Would YOU put a small mill and lathe on casters?

I've put several tools, including a 9x20 lathe, on a retractable caster system I came up with several years ago. Never did like the idea of the tool being able to roll when in use, so I retract the casters and let it sit on its feet. The casters are on a hinged plate, reinforced along the front edge to keep it straight and level. The "knee action" lift bar makes use of the two flat mating surfaces to maintain rigidity during while you're moving the tool around. Note that the lower pivot needs to flex in two directions (lift arm swing and caster plate tilt).

I've used this system with tools weighing up to 350 pounds and never had any problems. By positioning the pivot point of the knee action and the length of the lifting arm, you can design in the necessary leverage (within limits).

See also posts #18 and #23 at https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/bench-for-a-sb-9.63058/#post-608469

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Very cool hman. Took me second to grok the whole thing as my eye got distracted by the wooden structure behind the lathe. I love those over center type mechanisms. Impressive.
 
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that's clever hman!

I made a rolling base for my 6x26 mill with levelling feet. Partly to raise it up a bit but also so I could move it more easily when needed. Push it into place carefully, then screw the levelling feet out until the casters are off the floor and the mill is more or less level. Wouldn't want to do it on a daily basis as it's a bit of a hassle, but makes rearranging the shop alot easier.
 
Wow! I am surprised how many replies I got in less than 24 hours. This really is a friendly and helpful forum! I just found out that the PM-1030V with DRO is back ordered 10-12 weeks! The PM-1030V without DRO is available now. I will stick to my original plan and wait patiently. Like I said, my machining classes aren't until Oct-Dec of this year anyway. I had hoped to rent an engine hoist just once, but I guess that I will have to do the rigging on two separate occasions.

After paying $7,500 for the two PM orders (all of the money borrowed), I am actually too broke to buy casters at this point. My mill arrives in 2 weeks, so I will have time to mull over all of your informative responses (which I greatly appreciate).

A friend and I worked on a project this weekend which was a bicycle frame modification. With no mill or lathe in the shop, we did have enough room to work. Five of the eight (earlier reported to be seven total welding carts) of the welding carts were rolled into the side yard. I will try to upload pictures taken at the midpoint of the operation in the next post.

Just for fun, my eight welding carts are (1) Dynasty 210DX for TIG, AC stick welding jobs, E6010 or stick welding applications that call for adjustable arc force, (2) Millermatic 252 with .035" solid wire and C25 shielding gas, (3) Miller Thunderbolt 210 for all DC stick welding except E6010 (this machine does not run E6010), (4) Dual cylinder gas welding cart with medium and heavy duty torches as well as cutting torch, (5) currently inoperable Lincoln IdealArc 250 which was gifted to me and needs a cosmetic makeover (future project which includes painting it blue and slapping Miller badging on it--ouch!) for AC stick, E6010 and jobs that require over 210A, (6) TIG accessory cart for purge box, filler rod, TIG fingers, TIG pens and tungsten sharpener, and (7) PPE cart for gloves, welding helmets, respirators, and shading lenses. Seven of the carts have hangers for steel brushes as well as trays for a gas cylinder, so I have my spare C25, Argon and Oxygen cylinders on my stick, TIG accessory and PPE carts respectively. All of my cylinders except for the acetylene are only 80 cubic feet, so they don't last long. I am not so happy with these small cylinders, but this is about all that I can lift without worrying about my back. I need to have a healthy back for my day job. I store my filler rod on the gas and TIG accessory cart, and my stick electrodes live on the stick welding cart; as such, these carts are heavy. I spend a lot of time rolling these carts around.

I will be reading a lot of this forum every night. My neighbor across the street has asked me to cease operations at 9 PM.
 
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Very cool hman. Took me second to grok the whole thing as my eye got distracted by the wooden structure behind the lathe. I love those over center type mechanisms. Impressive.
Thank you! As for the structure, at the time I took the photos, it was still a work in progress. Eventually added en E-stop, some tool holder racks, and a fluorescent light. Here's a shot of the lathe from March of this year, when I sold it.
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I forgot to say that we had to move two bikes out of the garage in order to make room to work. It is going to be tight quarters with a mill and lathe.

I am planning to put the mill and lathe in the area where you see the hydraulic press and blue bench vise/full face helmet.

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Looks like mobility is the wqy to go for you! I like your tool rack ... plus what looks like a handful of awards above the work bench.
 
Looks like mobility is the wqy to go for you! I like your tool rack ... plus what looks like a handful of awards above the work bench.
I have never won any awards; those are certificates of completion for taking short courses.

The mill and lathe, however, will be awarded whatever locations are best for the machines. I won't move the two water heaters (hidden behind the racks of bicycle parts) or the repair stand, bicycle ground anchors and tube bender which are bolted to the floor.

Are these machines hard wired or plugged in? They are both 110V.

I would be excited to move the mill and lathe every six months to paint the walls. I understand that one needs to allow access to the electrical panel of the headstock on the mill; I wonder how many inches from the wall. Maybe this would also be enough to room to paint the wall behind it. Maybe I could also leave that much room behind the mill to paint the wall and sweep the floor.

The bicycle wheels on the wall are in the way of putting a bench or welding table over there. Once the benches and welding table are on casters, this problem would be solved. Those motors need to be kept bone dry so they can't go in a shed.

I am starting to realize that I will be forced to use casters to provide myself a place to stand while I work at the machines.
 
So I have 100% decided to choose mobility. I will be looking at the help above and choose something rigid and able to be made level.
 
Have a look at the Carrymaster line of leveling casters. Not sure how much your machines weigh but I usually double the weight of the machine and buy casters with that capacity. For example, if the lathe plus stand weigh 500# then I would choose casters that handle about 1200# per set of 4 casters. For Carrymaster, that would be their AC-300 line (300# capacity per caster). If you can, use the plate type with the four holes as it is more stable. The stem type with a smaller top platform and one central stud works well, too, but the top bearing surface is smaller.

Similar brands, like Foot Master, are okay but I have used them and find that the Carrymaster brand is more solidly made. When you lower the leveling foot on these casters, this raises the wheel completely off the ground. Being able to raise each corner makes leveling very fast and easy. When you need to move your machine, just raise the leveling foot until the casters contact the ground and you're rolling.

My RF-31 mill weighs somewhere near 800# with the stand. It is on four AC-300 casters (what I had on hand at the time) and I can roll it around with one finger, honest. When it is sited and off the casters it is as stable and solid as I could want, with zero movement. You would think that having it up on a foot would allow for excessive vibration but there is none that I would attribute to the casters. I have since obtained some AC-600's with 2400# capacity but the current casters work so well that I don't plan on switching them.

Anyway, have a look. They sound like they would suit your mobility needs.
 
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