Transporting a milling machine part 2

December 28, 2023

Following the packing up of the base of the milling machine, I moved on to the last part which consisted of a cast iron pillar, motor and box of electronics.

I had already prepared a mini pallet which was made from a larger pallet that has been cut down. I rested the milling machine and chocks on the pallet and screwed in blocks to stop it from sliding around. The chocks were also screwed in place with smaller blocks to stop sideways movement.

I added some uprights and then joined across the top with further struts made from old ikea bed parts. Before fixing the sides, I strapped the milling column to the bed with bungy cords. The power cable was held with cable ties.

The sides were the original sides from the delivery crate, 6mm ply which was cut down a little to fit. The top was some 12mm ply from the remains of a different pallet.

After asking for suggestions on Mastodon, I made some stencils and spray painted some logos from the Aliens film series, for the Nostromo and Weyland Yutani Corporation. I also ordered a “do not step” sticker but that is still to arrive.

This part is the heaviest but it is just about liftable by one average person. It fits on a pallet truck and can be manoeuvred that way. It is significantly lighter than all three parts fastened together and hopefully won’t cause problems for the people moving it, particularly if there are two of them.