Bridgeport Mill of (what are some people like?)
Discussion
Okay so this is a bit left field. Have a home mechanic workshop, that wants, NOT NEEDS, a Bridgeport mill. Don't ask me why I want one, I just do.
Where do people go to find one of these for sale? I've looked through ebay and been to see two, both were quite some distance away and when I arrived they were in very very poor condition looking like they'd be left outside in the rain, or worse still someone had just drilled into their own machine to the point where the bed looked like the mountains of the moon. The seller, who had hidden this on the photos completely ignored it when I pointed out having initially tried to hide it by placing a large vice over it.
It was the car equivalent of a car advert saying good runner, and arriving to find the car with no wheels, while the seller tries to blag it.
The other end of the spectrum are the professional business sellers who don't put any prices on their websites and invite 'enquires'. Each 'enquiry' starts with them wanting to know about you so they can decide how much to try and charge you. One chap who I won't name seems to run a business which consists of advertising loads of stock which he obviously doesn't own or have access/information on , who basically wants you to give him the right to make a bid and take commission off you. The commission and vat ending up as nearly half the price of whatever he bids on.
It got me thinking that when some poor bugger initially made a Bridgeport mill he didn't realise how many limpits both private and national would try to earn money off his creation. I assume the car industry is similar and I do wonder if the cost of a car has any relation to what the car cost to make at all.
Where do people go to find one of these for sale? I've looked through ebay and been to see two, both were quite some distance away and when I arrived they were in very very poor condition looking like they'd be left outside in the rain, or worse still someone had just drilled into their own machine to the point where the bed looked like the mountains of the moon. The seller, who had hidden this on the photos completely ignored it when I pointed out having initially tried to hide it by placing a large vice over it.
It was the car equivalent of a car advert saying good runner, and arriving to find the car with no wheels, while the seller tries to blag it.
The other end of the spectrum are the professional business sellers who don't put any prices on their websites and invite 'enquires'. Each 'enquiry' starts with them wanting to know about you so they can decide how much to try and charge you. One chap who I won't name seems to run a business which consists of advertising loads of stock which he obviously doesn't own or have access/information on , who basically wants you to give him the right to make a bid and take commission off you. The commission and vat ending up as nearly half the price of whatever he bids on.
It got me thinking that when some poor bugger initially made a Bridgeport mill he didn't realise how many limpits both private and national would try to earn money off his creation. I assume the car industry is similar and I do wonder if the cost of a car has any relation to what the car cost to make at all.
Fan of AvE by any chance?
No chance of doing a resto job on a dodgy one? Obviously if a mill is rusted to buggery on the inside you have a lot of work and the possibility that once you've got the rust off there's too much slop to make it useful anyway, but if the rust is just on the casings it's fixable.
Likewise, whilst I have literally no idea on the cost to buy a replacement table for a Bridgeport (assuming that's the bit that's been drilled) they are replaceable on all the mills I've seen. Could be worth finding out the cost for such a table and using it to help budget/negotiate.
Unfortunately picking up used engineering tools cheaply is unlikely nowadays.
No chance of doing a resto job on a dodgy one? Obviously if a mill is rusted to buggery on the inside you have a lot of work and the possibility that once you've got the rust off there's too much slop to make it useful anyway, but if the rust is just on the casings it's fixable.
Likewise, whilst I have literally no idea on the cost to buy a replacement table for a Bridgeport (assuming that's the bit that's been drilled) they are replaceable on all the mills I've seen. Could be worth finding out the cost for such a table and using it to help budget/negotiate.
Unfortunately picking up used engineering tools cheaply is unlikely nowadays.
Being in the machine tool industry it all really depends on how much you want to spend. There are a fair few old r8 Bridgeport machines around and some Far East cheap copies (lion brand). Most colleges and technical schools have them still and most machine shops will have one in a corner somewhere but they do tend to get abused.
looking for a 2J2 varispeed, with the newer rapid feeds. Not too worried about the DRO as the ones you tend to find on Bridgeports are twenty year old tech, and I've refitted about three dros to the warco each getting smaller/cheaper with more versatility from china.
I tend to keep tools a long time. I have a myford 7B and a warco major which I have had for about fifteen years I think.
Budget is probably a max of 3.5K but they are so variable its a minefield
I tend to keep tools a long time. I have a myford 7B and a warco major which I have had for about fifteen years I think.
Budget is probably a max of 3.5K but they are so variable its a minefield
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...
Bit like that one. Some r8 collets with it as well it seems
Bit like that one. Some r8 collets with it as well it seems
Keep an eye on this auction site http://auction.newengland.co.uk/ you'll need to register (free) to see what's on offer but the deals that come up here with liquidated stock are not to be sneezed at. Bridgeport's come up a lot (none there today although there are other similar mills) and usually fully loaded for a fraction of their true value. The only downside is that you will have to go to the business address (usually in the midlands which is the heart of UK engineering) and pick up the item yourself, if bolted to the floor you'll have to take care of that too. For a Bridgeport this means you'll need a large truck with lifting gear, Bridgeport's aren't light....
Pete
Pete
mr alan said:
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...
Bit like that one. Some r8 collets with it as well it seems
Yep going for just a little bit younger if I can get there for the money. I've been monitoring ebay but wondered if I was missing some well known place for buying tools like the industrial exchange and mart or some such.Bit like that one. Some r8 collets with it as well it seems
Tango13 said:
That's a great site cheers. Its based in brighton which is a bunch better than seeing everything in the midlands (live near brands hatch). I will keep a close eye and try to organise to go and inspect.Just the sort of place I was looking for. Looks like you pay 16% buyers tax and then 20% on top of everything, which although steep is actually better than most of the places in the midlands. All I need to do now is investigate delivery options.
Thanks Tango. I'm looking through theior back catalog to see how often bridgeports turn up
Julian,
Would this series of videos inspire you? Two guys take a very dirty, rusty lathe, and turn it into a perfectly functional, good looking machine. There are 14 videos in the series, so a LOT of work, but if you want this mill, and you have the skills - you must have, you want a mill!
Part 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTEUXiDoCLc
Part 14 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5tjIh4ecKQ
Good luck!
John
Would this series of videos inspire you? Two guys take a very dirty, rusty lathe, and turn it into a perfectly functional, good looking machine. There are 14 videos in the series, so a LOT of work, but if you want this mill, and you have the skills - you must have, you want a mill!
Part 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTEUXiDoCLc
Part 14 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5tjIh4ecKQ
Good luck!
John
julian64 said:
Okay so this is a bit left field. Have a home mechanic workshop, that wants, NOT NEEDS, a Bridgeport mill. Don't ask me why I want one, I just do.
Totally ignoring your request. Why? I mean why Bridgeport specifically? It is the aircooled 911 of machine tools, which is why they are advertised at stupid prices, and why bodged ones are also common. I can understand wanting that scale of machine but the name badge will cost you, even if it is just in the time and effort of finding a good one.
You may have more luck if you avoid the dealers, there is a classifieds site for home workshop gear here : https://homeworkshop.org.uk
It may also be worth asking for advice on the forums at http://www.model-engineer.co.uk
Cabinet Enforcer said:
Totally ignoring your request. Why? I mean why Bridgeport specifically? It is the aircooled 911 of machine tools, which is why they are advertised at stupid prices, and why bodged ones are also common.
I can understand wanting that scale of machine but the name badge will cost you, even if it is just in the time and effort of finding a good one.
You may have more luck if you avoid the dealers, there is a classifieds site for home workshop gear here : https://homeworkshop.org.uk
It may also be worth asking for advice on the forums at http://www.model-engineer.co.uk
Its a fair question, but unfortunately I don't have a good answer. I currently have a warco major mill with three axis DRO and its been a good servant doing 90% of everything I wanted of it. There are newer turret mills and I did look around at some of them at the local exhibitions, but they are all very large money brand new. A Bridgeport has the benefit of being the VW beetle rather than the Porsche of the milling market, and by that I mean the spares for repair or even significant rebuild are all over the internet at reasonable prices which is more than you can say about some other brands even if they are newer.I can understand wanting that scale of machine but the name badge will cost you, even if it is just in the time and effort of finding a good one.
You may have more luck if you avoid the dealers, there is a classifieds site for home workshop gear here : https://homeworkshop.org.uk
It may also be worth asking for advice on the forums at http://www.model-engineer.co.uk
So The idea of the Bridgeport is that it'll have more capability, will always be able to be serviced/repaired and is fairly simplistic.
However if you have an suggestions within my price range for a 'bridgeport beater' (max of £3.5K) I'm all ears.
julian64 said:
However if you have an suggestions within my price range for a 'bridgeport beater' (max of £3.5K) I'm all ears.
Well in "new" that budget doesn't lift you above rf45 size benchtop mills, as I am sure you know. Rectifying serious wear could be very costly, so I would focus mainly on machine condition, and not worry too much about the name badge. Also, anything converted to single phase supply usually commands a big premium, so if you have 3ph or are capable of installing a vfd, you are at an advantage there.I bought both my lathe and mill off ebay as non-runners, needing repair, this does seem to be just about the only thing that gets prices down significantly, though plenty of patience is needed waiting for what you want.
I think you probably can get what you want, with patience, I suppose I was just pointing out that your frustrations so far are mainly because you're after a Bridgeport, like many others. Exactly the same effect can be seen with myford lathes.
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