B'port Disassembly

The group's many threads on moving Bridgeports have served me well, and I'm grateful for the good advice I've gotten from them.

The machine has been moved without mishap or damage, but it's gone as far as it's going in one piece. Easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for my Bridgeport to go down the basement stairs. . .

So, it has to come apart. Removing the head, ram, and turret were pretty simple. Before I tackle the table and knee, though, I need to know if there are any stupid mistakes to avoid(or what stupid mistakes I already made). Can anyone on the group point me to a resource that provides detailed instructions on disassembling and re-assembling a

1950-vintage round ram M-head?

I see some round-ram manuals on ebay. Will these contain the info I'm looking for, or do they tend to cover operation only?

As always, any help is much appreciated. TIA.

Reply to
dka
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Table removal is dead easy unless you have a DRO installed. Put a platform of some sort next to the end of the table - the table will wind up sitting on this. Remove the handle and indexing collar from one end. Remove the

4 socket head cap screws and tap off the table end piece. Crank out the lead screw. Then just slide the table off onto your platform. (Remember, you can adjust the height of the knee to match your platform.)

I've never removed a BP knee.

Is this an interior stairway? If so, and if the bottom is exposed, I might consider some bracing before skidding down an 800 pound base casting.

If it's an exterior stairwell, I like to pay a guy with a knuckle boom truck to come drive next to my stairs and lower the mill down (assembled) with the crane. I once had a guy move my BP from a suburban garage to the foot of an exterior stairwell for $75.

Grant Erw> The group's many threads on moving Bridgeports have served me well,

Reply to
Grant Erwin

Here's what a woodworker did...

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-- Mark

Reply to
Mark Jerde

No offense, but those tools are toys compared to a Bridgeport mill, in weight anyway. Do *not* try to pick up a Bridgeport with that setup!

Grant Erw> dka wrote:

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Reply to
Grant Erwin

Sometimes it helps to take a different look at the problem.

That's what a friend of mine did. He dug a shallow ramp down to the bottom of the basement wall, installed double sliding doors, and can now drive a forklift in or out of his basement.

If you're *sure* this is going to be a one time thing, you could just dig a hole next to the basement wall, knock out a section of wall, move in the Bridgeport, then rebuild the wall and backfill the hole. But I don't know anyone who isn't going to want to move more machinery in or out, so the ramp and door approach will almost certainly pay off in the long run.

Gary

Reply to
Gary Coffman

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