Storing Mill Accessories/Tooling

wcunning

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Hey guys,

I'm in the process of policing up the shop to have a couple of walkways anywhere and a bit of flat surface... I'm sure you all know that feeling. :D

In that process, I'm planning on replacing a Craftsman tool cabinet with a cart with shelves to get some space to keep the mill accessories. Currently, I have a couple of R8 racks in the top of the Craftsman full of collets and end mill holders and boring heads and drill chucks, but I can't close the lid and they're pretty tight. I also have a pile of hold down pieces that don't really fit well in the tool box. All of that will sit on top of the cart, while the shelves inside will get my rotary table, dividing head, super spacer, spare mill vise, angle vise and such. I've attached a picture of the particular cart I'm looking at getting below. Do you guys think that a cart like that should be able to hold ~500 lbs per shelf?

In addition to the swap, I've also arranged to look at a Wesco die lift cart on Craigslist near-ish to me. I figure that it would be a good idea to be able to swap things on and off the mill without breaking my back... I should be able to set the die lift platform at the level of a shelf, pull the accessory out onto it, pick it up to table height, push onto the table. Does that seem reasonable? Does anyone have experience with these lift platform/cart things? Video below as well.



Thanks,
Will

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Jump on that Die Cart. The shop I grew up in had a couple, the one I spent 21 years in didn't and boy did I miss them.
 
I am jumping on it. I'll tell you guys where it was and what it cost once I have it in my truck. It's... a very very good deal even if I have to rebuild the thing entirely. :D
 
You can't go wrong buying that two wheeler for your shop,I used to use a more heavy duty battery operated type that could carry much heavier loads but if the battery was dead for any reason it would have made the lift a useless tool, the one with a foot pedal is perfect in every way for a small shop.
 
For my mill tooling I have a couple of large size card file cabinets and a regular filing cabinet with a wood drop in holder with holes for spindle tooling; my Fray vertical mill and my #2 B&S share the same 30 and 40 taper tooling, the dividing head sits on the top of a shelf unit and is handled by a electric hoist running on a "barn door" track above, the shelves below hold lighter accessories.
 
I had to give away a 400 lbs personal lift. It's great for lifting small things and easy to move around. Unfortunately, I had to make rooms for others. It looks like an engine lift, just much lighter and easy to pick up by hand and carry around.
 
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Thanks for the replies guys!

I just got home from picking up the lift -- pictured below. It looks like I'll need to pull the cylinder apart and replace the seals, but that's hardly something to complain about for $30, even with the 2 hour drive in each direction. It also needs to probably be cut back down to original size for my use, along with a replacement for the ruined front casters. This was clearly a four wheel cart originally and will be again by the time I finish with it.

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I think your cart is very similar to mine. I bought it from a scrapper for 30.00. Spent a few days freeing up the rusted chain and rebuilt the hydraulic pump. Also had to change a couple of the cam follower type bearings for the mast. But it's been working for about 4 years now. I have mine mounted stationary sort of like an elevator or platform lift so that I can lift heavy items to the 3' height of my front porch. It beats trying to get something heavy up a number of steps using a hand truck.
 
@Tim9 All of my cam follower bearings are frozen... I kroil'd up the chain, and it seems fine, but the bearings didn't seem to want to break loose. I gave them about 4 hours in vinegar to eat into the internal rust, then I washed them out and put them in a jar of kroil slightly thinned with acetone. If they don't break free and roll alright in a few days, I expect I'll have to replace them. Unfortunately, looking up those bearings, they're pretty expensive to buy 4 of. It looks like I can save a little on eBay, particularly if I can find someone to combine shipping, but I'm sort of inclined to get some 62 series bearings for *way cheaper* and just replace them with something different. Is there any reason why I shouldn't do that?

Thanks,
Will
 
Great deal. $30 can only buy the two wheels usually.
 
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