02-18-2016, 01:58 PM
That is a hefty-duty machine, for sure!
Yeah, if they're demo'ing the building, bring a sledgehammer and sawzall and make the door openings big enough to move the milling machine through.
Google "Egyptian Move" -- you'll want to buy 4~5 pieces of black iron pipe, a "pinch bar" and make yourself a large pile of wedges and blocks. The wedges want to be cut corner-to-corner from a 4x4 about 2' long. You'll want to make 4 wedges. The blocks should be ~1' long, and cut out of 1x4, 2x4 and 4x4.
The wedges perform 3 functions -- they are an infinitely adjustable fulcrum point for your pinch bar, they will support the machine as you build up the block stack, and, they act as a brake if you get on an inclined plane -- just stuff the wedge under the downhill edge of the machine and it *will* stop.
Let's talk about the pinch bar -- it's NOT a crowbar. Basically, one end has a slight kick up, this end is used to lift the machine. I have a 3' pinch bar, and I can lift the geared headstock end of my 16x40 lathe with one hand on the pinch bar. It's only lifting it 1/4" for 2 feet of movement at the far end of the handle, just enough for you to get a wedge in under it.
The pointy end is used to move the machine - it gets poked under the back edge of the machine, and when you lift, the machine slides down the pinch bar and moves forward. The pointy end can actually dig slightly into concrete, and will absolute F up a tile floor.
![[Image: 1161100_L_01.JPG]](http://www.amestruetemper.com/uploads/images/True%20Temper/products/1161100_L_01.JPG)
Always make sure you have at least 3 pipes under the machine at all times. To go straight, make the pipes parallel to each other, arranged perpendicular to the path of travel. To turn, fan the pipes out.
Lifting into a truck or trailer is a different skill set. Know and accept that you won't be able to do it with an engine hoist. It's usually a very bad plan to lift from the bottom (i.e. avoid the temptation to lift it with a fork truck -- machines tend to slide around on the steel forks unpredictably. If the fork truck will reach high enough, you can lift from above using a fork truck. A backhoe or a tow truck have also been used with success.
Knowing how and where to lift the machine from is crucial. Some mills have a very large threaded hole in the top of the ram. You can get a lifting eye (which is not the same as a hardware store eye bolt) and lift from that point. There may be marks on the ram where it will balance correctly, otherwise, test the balance and move the ram until it lifts straight up without tilting. If it doesn't have a lifting eye, then a sling around the ram is generally accepted as safe. Don't lift by the table, you can easily bend the lead screws.
It's a good idea to get the knee all the way down, the table centered, and the head spun around so the motor is below the ram.
Yeah, if they're demo'ing the building, bring a sledgehammer and sawzall and make the door openings big enough to move the milling machine through.
Google "Egyptian Move" -- you'll want to buy 4~5 pieces of black iron pipe, a "pinch bar" and make yourself a large pile of wedges and blocks. The wedges want to be cut corner-to-corner from a 4x4 about 2' long. You'll want to make 4 wedges. The blocks should be ~1' long, and cut out of 1x4, 2x4 and 4x4.
The wedges perform 3 functions -- they are an infinitely adjustable fulcrum point for your pinch bar, they will support the machine as you build up the block stack, and, they act as a brake if you get on an inclined plane -- just stuff the wedge under the downhill edge of the machine and it *will* stop.
Let's talk about the pinch bar -- it's NOT a crowbar. Basically, one end has a slight kick up, this end is used to lift the machine. I have a 3' pinch bar, and I can lift the geared headstock end of my 16x40 lathe with one hand on the pinch bar. It's only lifting it 1/4" for 2 feet of movement at the far end of the handle, just enough for you to get a wedge in under it.
The pointy end is used to move the machine - it gets poked under the back edge of the machine, and when you lift, the machine slides down the pinch bar and moves forward. The pointy end can actually dig slightly into concrete, and will absolute F up a tile floor.
Always make sure you have at least 3 pipes under the machine at all times. To go straight, make the pipes parallel to each other, arranged perpendicular to the path of travel. To turn, fan the pipes out.
Lifting into a truck or trailer is a different skill set. Know and accept that you won't be able to do it with an engine hoist. It's usually a very bad plan to lift from the bottom (i.e. avoid the temptation to lift it with a fork truck -- machines tend to slide around on the steel forks unpredictably. If the fork truck will reach high enough, you can lift from above using a fork truck. A backhoe or a tow truck have also been used with success.
Knowing how and where to lift the machine from is crucial. Some mills have a very large threaded hole in the top of the ram. You can get a lifting eye (which is not the same as a hardware store eye bolt) and lift from that point. There may be marks on the ram where it will balance correctly, otherwise, test the balance and move the ram until it lifts straight up without tilting. If it doesn't have a lifting eye, then a sling around the ram is generally accepted as safe. Don't lift by the table, you can easily bend the lead screws.
It's a good idea to get the knee all the way down, the table centered, and the head spun around so the motor is below the ram.