Greg, figuring the original design used a steel round column a beefier square column would be an improvement. It could also be filled with concrete to give it more mass.
As regards the dovetail, although my Tree has a dovetail I have seen BP style mills with a flat (rectangular) slide arrangement.
A lathe bed from a lathe large enough to have a tailstock large enough to become a mount for a mill head would be too large to bolt to the existing base. the bolt spacing is about 4.5" X 8.75".
Here's the poorly welded (or cooled) repair.
I was thinking I could cut the head just in front of the round column and the machine/grind it parallel and square to the quill/spindle. It remains to be seen how much beef for tapping bolt holes to attach it to the slide of the new column.
Thanks for your thoughts, and remember this is not a "priority" so if anything comes to mind down the line I may still be considering ideas.
As regards the dovetail, although my Tree has a dovetail I have seen BP style mills with a flat (rectangular) slide arrangement.
A lathe bed from a lathe large enough to have a tailstock large enough to become a mount for a mill head would be too large to bolt to the existing base. the bolt spacing is about 4.5" X 8.75".
Here's the poorly welded (or cooled) repair.
I was thinking I could cut the head just in front of the round column and the machine/grind it parallel and square to the quill/spindle. It remains to be seen how much beef for tapping bolt holes to attach it to the slide of the new column.
Thanks for your thoughts, and remember this is not a "priority" so if anything comes to mind down the line I may still be considering ideas.
Busy Bee 12-36 lathe, Busy Bee Mill drill, Busy Bee 4x6 bandsaw, Homemade 9x17 bandsaw, Ad infinitum.