1/4 of the way to a mill

Nope , I don't need to check out Toronto for a mill ! :grin: I run into mills quite a bit down here . Actually , they run into me . I was curious as my son goes to Toronto every month it seems , he's up there at this very minute mof . My property is just below the border in upstate NY . Just a thought on my part .
 
It's a good thought to be sure.
 
I still have to go up and pick up my stump grinder , maybe late March timeline . But its like I said , equipment somehow finds me . Always has . :grin:
 
To be completely honest I have no idea who to call to get something picked up and moved :rolleyes:
The whole idea of moving a half ton of cast iron is a mystery to me.
 
Let alone a ton and a quarter :big grin:
 
francist said:
Those Clausing machines really do look like the perfect size for a small, one-man hobby outfit.

Never know, David, you've surprised us all so far in what you've been able to scare up in a short time!!
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Well it was the perfect size for my shop anyway.

Some of the other "not quite a Bridgeport" mills would be great in a garage, but I not only have an overhead limitation, I also only have access to the shop through a single standard width exterior door (I think 36" if I take the door off the hinges). The Clausings break down into several very manageable component parts.

DavidR8 said:
To be completely honest I have no idea who to call to get something picked up and moved :rolleyes:
The whole idea of moving a half ton of cast iron is a mystery to me.
Click to expand...

You will want to acquire a 2 ton engine hoist, some tow straps and heavy carts, it makes life so much easier. I have no idea what I'm doing and I've managed to get 3 machines in the 800-950lb range into my basement.

moving 1.jpg


moving 2.jpg

mill1.jpg
 
I was in the same position as you: newbie looking for a mill, looking at listings I couldn't afford. £2500 for a used bridgeport, Viceroy or suchlike seemed way out of reach, as did space for a Bridgeport. Then one came up locally in a factory for a silly price. Wasn't working (electrical controls dead as a dodo); they just wanted rid of it and wanted the space. I jumped on it. Turns out it just needed a circuit breaker resetting!

I hired a trailer and bought an old pallet truck to use as a machinery skate. Head and knee came off and onto pallets and we winched each part up the ramps on the pallet truck. The column was a bit of a beast, but we got there slow and steady.

I've minimised the room it take up by putting it in the corner of the garage, angled 45° with its back to the door/wall. That way, if I need to get to the back I just have to open the door! A smaller machine wouldn't take up that much less room in that setup. Moving a smaller machine would be easier, though!

One thing that's made the Bridgeport truly worthwhile - and this would be true of most old industrial iron - is the availability of cheap, quality tooling. I've scored a beautiful Kamakura 10" rotary table for £150, dividing head with no identifying marks, but little wear and a set of plates and capable of spiral milling for £160 and got really lucky being given (!) a Wohlhaupter boring/facing head that's possibly the finest tool I now own. Less than import prices for quality tools of far superior quality. But... wouldn't be good fits for small machines. The smaller stuff, if you can even find it, tends to hold value as more hobbyists want it. Worth bearing in mind in the mill budget/tooling/space calculation and waiting until that perfect, hopefully bargainous mill comes up!

Good hunting :)
 
A free Wohlhopter head ? :cool: That's my favorite and most cherished tool also . This did a ton of close tolerance work for me in the past .
 
Lots of shops are getting rid of manual stuff as they replace with CNC. Right place, right time and I got really lucky. I'd bought some other bits and the boring head was one of those "you might as well have this too".

It's actually a good time to be buying old manual machining stuff, I think. This side of the pond, the last year or so has seen some really nice stuff come up at silly prices easily within hobbyist reach. I've currently got my eye on an automatic surface grinder going for not much. There's good machinery about! Having got my hands on decent ex industrial stuff, I'll think twice about buying new again. .
 
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