Work-piece supported tool apparatus particularly adapted for use with large structural members

Work-piece supported apparatus for performing machine tool operations upon a work-piece having a pair of spaced, upstanding, flange portions presenting a pair of substantially parallel, elongate, track surfaces, said apparatus including:

• elongate beam means disposable transversely to said track surfaces;
• carrier means shiftably mounted on said beam means for selective positioning along the length of the latter, said carrier means including a pair of carrier assemblies independently shiftable on said beam means for selective positioning along the length of the latter;
• machine tool means supported by said carrier means and having powered, movable parts for operatively engaging said work-piece to perform machine tool operations on the latter, said machine tool means including a pair of tool assemblies each supported by a corresponding carrier assembly;
• wheel means, said wheel means including a pair of sets of wheels and means for mounting each of said sets of wheels upon a corresponding carrier assembly,
• said carrier assemblies being selectively shiftable to positions along said beam means for disposing each of said sets of wheels in supported engagement upon a corresponding one of said track surfaces, whereby said beam means, said carrier means and said tool means are shiftably supported by said wheel means upon said track surfaces of said work-piece for selective positioning thereof along the length of the latter,
• said means for mounting each of said sets of wheels upon the corresponding carrier assembly including powered extensible means for vertically shifting the positions of each of said sets of wheels relative to the corresponding carrier assembly, whereby the positions of said beam means, said carrier means and said tool means are vertically adjustable relative to said work-piece,
• each of said sets of wheels including a pair of wheels each provided with a separate and independently controllable extensible means for shifting its relative vertical positioning with respect to the associated carrier assembly, whereby said beam means, said carrier means and said tool means may be selectively tilted about an axis transverse to said track surfaces;
• means associated with each of said carrier assemblies for clamping the latter in selected positions upon said beam means;
• and
• means associated with each of said carrier assemblies and engagable with said work-piece for holding said carrier assembly in a selected position along the length of the track surface engaged by the set of wheels associated with said carrier assembly,
• each of said tool assemblies comprising a powered multiple bit drilling device having a bit supporting head which is controllably shiftable relative to the corresponding carrier assembly and toward and away from said work-piece.