Need Help!- bridgeport boss height reduction

[danielbw]

Hi,

I need to remove about 10 inches of height from my bridgeport boss series I CNC mill so it'll fit in our freight elevator. I think its a rigid ram boss 5 or 6 but I'm not sure. Any advice on the easiest way to accomplish this would really be appreciated.

I've removed some outer panels from the lower head and it looks like maybe the whole head might swivel to the side like a regular bridgeport if I remove some wires and 4 mounting bolts. There is a hex crank that turns some kind of worm gear but I can't figure out what it does. If the head does swivel do I need to support its weight after I remove the 4 mounting bolts? We can't get the forklift up to the third floor where the machine has to wind up.

I've marked the hex crank and the worm gear with red arrows in the pictures below. Thanks for your help.

http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~danielbw/millpics/boss1.jpg
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~danielbw/millpics/boss2.jpg
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~danielbw/millpics/boss3.jpg

[colin1544]

Hello there you have the same problem as me and one or two others with these machines they are very high. The only way out is to lift the head off, you have done half of the work, and if you have the manuals it will show you in the maintenance one about making a plate to do this so that it lifts square, it bolts onto the top of the spindle top bearing retaining plate with 3 x 1/4" 20 unc bolts the plate then has a 1/2" eye bolt to lift with, you then take off the remaining wires and disconnect the Z axis servo motor cables intact and lay this in the well behind the spindle motor, disconnect the oil pipe, then with the head supported on a chain block or fork lift, remove the 4 x 1/2" bolts that hold the head on, and then lift away. You are asking about the hex bolt on the side of the head with the worm gear arrangement, this is used only for final tramming of the head when it is back in position, it only moves about 10 degree's either way. I am stripping my head off on mine when I move house, but i have limited head room so I am looking at having to make a lifting plate that fastens onto the front of the head casting replacing the cover that covers the quill limit switches and will use a strap to hold it square, then with a engine crane to lift it off I hope. I will take some photos of this in the next couple of weeks as I am moving house and workshop after Christmas. Best of luck Colin.

[rgrace44]

Hello I once had a customer make a fixture to put a machine in a cradle, which tilted the whole machine and shorten the height. Then you need the width to fit the machine in this angled position. Good Luck

Ray
Old BPT Service guy from NH