BUSY BEE MILLING MACHINE

Discussion on all milling machines vertical & horizontal, including but not limited to Bridgeports, Hardinge, South Bend, Clausing, Van Norman, including imports.

Moderators: GlennW, Harold_V

Post Reply
spro
Posts: 8016
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:04 pm
Location: mid atlantic

BUSY BEE MILLING MACHINE

Post by spro »

Downwindtracker2 got me to looking at THE site ; UK Lathes. There is a mill with cast BUSY BEE on it's ram. It is made in Italy and you have to see it.
It works similar to a Van Norman but is like Ferrari engineers got there. There are two pages of pictures of this milling machine. Astounding in many ways. It has many features not present with older designs. If we look closer, there is a cavity which acts as boring bar. The main spindles are #40 taper but there is much more to this machine than can be described.
spro
Posts: 8016
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:04 pm
Location: mid atlantic

Re: BUSY BEE MILLING MACHINE

Post by spro »

http:lathes.co.uk/busybee/
pete
Posts: 2518
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2009 6:04 am

Re: BUSY BEE MILLING MACHINE

Post by pete »

Interesting and fairly usual European Deckel, Abene etc type layout for a horizontal / vertical machine by the looks of it. I'd kick my Taiwan BP clone to the curb for something like that. Not a name I would have accociated with anything built in Italy though.
spro
Posts: 8016
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:04 pm
Location: mid atlantic

Re: BUSY BEE MILLING MACHINE

Post by spro »

Yes. That is what strikes me as the casting built towards English speaking countries. Occupatus Apis or something, maybe not as friendly sounding.
pete
Posts: 2518
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2009 6:04 am

Re: BUSY BEE MILLING MACHINE

Post by pete »

Maybe it sounds a lot better in Italian? :-)
Downwindtracker2
Posts: 276
Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2008 9:34 pm
Location: B.C.

Re: BUSY BEE MILLING MACHINE

Post by Downwindtracker2 »

Certainly not our local BusyBee, brother to Grizzly tools. A great resource that site .
A man of foolish pursuits, '91 BusyBee DF1224g lathe,'01 Advance RF-45 mill/drill,'68 Delta Toolmaker surface grinder,Miller250 mig,'83 8" Baldor grinder, plus sawdustmakers
spro
Posts: 8016
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:04 pm
Location: mid atlantic

Re: BUSY BEE MILLING MACHINE

Post by spro »

Astounding site and existed a long time. This isn't total freebie. They need support. Imagine if that site crashed into oblivion. All that knowledge and records. Well don't imagine that. Fund that site as this one. They don't "ask" much for what we get. Dang I need to get with it. My security wouldn't allow a transfer via paypal. One way or another, it will be done.
Right. Then it doesn't. I cannot believe this. If it is still working, why touch it? Well it is better to support as like a lubricant before something Seizes Up.
pete
Posts: 2518
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2009 6:04 am

Re: BUSY BEE MILLING MACHINE

Post by pete »

I've spent a lot of time on Tony website and agree it's a great resource. However he uses that site to list and sell quite expensive photocopys of machine manuals. I doubt he needs the little I could give.
spro
Posts: 8016
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:04 pm
Location: mid atlantic

Re: BUSY BEE MILLING MACHINE

Post by spro »

No denying a good point.
Post Reply