Bridgeport Vertical Milling Machine, worth it?

[wrenchMONKEY_]

I have no imediate need for this, but the price seems right, and its 3 hours one way, so localish. I'd get a flat deck trailer to haul it home as they have some other stuff I'd like (50Ton press ($100 and Belt Sander (240V 3 phase) but I'd have to sort out a forklift or other means for loading



•20 Amp, 3 Phase, 1.5 HP, 60 HZ, 230/460 Volt, 1730 RPM
•Working condition when removed from service

Thoughts? Seems like something I'd like to have and learn to use.

 

[organ]

"Ran when parked."

 

[wrenchMONKEY_]

Fully accept that it may need some work, however, even if I put $500 or so into it, would it still be worth it? I see them going for 2-3000 online.

That being said, this is GOVT surplus from a contractors shop.

 

[ttpete]

It'd be nice to hear it run. How much slop is in the table screws? I don't see a way oil pump on it anywhere. Any apprentice marks on the table?

It's pretty clean, was it a toolroom machine and not production?

 

[930dreamer]

Look the BP over carefully, because YOU can't see it run its a coin toss.

 

[wrenchMONKEY_]

I've left a note for the person to call me so I can get some more infomation about it. Its a govt surplus auction, I'll try and find some more info. Seems like its a get it if it works, but if it needs anything be warray type of thing.

 

[dr_clyde]

That's a pretty good deal, even if it needs some work. A few hundred in parts can do a ton.

If the head is in ok shape, the ways aren't grooved too bad and the lead screws have a minimal amount of lash, that's a steal.

You can get a head rebuild kit for less than $500, ways can be re-scraped and lead screws can be replaced. Real dealbreakers are cracked castings/tables, major spindle damage or other major components missing.

 

[Dave455]

Mate - if there's no major damage that's a gift!

In all fairness these things do come up at cheap prices from time to time, and usually for the same reason, the seller needs them shifted fast and can't shift them himself!

Personally, I'd grab it fast before someone else does!

If that was on offer in the U.K. there would be an empty space and a set of skid marks...!

 

[rsanter]

Seems like a good deal unless it's trashed.
At that price you could part it out and make a little money if it is trashed

Remove the vise and the drawbar.
Move the knee to the lowest position.
Turn the head inside down on the machine to lower the center of gravity.

Use three floor jacks under the machine like machine skates and you can move the machine.
Jack the machine up and install cribbing under the machine to get it up to trailer height.
Install enough cribbing to make it such that you can roll it on the cribbing and onto the trailer.

You can also use a good heavy duty cherry picker/engine hoist to pick the machine up. On the top of the ram there is a threaded hole for an eyelet you can lift from.
Lift the machine and back the trailer under the machine. Use floor jacks to roll to the center of the trailer.

Rent a low boy lifting trailer like used for moving fork lifts. One that the deck will drop to the ground. Use floor jacks to roll it onto the trailer

Bob

 

[404]

When turning the head upside down, be aware that the worm gear that controls the head tilt may be broken or missing. Be ready for the head to fall sideways and crush you like a bug.

All that aside, I think the price is fine.

 

[APEowner]

Assuming that it's in good shape that's a very good deal. However, you'll need to budget whatever you need to get 3 phase power to it in you shop and tooling before you can use it. Tooling is where the cost is. I paid $1,500 for my mill and I've got well over $5k in tooling and there's still stuff that I could use.

 

[K13]

In Canada that is a steal. You couldn't get a used Chinese benchtop mill for that price in Alberta.

 

[wrenchMONKEY_]

If I don't get it, I'll let ya know, its in Calgary.

 

[rsanter]

Assuming that it's in good shape that's a very good deal. However, you'll need to budget whatever you need to get 3 phase power to it in you shop and tooling before you can use it. Tooling is where the cost is. I paid $1,500 for my mill and I've got well over $5k in tooling and there's still stuff that I could use.

Yes the tooling will in the long run cost more than the machine.

For the three phase conversion you can use a VFD

Bob

 

[wrenchMONKEY_]

Thanks for the info guys. I'll see if I can get some of the questions posed here answered.

 

[Gary in NY]

If it was me, it would already be in my shop. My wife thinks I have a problem with that.

 

[ND80]

If it was around my area it wouldn't stay up for sell at that price for more then about an hour or so....... Lucky... congrats.

 

[IndyGarage]

I would run to get that machine. $750 is a steal.

The X axis power drive is about $500 by itself. That big vise is another $200-300 - unless it's Chinese.

It's a variable speed head, and looks like it isn't rusty and doesn't have much of any paint wear. Looks very lightly used. Hard to see in the pictures if the table has any marks on it.

No digital readout or tooling with it - other than the cutter in it. You'll spend about $500 minimum to tool it up. You can get a Variable frequency drive that can run it off single phase for about $200. The digital readouts are $500 and up.

You can move a Bridgeport with a pallet jack - they aren't that heavy, about 1500lbs. Just be careful - they are very top heavy.

 

[justanengineer]

$750 is about the going rate here stateside if its in decent shape. Those old mills can be a bit of a tossup tho, 1968 was likely many operators ago in most any for-profit shop, some good and some bad. Personally I'd recommend taking someone knowledgeable with you to preview it, there's plenty of worn out Bridgeports in scrapyards that aren't worth $100 today. Being that you're buying with the intention of learning to use the machine, please don't misunderstand the difference between mechanical repair and wear. Mechanical repair YOU should be able to handle fairly easily for <$1k, but as a novice please realize youre not going to fix wear anytime soon without spending thousands having someone else rebuild it. Realistically, mechanical repair doesn't affect/improve a machine's value bc the wear/accuracy remains the same, so don't go pouring parts into a turd machine unless youre willing to lose money. Also keep in mind that at the moment scrap's down, manufacturing and heavy industry are in the crapper, and Bridgeport's are rather overrated anyway.

Just my $0.02.

 

[Doug Arthurs]

I agree it looks like a good deal. If you need to you can always do as I did to move my Bridgy and remove the head and table. That put the column and knee into a light enough weight category to be lifted with an engine crane. Also for power a straight VFD hookup won't work as it is 460v. You will need a transformer in addition to the VFD. On mine I simply made an new plate and mounted a 220v single phase motor on it.

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Looks in pretty good shape.. The use of the floor (feet) dampers indicates the machine was cared for imho.. Not many shops to go that length to properly install them.. I don't see any obvious broken knobs, etc. Those Series II heads are a bit tricky to repair, but as others have said, lots of folks out there rebuilding and reselling them. As long as the tables move x y and z, the spindle / quill goes up and down and turns.. its probably OK. Quick inspection for damage and the above would make the price worth it, even if you end up parting it out..

 

[dr_clyde]

Looks in pretty good shape.. The use of the floor (feet) dampers indicates the machine was cared for imho.. Not many shops to go that length to properly install them.. I don't see any obvious broken knobs, etc. Those Series II heads are a bit tricky to repair, but as others have said, lots of folks out there rebuilding and reselling them. As long as the tables move x y and z, the spindle / quill goes up and down and turns.. its probably OK. Quick inspection for damage and the above would make the price worth it, even if you end up parting it out..

Not picking on you, just for the sake of further readers who may not know any better, that's a 2J head, not a series II. The series II head or 4J has a 4 HP motor, a NMTB-40 taper spindle and is physically much larger. A_Pmech has one in this thread for a comparison. http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64068

 

[ez-duzit]

$750 is about the going rate here stateside if its in decent shape...

Around here you couldn't touch one in BAD shape for $750.

 

[wrenchMONKEY_]

Mind you thats $750 Canadian pesos, actually $700, so about $500 US.

Ill be going down to take a look at it next week. If it does not sell by the end of the auction, it will be relisted at hopefully a lower price. If I like what I see while I am pickup the other stuff I want to get Ill go back and get it the following week.

He said it was put away 15 years ago and has not been ran since so that's a big red flag for me. Looks to be in good shape but not being turned on for over 15 years, lots of stuff can seize up. He was unable to answer any technical questions I had. However , thanks to you awesome guys I know what to look for when I go.

 

[ez-duzit]

...Ill be going down to take a look at it next week. If it does not sell, it will be relisted at hopefully a lower price and if I like what I see on the viiwing/pickup of other stuff Ill go back and get it the following week...

You aren't serious. A $500 Bridgeport and you aren't jumping on it?

 

[Whitworth]

$750 is about the going rate here stateside if its in decent shape.

Pu-leeeeze. The part out value is triple what they're asking.

 

[404]

The 15 years would not be a problem for me as long as all the handles move stuff and the motor and spindle can be spun by hand.. See if it will go into back gear as well and turn the motor by hand.

 

[Lassen Forge]

Be glad... no VERY glad it's in Alberta and I'm way the hell down here in Northern California, otherwise I would find a way to get it here - and even saying that I'm trying to figure out a way to wheedle out of work this weekend and make a road trip northeast...

For $500 US I could part it out and come out ahead even if the table needs scraping and it needs a rebuild. And if its as nice as the pix looks...

Not to mention I'm looking for a 2J machine (space considerations)...

 

[justanengineer]

Pu-leeeeze. The part out value is triple what they're asking.

Yea, good luck with that one. Assuming the head's good it might be $2-300 on ebay, ~$100 locally. The powerfeed is the old mechanical type and I've been fortunate to get $100 for them on ebay once in a blue moon bc they're an antique, heavy to ship (~75 lbs IIRC) POS nobody wants, in-person pricing at a dealer is ~$50 if its not worn out. The vice is a cheapie, ~$100 max on ebay or ~$50 at a dealer (why buy a turd when you can get a good used 6" Kurt or Orange at a dealer for $75-100?). You might get another $2-300 for used feedscrews, handles, dials, and small ****, but then the rest is cast scrap worth ~$50.

Triple? Heck no, barely what they're asking, on ebay, and after a bit of work. There really isn't many parts to sell on a Bport, and they've been making that exact machine for ~50 years now.

 

[Ign]

If it were a 9x49 table I'd damn near drive to Canadia and pay $750 just for that to put on my present Bridgeport.

 

[yaidunno]

Apparently NW Indiana has some really good deals on BP mills.

Around here, a variable speed Bridgeport goes for $2000 and up. There is an extremely used one in Milwaukee, same style, even has the old X axis power feed, for $5000. That's a bit far fetched on price.

Step pulley models go for $1000-3000.

For $500, you better be loading up your trailer now, assuming its even still for sale. I paid that for a Wells Index with a known bad motor. The seller had a half dozen guys lined up behind me with cash in hand if i didn't take it.

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Not picking on you, just for the sake of further readers who may not know any better, that's a 2J head, not a series II. The series II head or 4J has a 4 HP motor, a NMTB-40 taper spindle and is physically much larger. A_Pmech has one in this thread for a comparison. http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64068

Thanks Dr. Clyde.. no worries picking or not.. I should have researched before posting.. My Bridgeport experience lives and dies by the old fashion machines (non round ram) that needed to have speed changed by moving the belts over different pulleys.. The variable speed one I used and was use to at Kelsey Hayes was a Series II (4J).. The 2j is much similar in size to the older fashion machines requiring the moving of belts to change speed. Thanks for that clarification.. and of course on the GJ there is no worries about correcting the record.. Thank You..

 

[wrenchMONKEY_]

Whats a good # to use for a weight on this thing? 2000 lbs? Trying to sort out trailers.

 

[dr_clyde]

2000 or a fuzz over. If you plan on 3000 you'll be covered with any ancillary stuff you may have forgotten about.

 

[wrenchMONKEY_]

I can tow around 6500 lbs with my truck. Trailer I am getting is 3400... I slightly underestimated how much a 55T hydraulic press weighs. (1000# apparently)

I might need a bigger boat! er... truck.

 

[Whitworth]

5 hour radius of me, old fashioned M heads start at $1500 while J heads are $2500 on up. Really nice condition, bells and whistles, DRO, maybe $3500 or higher.
Maybe in Indiana homeless people live in abandoned Bridgeports, .... Like they say, location, location, location..,

 

[IndyGarage]

Yea, good luck with that one. Assuming the head's good it might be $2-300 on ebay, ~$100 locally. The powerfeed is the old mechanical type and I've been fortunate to get $100 for them on ebay once in a blue moon bc they're an antique, heavy to ship (~75 lbs IIRC) POS nobody wants, in-person pricing at a dealer is ~$50 if its not worn out. The vice is a cheapie, ~$100 max on ebay or ~$50 at a dealer (why buy a turd when you can get a good used 6" Kurt or Orange at a dealer for $75-100?). You might get another $2-300 for used feedscrews, handles, dials, and small ****, but then the rest is cast scrap worth ~$50.

Triple? Heck no, barely what they're asking, on ebay, and after a bit of work. There really isn't many parts to sell on a Bport, and they've been making that exact machine for ~50 years now.

You are way off. I've sold multiple non-running M-heads for $200 each. Could get $500 for a complete, running J-head. The motor alone goes for $200 all day long. The old mechanical drive is not easy to sell on Ebay because it weighs so much, however it will sell locally.

Base and table are $500 easy assuming it's not trashed.

You might be right about it being a cheap vise - I can't tell from the pic.

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Update or status? Is it gone or did you give up wrenchMONKEY??

 

[2oolhound]

It sold for $4105.00 CND so about $3000 USD plus 5 - 12% taxes.