And This Is When I Got Sick To My Stomach

Halteclere

Halteclere

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Mar 4, 2013
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This past weekend was Moving Weekend, when my wife and I moved to a temporary residence while our house undergoes significant renovation. Five o'clock Sunday evening I'm pretty much shot, but decide to make one final trip with stuff from my garage.

Using a drop-deck trailer I carefully load my Rockwell mill and strap it down, and slowly drive to my new, short-term domicile. Twice when backing up into the garage I step out of the truck to make sure there is nothing in the way.

The third time, thud, I hit something. And that's when I got sick to my stomach. I had forgotten to lower the trailer and backed the motor housing into the eve of the garage roof. Uhhhhhhhhh.

What are the chances that I did more damage than just busting up the belt guard? Could I have sprung the head and ruined the alignment?

And what are the chances I'll be able to find a replacement belt guard without having to buy a full machine?

(Cross posted at the Yahoo Rockwell Milling Machine forum)

-Mitch

Busted Belt Guard.jpg
 
I am going to take the positive side and say you just need to get a new housing or repair this one. Everything else looks good.

I really don't know the answer, I wish you lots of luck and hope everything works in your favor.
 
To make a judgement call on the total damage just with looking at a picture is not possible. But I do feel your pain. And is that housing made out of aluminum? Maybe you can weld it back together?...Dave.
 
Cast aluminum isn't too strong, although I'm sure it gave the mill a push I highly doubt any damage was done. The important part, the spindle, doesn't look like it could've been damaged in any way.

Make sure your starter cap is undamaged, and I'd try low temp aluminum brazing rod. Make sure to V groove and clean the weld joint. With some filing, sanding, and some paint it should hopefully become a distant memory.
 
I Mitch, I feel for you. Probably a number of folks here could share some sort of a "bad". I dumped a mill (totaled it, though I still have not moved it into a scrap metal bin - it sits in a corner of the shop as a reminder of my "bad" and thankfulness that I'm still all here). I was shook up enough that I got zero sleep that night.

DSC02185.JPG
 
Andre said:
Cast aluminum isn't too strong, although I'm sure it gave the mill a push I highly doubt any damage was done. The important part, the spindle, doesn't look like it could've been damaged in any way.

Make sure your starter cap is undamaged, and I'd try low temp aluminum brazing rod. Make sure to V groove and clean the weld joint. With some filing, sanding, and some paint it should hopefully become a distant memory.
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:+1:
 
Sorry for your misfortune. Sometimes we do more in a day than we should resulting in negative outcome. Like mentioned prior, your spindle looks like it might have been spared and the alum housing and be massaged back to proper location and tig weld. I once dropped a mill on it's face after strap failure. I got the same feeling when I saw your picture and more so after Chipper's photo.
Best of luck amigo!
 
Where did the motor itself hit the garage? Was it at the bottom, middle, or top?
 
Andre said:
Cast aluminum isn't too strong, although I'm sure it gave the mill a push I highly doubt any damage was done. The important part, the spindle, doesn't look like it could've been damaged in any way.
Click to expand...

What he said. The places it failed constitute lightweight structure and are easily fixed.
Although, i gotta admit, it would just make me sick... and pout... and perhaps utter an uncouth phrase.
The loved one did not die. But accept my sympathies at this time of grievous concern.

Wrat
 
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