What's new
What's new

Distinct Slapping Noise Coming from Bridgeport Series I 2hp J Head

whizbang

Plastic
Joined
Dec 8, 2013
Location
Michigan, USA
Hey Guys,

I am looking for some feedback on some noise I am getting from my Bridgeport Series I 2hp J Head.
I have a distinct slapping noise on my Bridgeport head.

I believe it to be the splines or hub splines due to the following:
1- Spindle rotates multiple degrees before pulley moves
2- The amount is the same in high, neutral & low
3- I can’t, with certainty, say it gets better with the quill all the way extended down. I think it is just quieter because it is down inside the casting, insulating the sound.
4- By hand there appears to be no additional resistance in any 1 spot of the bearing
5- Removed the cover under the motor. Belt looks nearly brand new, no damage, no black fuzz from stalled belt
6- Noise is loud when using 4 insert cutter with 2” arbor

Questions:
1- Could the plastic bushings really cause this since I hear and feel the clunk before the pulley/belt moves?
2- Can the female spline be replaces? Would that fix the problem?

I tried to capture the noise in a short video, please see link below.

Thanks,
Whizbang
 
Last edited:
Hey Guys,

I am looking for some feedback on some noise I am getting from my Bridgeport Series I 2hp J Head.
I have a distinct slapping noise on my Bridgeport head.

I believe it to be the splines or hub splines due to the following:
1- Spindle rotates multiple degrees before pulley moves
2- The amount is the same in high, neutral & low
3- I can’t, with certainty, say it gets better with the quill all the way extended down. I think it is just quieter because it is down inside the casting, insulating the sound.
4- By hand there appears to be no additional resistance in any 1 spot of the bearing
5- Removed the cover under the motor. Belt looks nearly brand new, no damage, no black fuzz from stalled belt
6- Noise is loud when using 4” cutter with 2” arbor

Questions:
1- Could the plastic bushings really cause this since I hear and feel the clunk before the pulley/belt moves?
2- Can the female spline be replaces? Would that fix the problem?

I tried to capture the noise in a short video, please see link below.

Thanks,
Whizbang

BeePee. Four inch cutter. Two inch arbor. R8 spindle?

Try altering the playback speed of the sound track.

Get it right that "slap" may be the BeePee gasping:

"I'mfucked..... I'mfucked.... I'mfucked..."

...from being pushed beyond its design limits?
 
BeePee. Four inch cutter. Two inch arbor. R8 spindle?

Try altering the playback speed of the sound track.

Get it right that "slap" may be the BeePee gasping:

"I'mfucked..... I'mfucked.... I'mfucked..."

...from being pushed beyond its design limits?
Sorry I got ahead of myself typing. The cutter mentioned is a 4 insert 2"diameter r8 cutter for facing. I was taking a .005 thou. cut. Unfortunately I wasn't able to test this head before I bought it as it was at an auction. This was my first machining operation with it I checked the 2hp BP head at work and hear /feel no clear slop or baclash turning the spindle in clockwise and counter clockwise directions
 
Obviously, something is wrong. Take it apart, all things will be clear. Consider the effort a training exercise. Get back to the forum with your results. Lots of examples on how to do it on You Tube including Keith Fenner.
 
Sorry I got ahead of myself typing. The cutter mentioned is a 4 insert 2"diameter r8 cutter for facing. I was taking a .005 thou. cut. Unfortunately I wasn't able to test this head before I bought it as it was at an auction. This was my first machining operation with it I checked the 2hp BP head at work and hear /feel no clear slop or baclash turning the spindle in clockwise and counter clockwise directions

Ah.. that's a bit less extreme, then!

As Steve said, tear it down, fix whatever you find wrong. Then it should be good for many, many years.

It was at an auction, after all, not new goods with warranty, so some prior Pilgrim chickened-out, and it is your turn to pay-forward the cost-savings.

:)
 
The source for parts, advice, and videos of Bridgeport mill issues is H&W.
H&W Machine Repair & Rebuilding - Parts and Service for the Metalworking Industry
THey are very nice, extremely knowledgeable and easy to talk to, and WILL have whatever you need. I rebuilt my Series 1 2J2 heaad with parts and kits (with clear instructions) from them. It was messy, but not hard.

Good luck,
Michael
All thanks for the encouragement. I bought this head to replace the head on my millrite it looks a little goofy but then again so do I. I will start the to tear the head down.I ordered the 2j Bridgeport rejuvenation book and found the H&W machinery repair website Michael listed earlier and a source for parts in attempts to find a rebuild manual. I know it'll all be clear one I tare it down but I really hope my splines on my spindle aren't too bad as I think that requires a whole new spindle, bearings etc.
again guys thanks for the feedback it is really appreciated. Have a great evening guys.
 
Whizbang,
Rebuilding the top of the 2J head is pretty straightforward if you have some mechanical background. Do BE CAREFUL to deal with the spring on the motor shaft correctly. There are explicit instructions in the rebuild manual. That is the one place being hasty could be bad. Like badly injured bad. The variable pulley on the motor is under a lot of pressure from that spring. After you get the motor out and split the top of the case, doing stuff is pretty simple. I have always had a HORRIB:LE problem reading and following directions, and even I could do it. You might want to take it all the way down to the bull gear and clean and relube everything. The bull gear takes a special lube, Mobil EPS 1 if i recall (??). H&W can sell you some. Also I believe they have a lot of videos about doing the teardown and rebuild. I put all new bearings in mine. They are not all that expensive, and you will never have to worry about them again.
Please keep us posted.:)

Cheers,
michael
 
Hmmm ... my first thought was, when I hear a slapping head noise related to my BP, it generally has to do with the fact that I've just done something stupid and I'm slapping myself for it! :)

On a serious note - I am a bit confused by the combination of 1&2 in your OP:

1- Spindle rotates multiple degrees before pulley moves
2- The amount is the same in high, neutral & low

I wouldn't think the pulley would move at all in neutral - ?
 
Hmmm ... my first thought was, when I hear a slapping head noise related to my BP, it generally has to do with the fact that I've just done something stupid and I'm slapping myself for it! :)

On a serious note - I am a bit confused by the combination of 1&2 in your OP:



I wouldn't think the pulley would move at all in neutral - ?


Yeah, I see how that was confusing. What I'm trying to say is switching from high to low I believe engages the castle nut looking gears (guys I know this is not the right terminology when I get the manual I'll try to correct this). Since I believer that the movement is the same in high low and neutral that drives me to believe that it is the spline to hub. I would assume that if it was in the castle nut looking gears for low gear then I would have different amounts of rotation in high and low because one is constrained by the engaged gears. BTW I could be completely wrong about this. It was just a thought. I truly hope that this explanation clears up what I was trying to say cause I am horrible at drawing and that's the only other way I can explain this.
 
I guess I am still not quite understanding. In neutral, you should be able to move the spindle without seeing any movement in the pulleys. There will be movement in the lower drive section, but you'd have to tear down the upper end of the head to see that - by which point you should be seeing enough to get a good idea of how much wear is in the spindle splines.

Maybe you mean that you can move it a few degrees before you feel some resistance from the rest of the mechanism - ? Some wiggle before it clearly engages? If so, I'd say you're right - it is the backlash in the splines. I don't know off the top of my head how much backlash / slop in the splines there is in the 2J2 head I just rebuilt, but I'm sure there has to be some to avoid excess friction. Question is, how much is too much?
 
You probably have the same problem I did....
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/bridgeport-and-hardinge-mills-and-lathes/some-idiot-destroyed-my-spindle-clutch-dogs-2j-head-variable-speed-needs-help-296997/

Luckily someone had the used parts for my boss as I could not buy new ones.. You can buy all your parts from H&W :)

Hmmm ... if this is the problem, it should only show up in high gear, right?

Whizbang, I should have thought to ask this sooner: your video illustrates the "clunk" of the splines engaging when the power is off. But are you hearing noise when the machine is running? If not, I woudn't worry about what you have shown in the video; I'd just consider that to be the necessary lash between the male and female splines.

If you are getting a noise while running ... it is possible that the spline clearance is a false lead - it may well be something else altogether that is causing the problems.
 
I believe I have repaired part of the problem. I got a bushing kit from H & W and replaced the bushings in the front pulley assembly. However I found a new problem while in there that I suppose could also be a source of the issue. It looks as though there was damage at some point in the lower belt housing casting where the brake assembly sits and that someone tried to repair it. Repairing the casting is outside my capability and I don't know the first person to contact for repair. The lower part of the belt housing isn't sold alone anymore (from what I can tell after several phone calls and lots of time searching online) and the price on a whole new housing is outside of my original budget. The specific PN I am in need of is 2J-501, but when searching most of the time the whole housing pops up as 2J-500. IF any knows where I can get the part, new or used, I am interested. I am also open to suggestions on people who could repair the current casting I have with creating a potential issue with warping and/or changing alignment/placement; the spot is pretty thin. Because this is the hobby machine, I do not currently have another machine I can use to machine this part down myself.

20171028_212744[1].jpg

19694[1].jpg
 
Assuming that your problem is the crack across the hole in the first image, can't quite see what is going on inthe second. Two ideas come to mind

1. Find someone local to you that does TIG welding maybe someone who specialises in eg aircraft or other hi specification jobs, it probably won't cost you any more but they should be able to do a good job or tell you why it won't work.

2. What about high strength epoxy ? - some sports car chassis are bonded that way

You mention H&W have you asked them - is it of concern to them - what did they suggest ?
 








 
Back
Top