Thread: Slideway grinders go for a song

Not much happening on Wednesday at this stage Metalman other then Mark picking his up, his is fairly compact and can be moved in one piece...... I am trying to get contact details for the UK buyer of the VBA and then he and Phil can contact one another to see if any arrangement could be come to..

Originally Posted by welder

Well that's good news that you saved it from being Scrap
had a look at these machines and they did look realy nice but being the first time I have seen a slideway grinder I can do nothing but admire them.

That mill along side of it, looks tiny in comparison to the grinder.
Kryn

There are videos of the three grinders here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M14yBFkx6FM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB-soXJipxU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mtZdRuAqFE


Here is a 8 footer from I assume the US being used..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYHSqIPwFRU

Originally Posted by PDW

Doesn't work like that. Selling price has no necessary relationship to buying price.

The selling price is what he says it is.

Very good friend of mine was a scrap dealer. I got a lot of stuff (and valuable live auction bidding lessons) from him.

"Fair" price is what he can sell it as scrap for so he's not making a loss of profit on the deal. Anything over that is a bonus for him, under and he's doing us all a favour. Not uncommon for these blokes to do that if approached the right way.

A machine like this going to somewhere like Mark's or Richard's or anyone else with acreage and 3 phase power on the big island is about the best we can hope for. Even if I had the free space at the moment it'd be idiotic to freight a machine like that to Tasmania. At least on the big island such a machine is at least potentially accessible by a fair group of people. Not down here, freight is a killer.

If it doesn't come off, at least Mark gave it his best shot.

PDW

Goes without saying.

From what our bin man has been bitching to us about, scrap has fallen off a cliff - although he'd love a large casting like that rather than the swarf and rubbish we feed him. I'd be surprised there would be 1k there after expenses, battling fairford rd and stacey, maybe cumberland hwy too, if his bidding address coincides with his biz for added fun. Good part of a day mucking around, plus probably an offsider so you didn't damage the bloke's floor, etc, couldn't see him snorting coke and quaffing caviar afterwards!

Is there a save the whale fund acc we can direct our tax deductibles towards, or too many Nigerians monitoring woodworkers?

PM RC for his account details. He's the new owner and would probably appreciate some financial assistance with regards to transport to Rockhampton.

Michael

Originally Posted by Hunch

Goes without saying.

From what our bin man has been bitching to us about, scrap has fallen off a cliff - although he'd love a large casting like that rather than the swarf and rubbish we feed him. I'd be surprised there would be 1k there after expenses, battling fairford rd and stacey, maybe cumberland hwy too, if his bidding address coincides with his biz for added fun. Good part of a day mucking around, plus probably an offsider so you didn't damage the bloke's floor, etc, couldn't see him snorting coke and quaffing caviar afterwards!

I always suspected there was going to be bugger all profit for the scrap merchant after expenses had been taken out.. Kirrawee is where they are located, and they cannot handle a casting this weight without an outside crane coming in, just looking where Kirrawee is in Sydney, that is a long way away from Smithfield..... But at the end of the day, it was either pay what the off-sider wanted or go to hell, he did not seem to be in a real negotiating mood.. Maybe he was concerned about his boss's operation he was having that day... Mark did a lot of head scratching and negotiating before sort of coming to the conclusion it was not going to happen for him.. Then here is an accurate reconstruction of what he said to me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6b5ubvfa3I

Around here the scrap merchants will not even pay you for scrap... They will give you a big skip to fill up and take it away for free... I guess they think they are doing us a favour..

Bit of an update...

Mark has got his grinder home safe and sound..

My grinder and the big grinder is still in the shed, hopefully mine should be able to be dismantled and loaded within a couple of weeks.. Getting a truck is the current delay.. Talking to Mark today he said they all looked in really good condition...

I think saving it from the scrap man was the right decision.. It has been a bit of a roller coaster ride getting things sorted with plenty of that feeling of have I done the right thing, but at the moment things look to be coming together OK...

Mark also has said the chap who ran these three grinders for the last thirty years is willing to give us some advice... The images are a bit deceiving as to the actual size... That riser block in the photo's that looks like it might be a couple of feet high is actually a metre tall... The machine height is way over three metres high with it on.... Last used to do some Huron mills I believe and not used since...

R C,

Shoulds you decide to drive piles to add further stability before pouring your machine foundation, here is a low capital cost set-up. If you decide to try it be sure to post a video.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/emb...0nLCKypg?rel=0

Frank.

Originally Posted by franco

R C,

Shoulds you decide to drive piles to add further stability before pouring your machine foundation, here is a low capital cost set-up. If you decide to try it be sure to post a video.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/emb...0nLCKypg?rel=0

Frank.

all you need is a tambourine!

So the grinder is finally home as RC said. Only took 22 hours from leaving to getting home!!
All went fairly smoothly. Seven hours drive to Sydney in the semi, three hours to prepare for the lift, one hour to lift onto the truck, three hours to chain down and tarp, then eight hours home in the dark. It is still on the truck parked in a shed as I have to go away for the next seven weeks with work. Will arrange to lift it off when I get home.
I did have some size envy looking at RCs 10 footer but this machine is still sizeable and heavy. Keep telling myself this will be the last heavy move as it is always somewhat stressful doing it yourself. The machinery lifters I used in Sydney (Johnsons at Smithfield) were excellent and reasonably priced at $500.
Took plenty of photos which I will post later when I get to qld.

As a further note I was discussing foundations with the previous owner. He said they made no special arrangements and just put it on the existing shed floor. Even the big grinder!!
He said they had been told he would need 5 foot foundations but they never had a problem.
Time for the plane

Originally Posted by markgray

As a further note I was discussing foundations with the previous owner. He said they made no special arrangements and just put it on the existing shed floor. Even the big grinder!!
He said they had been told he would need 5 foot foundations but they never had a problem.
Time for the plane

I think I may go 12 inches... I just got the tape measure out... 24 feet is a long way isn't it.... I think i know where it will go in the shed... I have a about 26ft X 7ft home mixed/poured crappy slab which was the first cement I put into the shed about 17 years ago after I got my first lathe.. (christ was it really that long ago) I could rip tht out and put in a decent foundation... It would mean moving nearly every machine tool I have though.. But I am not sure if the machine is wider then 2.1m though..

I need a decent crane as well...

Some pictures of the lift.



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PS. thats not me in the second picture but my good friend and mentor Stuart who comes with me to make sure I don't do anything stupid!!

RC here are some photos of the 10 footer. Hope this helps with your planning.
Length was 24 feet, height 3.7m (sorry about mixed metric/imperial measurements) with the riser block being 1m. I didn't measure the width but assume same as mine at 2.5 m. This is not really an issue as the upright is being removed.
The crane driver weighed mine at 8.5 tonnes so yours has to be 12-14 tonnes? The upright and cross arm must be 2-3 tonnes at least. Lance might be able to give you more accurate weight details.
You can see the horizontal grinding attachment sitting on the bed. As well as your straight edge.....that thing is VERY heavy.
The lifting holes in the casting are just over 3 inches and the hole in the counter weight and upright is about 1 inch. When the crossarm is right down close to the table the holes line up in the upright casting and counterweight. You may want to put some packing timber down each side of the counter weight so it can't rock against the side walls.
The machine is not bolted down and we just raised up the levelling bolts into the casting so it sat flat (on conveyor belting) on the trailer floor. At each end of the machine as some blocking bolts to stop it moving and these are on plates that are bolted to the floor. You will want these plus the steel pads that are under the leveling bolts.
Your machine was hard wired and Geoff has already cut the power. Luckily mine had a plug so still had power to move the table and crossarm into position.
All the hydraulic oil has been removed and is still sitting in drums next to the machine. The bolts for the top of the tank are just sitting there so these need to be put back in.
There is plenty of room above the machine to lift off the upright and the bolts holding it on have all been loosened.
Would highly recommend Johnsons ( speak to Chris Bryan at Johnstones on 02 96096999 and Tommy and Jimmy were the two blokes who came and had a look) to do the lift and they had a look at both the 10 footer and the 16 footer and felt no problems moving them although they thought they would need a bigger crane than the 12 tonne slew crane they used for mine.
Will PM you the name of the grinder hand I mentioned if you have any questions.

Cheers


Mark



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