Thread: Raising the height of a Schaublin 13

I own a Schaublin 13 and I am finding it is just that bit too low to the ground. I’m not overly tall at 6ft, but with the table all the way down (which often can be the case) it is a stretch to reach for the z-axis handle for example. In general, I think it would work and feel better being about 150mm higher?

The original manual seems to suggest erecting a concrete foundation for the machine to sit upon. This seems like a fair bit of work. I also think it would be handy to still have access to underneath the machine by only supporting each of the four corners of the base. I thought make a steel base, or even just using concrete blocks underneath each ‘foot’. Levelling feet is another way to go but 150mm is a fair bit so I would need to modify the design to avoid having chicken feet.

This machine is the older design, so with the table and accessories/work on the table I don’t think it would weigh over 600kg. The machine won’t need to be moved from this position for the foreseeable future.

After the brains trust and some thoughts.

schaublin-13-r.jpgschaublin-base.png

I have some much much heavier machines just sitting on redgum blocks, but my standards are probably lower that a schaublin deserves. Id say any of those ideas are fine so pick the cheapest one? I had to lift my CVA about 3" to make it usable.

A fabricated steel base will work good. We made one up for a big slotter at work because we had to sit on the ground to operate it properly, raised it up about 400mm.

(Old photos)
Mill.JPGUnder mill.JPG
This mill weighs around 1200kg and does fine on a fabricated steel stand. Raises it around 200mm with room for a drawer underneath

Michael

I'm 5'9" so that Schaublin 13 will suit me to a tee. Swap you for my Hercus.

Ben.

Hello Aaron,

I'm 5' 10" and I never felt the 13 to be uncomfortably low when it sat directly, and unevenly, on the concrete floor. Some homemade feet levelled the mill and elevated it about 50mm - //metalworkforums.com/f65/t2012...48#post1929148 It took a while to become accustomed to the height increase because it initially felt too high. On the weekend I used the mill in horizontal mode with the table wound up close to the spindle. I had to stand on a milk crate to see what was going on!

IMG_20180514_150522622 (Large).jpg

Occasional Forum member Greq Q had a beautiful petite FP1. At six and a half feet, Greq is anything but petite so he elevated the Deckel with the combination of a boxed RHS frame and swivel height adjustable feet. The end result would have been the same as raising the mill a couple of inches for someone of average height.

DSCN4395 (Large).jpg

Before you make something permanent, why not try a few temporary setups on timber packers of varying heights to get a feel for what is most comfortable?

Bob.

I'm not sure what the bottom of your mill looks like, but I used 150mm square tube for mine to raise it up and also stabilize it.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I'd probably build a steel base if I do plan on heading up the arbitrary 150mm. But levelling feet for anything like 50mm.

I just find when the z-axis is all the way down that both the table (and especially the handle) is quite low. Probably why Schaublin ergonomically angled the z-axis hand wheel arm outwards in the later machines.

I haven't had the machine for long, and I've only been giving it a workout lately. This particular tool run needs the room underneath the head so the table is set quite low. But now I am taking into consideration your point Bob, that it could become an issue when I'm using other set-ups. I think I'll just chock it up a little and have a feel.

Aaron.

It is not just your height which can influence your comfort with a particular machine setup. My late father and mother serve to illustrate my point well, as when sitting at the dinner table my mother would appear about 50 mm taller than my father, but when standing together my dad was about 100 mm taller than mum. They had different proportions, dad had longer legs while my mother was longer from her hips up.
Probably the best advice is to try it for a while as others have suggested, but one other option would be to set it at the maximum height that you would ever need to be comfortable, and to make some duckboards to stand on yourself if you need to be higher to be comfortable for a particular setup. You could even make the height of your duckboards adjustable, a lot simpler than making your mill adjustable in height if that was necessary.
Rob.

Originally Posted by devarda

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I'd probably build a steel base if I do plan on heading up the arbitrary 150mm. But levelling feet for anything like 50mm.

I just find when the z-axis is all the way down that both the table (and especially the handle) is quite low. Probably why Schaublin ergonomically angled the z-axis hand wheel arm outwards in the later machines.

I haven't had the machine for long, and I've only been giving it a workout lately. This particular tool run needs the room underneath the head so the table is set quite low. But now I am taking into consideration your point Bob, that it could become an issue when I'm using other set-ups. I think I'll just chock it up a little and have a feel.

Aaron.

Aaron,

I think Schaublin skewed the Z feed handwheel to lessen the chance of accidentally turning the wrong handle. I've had mine for eight years and I still manage to cock it up!! Fellow 13 owner, Phillip" Metalman", warned me of the ease of turning the wrong handle when I first acquired the mill, a warning sadly not always heeded.

Bob.