And This Is When I Got Sick To My Stomach

[wrat]

I dumped a mill (totaled it, though I still have not moved it into a scrap metal bin).

Totaled?
Whyyyyyy.... that's just a "fixer-upper" on Eb*y.
A little weld and a spot of paint.
3 or 4 thousand man hours and it oughta be good to go hadn't it?

Dang! That's hard to look at. Much sorrow for your loss.

Wrat

 

[Halteclere]

Where did the motor itself hit the garage? Was it at the bottom, middle, or top?

It hit in the middle, at the nameplate. The roof gutter crumpled around the motor and knocked loose the capacitor cover. Except for some scratched paint and the lose cover, I don't see any damage to the motor housing.

-Mitch

 

[Zoltan]

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.

That's really scary, especially with the kid castle right behind it.

If you don't mind me asking, how did it happen?

 

[Zoltan]

It hit in the middle, at the nameplate. The roof gutter crumpled around the motor and knocked loose the capacitor cover. Except for some scratched paint and the lose cover, I don't see any damage to the motor housing.

-Mitch

In that case I'll go with everyone else and say the rest of the mill or probably fine. Had it hit low down on the motor then it would have taken more force to break the cast aluminum.

 

[LarryJ]

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

Condolences on the dipwad move. Thank goodness, _I_ have never pulled one. <ducking, grinning, and running>

That looks like a simple welding (heliarc) repair, and since the weak part gave, it probably didn't hurt the rest of the machine. Definitely tram the beastie upon reassembly, though.

 

[Highsider]

Sounds like the gutters and the belt guard absorbed all the force. I think you got lucky...... fix the guard, tram the table and if all is well, order a new guard as camouflage. Once that's installed, it nevah happened.

 

[mike837go]

Sounds like the gutters and the belt guard absorbed all the force. I think you got lucky...... fix the guard, tram the table and if all is well, order a new guard as camouflage. Once that's installed, it nevah happened.

Until some idjit asks about the hammered-back-into-shape gutter...

Then all the painful memories come flooding back.

 

[Highsider]

That wavy place on the gutter is where the roof rooster always lands. (Quick change of subject.)

 

[coolidge]

Bummer, I would been like then then but hey at least you didn't lose and eye look on the bright side! Hopefully you can weld it together or find a used replacement part.

 

[Chipper5783]

That's really scary, especially with the kid castle right behind it.

If you don't mind me asking, how did it happen?

Perhaps if the plastic castle had been closer, it would have gotten crushed, but reduced the damage to the machine?

It is not a fun story to tell (makes me look very dumb). In summary I did not recognize a specific risk (I very carefully, very slowly and, in retrospect deliberately, put myself into a dangerous situation - needless to say when the "trap sprung" it went very quickly). I suppose most accidents happen because risks were not properly evaluated or addressed (if they had been, then the bad outcome would not have happend. ???). I don't want to divert Halteclere's post.

I posted more pictures in another thread:
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/thre...ling-drilling-and-boring-machine-mh600.30766/