Milling machine working height?

[Dabbler]

Make using the controls (handles, power switches, etc) easy to reach and use. That is 90% of what you do with it.

The rest can be accommodated in various ways. I found a solid wood 4" block, about 10 X10 inches to be perfect to reach the top of my First mill, which is over 7 feet from the concrete. The vise handle will be high - if the dials are comfortable. That shouldn't be a problem.

 

[WilliamR]

@phaxtris That looks good. Clean, not a huge footprint and strong. Drawer was a nice touch.

 

[DavidR8]

Here's mine.
2x3 .125 wall tubing for the legs and upper horizontal with 2' angle to support the cabinet.
I can measure height if needed.

 

[WilliamR]

Make using the controls (handles, power switches, etc) easy to reach and use. That is 90% of what you do with it.

The rest can be accommodated in various ways. I found a solid wood 4" block, about 10 X10 inches to be perfect to reach the top of my First mill, which is over 7 feet from the concrete. The vise handle will be high - if the dials are comfortable. That shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks. For some reason I was thinking work piece height, but comfortable at hand wheels makes a lot more sense.

Saved me from having a two stage bench

 

[jcdammeyer]

The trouble with a knee mill is that the table goes from 34" at the lowest to no more than 44" at the highest and usually about 4" lower than that.

 

[PeterT]

People with welding skills & ingenuity have made some cool stands with retractable wheels & many other features. For lesser mortals or seeking simpler layout, pallet jacks are a real good way of getting underneath & moving machines around. They are reasonable to rent for sporadic use, although some members justify owning them. Fork dimensions can vary by model. There are quite a few posts on the forum showing moves & related picture details, but they are kind of scattered about. There are members with much more expertise. I'm just the carrier pigeon & lucky recipient of occasional help.

 

[WilliamR]

@David_R8 I like that as well. Imagine the wood helps damp vibration? Was wondering how hand wheels would come into play. I see your flush at front versus @phaxtris, but doesn't appear to be an issue with his. Drawers look great and HD but I really suck at woodwork haha. No panic but if you have a chance to get height I will see where it puts mine. Thanks.

 

[WilliamR]

@PeterT Thanks, I have pallet jack and although not as handy as forklift it works well in this instance.

It took me 2 months planning, finding correct material, welding up then taking apart and rebuilding to finally finish lathe bench. Happy in the end though. Hoping this thread will significantly speed up the process haha.

 

[phaxtris]

@WilliamR flush like @David_R8 would be better, my drawer is actually inset from the top, but that grab is flush and slightly angled inward, it does collect some chips inside the drawer as a result

A bit of an error when I made it, should have broke the grab to be at a downward angle

 

[DavidR8]

@David_R8 I like that as well. Imagine the wood helps damp vibration? Was wondering how hand wheels would come into play. I see your flush at front versus @phaxtris, but doesn't appear to be an issue with his. Drawers look great and HD but I really suck at woodwork haha. No panic but if you have a chance to get height I will see where it puts mine. Thanks.

My base depth was somewhat dictated by the fact that I had 22" full extension drawer slides.
The previous base was all steel and the wood does seem to make a difference in vibration dampening.

 

[StevSmar]

I’m thinking of making my stand so the Y-axis will be comfortable to operate. X and Z will have power feed.

I’m thinking of making the sides out of wood, so that if I change my mind on height I can easily fix it. Still mulling over ideas…

I can’t decide on how wide to make the stand, I’m thinking 0.5-1’ of movement of the table in X either way. With a 33” table that will make the stand somewhere between 60 and 65” wide.
I like the idea of wider so I can store many more things I don’t use.

 

[StevSmar]

Here's mine….

Is that a 2x6 wood top that you’ve glued up edge wise?

I was thinking of a maple wood top because I like the way it looks… but I think I could better spend that money elsewhere…

 

[YYCHM]

I’m thinking of making my stand so the Y-axis will be comfortable to operate. X and Z will have power feed.

That's interesting..... How do you propose to power feed Z?

What PF will you be using for X?

 

[DavidR8]

Is that a 2x6 wood top that you’ve glued up edge wise?

I was thinking of a maple wood top because I like the way it looks… but I think I could better spend that money elsewhere…

Yup, regular old SPF 2x6s. I ripped the edges off and glued them up. I knew I was painting them so no way was I putting $200 worth of hardwood on it.

 

[StevSmar]

How do you propose to power feed Z?
What PF will you be using for X?

This is the mill I purchased:
PM-833TV
About half way down the page it shows the align power feed options. I believe they are also available for their Bridgeport style mills.

 

[StevSmar]

Yup, regular old SPF 2x6s. I ripped the edges off and glued them up. I knew I was painting them so no way was I putting $200 worth of hardwood on it.

I want to keep the top as unpainted with an oil finish. Finger jointed 1x2 pine might look pretty…

 

[WilliamR]

A bit of an error when I made it, should have broke the grab to be at a downward angle

I didn't notice until you pointed it out. Looks like a super simple fix if it did irk you? Or chip tray?

My base depth was somewhat dictated by the fact that I had 22" full extension drawer slides.
The previous base was all steel and the wood does seem to make a difference in vibration dampening.

I don't think a little rear depth would hurt me, not space constrained in shop. Those drawers would be nice. Hmm wood top eh...

It almost seems like cheating not having to figure this stuff out on my own haha.

 

[Susquatch]

It almost seems like cheating not having to figure this stuff out on my own haha.

Ya, but your turn to lead the way will come soon enough......

 

[WilliamR]

Ya, but your turn to lead the way will come soon enough......

As soon as you open a FUBAR section in Forums it will definitely be my turn haha.

 

[YYCHM]

How high would you want the current stand raised? Perhaps set it on two 4X4 or two 6X4 would do the trick?

The current stand appears to have a power switch on it, which may be something you want to keep?