsoitisupagainstthebevelgearunderthebushing.
Whileholdingthebar,tapupfromtheunderside,beingcarefulnottohitthefeedhandwheelshaft.Ifyouhave
help,havesomeonewiggletheshaftwhileyoutapuponthebevelgearandpopitupoutofitsbore.Thiswas
asmuchofapainastheotherbushing

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Removethefeedwormshaftsetscrews(samedoublelockingsetscrewdeal)slideouttheshaft.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Removethequillpinionshaftsetscrewsboththelockingoneandtheoneunderneath.Slideouttheshaft.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Unscrewthespindletopnutafterbendingdownthelockingtab.Notethebearingseparatorhangingontheend
ofthespindletobeusedonthepress.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Thebearingsarealightpressfit,andtheycomeoffupwards(towardthesplinedendoftheshaft).Inorderfrom
therightwehavethedirtshield,lowerbearing,innerandouterbearingspacerupperbearinglongtopspacer,
upperbearing,lockingtabandnut.Ithoughtthismightbeatightpressfit,sobecausethedirtshieldwasrather
thinthefirsttimeIdidthisIputmybearingseparatoraroundthelowerbearingratherthanthedirtshieldsoas
nottowarpitifIhadtoapplyagreatdealofpressure.Turnsoutthiswasnotnecessary,butitwasenough
pressuretoseparatethelowerbearingthatswhyitispicturedinpieceshere.Ithadtobereplacedanywaysoit
wasnotaproblem.NOTETHEORIENTATIONOFTHELOWERBEARINGS.Theyareabec7(hi
precision,amatchedset,youcannotreplacejustone)Cheapobearingswillmakeyourmilllintoanexpensive
wobblydrillpress.Thesetcosts150399dependingonwhoowesyouafavor

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

ReassemblethespindlewiththelowerbearingsTHRUSTfacesbothfacingthespacerthatgoesbetweenthem.
KEEPEVERYTHINGCLEAN.Thebearingsareamatchedsetandthrustfaceislabelled.Thedirtguard
goesgroovedfacedown.Usethelongspacertopressthe2lowerspindlebearingsandtheirspacer(s)onatthe
sametime,thenmakeasleeve(justacutpieceofblackpipe,facedsquare,heldbymythumbinthephoto)to
pressthetopbearingon,thenputonthelockingtabandtightenthenut(bevelsidedown)andbendatabupto
lockthenut.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Carefullyinspectthecolletlocatingscrewfordamage,cleanitupifnecessarywithanabrasivewheel,screwitin
sothetabprojectsintothespindleholesothetabisparalleltothespindleanddoesntprojecttoofarintestthe
depthbyinsertinganr8colletandmakesureitslidesineasilyandcanseatfully.Putinalockingscrewontop
ofthetabbedscrewwhilethecolletisstillinsertedsoitcantturn.IthinktheOEMlockingscrewisbrass,butI
couldnotfinda32tpiscrewsoImadeoneonthelathewhichwillgetalittleoftheweakkindoflocktite.
Thisscrewwillbeapaintoremove(mayneedtobereplacedifyouspinacollet)withthespindleinthequillso
itwouldbebetterifitwasanallenscrewbecauseitwillbealmostevenwiththeedgeofthequilloncethe
spindleisbackinthequill.Putyorspindleasideforthemoment.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Upperhousingdisassembly:
Removethe2pinsfromthesidesoftheclutchcontrolring.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Removetheinnernutfromthehollowshaftwithapinwrench,thentheouternut.Imadealargepinwrenchwith
apieceof11/2x3/8barstockand2)bolts

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

steppulleyshoulddropoutwithafewtapswithaplasticmallet.Youcanseethebrakeshoesupthere.There
wasatonofdebrissittinginthepulleywheredidthatcomefrom??

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Thesteppulleybearingcarriershoulddropoutofthehousing,mineneededalittlehelpasitwasstuck.No
wondertherewasnowaytogetbackgearengaged.Thereare4smallballpointpensizedspringsunderthe
flange,dontlosethemwhenthisdropsout.Normallythosespringsworktoreturnthebearingcarriertothe
downpositionwhenrotatingtheclutchleverontop.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Whileyourlovelyassistant(yeah,right)isstrippingthecrappypaintjoboffofthepulleyhousing,insertthe
spindleintothequill,quillgearteethdown.Shouldslipinbyhand.Thenputspindlenoseonawoodblockand
useasoftrubberhammeronthetopedgeofthequilltoseatthebearingsinthequill.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

HereswhatImeantaboutthatlockingscrewforthecolletslottabscrew,itsrightneartheedgeofthequill.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Screwonthequillnosewithapinwrenchuntilitisseatedandthedepressioninthethreadslinesupwiththe
setscrew,thentightenthesetscrew.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

wipealittlewayoilinthequillboreinthehousingandinsertthequillwiththeholeforthedepthstoplinedup
withtheslot.Onlyinsertitenoughsotheholeinthequillshowsupinthedepthguageslot.Dontpushtoofar
becauseyoullbealigningthesheetmetalchipguardafewstepsfromnowandyoudontwanttohitit.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Insertthedepthadjusterthreadedrodthruthecirclip,depthlocknut,depthadjusterandquilldepthstop,but
screwthequilldepthstoptothequillfirst.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

insertbothpartsofthequilllock.Removethehandlesoyoucanscrewittogetherinapositionwhereitwilllock
thequillbeforehittingthehousing.Youmayneedathinwasherunderitsheadtogetitperfectlypositioned.The
topbushingisshownsittingontopofitsbore.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Makesurethesheetmetalquillsleeve/chipguardispositionedwiththeopenslotfacingdownatthequillpinion
andthetabsdownintheslotsoneithersideofthequill.Makesureitissliddownpastthequillenoughsothe
tabsdisappearbeyondthetopofthequill.Putafeltwasherdownontopofthetopspindlebearingandthenput
thefeltretainerbracketandthe2wideflangemachinescrewsoneithersideofthequillwheretheslotsare.
Thesescrewswillpullthechipguarddownbythoselittletabstocoverthedepthguageslotwhenthequillgoes
downthatswhytheyhavethoselargescrewheads.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Pushthequillinalltheway,thenputintheclockspringassembly.Youmayneedastrongwirehookorawlwith
abentendtogetthespringaroundthequillpinionshafthook.Rotatethespringhousingclockwiseabouthalfa
turntolineupthescrewsandputalittletensiononthespring,screwtheminandthenputthewoodruffkeyon
theshaft,pushthehandleonandtightenitssetscrew.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

insertthethreesquareheadboltsinthebackgearhousing.Makesurethenutoverthewormgearistight
andhasatabbentuplockingthenutinplace.Shiftthewormdriveengagementleveronthetopofthequill
housing(theonethatmovesthewormcradle)outsothewormisoutoftheway.Boltthebackgearhousingon
thequillhousingandtightenthe3nuts.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Putalittleoilontheendandsplinesoftheshaftthatrunsthruthesmallgear,andscrewtheplatetotheback
gearhousingwiththesmallmachinescrews.(someofthesescrewsareunderthetoothedbeltpulley).Youcan
greasethesegearsiftheheadwillbeinvertedandyouthinksomebodymightforgettofillthehousingwithoil,but
fillingitthrutheoilerafterwardsisfine.Tapthethincoverdownovertherollpinsandputinallthescrews
beforethecoggedpulleygoesonitcoverssomeofthem.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Tapthetoothedpullyontotheshaftuntilyoucanthreadthenutontheshaft,thenuseastrapwrenchtoholdthe
pulleywhiletighteningthepulleynut.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Insertthe4smallcoilspringsinsidethebrakeshoearea.andputthesteppedpulleybearingassemblyinplace
withalittleoil

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Insertthesteppedpulleyinitsbearingassembly.Holdthisassemblytogetherandturnthehousingonitssideso
youhaveaccesstothetop.Dontletthebearingblockslideoutbecausethe4littlespringswilldropoutoftheir
boresintotheinsideofthesteppedpulley.

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Loosenthetinyallenlockscrewsfortheclutchactuatingpins,thenplacetheclutchactuatingring/handleand
boththreadedinsertsinplace.Makesuretheseareverytightwiththesmallerinneroneyouaredrawingthe
steppulleyhollowshaftupthruthebearingswithaloosepressfit.Ifthesteppulleyisnotpulledallthewayup,
theclutchdogswillnotraiseenoughtodisengagewhenyouturntheknobtotheright,andsothespindlewillbe
lockedwhenyoutrytousethelowspeedreductiongear.Whilecompressingthesteppulleyupintothehousing
againstthosefourlittlesprings,screwthepinsinwithyourthirdhandandthentightenthetinyallenlocking
screwssothepinsdontcomeloose.Checkfunctionbyswingingtheknobaround

PutthemotordriveVbeltandcoggedbeltinplace,removetherimfromthecoggedpulleysoyoucanslipthe
coggedbeltoveritasyouattachthislasthousing,thenwhilethereisstillagapbeforetighteningthescrewsmake
sureeverythingspinsthewayitshould.Finallytightentheallenscrewsaroundthehousingandputtherimback
onthecoggedbeltpulley.Mounttheheadontheendoftherambesttouseahoistbecausealthoughitsnot
terriblyheavy,holdingitwhileliningupthescrewswouldbeverydifficult,evenfor2people.Putinthe
drawbar,acolletandanendmillandapplythespindlebrakewhiletighteningthedrawbartoseeifthebrakeis
workingproperly.Shiftthehigh/lowclutchdogcontrolontopofthebelthousingtotheright(raisesfrontstep
pulleywithdogs,disconnectingthefrontspindlepulleyfromthespindle)andengagethebackgearlever(in)on
therearrightsideofthehead.Makesurethespindleturnsbyputtingawrenchonthedrawbar.Nowshiftthe
backgearoutandthehighlowclutchdogcontroltotheleft,androtatethespindlewithyourdrawbarwrench
(drivedogsshouldsnapdownintoengagementtakingtheslackoutofwherethecampinsrideintheslotsinthe
ringofthehigh/lowclutchdogcontrolthatsthose4littlespringsinaction)andsquirtabunchofoilintothequill
housingtillitrunsoutthebottom(putapanunderthespindlefirst),theninstalltheoilerandfillit,andalsooilall
otherlubepointsdontforgetthepowerfeedandtheways.Finally,installthemotor,tightenthebelt,make
sureeverythingstillspins,andmakesomechips.Rememberyouwillhavetouseelectricalreversewhenthe
backgearsareengaged.Keeptheoilersfull,topoilerwillkeepgoingdownuntilthatbackgearhousingisfull!
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Bridgeport J head step pulley disassembly and reassembly

Notetheniftydolly.Builtalittlewiderthanthebaseofthemillallowsfor4levellingscrewsjustoutboardofthe
basebolts.3/8platebentonapressbrake,itstapped5/811sononutsarerequiredtoboltthemilltoitandit
onlyraisesthemillabout13/8.Endplatesmigweldedinplacetostiffenitup.This36machineisforsale,
btw,$3500withoutthedolly,butthevise,rotab,and100miledeliveryfrom30527included.Seemyebay
storeforkneecranksandfinefeedhandwheels.tom.jelly@comcast.net

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