base for milling head on G9729 3 in 1

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61-63
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Joined: Fri Aug 18, 2006 1:39 pm

base for milling head on G9729 3 in 1

Post by 61-63 »

I would like to remove the head on my Grizzly 9729 and put it on a dedicated milling base; has anyone done this and if so where did you get the base. I only mill and turn small components with this machine and it does what I need, but I am tired of switching back and forth setting it up for milling, and then turning, etc., etc. as everyone who owns one of these things knows.

I considered selling it and buying a separate lathe and milling machine
but I should be able to accomplish what I want with less expense by just
obtaining a base for the milling head.
Abrackeen
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Re: base for milling head on G9729 3 in 1

Post by Abrackeen »

I've been searching everywhere for any information about doing the same thing to my DBF-800. If you've gotten anymore information on this I would love to read through it if you wouldn't mind.
SteveM
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Re: base for milling head on G9729 3 in 1

Post by SteveM »

Occasionally, you find milling machine bases without the head. Most of the time, it's a Bridgeport, but sometimes something smaller.

Here's a pic of what you are dealing with:
Image

Seems you could come up with something in a flat base with a riser block, then bolt down an x/y table, but it will have to be a good one, not one for a drill press.

Steve
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WesHowe
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Re: base for milling head on G9729 3 in 1

Post by WesHowe »

I have a 9729, I use the lathe all the time.

I got tired of all the work needed to switch between turning and milling. The compound vise is not that useful, so I had to remove that and use a milling vise. If your part is more than 4" or so long, you will have to remove the lather chuck to cut it along the full length. At 9" of length, you will be up against the spindle.

There is less than 5 inches of vertical working room, since you only have the spindle travel (no movable head or knee). And the 3/4 HP will not always drive your roughing mills at full cutting speed. And the lack of a power feed will eventually wear on you.

I bought a standalone mill, a G0755, that is far more useful than the milling part of the 9729. Now I can pick a shaft out of the lathe, walk to the next machine and mill a keyslot without changing vises and all that. The G0755 is far more mill than the 9729, has a power movable head, tiltable, X axis power feed, is 2 HP and will cut an 18" slot in one pass, none of which you have with the 9729.

- Wes
pete
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Re: base for milling head on G9729 3 in 1

Post by pete »

Well it's probably going to take quite a bit of work and it depends on your location and availability of used machines. If it were me I think I might look around for a smaller horizontal mill that needs a lot of work so it's going cheap. Marry the vertical head to one of those. They built those horizontals with lots of rigidity and there were hundreds if not thousands of smaller Bridgeport heads adapted to the small Hardinge horizontals over the years. Done right depending on the exact mill you'd still have at least one axis with a built in power feed as well. You say your only doing smaller parts now but sooner or later that almost always changes. Rigidity is EVERYTHING when it comes to milling. One other route you might think of, I know mills like Grizzlys G0759 mill are bolted to the rear of some lathes although maybe not on any Grizzly lathes, but the X,Y tables should be available from someone.

To be real honest tho given the work involved and expense your quickly approaching what a new smaller separate mill would.
WJH
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Re: base for milling head on G9729 3 in 1

Post by WJH »

Paint it charcoal, call it a granite 1340 and sell it.
John R
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Re: base for milling head on G9729 3 in 1

Post by John R »

Wow I can't believe this old thread still kicks up interest after all these years. I gave up on this idea long ago and bought a 6x26 milling machine instead, and use the 3 in 1 as a lathe and precision drill press.
John R
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Re: base for milling head on G9729 3 in 1

Post by John R »

I should've said that I am "61-63" too. I lost my password and had to register again because I couldn't figure out how to get back in. Not that it matters to anyone.
spro
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Re: base for milling head on G9729 3 in 1

Post by spro »

OH, I get it. The OP. This mill head relocation is still a problem and how to deal with it. Fwiw, there were smaller vertical mill heads mounted onto the backside of the saddle. Then onto the back of the lathe bed, the onto the lathe headstock. Each was some improvement as the machine became larger. Consider a submarine with mechanical gages and small geared units everywhere. Smallish pinions and gears needed to be made in a very tight space. The current 3 in 1 we think of, is a different thing.
To the point it comes where the vertical head is better dedicated as a stand alone machine, there are options. Some of these require weldments and acquiring the metal and design to do this. There are or were options with scrapped machines as some of the slides are totally useful. For instance, I acquired a slide and thought it was the tool slide of a shaper ram. Then not sure. I measured it and expected it was shot but it wasn't. . Single TEE slot parallel to its length and fine graduated hand wheel. It would make a dandy universal table to a small mill as the base is graduated/indexed. I've thought of flipping it over to support a vertical head. I didn't but stuff is out there. Ain't getting any younger.
spro
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Re: base for milling head on G9729 3 in 1

Post by spro »

not directly applicable
Last edited by spro on Sun Apr 30, 2017 2:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
spro
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Re: base for milling head on G9729 3 in 1

Post by spro »

To your goal of mounting that vertical head upon a different base; it comes to the mounting. It appears a fixed 90* mount and maybe cast. That would require a longer base but there are many bases being trashed, we don't know about. I still think the knee of any metal shaper allows a great base. NOT to remove from a restorable machine, only to use what would be scrap. From there, that knee of many Tee slots, allows a stable fixture to whatever mounting.
Can't expect you see shapers these days but look at "scrap" slides and fixtures at a different angle. One may see that some would be right.
16WhiteColly
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Re: base for milling head on G9729 3 in 1

Post by 16WhiteColly »

In regards to the comment from WesHowe above, I have a small Craftsman vise which has a 1”x1” bar bolted to the bottom, that I clamp in the compound vise. Works great, I probably use the mill more than the lathe. If the lathe is needed, I umclamp the top vise and mount the tool post. Very easy changeover.
40 year retired machinist.
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