Max table load on a mill

The Bridgeport manual for the Series 1 shows a max workpiece weight of 750# for a 9" x 42" table. You would need to take into account the additional overhang possible with your 50" table plus your own judgment about the durability of the elevating mechanism.

Randy

Wd Gre wrote:

You wanted to know the range of jobs that you can put on a knee mill. I put a picture into the dropbox to show there are no limits to what you can do. Here is a link:

This piece is 6' x 6' x 1' x 14' long. You can't readily see that the main weight is being supported by an overhead crane. The forklift is there as back up only. In this instance, the table will remain straight so long as the overhang is always supported. Let it sag, warp the table. One thing that is probably the most important thing to take into consideration, is to be aware of the total weight (and how it is supported) in regards to what the knee NUT will support. The mill in the picture is a 1970's shop mill. One day I sat a job on the table and stripped the nut out. Granted the nut was very worn from years of use, still, something to be aware of when dealing with dangerous weights. Wish I had some pictures of the 4' diam. enerpac ram that was on this mill for a couple of days once. Had to mill a dovetail in the base. Ram and base weighed almost 10 tons when assembled. Had it figured out the base was somewhere around 4000#. Unit is used to form the pieces that make up the nose of the space shuttles. First time they used it, they tweaked the crap out of it and I got it back for build up and to redo the dovetail slot. Those were the days. Glad I'm gone. As for your rotab, keep it in the center of the table and you will be ok. If you planned on keeping it on one end and the mill vise on the other, personally, I wouldn't do so. You will wear the ways out over time. It is good practice to keep the table clear when not set up for a job.