- Joined
- Sep 14, 2017
- Messages
- 52
You are very fortunate and your uncle would be very proud that his equipment was being passed to someone in the family with the interest to put them to use again.
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A lifetime supply of a whole lot of stuff, I'm just not sure what it all is.
- Thread starter jung4g
- Start date
You are very fortunate and your uncle would be very proud that his equipment was being passed to someone in the family with the interest to put them to use again.
what this demonstrates clearly is that buying the machines is just the beginning. Your uncle spent a lifetime acquiring everything else. You never stop - you either buy it or make it. Keep everything. Don't get rid of anything. Eventually you will learn more and more and realize what you have. BTW, look at the price of a HOldridge radius cutting tool on ebay. When you regain consciousness.... When I got my lathe, I had nothing. I would not have known what any of that stuff was. Now I know what pretty much all of it is. So it will take time. Those of us who have been around are looking at this and our jaws are on the floor. We are either trying to figure out how to become your best friend or how to arrange for you to have a tragic accident 
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2017
- Messages
- 42
So I finally picked up the machines yesterday after spending an afternoon getting them prepped, bringing a trailer over, buying some equipment and borrowing plenty more.
To move the lathe, I bought a heavy duty cart off Amazon. I know it might not look up to the task, but it worked perfectly. I can easily move the lathe by myself with it.
To pick the lathe up, I borrowed a heavy duty engine hoist from the shop my brother-in-law works at. It's a beast of a hoist, and didn't blink at the weight of the lathe. With 3 guys, one running the hoist, one stabilizing the lathe as it's back heavy from the motor, and one moving the old cabinet out and the above cart into play, it went very smoothly.
We loaded it into the trailer on the cart and just strapped the whole thing into place.
I used two lifting straps to support the lathe, one wrapped around the casting base under the spindle and snaked up through the ways in the bed and one double wrapped around the bed and noosed up through the ways again. With the tailstock and carriage at the far end of the bed, this was pretty balanced side to side and didn't take too much effort to balance front to back with a guy holding on at the motor. The only thing I removed from the lathe to move it was the chuck.
The 8520 mill was even easier to move. After a quick brushing off, I covered the table with painters tape for a touch of protection even though it isn't in the best shape. After unscrewing the power switch from the column, we removed the upper assembly. Two guys can easily pick that up and set it out of the way (to preface that, I'm a built 6'1" 230lbs and 34 years old and could actually do it by myself, but I had help, so why not).
After removing the top, I just manhandled the rest as one unit out from the wall so I could put an appliance dolly under from the back side. I strapped the mill to the dolly and can easily roll it around like that. I was under the impression these machines were much heavier than this, but with the right tools, it wasn't a bit deal at all to move them. I'm very glad I didn't pay the $1000 asking price from the machinery moving company to load these up and move them 17 miles.
I need to go through the rest of the accessories that I picked up yesterday as well, but some of the highlights were a rotary table for the mill, a Peerless Jeweler's lathe with lots of accessories, several more chucks, and a old, crude chain driven power drive for the mill. Not likely something I'll incorporate, but kind of cool.
The garage isn't totally ready for these, but i've got 90% of the insulation done, 100% of the electrical (I went from 7x 120v outlets to 48 outlets plus 4x 220v), and most of the junk out of the way. Another week or two of tinkering and should have the machines in place and wired up.
To move the lathe, I bought a heavy duty cart off Amazon. I know it might not look up to the task, but it worked perfectly. I can easily move the lathe by myself with it.
To pick the lathe up, I borrowed a heavy duty engine hoist from the shop my brother-in-law works at. It's a beast of a hoist, and didn't blink at the weight of the lathe. With 3 guys, one running the hoist, one stabilizing the lathe as it's back heavy from the motor, and one moving the old cabinet out and the above cart into play, it went very smoothly.
We loaded it into the trailer on the cart and just strapped the whole thing into place.
I used two lifting straps to support the lathe, one wrapped around the casting base under the spindle and snaked up through the ways in the bed and one double wrapped around the bed and noosed up through the ways again. With the tailstock and carriage at the far end of the bed, this was pretty balanced side to side and didn't take too much effort to balance front to back with a guy holding on at the motor. The only thing I removed from the lathe to move it was the chuck.
The 8520 mill was even easier to move. After a quick brushing off, I covered the table with painters tape for a touch of protection even though it isn't in the best shape. After unscrewing the power switch from the column, we removed the upper assembly. Two guys can easily pick that up and set it out of the way (to preface that, I'm a built 6'1" 230lbs and 34 years old and could actually do it by myself, but I had help, so why not).
After removing the top, I just manhandled the rest as one unit out from the wall so I could put an appliance dolly under from the back side. I strapped the mill to the dolly and can easily roll it around like that. I was under the impression these machines were much heavier than this, but with the right tools, it wasn't a bit deal at all to move them. I'm very glad I didn't pay the $1000 asking price from the machinery moving company to load these up and move them 17 miles.
I need to go through the rest of the accessories that I picked up yesterday as well, but some of the highlights were a rotary table for the mill, a Peerless Jeweler's lathe with lots of accessories, several more chucks, and a old, crude chain driven power drive for the mill. Not likely something I'll incorporate, but kind of cool.
The garage isn't totally ready for these, but i've got 90% of the insulation done, 100% of the electrical (I went from 7x 120v outlets to 48 outlets plus 4x 220v), and most of the junk out of the way. Another week or two of tinkering and should have the machines in place and wired up.
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2017
- Messages
- 42
I’ve spent a few hours each of the last few nights cleaning the machines and get oil onto all of the various surfaces.
I could see where a power drive for the X axis of the Mill would be needed, after a handful of full travel moves, my arm was feeling it.
Got the lathe off the cart and onto a 60” Husky Mobile Work Bench. Now I know this isn’t an ideal home for a Lathe, but I talked to the engineer who designed it and it’s got a 2200 lb rating, weighs over 400lbs itself, and has 6 heavy duty casters on it. Height is a bit high, but for my not stellar eyesight, the ability to see the smaller parts I’ll usually be doing and keeping the controls out of reach for my 3 little ones, this seems reasonable.
I could see where a power drive for the X axis of the Mill would be needed, after a handful of full travel moves, my arm was feeling it.
Got the lathe off the cart and onto a 60” Husky Mobile Work Bench. Now I know this isn’t an ideal home for a Lathe, but I talked to the engineer who designed it and it’s got a 2200 lb rating, weighs over 400lbs itself, and has 6 heavy duty casters on it. Height is a bit high, but for my not stellar eyesight, the ability to see the smaller parts I’ll usually be doing and keeping the controls out of reach for my 3 little ones, this seems reasonable.
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2013
- Messages
- 368
Man I keep coming back to this thread!!!! I know It’s mixed bag on how you acquired the machines and tooling but your uncle saved you 10s of thousands of dollars and I’m sure he’d be super stoked that it’s going to a good home, to a good use let alone to a family member. I’ve only started taking this hobby seriously sense January and I would have to say I’ve 10 grand into it with no end in sight. Jesus prolly a heck of a lot more if you count all the stuff I’ve had to buy as a direct result of this hobby stocks, scopes rifles, reloading dies, powder, gun cases thank the lord I’m not married!!!!!! I’m not sure how I would justify this addiction to someone