Bench for SX3 milling machine

Hi,

I'm in the process of building a bench for my new mill. The handwheel for raising the head (Z-axis) is at the front corner of the base and is lower than the base. Therefore should I raise the base above the bench surface or should I have the handwheel overhanging the edge of the bench. Sorry if this is a stupid question but as I haven't used a milling machine before I wanted to get it right before putting the mill on it. It weighs 160kg so I don't really want to be taking it on and off that often.

Any other tips welcome too.

Gary

Hi Gary

I suspect it's a case of build it as you want it.

More important are surely the ergonomics of it. You want the mill table at a comfortable height for seeing what your doing - nothing worse for your back than trying to stand for half an hour or more slightly stooped - and at the same time get the handwheel where you can easily operate it. Now those two things might be in conflict, but surely the best place to start. The mill won't complain if it's 6 inches higher or lower - your back WILL!

The other thing is to make sure that the mill is adequately supported and that the main weight is firmly on the bench. Too far forward and you might just get a topple sitauation - think about when you've actaully got some work in a vice or dividing head on the table not just the bare machine. If that put the handwheel back into an awkward place then think about making local access to the wheel by incorporating a cut out in the bench.

The topple bit is important, I've got a small Bond's Maximus horizonatl miller that some one has put onto a cast iron column rather than bench mounting it. It a nice working height and looks right BUT it will need about a hundred weight of ballast in the back of the stand to keep it upright with a job on the table - there aren't any bolt holes in the base and nowhere to put any apart from inside the column where they would be a pig to get at for tightening.

Keith

Edited By Keith Long on 03/02/2013 15:18:23

It looks like the handle projects beyond the edge of the base so you can safely put the front of the base up to the line between the front feet of the bench. I put it like that for future readers who might design a bench with a front edge overhanging the front of the legs. The ony downside is that you might keep knocking against it.

Obviously the overall footprint of your bench is significantly greater than that of the mill base so the whole assembly is stable. Further if your bench has shelves and drawers the weight of modelling junk you accumulate in them will contribute to the stability.

If you wind the leveling feet out a bit the handwheel will come above what the mill is standing on or make the stand like the ones Arc and Axi sell with 4 spacers that go under the feet to give more clearance.

My handle does not overhang the bench and I have no additional spacers

J

Edited By JasonB on 03/02/2013 17:04:26

Edited By David Clark 1 on 24/02/2013 10:34:31

A new X3 will come with 4 x machine mounts, these will allow to raise the machine on the bench as you wish.

The space under the machine will of course fill with swarf and be nigh on impossible to keep clear.

It is also somewhere else for round tools to roll under and disappear.

Clive

That space underneath can be filled with a sheet of ordinary yellow foam plastic. It is so soft it won't make any difference to adjustments but will make the tools etc bounce off and hide under the bench.

Edited By Gary Marland on 03/02/2013 21:58:35

Hi Gary, My SX3 came with its own factory made base which is 870mm high. This is a comfortable height to work with. I only have a small corner of my garage to use as a workshop and have mounted the base on wheels so I can push the mill out of the way when not needed.

Edited By David Clark 1 on 24/02/2013 10:34:54

Kitchen worktop is, in my view, a more suitable material than ply for making a raised plinth under a machine. Much less crushable, dimensionally more stable and pretty much impervious to oil. Affordable modern ply is pretty rubbish stuff anyway. The quality material is really too expensive for bench tops. The green waterproof chipboard underfloor material makes excellent bench tops (and workshop floors) being tough, pretty much oil proof and with a slightly rough surface that helps retard small components making a bid for freedom without being so rough as to stop you sliding heavier items. Check before buying tho' as my local supplies have both the green coloured version and a slightly less expensive natural colour version with a much looser surface which is dusty as heck and quite unsuitable.

Whilst you are at it put some thought into arranging a chip tray and suitable shields to stop chips getting everywhere. Reaching round the back with a brush etc gets old fast. Jason has a neat set-up but I'd be inclined to add some sheet shielding. Doesn't have to be permanent. Hinged L or similar shapes either self standing or on weighted bases work fine and take up little storage space when folded. Off-cuts of the plastic shower wall stuff hinged with duct tape do very nicely both for there and as covers for the unused parts of the mill table. Digging chips out of the Tee slots gets old too. The covers I use on my Bridgeport are 3 inch wide sections, 2 sets of 6 duct tape hinged together.

Clive

Hi Paul, the stand was optional (£200) and I had a sturdy set of drawers that I wanted to incorporate under the bench. The finished height of the bench is 970mm. Interesting that you've fitted wheels to the stand though.

Hi Clive, thanks for the tips. I have some kitchen worktop offcuts so might use that for a plinth. About the right thickness. My drill press is sitting on some. I hadn't come across the green chipboard so will look out for it. Might come in useful for other things. The bench top is 700mm x 750mm so standard worktop was not wide enough. The bench is free standing as all the wall space is in use so access all around is not a problem.

Gary

Hey Paul,

I'm a new member, and just ordered my first mill today, an SX3, along with the SX3 stand. If it isn't too much trouble, would you please post a clearer pic of exactly how you mounted the wheels to the bottom of your SX3 stand? Thank you very much!

Edited By David Clark 1 on 24/02/2013 10:35:23

My Rexon vertical milling machine would weigh between 200 and 250Kg, and it sits on a wooden bench with legs made of 100 mm sq Origan, the rest is Pine, all bolted together with 10 mm bolts, the piece of bench under the machine I left with no top, so if anthing gets under the machine, it falls on the floor. If I had built it a few years later, when I built the stand for my lathe, I would have built it with angle iron, and welded it, but its been there for 27 yrs, it aint broke, so I'll leave it alone. Oh and its been through an earthquake or two and has not fallen over. Ian S C

Good to know Ian, thanks! I already have the stand coming though, so I think I'll just resign myself to the idea that I'll be using it, and probably putting castors on it. I am not yet equipped to weld, but that will likely change by the summer! Thanks again!

This how I made the trolley for my SX3 mill. Easy to move and sturdy to use.

Edited By David Clark 1 on 24/02/2013 10:36:13

Hi Gary

I have an SX3 on a factory stand,the handle for the Z axis is across the corner of the chip tray and I would bring the mill forwards on a bespoke bench,so as to give plenty of clearance for the hand.I would bolt the bench down to the floor as I found some movement after time.I have found that using large slot drills 20mm that the head has side to side movement.I used the screw positions on top of the column to fix some thin 20mm angle to the top of the column ,then I bolted some angle on both sides diagonally 1mt long to the ceiling joists and the angle on top of the column,I then took an angle of the column to the rear stiffening the column and this has stopped my mills movement somewhat. With these light mills rigidity is important.

Francis

Wow, Paul, thanks so much for going to that trouble! It appears that you have added something to the side of the stand, on which you have affixed your clamps kit. What is it? Also, those look like plastic wheels. Are you at all concerned that they'll break? Thanks again!

The clamp kit came with the red plastic rack which already had holes for mounting. The mill only weighs 200kg which is only 50kg per corner. The wheels are rated at 90kg each.

Hi Francis, thanks for your input. I am raising the mill off the bench on a wooden plinth. If I get the height right it should give enough clearance for my hand. I decided that was preferable to having the handles sticking out beyond the edge of the bench. Less likely to keep walking in to them. I was intending bolting it to the floor once I've got the mill on it. Next step is borrowing an engine crane from work, although they seem to weigh as much as the mill. Some weird logic going on here.

Gary

Gary

I lifted mine with the aid of two acrows and a scaffold tube bolted with scaffold clips across the two acrows at ceiling height.Then I hung a chain block of the tube and lifted the mill with a strop around the head close to the column.I then pushed the stand under and lowered away .The acrows were pushed to the decking above my ceiling joists and nailed.If your workshop has got an open ceiling one could do the same job with 4"*2" timber with a timber bolted across both and the uprights nailed where convenient.I thought of an engine crane but there is a lot of space required to manoeuvre it around the workshop and the stand.You could hire acrows and possibly a chain block but there is usually someone who will lend one to you.This for me was the safest and best solution.

Francis

Hi Francis,

Thanks for your ideas. I did think about trying a chain block from the roof truss with additional supports but I don't think I've got enough headroom. I was also a bit wary of constructing something without knowing if it would be strong enough.

As an aside does someone know how to work out the sizes of wood or metal that will support certain weights. I presume it is related to the cross-sectional area, the span and some measure of strength. This is one reason why I was going with the engine crane, someone else has done the calculations for me.

Gary