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Busy Bee knee Milling machine Mississauga On. $2500

Definitely green (not my favourite color), might change to possibly grey.

I pulled the head and the power X motor. A few scratches on the top surface of the Y axis, not sure what's up with that? Hopefully everything works and I won't find anything too nasty during disassembly. Definitely needs a good scrubbing. 5" vise included is missing jaws.
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Dabbler said:
To answer your other question, It takes about an hour to remove the table, if it doesn't have the power feed on it. A little longer with it. You have to remove the X lead screw, and then the nut, and it just slides off. It isn't that heavy; perhaps 90 pounds or so. It is also easy to take the head off, should you need to. That will make it a lot easier to get it to the basement.
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Thanks for responding, I have never removed a mill table so a few more details would be helpful. I removed the power feed, simple enough just a few screws etc, so next the table.

When you say remove the X lead screw, how do I actually do that?

I'm assuming the nut you refer to is the nut that the lead screw passes through? Seems like this would be hidden under the table how do you access it to remove it?

Should I take notes regarding the gibs and gib set screws to have some hope of getting them back to where they should be when I re-assemble?

Do I need to measure or record anything or just take it apart?

Much appreciated, and I'm sure I will have a few more questions but one step at time.
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@slow-poke this looks identical to my B048 BB mill. great little mill.

slow-poke said:
When you say remove the X lead screw, how do I actually do that?
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(takes big breath)

You remove both end caps by detaching all the hardware - good to photograph as you go. on real BPs there are a lot parts there, and not all appear logical for reassembly.Once these end caps are off, you loosen the gibbs. Then you slide the table off the saddle. *it is best to use 2 people, or a crane for support* If you let it drop, even a little, it can break off the corners of the dovetails. I've rejected buying a mill because of this.

Now that the table is out, you can remove the lead screw and nut by removing the cap head screw.

The nut screws into the saddle, not the table. the table is moved by the end caps. I hope this helps.
 
If you have cart around the same height the knee can be moved up/down and the table slide onto the cart, less chance of breaking a dovetail.
The head can be set upside down on the lid and slid down the ramp.
 
I took the first layer of krud off the table, so now the head and table are in the basement quite easy so far.

Next up the saddle and knee. I'm wondering if the knee with the saddle in place can be removed as a unit?

Anymore words of wisdom?

Does anyone know how much the knee weighs, looks fairly heavy I'm guessing at least 200lbs?

Guesses on weight of that rather large one piece base, perhaps 500-600 lbs?

The good news is the base is fairly compact 51" tall, and 20" x 28" IIRC
 
slow-poke said:
Next up the saddle and knee. I'm wondering if the knee with the saddle in place can be removed as a unit?
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I never took my knee off. I think it would be a little sketch if you tried to lift it all at once. I can see the attraction, tho.

Do you have a hard point at the top of the stairs, and a suitable come-along, chainfall, or lever hoist? If so, I'd be tempted to slide the whole affiar down the stairs using it (on plywood, of course) , and leaving the knee in place.
 
Dabbler said:
Do you have a hard point at the top of the stairs
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Apparently he has a bolt anchored in concrete at the top of the stairs. I'd like to know a lot more about that. Especially how come he has concrete up there...
 
It would be a little better if the hard point were 5 feet from the top of the stairs, but 'ya do wad ya godda do'...
 
I happened to have a door way opposite the stairway to the basement. A piece of 3in. 1/4 wall sq. tube placed across inside of the door way, a chain around that, with a larger ( chelvies) to hook into, lowered a 300lb. gun safe with a rope down the stairs. Would be son in law was a bit surprised, controlled it with a couple fingers.
Concrete floor? And a bomb shelter.
 
Susquatch said:
Apparently he has a bolt anchored in concrete at the top of the stairs. I'd like to know a lot more about that. Especially how come he has concrete up there...
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We have two staircases to the basement in our bungalow, one inside the house and one inside the garage. The garage has a concrete floor. The anchor point is about 6' from the top of the stairs. The garage staircase leads to a small electrical room (400A service) which then leads to my shop area. When I lowered my existing round column mill down the (garage) staircase it was almost fully assembled (less the stepper motors, etc that hang off the end of the table). I reinforced the garage staircase at that time with numerous vertical 2x4s under each stringer as well as one under the middle of each tread. Definitely overkill but 2x4's were cheap before Covid. That staircase is very strong.

I have yet another route to the basement and that's what I used to move to head and table yesterday. Our bungalow is built on a slope towards a ravine so the basement is at ground level along the entire West side of the house and there are patio doors. This area of the basement is "finished" with new carpet so traversing heavy oily contraptions to the shop area necessitates temporary plywood runners to prevent marital mayhem. The other tricky aspects of this route include a reasonably steep grade on a narrow sidewak (just measured 28" and the opening between the steel gate posts is 31"and a goofy sidewalk transition immediately after the gate where the slope is in two planes, such that a hand cart will pitch to one side at that point while one wheel will be 2-3" lower than the other for about a foot until it all levels out.
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Sounds good. I moved Bert's 420 kg Bridgeport base downstairs that way, without the benefit of a come-a-long. It was a little hairy, but there was plenty of friction that it needed nudging to descend.
 
I'm inclined to use the sidewalk route at this point, I think I will make some sort of plywood spacer to temporarily compensate for the goofy sidewalk transition. A suitably narrow but strong hand cart might be the quickest solution?

I plan to make a three hole lifting plate that will mount where the head is normally situated. I'm assuming this is the safest easiest way to lift the base? I'm assuming 1/4" steel plate with a big eyebolt would be plenty strong.

This looks adequate

Thoughts on handcart?

Perhaps something like this:
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slow-poke said:
Thoughts on handcart?
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The idea of a handcart gives me the Heevie Jeevies personally. Way too prone to tipping over uncontrollably. I moved my mom's place with one of those. It broke suddenly at the bend in the base plate moving her washing machine. If you do go that way I'd lose the pneumatic tires and replace them with rated dolly wheels the same diameter.
 
slow-poke said:
I plan to make a three hole lifting plate that will mount where the head is normally situated.
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not sure what you mean. cannot visualize.

I'm not with you on the handcart. I use moving dollies for every heavy load. Usually I just make them custom rather than spending on prebuilt.

The eye bolt is just fine!
 
slow-poke said:
I plan to make a three hole lifting plate
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I made one for my old mill and it worked well. You will need to have a strap from the lifting plate down to the front of the base as well to keep the machine level, I used a ratchet strap.
The 1/2" eye-bolt should work okay for lifting, I welded a lifting lug on to mine.
Edit - if you ask @JustaDB he could send you a pic of one if you want it.
 
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