# Mill Stand



## silverhawk (Jun 24, 2018)

I needed to build a stand for my mini mill.  I think it turned out okay, but I wish I had it powder coated.  Also, my welding started out rough and seemed to get better through the whole thing, but I still need to take a class on how to weld properly.  Always makes me nervous.


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## Smithdoor (Jun 24, 2018)

silverhawk said:


> I needed to build a stand for my mini mill. I think it turned out okay, but I wish I had it powder coated. Also, my welding started out rough and seemed to get better through the whole thing, but I still need to take a class on how to weld properly. Always makes me nervous.


Looks great 
Even have room to put shelves

Dave

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J320A using Tapatalk


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## silverhawk (Jun 24, 2018)

Smithdoor said:


> Looks great
> Even have room to put shelves
> 
> Dave
> ...



That's my next focus - shelves and tooling holders on the sides.  I just have to keep the swarf from falling into the tooling, so I will need to add "tops" to the shelves.  But, I am indeed thinking about that very thing!


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## dlane (Jun 24, 2018)

That looks good but top heavy, i’ed be careful rolling it around


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## Lordbeezer (Jun 24, 2018)

You could put shelf on bottom then add lead..would help with top heavy and vibration..the more you weld the better you'll get..I like the design you came up with..


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## silverhawk (Jun 24, 2018)

dlane said:


> That looks good but top heavy, i’ed be careful rolling it around



It is a bit top heavy, but only when moving it over bumps. I don't get a running start when going, just because I fear tipping it. While milling or storing, it is fairly stable. I was worried about that, but with my real estate, I get what I can.

I made the castors removable, because I want to have it stable when milling, and the rungs are just high enough to slide the low profile jack underneath in that state.


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## hman (Jun 24, 2018)

One thing that can help when moving a top-heavy item is to roll it "on the diagonal."  That provides the maximum span between support points along the direction of travel.

A suggestion on keeping swarf form falling on the side-mounted tooling: Mount a strip of canvas, flexible rubber or shower pan liner for a "roof" above the items to be protected.  You could even fancy it up by attaching magnets to the lower edge.  These can hold the shield up and out of the way when accessing the tooling.

I bought an oil drip pan and mounted it between the mill and the (flat) tabletop on my stand.  The low edges make it easy to sweep away swarf.  You've recessed the top of your stand, so you probably won't be able to use this idea.  But have you given thought to how you'll clean swarf out?  You might possibly want to holesaw a 2" or so hole in the steel top, hang a gallon paint can or something similar underneath, then sweep crumbs and swarf toward the hole for cleanup.  The catch bucket gives you "one last chance" to find that lost or dropped item!


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## hman (Jun 24, 2018)

PS - I really like the way you bent the legs of your stand!


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## silverhawk (Jun 24, 2018)

hman said:


> PS - I really like the way you bent the legs of your stand!



I knew if I didn't bend the legs outward, it would have been unstable all around. I didn't have a bender (a later job to build one), so I cut an 8 degree wedge out on one end, and a single slot on the other end. Then I moved the wedge and welded it into,the slot. Made it a bit easier to keep things lined up. I really want a bender, but just can't get there (need the shop space first). That would have made it much easier.


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## royesses (Jun 24, 2018)

Looks good. I like it. Was that a flux core welder you used? It can be tough to get nice welds on thin wall tubing with flux core.

Roy


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## silverhawk (Jun 25, 2018)

royesses said:


> Looks good. I like it. Was that a flux core welder you used? It can be tough to get nice welds on thin wall tubing with flux core.
> 
> Roy



It was. I did have to make a few passes, and a few places I burned through and had to rosette it back to get it flush. I am pleased with the results.


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