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DIY Riser Block for 6" x 26" Import Mills (Grizzly, Enco, Harbor Freight, etc.)

Tmate

Tmate

Well-Known Member
A lack of distance between the spindle and table appears to be a universal issue for owners of these popular import mills. I think I may have come up with a relatively easy to fabricate riser block to fix the problem.

McMaster-Carr carries a 6" dia. pipe flange (Pt.#68905K389) that is almost made to order for this riser block project. They are 6" in diameter, 3/4" thick, with a 3.10" x 1/4" flange on one side. They come with four 3/4" bolt holes, two of which will be used for dowel pins for alignment purposes. A third will be used for one of the hold-down bolts. Two 1/2" diameter holes will be drilled in each plate for the other two hold down bolts. Additional detail is included in the second image below.

They cost approximately $26.00 each, and with slight modification, will stack pancake style to whatever height you desire. The machine work necessary is:

Drill two 1/2" holes in each plate
Mill or face the flange off all but one plate
Bore the existing center hole in one plate to 3.10"
Cut to length two 3/4" dowel pins (drill rod or CR round)

I'm waiting for warm day to install it. There may be some minor dimension differences in these mills depending on name brand. It's a good idea to check dimensions on yours before going too far.

Enco 6x26 mill.JPG DIY riser block.jpg Drawing.gif
 
Where are you located Tmate? McMaster to the rescue again!
I suspect shipping those to some parts of the world might offset the cost but who knows. Calgary & area is not exactly the industrial center of typical industrial metal supply like other parts of the country, but I would think pipe flanges would be accessible & plentiful through oil&gas supply/scrap.
 
Yes, $26.00 each, USD. Considering what riser blocks for other machines cost, $182 for an additional 5 1/4" clearance doesn't seem too bad. Of course, shipping is extra.
 
Ah, that's what I figured (USA). Your easy access to McMaster & other metal suppliers & relatively low cost shipping is something most of us Canucks drool over. There is a whole separate forum post on this McMaster subject so I won't digress, but bottom line is its not quite as accessible to us A) because MCM in particular has been a bit choosey about non-USA customer accounts (business vs personal) and B) cross border customs, shipping $.
Anyways it looks like a good idea. Thanks for your contribution & let us know how it turns out.
 
As it turns out, I scrapped the idea of the fabricated riser block for the 6x26 mill and bought a Bridgeport.

IMG_9731.JPG Mill2.jpg
 
If anyone runs across this thread, what was used for the spacers are called a 2” Class 150 A105 forged steel raised face slip-on flange. Any industrial piping supplier can do these, EMCO, MRC, Westlund, D-Now, Flocor, many others stock them. Typical about $10 each in carbon steel, $20 in stainless
 
Tmate said:
As it turns out, I scrapped the idea of the fabricated riser block for the 6x26 mill and bought a Bridgeport.
Click to expand...

I see that you mounted your new mill on Dolly wheels. Most of the equipment in my shop is mounted on dedicated dolly carts so I can move them around as needed. However, I did not do that for my lathe or my old mill/drill because of rigidity concerns. I wasn't planning to do that with my new to me knee mill for the same reasons either. But I confess that it would be a blessing if and when I need to move it.......

What are the parts and design of your dolly?

I'll bet that @architect will be interested in your opinion too. Who knows, he might even be able to avoid having to enlist the help of @Brent H's wench........
 
Yes, I need to set up a dolly for my mill and even lathe to move around as I figure out my space. But I'll beef leveling feet for mine because of the sloped garage
 
Susquatch said:
I see that you mounted your new mill on Dolly wheels. Most of the equipment in my shop is mounted on dedicated dolly carts so I can move them around as needed. However, I did not do that for my lathe or my old mill/drill because of rigidity concerns. I wasn't planning to do that with my new to me knee mill for the same reasons either. But I confess that it would be a blessing if and when I need to move it.......

What are the parts and design of your dolly?

I'll bet that @architect will be interested in your opinion too. Who knows, he might even be able to avoid having to enlist the help of @Brent H's wench........
Click to expand...

H&W Machine sells a kit that uses solid bars across under the front and back of the machine, with leveling feet at the ends. My approach was similar, but I used 5" x 2" x 1/4" wall rectangular tubing with leveling feet that have integral casters. Since the machine is now 7" taller, I bought a 7" high work platform. While it added a couple of inches in height over using a solid bar, the use of tubing allowed me to bolt the casters in place without a ton of tapping threads. The machine is sitting on adjustable feet - not the casters. The wide stance of the feet makes the whole thing quite stable regardless of the height.

casters2.JPG 7 inch platform.JPG
 
Tmate said:
H&W Machine sells a kit that uses solid bars across under the front and back of the machine, with leveling feet at the ends. My approach was similar, but I used 5" x 2" x 1/4" wall rectangular tubing with leveling feet that have integral casters. Since the machine is now 7" taller, I bought a 7" high work platform. While it added a couple of inches in height over using a solid bar, the use of tubing allowed me to bolt the casters in place without a ton of tapping threads. The machine is sitting on adjustable feet - not the casters. The wide stance of the feet makes the whole thing quite stable regardless of the height.

View attachment 15499 View attachment 15500
Click to expand...

What kind of casters are those? They look fancy.
 
Tmate said:
H&W Machine sells a kit that uses solid bars across under the front and back of the machine, with leveling feet at the ends. My approach was similar, but I used 5" x 2" x 1/4" wall rectangular tubing with leveling feet that have integral casters. Since the machine is now 7" taller, I bought a 7" high work platform......
Click to expand...

I like it.

Given my size, I wouldn't even need the work platform.....

Don't know why I didn't think of dollies with separate levelling feet.
 
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