Horizontal mill?

[Maker]

2000lbs is an american ton, also called a short ton. proper tons (ours) are 2240lbs

The whole long and short measurement system annoys me, like how a billion can either equal a million squared (long) or a thousand * a million (short - s**t)

 

[Wedg1e]

Places like HSS do engine crane hire for sensible money - usually cheaper by the weekend.

As for slinging the Omnimill, it's possible (and I'm not stating it as fact) that the factory technique was to swing the head over 90 degrees on its side then slip slings around the round 'chrome' ram - perhaps with the table wound in close to the column to centralise the mass. From the drawings on the lathes website I can't make out any obvious sites for attaching lifting eyes.
The 1700lb/ 850Kg Bridgeport 1ES was intended to be lifted by a couple of eyebolts screwed into its top ram which is a hollow casting and puts all the weight through the dovetails which doesn't seem a good idea either - the Colchester Student weighs 650Kg and the approved technique involves lifting it by a single eyebolt threaded into the bed so it may not have to be as robust a solution as you imagine.

 

[Maker]

Chrome ram

Do you mean the shaft the vertical head it mounted on or the overarm?

Don't suppose you know of any bits that could be removed to lighten it and prevent damage, eg; handwheels?

 

[Wedg1e]

Do you mean the shaft the vertical head it mounted on or the overarm?

Don't suppose you know of any bits that could be removed to lighten it and prevent damage, eg; handwheels?

Aye, the shaft the vert head pivots on. With the head canted over to one side you'd have a clear lift. As I said, I don't know for certain that is how it ought to be done but it's a 2.25" solid steel bar, it's not going to bend much over such a short distance! Obviously you'd nip up all the clamp bolts to stop the machine pivotting around the turret. You could certainly remove handles etc. for transport but beware of any nuts, spacers etc. rattling loose and falling off if you do; they won't seriously reduce the weight however. I'd also drop the 'knee' of the mill down as far as poss to keep the weight low for transit. You could go as far as removing the turret, vertical head etc. but you may have to do that once it's on the trailer and then reinstall it to lift it back off and I bet that head isn't light!

When I shifted my Colchester with my (2-tonne long-reach) crane we lifted the lathe off the floor then rested it on planks across the crane legs while we heaved the monster out of the garage and down the drive. Then we lifted it as near to the trailer as possible to minimise risk of toppling. With a small crane you have to bear in mind that by the time the base of the mill is high enough to clear the trailer bed, the tip of the crane jib may need to be a good 8 or 9 feet in the air, so keep slings as short as possible otherwise you won't get enough height. Also remember that engine crane max. loads de-rate as you extend the jib, e.g. my 2-tonner is only actually rated for 500Kg at max extension. A 1-tonne crane might only be rated for 250Kg at max extension.

You may also need to consider that if you get your granny/auntie/fairy godmother to tow the trailer, she may not be familiar with hauling a heavy load... unless she's towed a horsebox around

 

[MattF]

2000lbs is an american ton, also called a short ton. proper tons (ours) are 2240lbs

American is ton whilst tonne is the old imperial English one, is it not? The whole ton/tonne thing catches me out every time.

 

[wyn]

American is ton whilst tonne is the old imperial English one, is it not? The whole ton/tonne thing catches me out every time.

Tonne is metric....1000kg

 

[Maker]

Aye, the shaft the vert head pivots on. With the head canted over to one side you'd have a clear lift. As I said, I don't know for certain that is how it ought to be done but it's a 2.25" solid steel bar, it's not going to bend much over such a short distance! Obviously you'd nip up all the clamp bolts to stop the machine pivotting around the turret. You could certainly remove handles etc. for transport but beware of any nuts, spacers etc. rattling loose and falling off if you do; they won't seriously reduce the weight however. I'd also drop the 'knee' of the mill down as far as poss to keep the weight low for transit. You could go as far as removing the turret, vertical head etc. but you may have to do that once it's on the trailer and then reinstall it to lift it back off and I bet that head isn't light!

When I shifted my Colchester with my (2-tonne long-reach) crane we lifted the lathe off the floor then rested it on planks across the crane legs while we heaved the monster out of the garage and down the drive. Then we lifted it as near to the trailer as possible to minimise risk of toppling. With a small crane you have to bear in mind that by the time the base of the mill is high enough to clear the trailer bed, the tip of the crane jib may need to be a good 8 or 9 feet in the air, so keep slings as short as possible otherwise you won't get enough height. Also remember that engine crane max. loads de-rate as you extend the jib, e.g. my 2-tonner is only actually rated for 500Kg at max extension. A 1-tonne crane might only be rated for 250Kg at max extension.

You may also need to consider that if you get your granny/auntie/fairy godmother to tow the trailer, she may not be familiar with hauling a heavy load... unless she's towed a horsebox around

The longest extension of the jib is 500 kg and the listing says it weighs 482 kg so it should be fine. I won't bother taking any bit off in case I lose/break them.
The maximum height of the hoist is 2450mm and supposing the height of the mill + lifting straps is 1800mm I should have 650mm of clearance underneath but I still haven't phoned MTM about the trailer height yet.
The person who will hopefully tow it (still haven't phoned her yet either) usually takes the trailer when we go camping and that probably weighs 200ish kgs so she's not got much heavy trailer experience AFAIK but surely all you need to know is to just drive slower and leave a bigger gap between you and the car in front?

 

[Pete.]

Of course, hundredweight. I'll phone them tomorrow and find out the height of the bed and some other stuff.

What's the difference between a ton and a tonne? Is one metric?

Not enough to worry about. The metric tonne is about 16kg more than the imperial ton.

 

[ukracer]

Did you win it then??

 

[MattF]

So imperial is ton, American is ton and metric is tonne? Cheers for clearing that one up. Mind you, I'll probably have forgotten by tomorrow.

 

[Maker]

Did you win it then??

Nope. The friend with the tow bar works as a registrar so I really can't call her at work and it ended before she got back to me. The good news is that she said she will be able to help me next time.

There's lots more on eBay but nothing quite as versatile as an Omnimill.
There's a shaper for £80 but it's Cumbria. I know it's not very useful (compared to a mill) but it's just ... cool.
There's also a slotter. Errm ... What on earth is one? It looks like a really stout mill with a rotary table fixed on and there doesn't appear to be a spindle like a mill.

I'm not thinking about getting it unless you all say it's amazing because it's massive and must weigh about 3 tonnes.

 

[The Devils Reject]

There's a shaper for £80 but it's Cumbria. I know it's not very useful (compared to a mill) but it's just ... cool.

I used to commute from Suffolk to Cumbria to see my missus - it'll only take 6.5 hours each way

 

[Shox Dr]

So imperial is ton, American is ton and metric is tonne? Cheers for clearing that one up. Mind you, I'll probably have forgotten by tomorrow.

Well thats a Weight off my mind

 

[brightspark]

I used to commute from Suffolk to Cumbria to see my missus - it'll only take 6.5 hours each way

u must have been well in love .after u been married a few years i bet u wouldnt

 

[The Devils Reject]

u must have been well in love .after u been married a few years i bet u wouldnt

Did that run for about 12 months. Managed to kill a diesel 306 with the amount of miles I put on it. Been up here for nearly 7 years now and married for 3....my days of ubermileage are well behind me now

 

[garethp]

Planer for cutting gear teeth? Blank sits on rotary table with a cutter ground to tooth profile moving up and down with table turned to index teeth

Nope. The friend with the tow bar works as a registrar so I really can't call her at work and it ended before she got back to me. The good news is that she said she will be able to help me next time.

There's lots more on eBay but nothing quite as versatile as an Omnimill.
There's a shaper for £80 but it's Cumbria. I know it's not very useful (compared to a mill) but it's just ... cool.
There's also a slotter. Errm ... What on earth is one? It looks like a really stout mill with a rotary table fixed on and there doesn't appear to be a spindle like a mill.

I'm not thinking about getting it unless you all say it's amazing because it's massive and must weigh about 3 tonnes.

 

[Maker]

Planer for cutting gear teeth? Blank sits on rotary table with a cutter ground to tooth profile moving up and down with table turned to index teeth

So it's like a vertical shaper with a rotary table? Doesn't sound worth £500 to me.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

So it's like a vertical shaper with a rotary table? Doesn't sound worth £500 to me.

Good for cutting keyways in a bore and for cutting internal square corners.

 

[Maker]

I just won an Elliott 181 horizontal mill for £420 (the one from my first post).
I'm hiring a Luton with a tail lift and my cousin is driving me over there to get it. I think there's a pallet jack we can load it with in one of the pictures and we will unload it with steel rollers, hopefully going over on Monday.
Anyway, I'm off to start moving all my tools into the garage and all the crap in there into the shed.

 

[Wallace]

Congratulations! Might be worth sealing or painting the garage floor to keep the concrete dust under control.