Almost free milling machine??????? :D

[Buckshot]

..........Ellis, one of my co-workers rents a shop in one of those large core buildings, as he lives in an apartment and has no facilities. He tinkers around with cars and what not. I've made him a couple doo dads and some fittings for an old pot type paint sprayer with the lathe. He came in Saturday AM and asked me if I wanted an old endmill?

I said, "Endmill?", and he said yeah it's pretty big. I asked if he meant milling machine and he said yeah, that was it. He said the guy in the building across the alley behind his shop had just moved a milling machine and a big steel table with 4 drill presses on it out into the alley, and he figured the guy was throwing them away. I asked him to check into it and if it was so I would pay him to move them into his shop.

Ellis got with the guy and he said he could have them if he wanted, so he called me last night to let me know. He said he had a buddy in the complex with a forklift, or maybe the guy who moved them out could do it. I said I'd cover the expenses if he could get it done. Ellis said the milling machine was a Sharp (Taiwanese, and darn! I was so hoping for a Bridgeport or other American make :lol: )

He said it looked to be in good shape, but just looking doesn't tell much so far as operation is concerned. However the price will be right even if it needs a new motor or spindle bearings and some other stuff. What isn't suitable for a real shop can serve just fine for a home shop guy. He said the drill presses were made by Buffalo. I know those wiley Chinese will put any name on a machine, but I'm hoping they're old American iron.

................Buckshot

[lar45]

Excellent, some guys have all the luck.
My son's Uncle just got a Bridgport Mill for $20 for the scrap price. Everythings working and in decent shape, they just got a new one and this one was in the way.
I'm going to see about converting it to CNC for parts cost, I figure it will be good advertising when his machinist buddies look at it.

[shooter575]

Buckshot, Buffalo was a old american maker.They made forge blowers and I seem to recall they made drillpresses too. Everything for the blacksmith shop.
With all the small jober shops going south here in the rust belt a lot of usable stuff can be had at good prices.

[Willbird]

I know you have been round machines for awile Buckshot, but I was astounded to see what a bridgeport weighs AFTER I had moved my two forty miles, and my old Hendy 15x60 lathe acted like it weighed twice what the bports do.


Bill

[James Wisner]

Buckshot.

Sharp has imported mills for a long time. I had 4 of them once. Now down to two. Two versions are a real close copy of an Bridgeport, so some parts will interchange.
After you get it let me know and I may have an spare operaters manual for the model you got.

Jim Wisner
Custom Metalsmith

[Buckshot]

...........It will be interesting to see what the stuff is and what I have in store for myself. Ellis said one of the drill presses is missing it's motor. I had checked on the Practical Machinists and Home Shop Machinists BB about the drill presses, and it appears that there was also an oriental company or importer badging some machines with the "Buffalo" name. Hopefully these are good old American iron. It would be a lot easier to get them fixed if they were.

Bless his heart but Ellis didn't ask the owner when he was talking to him anything about the machines. You know, like what was wrong with them? Or why he was getting rid of'em. I'm hoping to get a call from him letting me know they're safely tucked in his shop!

...........Shooter575, that's pretty much some of the info I got off the other 2 BB's. I know some of these old drill presses were very substantial machines. One of my shooting buddies has an old Powermatic DP and the thing is a hunk of cast iron. Even the belt cover is cast iron, and it must have a 4" spindle.

............Willbird, we got my 11" Logan/Powermatic cabinet base lathe put in my garage with an engine hoist. I think what will happen on the milling machine is that it will have to be taken apart as far as we can accomplish that. I'm really excited about this and hope to be able to get it home next week.

..............Buckshot

[no_1]

" I think what will happen on the milling machine is that it will have to be taken apart as far as we can accomplish that. I'm really excited about this and hope to be able to get it home next week."

..............Buckshot[/QUOTE]

Buckshot,

Why take it apart? If your garage is level with the drive, you should be able to put it anywhere inside you desire. I worked at a machine shop that moved to a larger site. We move every machine in that place. Some were very big. All the mills were moved thru the shop using 1" cold rolled as rollers and 6' pinch bars to ease them along. When we got them to the door we choked around them with straps and continued to use the "rollers" to get them on the rollback. When we got them to the new place, we tilted the bed, rolled them off the truck and then started the process again to set them in their respective spots thru ths shop. It seemed a little scary as first but with about 6-8 1" pieces of stock, it went without a hitch. Give it a try, you will like it.

[James Wisner]

No1

Yes I have moved a lot of machinery the same way.
I wish I had a $100 bill for every milling machine I hauled in a 1/2 ton Chevy.

The whole key to moving these heavy machines is like Jeff Foxworthy said in one of his jokes refering to his man hood.

Its not the motion of the ocean that gets you there.
Its not the size that gets you there.
But dog gone, it takes a long time to cross the ocean in a row boat.

Use rollers under the machine and take it easy, think about one or two inches a movement and you will get there.

Jim Wisner

[Buckshot]

............Thanks for the advice guys. I guess I could use some 1" gas pipe for rollers. The main problem is going to be getting it off the trailer. Next problem is getting it through the garage door :lol: . It remains to be seen how tall it is. I may have to take off the garage door. I sure hope not!

...........Buckshot

[mroliver77]

Buckshot, Willbird sold one of his Bridgeports to my pal. The three of us used a come along and pulled it up a ramp onto a low car trailer. I helped get it into the garage where it now lives. Piece of cake. We used plate on top of the ramps and come alonged it down with a safty strap to prevent it from running away. Off the ramps onto pipes and rolled it into place.As the others have said slow and easy., Jay

[Buckshot]

.............It's all for naught boys. I got a call from my buddy and he went over to talk to the owner about moving it into his shop. The owner told him they set it out because it was broken. I suppose Ellis never looked at it in the daylight [smilie=b:.

The base has a crack starting at the edge of the foot/column that runs up the front and right along the dovetail the knee rides up and down! Ellis said he just thought it was oil or something as the machine WAS dirty. I guess it's a anchor for a medium sized boat now.

So now it's back to the waitng/saving game now :-( . Oh well.

.............Buckshot

[Willbird]

Well Buck I'll tell you this, if that machine is a clone of a bridgeport at least get the head, those things are worth $$$$$

and on the multi spindle drillpress, I have run those in the beginning of my years of experience, for general purpose garage shop type work a good normal drill press would probably serve you better, the older machines have what seems like miles of flat belts on them and unless you have a lacer and raw belting your gonna be in a pinch.

Bill