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Busy Bee knee Milling machine Mississauga On. $2500

Tom O

Ultra Member
This is what I use for the descent into the basement the back door matches up pretty well so this contraption uses both of the door jams the doors not open but you can see how it would fit. Before it is put in place i put a sheet of plywood down overhanging the steps and made a 2x6 wooden box to support the overhang then the machine is rolled onto the plywood landing and the ( hand ) winch is attached to the upper part of the frame which gives it a straight pull , the support box is removed and will let it tip down how fast depends on your center of gravity but you also use the plywood as a 3- 4’ lever . IMAG0007.jpeg
 

DPittman

Ultra Member
Premium Member
Are you sure the column doesn't unbolt from the base? I can't picture how they would machine the column with base attached. Sending the knee, column and base down the stairs separately would be a lot safer.
It seems to me the base is cast separate but bolted on and finished with chinese putty and paint to make it look as if it is cast as one unit. I could be wrong but that is what I think I remember seeing.
 
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slow-poke

Ultra Member
Are you sure the column doesn't unbolt from the base? I can't picture how they would machine the column with base attached. Sending the knee, column and base down the stairs separately would be a lot safer.

On the new ones the column bolts to the base, on the older ones (mine), it's one big solid casting. Looking at the new style at BB today the parting line was obvious.

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I stopped by PA to pickup the big eye bolt, and BusyBee is right across the street so I popped in to compare mine with the latest version. Very little has changed in the 34 years separating the new from the old, the only significant thing is the solid vs. two piece described above.

It was worth the visit, because it spawned a new idea for moving the base. BB has the display model on a very low profile ShopFox base with casters. BB has stock of that base $160, I think if I bolt the base to that ShopFox base I could simply roll it (very slowly) out of the garage and down the sidewalk to the basement patio door. Would definitly not do it alone, the grade of the sidewalk is not trivial, drops about 9-10 over a span of 60 feet, so about 10 degrees. One person would have to be the brake and the other the driver to make sure it stays on the sidewalk. Sounds a bit iffy what do you think?

Not sure how much my big toolbox weighs but I rolled it down with one helper and it was pretty easy.
 
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JustaDB

Ultra Member
Did @JustaDB buy your mill?
I've been meaning to post about it. Knowing how this place likes photos, I've been wanting to transfer some over to this laptop but don't have a thumb drive initialized to it. PITA.

Was a flying trip out to the interior of BC & back w/ a U-Haul trailer rated at 88 kph (BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!) in tow and a cooler w/ fresh Alberta beef & local corn on the cob in the back seat. I think the trailer wheels touched every half mile or so, usually in the curves where I had to slow down.
 

Susquatch

Ultra Member
Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
One person would have to be the brake and the other the driver to make sure it stays on the sidewalk. Sounds a bit iffy what do you think?

Straight math on a 1000 pounds on a 10/60 grade is 166 pounds trying to race down that hill. One guy acting as brake isn't gunna hold it and the steering guy is gunna get steam rolled. More weight is worse, less weight is better by the pure linear ratio. You would be much better off borrowing @Brent H 's wench. But a winch would be ok too. A cable around a wind lass (tree) might also work.
 

JustaDB

Ultra Member
.....you flatlanders never could figure those curves out.......;)
Was passing every BC plate on the road, sunshine. :cool:

Let's just say I tested that 88 kph limit by better'n 50%. Often. Went from east of Calgary to Merritt & back again in 17-1/2 hours, including a 2 hour break in the middle to transfer from one trailer to another. Averaged >100 kph over the trip, including 3 gas stops. Not bad, considering the traffic/speed limits in the Salmon Arm area & the alleged 90 kph speed limit through Banff & Yoho Nat'l Parks.
 

slow-poke

Ultra Member
Straight math on a 1000 pounds on a 10/60 grade is 166 pounds trying to race down that hill. One guy acting as brake isn't gunna hold it and the steering guy is gunna get steam rolled. More weight is worse, less weight is better by the pure linear ratio. You would be much better off borrowing @Brent H 's wench. But a winch would be ok too. A cable around a wind lass (tree) might also work.
Well with the knee off, probably closer to 500-700lb. One thing for sure, can't afford to let it accelerate. Unfortunately there are no trees in line with that sidewalk.

One thing I could do is lay it on its back, one dolly under the base and another under the top of the turret, centre of gravity would then be much improved.
 

Susquatch

Ultra Member
Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
Well with the knee off, probably closer to 500-700lb.

Still too much to stop with just one guy as brakes.

One thing for sure, can't afford to let it accelerate.

Amen to that!

Unfortunately there are no trees in line with that sidewalk.

How about a truck? In fact, with a long enough cable and a careful driver with good brakes you could let it down gently.....

Good way to get it back up when you need to.
 

Dabbler

ersatz engineer
@slow-poke if you have some plywood you can buy some 1000lb 4" or 6" PA casters and build a flat deck trolly. You can make it as wide as you need, and the large wheels make it possible to cope with cracks, ledges and grass.

If you elect to lay it down, you can make a long thin trolly, which will make it very stable.

There are huge frictional forces involved here - the smaller the wheels, the greater the rolling resistance. But I'm a really big fan of belt AND suspenders approach. If you can, use a strong post with 3 wraps of static rope and a belayer. It makes this *so simple* and *so safe*.

But 2 persons moving things is max. There is just so much more complications caused by too many hands, it is impossible to control the safety of the moves.

There is a great role for a 3rd person to be completely hands off, and their *only* role is to be a observer and to call halt if something gets questionable. A move can always be restarted, but an uncontrolled move can never be reversed. (by "uncontrolled move" is a euphemism for something very bad)

Of the 14 large machines we took out of Berts basement, every one of them had a custom dolly under them, and they were securely strapped and/or bolted to the base of their dolly. This allowed us to attach a winch to each machine, and winch them up the staircase.

The lathe bed had 2 dollies made for it: the one for the basement, and the one for the yard after we winched it up and out the window. Having them made the transition quite easy.
 

slow-poke

Ultra Member
The last two comments are quite helpful, thanks Susquatch and Dabbler.

Custom dolly with the base on its back is sounding good, perhaps 2x4's and 4" casters.

No truck but I can park my car in a suitable location, then wrap a 2" tow strap around one of the wheels and then run a tow strap from that tow strap ( I have several) to where the anchor needs to be.

I have used the rope wrapped around a tree trick and yes it's quite effective, but no tree. Come-Along will take too many swaps over 60', but I have a flat strap winch in the shed that might work, I just can't remember if it winches in both directions or just one, will take a look at it in the morning.

Got sidetracked yesterday with yard cleanup (leaves) so only had time to make the lifting plate and get the mill off the skid, that I had to cut to pieces to get the shop crane close enough, the skid is mostly sawdust now;-)

I want to clean and paint the base in the garage before moving so I better get a move on because we have had our first touch of snow that melted but any day now that sidewalk is going to be a luge run.
 
For moving stuff up and down stairways a Power Mate lift dolly is what is needed. Years ago I had access to one to move a freezer (and safe) by myself. When I picked up the freezer I loaded onto my trailer by myself after declining the help of two polite burly bikers, they sat laughing at my stupidity until it it looked like I effortlessly lifted both dolly and freezer onto the trailer. Little did they know I had a battery powered lift dolly.

Be lazy work smart not hard.
 

slow-poke

Ultra Member
Sounds like fun, reminds me of when my wife parallel parked her SUV in a small spot in front of a bunch of snickering guys, two maneuvers and it was an inch from the curb, they all clapped and then I snickered. What's the saying brains over brawn.

When I lowered my round column mill down the stairs, going down was easy, the 90 degree turn at the bottom of the stairs was a bit tricky because the mill was < 1" from the concrete walls and I had to pull it out the door and there is a small step in at that point. The base of this mill is heavier than my fully assembled old mil. I'm going to try the luge run this time.
 
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Susquatch

Ultra Member
Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
^^^^ ++++ what @Dabbler said! The voice of experience is usually solid gold.

Nicely worded and spot on the money too!

PA has big inexpensive 6 or even 8" wheels (that can be reused elsewhere in future), plywood and posts are available at any lumber yard (or often big free pallets at the side of the road then customized). Lots of ways to skin that cat.

I don't know about "wrapped around one of the wheels". Sound hokie to me. If you mean through a spoked wheel, maybe. A trailer hitch would be better. The rear axle or trailer hitch of a buddy's truck better still. Only you can judge how strong this is.

Be careful about the strap or cable you use. It all needs to be 5x stronger than you think you might need. Ideally 5x the dead weight.
 

slow-poke

Ultra Member
of the 14 large machines we took out of Berts basement, every one of them had a custom dolly under them, and they were securely strapped and/or bolted to the base of their dolly.

This is pretty darn convincing.

Now that I think about it I have a nice long 4x4 in the shed doing nothing.

When I googled good product for cleaning machines someone on a forum went on an on about Krud Kutter. They have it at Home Depot. It's working beyond my expectations, no smell supposedly safe. Clean an area, and then go back with a fresh white rag and nothing but a bit of faint green paint. Started at the top, it's getting dirtier as I go down. Paint today, dolly tomorrow.

It sure is a pleasure working on machinery with space all around, no rusty bolts etc. compared to restoring an old car.
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