Raising my Mini Mill

[Magneto&TitaniumMan]

I setup my Mini Mill on an old dresser I had since I was a kid. Realized it was much too low after my first project. Bought an old stand for $30 and went to my buddies garage shop that had a table saw to cut some pieces to raise it up even further. Should be much better on my back now.

 

[markba633csi]

The right height is very important, especially as you get older. A few inches can make a world of difference.
-Mark

 

[tghsmith]

I'd be a little worried about the small blocks under the "feet" a 2 x 4 base frame may work better,, also look into rolling base frames made for wood working tools..

 

[Magneto&TitaniumMan]

I'd be a little worried about the small blocks under the "feet" a 2 x 4 base frame may work better,, also look into rolling base frames made for wood working tools..

I thought of that too. I may take away a couple from the bottom. And I am going to glue and bolt the pieces together and to the legs, so if I happen to kick it, it wont go anywhere. Its mdf so the downward weight shouldn't be an issue. But making a 2 x 4 base frame isn't a bad idea either, maybe a combination of the two so there aren't so many small blocks stacked together.

Edit: Just thought of a better easier idea. Maybe i'll put the blocks between the top of the metal frame and the table top

 

[tghsmith]

https://www.woodcraft.com/products/woodriver-adjustable-mobile-base something like this could work,, but I would cross brace the legs,, the splayed legs of that stand may not have been made for the weight of a mill and gear in mind..

 

[Magneto&TitaniumMan]

https://www.woodcraft.com/products/woodriver-adjustable-mobile-base something like this could work,, but I would cross brace the legs,, the splayed legs of that stand may not have been made for the weight of a mill and gear in mind..

Taking your advice I thought of this. I like using what I have around the house to make stuff work. May not look the nicest but it feels good. I think, if this was the apocalypse (which isn't far from reality haha) what could I do with what I have. Also to note, the guy who sold me the stand said it was for his radial saw that was 100lbs. This mill with some gear is about 150lbs.

What do you think?

 

[hman]

I've had the HF44991 mini-mill for a goodly number of years now (2005?), mounted on a Shop Fox (Grizzly D2056) table screwed to rolling base (Grizzly D2057A). Unfortunately the frame of the ^^$#!@#%%#$ base was not large enough to accommodate the table legs, so I had to lengthen the rails with pieces of (1x2, IIRC) lumber. I've never had any kind of vibration or stability problem with this setup. As for height, I decided early on that this would be a sit-down tool. Didn't see the need to be standing up, as it's such a small mill. Sitting down has been comfortable and worked very well.

PS - those horizontal wheels are NOT for moving the mill! They're just there to shield my ankles from the **!!$$! sharp metal corners of the caster mounts. IIRC, the (blow-molded plastic) wheels are from some kind of kid's ride-on toy from Goodwill

 

[tghsmith]

the large "baking pan" chip tray looks great,, I wish the old jig saw stand I used for my mill was wider,, but keeping the shelf full of heavy stuff helps change the center of gravity..

 

[hman]

Thanks! The "baking pan" is actually a garage oil drip pan. I was lucky in that it fit on the tabletop very nicely. I have a larger one, slightly reduced in length, under my RF-30 clone.

 

[Magneto&TitaniumMan]

Latest progress. Everything fits and is bolted down. Now to make chip shields...