Mill preparations

Hi folks.

I have a Chester 626 mill coming next month. Wondering if there are any infrastructure or other preparations or modifications people wish they'd made before a big lump of machine got in the way?

Cheers.

Jay

I don't know the 626 but suppose you might need a sky hook to lift the head on?

My mistake was not to check my garage floor was even. Plonked down, I found the headstock end was rocking on a high point. I lifted the machine and chiselled out as much of the lump as possible, then put a few layers of roofing felt to take up any remaining difference.

Worked well for a couple of years, but I think the lathe has gradually squeezed the felt until it's resting on the highpoint again, which twisted the bed.

What I should have done was check the floor was even and corrected the problem by laying a thin pad of self-levelling compound before installing the lathe. It's a fair amount of work to fix it now because a load of stuff has the be moved before the lathe can be shifted, and it will have to go on a thief handy drive until the self-levelling compound hardens.

Dave

I had to get a Warco VMC machine (same as the 626) from my garage door to my workshop via a step up of about 5" height. Total distance about 25 feet. First beware the weights given for the machines! The Warco website says the machine is 415Kg - I believe this is the total crated weight. The Grizzly 626 (USA clone with an excellent manual HERE says 800lb or 363Kg and the label attached to my Warco machine itself gives a weight of 380Kg. The Chester website gives a weight of 320Kg for their 626.

If you have a step to get over as I did then make yourself two ramps - timber will do but they must be sturdy - these will allow you to get up and down the step. You will also need an engine crane of at least 1 ton capacity (2 tons would be much better but I already had the 1 ton crane) - Just be aware the machine exceeds the safe load for a 1 ton crane at full jib extension),

A flat "trolley" about 2ft square with four heavy duty castors for wheeling bits around and uip and down the ramps if you use them (you can make this yourself - I used a frame of 4"x2" timber and a top of a double layer of 20mm OSB, all firmly screwed and glued together). Several large blocks of timber (about 4"x8" approx. 18" long. A garden center sleeper does very well for this but you will have to cut it up!). A second person is also very useful, even if they don't do any lifting they can hand you things and generally help out.

I suggest taking the machine apart to move it. The head and motor should come off as one unit - you will have to undo the wiring at some point to separate them. The table will also come off (take the handles/leadscrews off first). The main machine body should also separate from the base.

Take your time and plan each move you make - these are very heavy lumps of metal you are dealing with. Needless to say a pair of proper steel toecapped shoes or boots are essential.

Hope this helps - if you are not used to moving heavy machinery then do take care!!

.

Edited By Bizibilder on 28/09/2022 11:49:06

Thanks Bizi, fortunately it's a straight shoot from the drive into the garage. I'm buying it from Steven Mooney Machinery and he's kindly said his delivery guys will help get it in situ, so that's a load off, excuse the pun...T here is however a poxy drainage grate in front of the garage, but I've got a nice sheet of junk steel plate that I'm hoping will cut into a couple of 'bridges' to get the skate over safely. I don't have an engine hoist here, I'll speak to SM again and see if it would be useful too them to have one here on the day.

Thanks for the input Dave. Fortunately the level isn't too crucial for the mill as it is for the lathe, though I will check the surface to make sure it's not taking the P...

At some point I may attempt an overhead gantry crane, but that's not going to be possible just yet unfortunately.

I wish you could buy riser blocks for the head of these machines. Sadly my lathe is too small to make one. Even a 4” block would make a difference for some jobs.

Really Vic? I thought the throat on these was about as good as it gets for hobby machines?

Think carefully about the height of the table. My new acquisition stands on a 6” slab,cast in place with hold down bolts cast in. Takes care of the flatness problem too.Admittedly I’m on the tall side but most machines seem to be designed for the more compact user.

Riser blocks for the column make up for the lack of space between the spindle, tooling, vice and work peice. Don't forget you will need room to insert the draw bar.

Robert Butler

Some nice bar of different diameters or thick wall tube is also good for getting up a step or lip into the workshop. Worked well for my Bridgeport sized mills. If the head needs to be lifted I tend to use blocks of wood and the table to raise and lower.

In terms of levelling does anyone have any comments on mounting a mill / lathe on adjustable pads and using them to level the machine. There seems to be quite a choice out there these days.

Barry

I bought one new a couple of years ago. The cabinet doesn't have a flat base so I couldn't see any obvious way to attach levelling feet. If/when I get round to moving it my idea is to make up a simple frame from angle iron to create fixing points for feet.

William.

A lesson I learned the hard way ! My workshop then was the bottom half of an old barn, the top half being a new bedroom and bathroom. The downstairs had a concrete floor, and the upstairs a wooden one. The downstairs had a false ceiling holding up some 4" of insulation. When my Myford VMB arrived I found that the drawbar was a couple of inches too long to remove/insert. I cut a square hole in the ceiling plasterboard over the spindle, and lined it with a bit of square drainpipe. I could then remove the drawbar, with about 1" to spare under the wooden floor upstairs.

Phew !

Bob,

As they say, "Where there,s a mill, there,s a way "!

Fortunately I did think to account for headspace.

In all other dimensions it's literally as big a machine as I can fit in the space and still move, so onto a good one I hope...