A mill does not need the heavy mass of the table as much as a lathe does
but you still should be sizing it for more than the weight of the mill
itself. A vice sitting on a rotary table adds a LOT of weight.

You want the width and the depth to be significant in relation to the
center of gravity. Picture a vice and rotary table working full offset
to one side. A 24" wide stand is going to be getting close to tipping over.

Rigidity is another issue: you don't want any side sway. We have been
building all our equipment stands from 2" square x .120 wall steel tube.
Full welds at each joint, the stands are absolutely rigid with 1000
pounds on them. Basic test is to mount the equipment, give it a solid
hip check. If it wiggles, it's not strong enough. If it starts to
lift/tip, base is not wide enough.

We have a mill/drill sitting on a 24" table which I find way too low.
But I think the 36" high table will set it pretty high unless you are a
full 6' tall.



Vernon wrote:
Gentlemen,

We have not yet managed to get the mill/drill through the door and
into the back room. Things have become complicated because the seals
have ruptured on the tilt cylinders on my forklift.

It is now sitting on a pallet on the front porch. Meanwhile, somebody
just up and gave us an industrial work bench. It was like "pennies
from heaven".

It is not a massive huge heavy welded plate table. It's made of
stamped steel. But on the other hand it's not some flimsy Harbor
Freight product, either.

But my question is: Provided it's capable of supporting the weight of
the mill (650 lbs.) (it is) is it otherwise suitable? In other words,
should I be worried about vibration or anything like that? The table
is a nice size. It's heavy enough to be sturdy but not so heavy that
we can't load and unload it by hand.

Stated another way, should I be worried about using a table that
weighs less than the mill itself?

Otherwise, the next issue is: How to get it on top of the table?

First, can the X-Y axis table simply be removed from the ways? If so
I'd like to clean and lubricate it. Can somebody enlighten me as what
to use to oil / grease it?

Also, the mill head and motor sit atop a round column. It has a hand
crank that enables you to lower and raise it. Can you crank the thing
all the way to the top and then dismount the head from the base?

This would reduce the weight. But is it easier to lift the thing as a
unit to the table? Or dismount the head and then re-mount it onto the
base?

I don't know the height of the table top. But it's probably about
36".

Thanks for any guidance.

Vernon