[sckirk]

Could any one explain the sequence to get the spring in the quill to make the quill pull up instead of down.This is a standard Bridgport series 1.

[SCzEngrgGroup]

Could any one explain the sequence to get the spring in the quill to make the quill pull up instead of down.This is a standard Bridgport series 1.

Remove the two bolts holding the cover behind the quill handle to the head. Rotate the cover clockwise, and you should feel resistance from the spring as you wind it up. When you get it tight enough, put the bolts back in. A pin wrench will make winding it up easier. You may have to fiddle around a bit to get the end of the spring onto the hook on the quill handle shaft, but you can easily feel it when it catches. It'll probably take 2 or 3 full turns of the cover to get proper tension.

Regards,
Ray L.

[machintek]

The proper preload is 1 and 1/2 turns. Any more and the quill balance spring will fail prematurely. It is not a return spring. It is a balance spring. A large drill chuck in the spindle will make it drop. It is in the manual.

George

[Donkey Hotey]

It is not a return spring. It is a balance spring.

Exactly. Every Chinese machine I've used has a higher rate spring and more preload so they behave like a drill press return spring. We got a branny-new Bridgeport a couple of years ago and I thought they adjusted it wrong. No matter how I tried, I couldn't get it to behave like our other mill (Acra). It finally dawned on me that it was designed to just make the spindle neutral. Bridgeport did it the way they wanted it.

If you want it the other way, you might be able to retrofit the spring from a Chinese machine (higher rate spring).