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In article ,
says...
Has anyone made a Bridgeport mobile and if so, how have you done it?

I am thinking seriously about putting a Bridgeport on wheels since I
will be moving a number of times in the next few years.

The proposed design would be a frame made of angle iron (3.5 x 6.0 x
0.25) and the wheels (8 inch - 1050lb rated, 2 non swivel, 2 swivel)
will be mounted at points extending beyond each corner under the
frame. This extention is to insure that the wheels when swiveling do
not reduce the stability of the mill to less than the effective
footprint that the base of mill itself has. The wheels will raise the
Bridgeport 9.5 inches above the floor. When the mill is in the
location for operation, the Bridgeport will be supported by leveling
feet thereby removing the mill's weight from the wheels.

Several questions come to mind.

Does anyone see anything that wrong with this design?

Like at what end should the swivel wheels be placed...should they be
placed under the front of the Bridgeport or at the rear of the
Bridgeport?

Is the elevation of the mill by approximately 10 inches going to cause
a problem during operation?

What color would you suggest the racing stripes be? :)

Any suggestions or comments are welcomed.

Thanks in advance,

TMT

Instead of angle, why not use heavy box channel and weld 1/2" gussets to
the bottom of the corners to hold the mill? Then, you can put the mill
inside the mobile cart instead of on top of it.

I built a mobile base for my Hardinge TM. Its about 40% of the weight
of a BP, so I was able to get away with 1/4" angle iron and 5" casters.
I cut 4 pieces of 6x8 angle 6 inches wide and used them to mount the
casters. I welded the caster angles to the outside of the frame, so
that the mill is raised only 3" off the floor. I used 2x3 angle for the
frame bed, and added 2 additional struts.

The caster 6x8 angles are welded with the bottom of the 6" side even
with the bottom of the cart angle, and the tops protrude up from the
frame so that the mill base is surrounded by it. She can't move
laterally, as I put the casters to the left and right of the mill.

Not sure how that would work for a 2200lb BP though. If you were
hogging, I'd be concerned that vibration could be increased because of
the cart. I thought about doing some sort of outrigger setup on mine,
but I really can't take huge cuts with my mill so they weren't needed.
I would definitely consider some sort of outrigger if you use a cart.
And, if you can, I'd look into bolting the mill to the cart.

Of course, you could build a gantry for about $300 in steel and casters,
plus the hoist.

But if you try the cart using my design, I can't see how the mill would
be more than 1-2 inches off the ground. It all depends on the floor
you're dealing with and what kinds of bumps you'll need to negotiate.

And, I'd make the racing stripes black. :-)

Good luck!
--
Regards,

Rick

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