PRL Version 1 - Cranking Solution

glenn bradley

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In another post someone asked me about my original PRL and if I had considered going to the PRL 2 due to the hand cranking required on the PRL to elevate the collet for bit changing. I responded with my solution which I thought I had posted. I couldn't find it and this was a side topic to that thread.

Man, I'm starting to sound like a legal disclaimer at the end of a commercial. Anyway, this little lithium driver is now about $12 at Costco (I paid $14). The hex bit is about $4 (10mm). This raises or lowers the carriage as fast as I could want and yet does not go so fast that I might go too far at one end or the other by mistake. I have been using this thing for well over a year (maybe two) and its a breeze.
 

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I just do mine by hand at this point, although I have thought about getting a hex shaft and chucking it into a cordless drill. My problem, I forget how many revolutions I went up and down! :doh: I wish one of the dials showed like it does now, and the other one counted the revolutions of the first dial, kind of like a minute and hour hand on the clock. Jim.
 
Thanks for that Glenn.

I looked at the motorized one on the Eagle Lake Woodworking site. Pretty clever. I think that might be a little tougher to implement on the PRL, though, because of the chain drive arrangement that turns both lead screws. The drive motor would have to be mounted directly under and coupled to the shaft that turns the main sprocket...I think...probably the most complicated part. But I expect that somebody like Travis could cough up a design pretty quick. Wiring up switches is just, well, wiring up switches...although he did have everything nicely clustered in that little panel. Well thought out.

Meanwhile, your method is simple and provides total control. Suits me.

Cheers.
 
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