Disassembling a Clausing 8520 for ease of transportation - what tools needed?

Hello all,

I'm heading out in a couple days to pick up a Clausing 8520 milling machine. I have not yet seen it in person. My question is what tools do I need to bring with me to break it down to reasonably easy to move sections?

Thank you in advance!

Regis

This is from memory, but basic SAE sockets, adjustable wrench, Allen set up to 1/2", decent screwdrivers, and a sharp knife if you're breaking the machine base (not the cabinet) into two castings and want to part the paint nicely. One healthy guy and a two-wheeler cart (with ratchet straps) can do it. I got mine in thru a 18" x 28" basement window, except for the cabinet. Gravity was on my side, however.

If you have two guys on each end of the move, you can probably handle the assembled castings + knee + table still assembled. Head is easy with motor off. The factory cabinet is pretty heavy and makes it almost 6' tall, so whether that comes off depends on your mode of transport and testicular fortitude.

I would very strongly recommend taking a look at the machinery manual and parts breakdown on Vintage Machinery. I haven't moved a Clausing specifically, but in my experience moving other machines, the more time you've spent looking at the parts breakdown, the less time you spend being confused or breaking something because you didn't notice the last bolt or pin or other retaining device.

Clausing Industrial, Inc. - Publication Reprints - Clausing 852 & 8525 Vertical Milling Machine Installation and Parts Manual | VintageMachinery.org

Good Luck,
Will

Here's a scanned manual for an 8530, parts are similar:

https://xa.yimg.com/df/clausing_lat...e0j23dk1lwEGECV0SU9BUFWpxrBA5pA&type=download

With some sockets and allen keys you can break the machine down into four parts easily handled by two men. Take the head unit off, then the knee with table, column and base and you're left with the cabinet. You can take the table off the knee and also the base off the column if you find it's too much.

Nice, accurate small machine if it's in good shape. There's a Yahoo Group at: Yahoo! Groups

My resto if interested: Clausing 852 Restoration - International Waters Community

FYI a full size bridgeport, 2000 pounds, breaks down into 4 or 5 pieces that weigh around 200 pounds each. The column weighs in at around 600 pounds without the knee or ram. I would expect the Clausing to be 2/3 of that since it is smaller.
I hear the spider that holds the ram on top is one of those items easy to drop and break and hard to keep in place while reassembling. I have no idea how Clausing did that.
Bil lD

Not the answer to the OPs question, but FWIW, I'm more than seventy years old and I moved my Clausing completely assembled in the bed of a pickup truck. They're not really a heavy machine.

jack vines

PackardV8 said:

Not the answer to the OPs question, but FWIW, I'm more than seventy years old and I moved my Clausing completely assembled in the bed of a pickup truck. They're not really a heavy machine.

jack vines

Click to expand...

I have moved a lot of machines, I have never taken one apart to do it.

I have a 1 ton Silverado pick up truck with a cap on the back. no way to stand it up. The seller has no way to load. Hence my reasons for needing to disassemble the machine to move.

Mad Dad said:

I have a 1 ton Silverado pick up truck with a cap on the back. no way to stand it up. The seller has no way to load. Hence my reasons for needing to disassemble the machine to move.

Click to expand...

You would be crazy to stand a mill in the back of a pickup truck anyway, no proper tie down points. Rent a drop deck trailer, slide that little mill in, strap it down properly and you are good to go

I moved my 8520 in three pieces:
1) Remove the head and motor, just a couple of bolts and disconnecting the electrical for the switch.
2) Remove the body and table from the cabinet, again just 4 bolts
3) The cabinet, which is light without the mill
No special tools were needed - socket set, screw drivers, and adjustable wrench.

Only the body with the table attached was heavy, but with a dolly, straps, and a bit of blocking came out of the seller's basement with no problems - I had three people, but two of us could have moved it. I took the knee off once I got it home to clean and repaint. The knee came off easy if you need to reduce the weight of each piece. I moved mine with a small trailer(with much less load capacity than a truck) so I did not have to lift each piece up into the bed. As above, you want to at least remove it from the cabinet to lower the center of gravity.