A couple of years back I loaned my small mill to a member and when I got it back, the member said he had nicked the bar clamp bolts and that's why he was giving me 4 new bolts (still in their packets) plus some real nice M8 bar nuts. These nuts are good for bar clamp bolts because the nuts are extra large and its easy to get a grip on them with a wrench.
Anyway, am about to embark on a bit of small milling and so I puled the small alaskan out to give it a once over and this is what I saw. The 4th bolt was unmarked.
I don't use conventional bar clamps on this mill - the inward end of the bar is bolted direct to the mill and the outboard end uses a single bolt clamp that clamps down over a short bolt that passes through the middle of the bar nose. As the clamping bolt is out in front of the nose, if that bolt gets loose the chain still can't touch the bolt.
Another reasonI recommend bolting the bar to the mill.
Anyway, am about to embark on a bit of small milling and so I puled the small alaskan out to give it a once over and this is what I saw. The 4th bolt was unmarked.
I don't use conventional bar clamps on this mill - the inward end of the bar is bolted direct to the mill and the outboard end uses a single bolt clamp that clamps down over a short bolt that passes through the middle of the bar nose. As the clamping bolt is out in front of the nose, if that bolt gets loose the chain still can't touch the bolt.
Another reasonI recommend bolting the bar to the mill.