A new CNC mill
I recently acquired a Wells-Index 700 CNC mill, and it arrived at Site3 in October. It was sitting in a shop in Edmonton where it was intended for a project that never materialized. Before that it was hard at work making chocolate molds for the Mars candy company. Thanks to the folks at Wells Index for keeping such good track of their machines.
Shipping the machine was a bit of an adventure, since it measured about 8″ higher than a standard city truck. On the shipping end they had to send the first pickup back and bring a semi in to load it. On the receiving end (Toronto) the shipping company declared that they couldn’t get it to Site3 because it wouldn’t fit on any of their trucks – we would have to pay for the rental of a flatbed. My friend Christopher, who has much more experience with shippers than I do, got on the phone and managed to persuade them to drive the rig it was already on into downtown Toronto. I learned two things: swearing at shipping managers is an effective negotiation tactic, and never mess with Christopher.
Christopher also drove the forklift we rented to get it into the shop. It is an extremely top-heavy machine, and wobbled alarmingly. He got it off though, and down a really bumpy alleyway, and into the shop. He was so skilled that I doubt more than five years was taken off my lifespan.
Unloading the CNC mill from the truck
Getting the mill into the shop was a challenge too. We had to remove the motor so it would fit through the doors, and saw off the ends of the oak pallet. That gave us about 2″ of clearance in both the width and height. Christopher managed to get it through the doors after about an hour of shuffling the forklift back and forth inches at a time.
Sawing off the pallet
Into the shop it goes
Getting the mill off the pallet was another hair-raising job, as it weighs about 3500 lbs. We rigged up a beam over the mill and chained the mill to it, then jacked up one post to just lift the mill off the pallet. We slid the pallet to the front of the mill, blocked the back with a 4×4, and lowered the mill. Then we lifted only the front, slid out the pallet and lowered the front onto two 2x4s stacked flat. Then the back was lowered onto a 2×4 plus a 1×4 stacked. And so on, until it was on the floor.
