Affordable Way to Lift, Move, Transfer Heavy Rotary Tables & Vises

[Tmate]

I didn't want to assemble my engine hoist every time I wanted to transfer my rotary table and/or Kurt vise to my mill. Since I lacked the space to store a large lift table, I found this alternative:

I purchased a 16 1/2" x 13 3/4" Durhand scissors lift table with a height range of 14" to 36". I added a 7" booster block out of 2x6s and plywood as shown in the photos. Six coats of polyurethane on the top helps items slide easily. A small rectangular piece screwed to the bottom of the block registers in a matching hole in the table top to keep it from sliding around.

Table cost around $175 with free shipping at: https://www.aosom.com/item/durhand-3...s~C30-009.html

To prevent the possibility of the lift table moving away from the mill during the transfer, I Installed two 3/8" diameter lag bolts with flat washers as shown. When the surfaces of the lift table and mill table are even, the lag bolt heads align with the .400" wide slot across the front of the Bridgeport table, and slide in place. They don't have to be tight -- they still hold the lift table securely in place.

 

[Proxule]

Nice work, Impressive

 

[combustable herbage]

Nice definitely a back saver I like that

 

[YotaBota]

Good solution, you'll probably wonder how you got along without the lift. The web site doesn't show a shipping cost to Canada but Amazon has a couple of comparable options.
A drawer in the box would be nice for holding "stuff".

 

[Tom O]

That’s the joy of not being a enclosed mill. I am using a foldable hoist with homemade stubby legs that slide under the milling machine the boom doesn’t get extended.

 

[Everett]

Now that is a cool idea!

 

[Susquatch]

I like it too. I have to work on heavy stuff from time to time. Your contraption would facilitate that. I have a Ripper plow tine that is 1.5ft at one end, pointed at the other, about 4ft long, and 2.5 inches thick. The guy who owns it didn't understand how shear pins work. When the first one broke, he replaced it with regular steel instead of Grade 5. It didn't shear. Instead it badly deformed the plate hole. I need to bore it out, make a bushing for it and weld it in.

I've been dreading the job of making a support stand for it and getting it up onto my mill. I could put the whole Ripper plate on your table with my loader tractor and then lift it to fit the business end of my new to me mill. I love it.