It is a good day. My new knee mill has made it safely to the ground and into my garage thanks to a nice driver, a big lift gate, and a motorized pallet jack.
I have been using milling machines on and off for 30 years and few days have gone by without thoughts of a Bridgeport mill in my garage. That never happened but many years ago I did buy a round column 'complex machine', a well used Jet brand Rong Fu mill drill with no DRO. I have suffered through some unpleasant hours trying to hold close tolerances in three dimensions using dial indicators on that machine. Now that I am retired, I have found my 'One Machine to Rule Them All'. And while it is not a Bridgeport, I feel good about it. I warmed up to the idea of a Precision Matthews machine because of the community of users online. There is nothing quite like that with other brands.
Over the next few days I will be inspecting it and preparing to lift it. I have a 2 ton engine crane on the way and a toe jack. And I plan on making a steel base to lift it up 7 inches or so. I am 6'1" tall and I want it to be a comfortable height. What are some of the things particular to this machine I should be on the lookout for as I inspect it?
Here are some pictures from today's delivery. More to come.
I have been using milling machines on and off for 30 years and few days have gone by without thoughts of a Bridgeport mill in my garage. That never happened but many years ago I did buy a round column 'complex machine', a well used Jet brand Rong Fu mill drill with no DRO. I have suffered through some unpleasant hours trying to hold close tolerances in three dimensions using dial indicators on that machine. Now that I am retired, I have found my 'One Machine to Rule Them All'. And while it is not a Bridgeport, I feel good about it. I warmed up to the idea of a Precision Matthews machine because of the community of users online. There is nothing quite like that with other brands.
Over the next few days I will be inspecting it and preparing to lift it. I have a 2 ton engine crane on the way and a toe jack. And I plan on making a steel base to lift it up 7 inches or so. I am 6'1" tall and I want it to be a comfortable height. What are some of the things particular to this machine I should be on the lookout for as I inspect it?
Here are some pictures from today's delivery. More to come.
