Moving my mill-any ideas

Hi, Clive is right, not the most stable of things to use in such a situation. Toe jacks are a better bet, but they are by their very nature, quite expensive, but you can hire them but that isn't cheap either. You would ideally, need at least two people to use whatever jacks you would be using to be safe, unless you've got a remote control set-up.

Regards Nick.

My Bridgeport clone (Gate PBM2000) was delivered and moved roughly into place by the machine movers. I wanted to move it around a little bit more and decided to play safe. I bought a suitable toe jack. I had to relieve the slot under the front of the machine to get toe jack under, but it was a simple job to then lift centrally and slide a 1/2" steel bar underneath. Was the able to roll/move the mill around with crowbar. Once in place jack up and remove the bar.

The jack was also used to help move the lathe.

Not an overly cheap option but certainly safer for me and the machine.

Colin

Place a couple of sturdy pallets or trestles under either side of the table, wind the knee down and the base will lift of the ground. If you get the positioning of the table right fore and aft it will almost balance or require only a light support to stop it tilting backwards. Slide pallet out from front and lower to the ground. that's the way I got my Bridgeport of its pallet.

Not the recommended way, I’m sure.

I've seen home made toe jacks (online) made from bottle jacks. They don’t look overly hard to make, might be an option, although AndyA's method sounds good. Coincidentally I was in a club workshop at the weekend, and there were a pair of extremely strong trestles someone had welded up to support some girders they are working on. Could probably borrow them if they're not too high (will check how high the knee goes.

I'd prefer to lift from above but the ceiling joists/rafter ties may be in way.

The cast base only touches the ground at the corners and middle with 15mm clearance on the rest of the base, so there shouldn't be too much issue using toe jacks.

Bear in mind that there may only be enough load bearing metal at those 6 points for a point load and the rest of the skirt lacks sufficient metal, like with car sills (It looks ok but crumples under load)

GL

Made some good progress.

Decided to try and do it with what I had on hand first.

Trimmed all the excess off the pallet, managed to get a small trolley jack under to lift and block mill so I could cut up the pallet and get it out.

Ended up with pallet on blocks under each corner.

I can’t lower it more with trolley jack, but someone is lending my an 8 ton toe jack which should get it to ground level.

Hi Grotto, likes like you are progressing well, bet it was fun cutting the pallet from under the machine.

Regards Nick.

If you lift the machine off the blocks, and can lower it onto a couple of (you need three actually ) short lengths of scaffold pole, you can use the rollers to move the machine to where it needs to be..

Once situated, lift, remove the first roller, lower and then lift the other end and remove that roller.

Job's a good 'un as dear JS would have said.

Howard

It wasn’t actually as hard as I thought it would be. Using a long bar I managed to to pry the cross planks off the central beam enough to cut the nails with some side cutters, then slide cross planks out.

I used a “multi tool” to cut up the beam - luckily it was made from some type of soft pine.

I was a bit nervous at first sticking my hand/arm under the mill, but had plenty of hardwood blocks under it.

It wasn’t actually as hard as I thought it would be. Using a long bar I managed to to pry the cross planks off the central beam enough to cut the nails with some side cutters, then slide cross planks out.

I used a “multi tool” to cut up the beam - luckily it was made from some type of soft pine.

I was a bit nervous at first sticking my hand/arm under the mill, but had plenty of hardwood blocks under it.