Yet Another Mill Dolly Question

jmarkwolf

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I'm about 6ft tall and my Bridgeport Series 1, needs a little bit of extra height. It's currently sitting up on blocks at the corners.

I'm thinking about fabricating a dolly similar to the pic below, but extending the length of the cross members to allow some fore/aft "side bars" with heavy duty casters, to be be bolted down to the top surface of the cross members.

As you tightened the bolts, on the "side bars", the mill would be lifted off the feet and onto the wheels, and would then be free to roll.

Hardware would be sized appropriately of course, but I'm concerned that there would be a period, as the bolts were tightened, that the weight of the mill would be hoisted and "suspended" loosely on the threads of the bolts and nuts, before the structure were tightened down and "unitized".

The alternative would be to size the hardware such that the wheels would almost touch the floor when everything was bolted together and unitized then "retract" the feet.

Thoughts?




Bridgeport_Cheeseking_levelling_feet_annotated.jpg
 
I see what you are getting at. I think the side bars would be wobbly and unstable if not firmly attached to the cross bars. You need adequate movement to clear any unevenness in the floor.
Robert
 
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I'm envisioning the same as rwm but would tie in side rails to support the entire base and not just the corners of the mill base. If your machine ends up high enough you could utilize a pallet jack to move your machine.
 
Built a similar "cart" for my Cincy.
Used wheels off a commercial hydraulic floor jack.
Sides are 2"x2" equal leg 1/4" angle I had laying around.
Regardless, remember a mill is top heavy, she will still tip.
Be sure you have a plan for lifting her into the cart.


Daryl
MN
 
OP here
I see what you are getting at. I think the side bars would be wobbly and unstable if not firmly attached to the cross bars. You need adequate movement to clear any unevenness in the floor.
Robert

OP here.

That's my point. Until the bolts are all tightened down, and the frame is "unitized" it will be wobbly, and hanging loosely on the threads of the nuts and bolts. Once it is all tightened down, there will be no hanging or looseness.

My question has to do with the strain on the threads while the bolts are being tightened and the weight of the mill is hanging on threads that will have freedom of movement, so to speak.

Daryl - that's the beauty of this cart. No lifting except tightening the bolts enough to draw the wheels to the floor, thereby lifting the feet off the floor. Extent of the "lift" will only be about an inch.

Once the move is complete, the bolts will be unscrewed, thereby "raising" the wheels, and simultaneously lowering the mill back down to the feet. Until the weight rests firmly on the feet, the weight will be "hanging' on the threads again.

The "hanging" part during tightening and loosening is my concern.
 
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if you don't intend on rolling it around why not drill and tap the holes in the Bridgeport base, run some threaded rod through them to some leveling feet. That's what I did, works fine
 
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