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Other Looking for a low profile jack in the Fraser Valley

Arbutus

Arbutus

Super User
Premium Member
I need to move my lathe to fix the motor bearings. The cabinet has a 3" gap to slip a floor jack under. I cant seem to find something that low, except one car jack from KMS for $329.


So I was wondering is there anyone in the Lower Mainland, BC who might have something that I could borrow for a couple of days?

1709951268975.webp


I would be happy to rent it or buy a case of beer. Or both.

Don
 
I'd lend you mine but the boat would make that idea impractical. I'm sure some one over there should be able to help you out.
If you're going to do it more than once or twice maybe make a wedge jack, Tom Linton just did a video on making one. They're low enough to get in under an inch so you can get a machine onto dollies, heavy lifters too.
 
How much of a hurry are you in? I will likely have to go back to Coquitlam next week on Thursday to pick up assembled boards so I could bring my small guy along. Leave it there until my next trip a few weeks later.

I will have to check what the minimum height is though. Pretty sure under 3". I'll check tomorrow in daylight as it's in the shed behind crap.
 
Not desparate, a week or so would be fine. I'm in Abbotsford, but I could pick up in Coquitlam since you're on a ferry run.

:)
 
Arbutus said:
Not desparate, a week or so would be fine. I'm in Abbotsford, but I could pick up in Coquitlam since you're on a ferry run.

:)
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I'll know more on Monday if NDS can make and test my boards for pickup on Thursday. I have a different project that is 100 boards but I haven't gone through my inventory yet to see if I have all the parts they need. So it might even be two weeks.
 
Arbutus said:
I need to move my lathe to fix the motor bearings. The cabinet has a 3" gap to slip a floor jack under. I cant seem to find something that low, except one.....
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Make or buy some machine jacks to lift it a few inches and then use what you have. Easy peasy to make them and cheap to buy.

HHIP 3900-0070 Machinist's Jack https://a.co/d/aLF1Qlv
 
If you’re so inclined, you could make a simple lever lift from some scrap material and have it today.

I made mine out of an old, used piece of square tube about 6 ft long and some plate etc. I put wheels under the fulcrum so it can scoot something along while you have it lifted. They are available commercially. I saw them, combined with some roller pipe, used to move a mill across a room.

I made this to move my 2200 lb. mill when I bought it then later used it to move my new lathe when I bought it. If it needs to be higher like your 3” I just block it up.

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D :cool:
 
Good suggestions. The lathe is very top heavy so I'm quite concerned about tipping. Once it's jacked up an inch or so, I have four caster pads which are 4" high which it will ride on - the floor jack was one way to lift it in a controlled way.

Murphy and a couple of Gremlins live in my workshop, so we'll see how this goes. :)
 
Arbutus said:
Once it's jacked up an inch or so, I have four caster pads which are 4" high which it will ride on - the floor jack was one way to lift it in a controlled way.
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The machine jacks offer Maximum control. You can make them out of a sequence of 2x4 blocks, 3x4 blocks, and 4x4 blocks with drilled holes in them, a big washer, and 1/2 inch bolts and nuts.

Might pay you to buy a toe jack instead.
 
Doggggboy said:
An old hydraulic jack with some heavy angle and c channel can make an acceptable toe jack.
Mine doesn't look like this but will lift the 3500 lb mill enough to get the skates under no problem.
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Another item on the project 42 list for me….. I‘ve been making due with my Armstrong lever in the meantime.

D :cool:
 
"

Mine doesn't go much lower than the 4.5" shown on the tape measure. I think you were looking for 3"?
 

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jcdammeyer said:
"

Mine doesn't go much lower than the 4.5" shown on the tape measure. I think you were looking for 3"?
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Yep, 3".

When I positioned it (25+ years ago), I used a pair of air mattresses under each end which lifted the cabinet enough to slip a regular pallet jack under.

The problem with that is its quite unstable ( bouncy!) and as you can see the machine is very top heavy with the milling head.

I found on Amazoom some small hydraulic jacks with a hand pump which will fit and have enough lift for the 4" needed to slip the castor pads under. But its a fiddly job and I'm not happy about putting my arm under there to position a small jack.

The lift I need is about 1" total.

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If you are worried about it being top heavy, is there any way you can tie it off to the ceiling? Maybe some yellow nylon around the lathe bed connected to a ceiling joist / rafter or collar tie? Even if you just brace it this way while lifting, it can be much safer by keeping it from turning more than a few degrees. Most of the weight still goes straight down, so the rope doesn't have to be strong enough to carry the full weight.

Another option would be an engine lift

I would lend you any of these tools, but I live in Toronto.
 
You posted a picture while I was typing. This is not what I was envisioning, and it does look top heavy.

I would think that you would want to tie off at the top of the column or on the motor up there. And to lift from that wide flange section under the bed. Maybe drill a hole at each end.

It is hard to tell, but lifting from those shelves at the bottom seems hazardous. How far do you need to move it? If it is just a foot or two, you might be able to just use a bar - at the risk of scratching your floor
 
mbond said:
If you are worried about it being top heavy, is there any way you can tie it off to the ceiling? Maybe some yellow nylon around the lathe bed connected to a ceiling joist / rafter or collar tie? Even if you just brace it this way while lifting, it can be much safer by keeping it from turning more than a few degrees. Most of the weight still goes straight down, so the rope doesn't have to be strong enough to carry the full weight.

Another option would be an engine lift

I would lend you any of these tools, but I live in Toronto.
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This! In Bold, above! Engine hoist. Can be rented fairly cheaply, if you cannot scrounge one up.

With care and a couple spare ratchet straps, dead easy to set up to do a straight-up lift, with total control of all the top heavy parts.

Otherwise, cut and weld together a toe-hook that can be slung on to a regular hydraulic jack, so you can lift each end up in turn, and block it to the height you need. Like, just the center piece of the Bottle Jack Adapter that was posted above.
 
trevj said:
This! In Bold, above! Engine hoist. Can be rented fairly cheaply, if you cannot scrounge one up.

With care and a couple spare ratchet straps, dead easy to set up to do a straight-up lift, with total control of all the top heavy parts.

Otherwise, cut and weld together a toe-hook that can be slung on to a regular hydraulic jack, so you can lift each end up in turn, and block it to the height you need. Like, just the center piece of the Bottle Jack Adapter that was posted above.
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That would be my first choice. But again I have not found a lift with the forks which can fit under a 3" gap. The machine + girder is 1800 lbs so I don't wan't to cantilever it too far with a hoist unless the front rollers are fully behind the CG.
The job is simply to lift it securely by 1" to allow the caster pads to do their job.
 
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