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VMC for short ceiling height garage?

mesa

Plastic
Joined
Apr 5, 2017
Hobby machinist looking to buy a capable mill second hand. The issue is my garage height. It's 90" to the drywall and the door opening is 79". I don't mind going into the joist space to gain a few inches, but the column would have to fit between them, structural modification is out as I have house above it.

So far the only things I think have a chance in hell are:

A Sharp SV-2412, Newest models list as 94.5" but it looks like the column may be skinnier than 16" so it could fit between joists. No idea about the 10 year old models on the used market share the same dimensions though.

Late 90's/Early 00's robodrills (Link). I've seen sellers list these heights from 83" to 95". Anyone know what their max height is and whether or not they can be disassembled to fit under 79".

I'm open to other ideas, really all I'm looking for is something heavy duty that will fit and has a tool changer.
 
If you google this topic it’s been covered a lot , many topics here on PM.
Try “what vmc will fit in a garage?” :)


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Trust me, I have. No one else seems to have as short of a ceiling as I do, nor do they go into specifics on dimensions, particularly of the machines I asked about.
 
I went through this evaluation process about a year ago, have very limited head height and also limited door width. I ended up going with Brother Speedio...very nice machine, and has much better head height than most other machines.
 
A Fadal VMC15 should work fine if you're willing to go up in between the joists, the only part that goes that high is the cable chain which sits at 95" at the tool change height, maybe an inch or so higher at Z max... Nothing else goes up that high though so you would only need a small section to go up into.

I just put my VMC15 through a set of standard double doors with a couple of inches to spare, not sure what the exact height was but I was able to get it pretty low. Basically you pin the counterweight and strap down the head for transport, then take off the Z axis servo and unbolt the cable chain and push it over to the side. To fit it through double doors you also have to take off the left hand side of the enclosure... Not sure what width you have to work with at the entrance.

It takes about 3 hours to prep the machine like this, and about the same to put it back into working order. You need either a bunch of strong coordinated people to remove the left side enclosure, or (easier) an engine hoist and some ratchet straps.





 
According to the Haas rep I was talking to the other day a TM-2p will fit through a 84 inch door if they cut down the lifting tabs on top. He mentioned it might be easier to open up a side wall insert the mill then close the wall up again. I know your pain I have an 81 inch door and am trying to find something suitable.
 
I've been on the same hunt for the last month. I had emailed Sharp and was told that if you remove the Z axis motor and ballscrew mount you'll be at 70" on the 2412.

iA Robodrills are right at 75" with the Z axis motor removed. At full height they measure ~87" depending on how high it is levelled. That is without a riser (100mm/200mm/300mm).
 
A Fadal VMC15 should work fine if you're willing to go up in between the joists, the only part that goes that high is the cable chain which sits at 95" at the tool change height, maybe an inch or so higher at Z max... Nothing else goes up that high though so you would only need a small section to go up into.

Isn't it 101" at full height? I was strongly considering Fadal until I saw a post that said 95" didn't include travel and that it maxed out at 101".


I've been on the same hunt for the last month. I had emailed Sharp and was told that if you remove the Z axis motor and ballscrew mount you'll be at 70" on the 2412.

iA Robodrills are right at 75" with the Z axis motor removed. At full height they measure ~87" depending on how high it is levelled. That is without a riser (100mm/200mm/300mm).

Good to know on the Sharp, seems like a strong possibility. On the robodrills Im guessing the riser is why their documentation has so many different heights listed? Is the 87" at full travel or travel on top of that?

Thanks all!
 
Good to know on the Sharp, seems like a strong possibility. On the robodrills Im guessing the riser is why their documentation has so many different heights listed? Is the 87" at full travel or travel on top of that?

Thanks all!

87" is at full travel.
 
mesa,

I have a Haas Mini Mill in my garage. I have an 84" tall door opening, and the height inside the shop is 100.5" to the sub-floor (my house is over my garage). The actual bottom of the floor joists is of course much lower.

When I moved the machine in, the Z was down as far as it would go, and I removed the semi-rigid cable tube and laid everything "on its side". I brought it into the garage/shop on a pallet jack. Once I was in, I had to sneak it under an 83.5" beam to get it into place. The column on the Mini-Mill is about 12.5" wide, so it goes up between 2 floor joists when the machine origins all the axis. The highest thing is the plastic tube with the cabling in it, and it almost touches the 100.5" sub-floor above when at Z-origin. I made a "guide" of sorts to make sure that the cable tube slides up and down smoothly without dragging on a floor joist.

I also machined down the cast-iron feet for the machine, and have the machine sitting as low as practical on the adjustment bolts.


PM
 
Isn't it 101" at full height? I was strongly considering Fadal until I saw a post that said 95" didn't include travel and that it maxed out at 101".

I just double checked on my machine to make sure and unfortunately you are correct. At Z max the overall height of the machine is 103" with the highest part being the cable chain... Sorry mate!
 
I just sold my Sharp but it fit through a 78 1/2" opening with just the Z-axis servo pulled off and laid to the side, and the cable track broken down and moved to the side.
 








 
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