Base Feet for a Bridgeport

coffmajt said:

Randy, I tapped the four corner holes in the base of my mill and installed jack bolts [machined square on top] with rubber feet at the bottom end. To level the mill just takes a pinch bar under the corner you need to lift, a little pressure to take some of the load off the jack bolt, turn and level. The rubber feet are very stable and help the machine run much quieter than otherwise. Works well for me -- Jack

Click to expand...

What is a jack bolt?

AxeMaker said:

What is a jack bolt?

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Just a piece of all thread with a square end milled on one end so you can put a wrench on it to turn it - Jack

Or a purchased square head set screw:



Available up to about 3/4-10 x 6" IIRC

Fastenal carries a HoloKrome brand which is a premium, hardened screw.

AxeMaker said:

What is a jack bolt?

Click to expand...

Basically,

Jack Bolt = Leveling Bolt

Dean,
I checked the base of my machine and it does not have separate tapped holes for leveling bolts. It must be a feature the manufacturer added after my 1958 machine.

I was looking at the newer manual. My machine is a 1980

Can someone send me a link to the feet they actually used?

Was thinking of doing it the way H&W does by using box tubing.
http://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/BPLVL

RandyM said:

Holy WOW Guys, way more great info than I was expecting. Got a lot to think about. I am going to keep these castors in mind for the future though. I really don't have the space issues you guys are dealing with. The threaded option really looks like it is worth trying for starters. I have started over many a time on things I thought were good ideas. And then again, some actually worked. Thank you tremendously.

Click to expand...

Here is a YouTube video that shows Keith Rucker making some for his lathe


This one is a modification to the original video. Link to that is in his description menu.

Might get some ideas.

Sendit said:

Can someone send me a link to the feet they actually used?

Was thinking of doing it the way H&W does by using box tubing.
http://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/BPLVL

Click to expand...

I went overboard on the length of the feet. I figured better to be long than too short.

$8.08 per pack of 5
Part # 98099A036

Material Black-Oxide Steel
For Screw Size 3/4"
ID 0.781"
OD 1.625"
Thickness 0.230"-0.255"
Washer Type Flat
System of Measurement Inch
Hardness Rockwell 15N80



$8.08 per pack of 5
Part # 98099A036

Material Black-Oxide Steel
For Screw Size 3/4"
ID 0.781"
OD 1.625"
Thickness 0.230"-0.255"
Washer Type Flat
System of Measurement Inch
Hardness Rockwell 15N80




$15.80 Each
Part # 2531K213

Thread Size 3/4"-10
Length (A) 8"
Capacity per Mount 5,000 lbs.
Base Diameter (B) 3"
Overall Height (C) 9 1/8"
Mounting Holes Diameter 5/16"
Center-to-Center 2 3/16"
Additional Specifications Two Mounting Holes—Inch
Zinc-Plated Steel Stud
Nonskid Bottom

I know nobody is really talking bout this anymore but if anybody is out there....can somebody explain to me why everyone is trying to put things under the foot? My mill is pretty much to heavy to lift with anything I have (It's a Kent and the manual says it's around 2500lbs). I got it in place by unloading it with a loader at the door and setting it on 4 of those car dolly casters (yes it was sketchy but worked) I was thinking of just putting some thick square tube (or the like) on top of the foot and then extending it out past the base there by increasing the footprint and making it more stable. Then at the extensions putting some leveling casters (I'm really not decided if it's in its final home or not). As far as getting the bolts to go up instead of down I was planning on just pulling the bolts through with a magnet wand, a magnet on a string, or even just drilling a hold in the end of the bolt and passing string through it. So I don't have to fiddle around too much under the base again since I can't lift it I'm not sure how I would place it on top of something. Am I making any sense?

As luck would have it, it was brought up last week in a new thread.


Lifting the mill to get the feet under it can be tricky. I used a combination of floor jacks, 2X4's, and an engine hoist to lift mine - BP clone. I lifted one side at a time and installed the crossbar with the feet. I had the luxury of a large overhead beam in my garage that I used with a strap to limit the tilt so I couldn't tip the mill over. The nice thing about this leveling setup is that it adds stability and allows you to gain access from underneath if you need to move it again - say with a pallet jack or the like.