OP
bulletpruf
Well-known member
Eric - Sending you a pm. Thanks, Scott
Bought Bridgeport Clone - Now Getting it Set Up for Basic Machining
- Thread starter bulletpruf
- Start date
Eric - Sending you a pm. Thanks, Scott
Done and glad to help.
Now that you have it, and haven't made a trip to HGR, I will still suggest a trip. Even if it's just to look around, it's like a grown man's candy store.
OP
bulletpruf
Well-known member
Will do. Thanks again.
OP
bulletpruf
Well-known member
At the sellers house with the trailer. Have help loading but may be unloading solo.
Wish me luck!
Wish me luck!
That pin has nothing to do with preventing slipping, it's to aid in tightening the collet or other arbor in the r8 spindle
OP
bulletpruf
Well-known member
Steve from Socal
Well-known member
Sure,
That is the purpose of the pin. It is also very common for that pin to shear under high loading of the spindle. Never heard of a pin shearing from tightening a collet!
OP
bulletpruf
Well-known member
OP
bulletpruf
Well-known member
New next door neighbor at the shop. This could be both a good and bad thing.
alfadan
Well-known member
I think all those stupid pins should be removed. A sheared off pin spinning around and damaging the bore is definitely something to worry about.
OP
bulletpruf
Well-known member
OP
bulletpruf
Well-known member
OP
bulletpruf
Well-known member
OP
bulletpruf
Well-known member
I believe the 3/8” max drill size is only referring to the automatic down feed! The gears that drive it are mainly designed for single point boring, not drilling!
I think the max drill size is 3/4”. I use annular cutters for anything over 9/16” on my mill and my 20” Wilton drill press only because I have a full set up to 2 1/2.
whateg01
Well-known member
This is one of those things that isn't worth fixing.
Easy peasy, now that you’ve done it once! It’s not as hard as people think but, it’s not that hard to dump one either!
Good job with the move!!!
mattthemuppet
Well-known member
Congrats!!
Here is an write up by Barry at H&W Machine - my source for Bridgeport parts. There are youtube videos and other articles he has written which may be of interest.
Collet Alignment Screw Replacement
Discover step-by-step guidance for replacing collet alignment screws. Ensure optimal machine performance with our expert instructions!
machinerypartsdepot.com
Video not taken ?
alfadan
Well-known member
So the pin keeps the collet from spinning...except it apparently doesn't, as they keep sheering off. Tighten the drawbar tight and the taper should hold it.Here is an write up by Barry at H&W Machine - my source for Bridgeport parts. There are youtube videos and other articles he has written which may be of interest.
Collet Alignment Screw Replacement
Discover step-by-step guidance for replacing collet alignment screws. Ensure optimal machine performance with our expert instructions!
Mine is gone and when I rebuild my spindle next year I'll look to see how much damage is done to the top of the collet area.
I am absolutely not an expert, just going by the opinion of experts.
whateg01
Well-known member
Of the 4 Bridgeport type machines I've operated, none had the key. Small sample size, yeah. A cousin of mine spent 40 years as a "real" machinist before retiring. He came over to use mine awhile back and asked if mine still had the key. I said no. He said none that he had ever operated did.
Have 2 Bridgeports one with and one without. I find that the pin only serves to annoy me when installing a tool. Keep meaning to remove it, but it’s the machine with the 8” riser so I don’t use it much.
Nice job on the move! Looks kinda close to the wall. I like to leave enough room to pass a floor broom thru.
Nice job on the move! Looks kinda close to the wall. I like to leave enough room to pass a floor broom thru.
OP
bulletpruf
Well-known member
No video today. Just lots of pictures.
OP
bulletpruf
Well-known member
It is bit too close to the wall, but once I get it set up, I'll move it forward a bit.
Thanks
OP
bulletpruf
Well-known member
Today was a good day.
Owner had sold his house and moved to VA, so I was dealing with his neighbor. Neighbor is a good dude; showed up with an F550 and a skid steer, but we didn't need it.
Toughest thing today was getting in the shop where the mill was located. Neighbor forgot that he didn't have a key so he just removed part of the door frame and jimmied the lock open.
Once we got the door open, I rotated the head until it was resting on a 4x4 that I had set on the table. Kudos to those of you who recommended that, because it really did seem to make a difference in how top-heavy it was.
Then I backed up the drop deck trailer and we were in business. Even though there was a bit of an incline outside the shop door, the trailer was level. Many thanks to those who recommended a drop deck trailer. Best $75 I have spent in a long time; would have been an ordeal without it.
From there, I dropped the deck on the trailer. Then we used a pry bar to get the 1/2" rod underneath it. Again, thanks to whoever recommended the 1/2" rod. It was definitely the right size.
And then we just wrassled it on the trailer using prybar and metal rods and strapped it down.
Owner had sold his house and moved to VA, so I was dealing with his neighbor. Neighbor is a good dude; showed up with an F550 and a skid steer, but we didn't need it.
Toughest thing today was getting in the shop where the mill was located. Neighbor forgot that he didn't have a key so he just removed part of the door frame and jimmied the lock open.
Once we got the door open, I rotated the head until it was resting on a 4x4 that I had set on the table. Kudos to those of you who recommended that, because it really did seem to make a difference in how top-heavy it was.
Then I backed up the drop deck trailer and we were in business. Even though there was a bit of an incline outside the shop door, the trailer was level. Many thanks to those who recommended a drop deck trailer. Best $75 I have spent in a long time; would have been an ordeal without it.
From there, I dropped the deck on the trailer. Then we used a pry bar to get the 1/2" rod underneath it. Again, thanks to whoever recommended the 1/2" rod. It was definitely the right size.
And then we just wrassled it on the trailer using prybar and metal rods and strapped it down.
OP
bulletpruf
Well-known member
Easy 6 or 7 mile ride to the shop.
Pulled the crew cab dually out the way, made room for the mill, and backed it in.
Used a ratchet strap to pull the mill to the rear of the trailer because I didn't have much room to maneuver a pry bar so I could get the 1/2" rod under it.
Once I got the mill towards the back of the trailer, I was able to get some 1/2 rod underneath. This is where the 1/2" rod was critical; I don't know if I could have pried with one hand and stuffed 1" pipe underneath it with the other.
This felt a bit sketchy; I was concerned that if things went sideways (figuratively) it could have toppled over. Had I not dropped the head, I would have been much more nervous.
From there I just had to rotate it a bit and move it into place with the pry bar.
Pulled the crew cab dually out the way, made room for the mill, and backed it in.
Used a ratchet strap to pull the mill to the rear of the trailer because I didn't have much room to maneuver a pry bar so I could get the 1/2" rod under it.
Once I got the mill towards the back of the trailer, I was able to get some 1/2 rod underneath. This is where the 1/2" rod was critical; I don't know if I could have pried with one hand and stuffed 1" pipe underneath it with the other.
This felt a bit sketchy; I was concerned that if things went sideways (figuratively) it could have toppled over. Had I not dropped the head, I would have been much more nervous.
From there I just had to rotate it a bit and move it into place with the pry bar.
Last edited:
Jswain
Well-known member
Thanks for documenting the move as I'm sure it will help others. Congrats on the mill!
Keep in mind, the gear that tilts the head is not stout enough to crank it back up! Use a ratchet on the nut with one hand and support the head with your other hand. Lift and turn, lift and turn… once you’re within 20 degrees or so it’s not going to break!
OP
bulletpruf
Well-known member
I ended up rotating the head up by hand and then tightening the 4 bolts on the front.
Thanks
My experience is different from yours. When I went through National Tool and Die Training in the early 70's we were taught to locate the R8 collets to indicate them by rotating them to the pin. Every BP I have worked on for the last 50 plus years of my life, that is what I have done. I don't understand why this has been standard on every BP if it wasn't necessary. Give Barry a call at H&
I believe that Bridgeport put the pins in for a reason. I first learned on Bridgeports in the mid 70's when I went through National Tool and Die Apprenticeship training and we were instructed to rotate the R8 collets so that the keyway in the collet aligned with the pin in the spindle. All of the Bridgeports I have worked with since I have followed this practice. The very accomplished Tool and Die makers I worked with in the Aerospace industry that had CNC Bridgeports all had the pin in their machines. Just my take on it. I'm still an amatuer. In the end "To each his own".
I would recommend a test indicator over a dial indicator to tram the head and indicate the vise. For years I have used a test indicator in a collet to sweep the table using 1-2-3 blocks. The test indicator can be used to square up the vise. In my experience it is much more accurate than a dial indicator.
I agree wholeheartedly.
It sheared because the drawbar wasn't tight enough.
Exacatacaly - New word
Steve from Socal
Well-known member
Whatever!
A word of caution for the novice users.
I will take my NMTB/Cat 40/50 spindles all day every day.
A word of caution for the novice users.
I will take my NMTB/Cat 40/50 spindles all day every day.
macgyver37
Well-known member
I'll jump in now that you have one..
Something I told my students in the cnc class was that you can't cut it if you can't hold it. Don't skimp on work holding. Even 'just' drilling holes in something can turn bad in a hurry if you helicopter the part on a drill. Clamp sets are really cheap and I'd honestly suggest getting 2 sets, I have multiple sets mostly due to multiple mills, but it seems I am grabbing extras from another kit to get the setup I want.
Buy a double box end wrench to keep at the machine with 3/4 and 7/8 ends. Fits the drawbar and all the clamp nuts. I have bought 4 or 5 over the years at flea markets etc so I have one at each machine.
Be aware that drilling will absorb your Z travel in a hurry, so things like collet adapters and vise swivels can eat up what travel you have. Any time you can get a drill directly in a collet helps in that effort (preferably drill bit is in good shape on the shank and hasn't been spun in a chuck). This of course only really works on drills in x/16" sizes to fit in collets.. If you have to buy drill chucks, pay attention to their gauge length, by that I mean how long is the body of the chuck and how long is the arbor they are on.
One of the coolest things of a turret mill is that you can do about anything on one if you are creative enough, but that also means it's not going to be as rigid as a mill with a fixed head and column.
Anyway, one of the easier setups that can really be a godsend is when you need to do work to the end of a long shaft. An example is redrilling the bolt circle for an automotive axle. You can hang the axle off the front or back of the table to one side of the knee and then turn the turret and slide the head in or out on the dove tail to match your travel needs. We made a v block clamp that bolted to the table to easily hold an axle and it was a pretty quick setup and made doing this job profitable while still being affordable for the customer. Remembering that you can do this helps a bunch in those weird projects.
Another helpful but really simple thing to have in the tool box is to make a few 5/8" dia pins to drop in the T slots to use as stop pins. Need to square up a larger plate or part that doesn't go in the vise? Put a pair of pins in the slot and bump the part up to them and clamp down with you strap clamps.
Cut some plywood or similar sheet good to use on the table. If you have a torch cut plate that you don't need to have cleaned up nicely but need to poke holes in, put the plywood down on the table and the plate on top and clamp it down. Allows you to drill through and also keeps the table from getting gouged from the scruffy plate.
Something I told my students in the cnc class was that you can't cut it if you can't hold it. Don't skimp on work holding. Even 'just' drilling holes in something can turn bad in a hurry if you helicopter the part on a drill. Clamp sets are really cheap and I'd honestly suggest getting 2 sets, I have multiple sets mostly due to multiple mills, but it seems I am grabbing extras from another kit to get the setup I want.
Buy a double box end wrench to keep at the machine with 3/4 and 7/8 ends. Fits the drawbar and all the clamp nuts. I have bought 4 or 5 over the years at flea markets etc so I have one at each machine.
Be aware that drilling will absorb your Z travel in a hurry, so things like collet adapters and vise swivels can eat up what travel you have. Any time you can get a drill directly in a collet helps in that effort (preferably drill bit is in good shape on the shank and hasn't been spun in a chuck). This of course only really works on drills in x/16" sizes to fit in collets.. If you have to buy drill chucks, pay attention to their gauge length, by that I mean how long is the body of the chuck and how long is the arbor they are on.
One of the coolest things of a turret mill is that you can do about anything on one if you are creative enough, but that also means it's not going to be as rigid as a mill with a fixed head and column.
Anyway, one of the easier setups that can really be a godsend is when you need to do work to the end of a long shaft. An example is redrilling the bolt circle for an automotive axle. You can hang the axle off the front or back of the table to one side of the knee and then turn the turret and slide the head in or out on the dove tail to match your travel needs. We made a v block clamp that bolted to the table to easily hold an axle and it was a pretty quick setup and made doing this job profitable while still being affordable for the customer. Remembering that you can do this helps a bunch in those weird projects.
Another helpful but really simple thing to have in the tool box is to make a few 5/8" dia pins to drop in the T slots to use as stop pins. Need to square up a larger plate or part that doesn't go in the vise? Put a pair of pins in the slot and bump the part up to them and clamp down with you strap clamps.
Cut some plywood or similar sheet good to use on the table. If you have a torch cut plate that you don't need to have cleaned up nicely but need to poke holes in, put the plywood down on the table and the plate on top and clamp it down. Allows you to drill through and also keeps the table from getting gouged from the scruffy plate.
May have missed it, but a power drawbar should be on the list of wants. You don't have a spacer on that column, so it's definitely feasible to spin the drawbar nut with the wrench all the time. But hitting the button for the power drawbar is so much more enjoyable. One step better is swapping the spindle for an Erickson Quick Change 30...but that's a ways in the future.
Firebrick43
Well-known member
Erickson 30 is very nice, all our series 2 had erickson 40 and I loved them. But.... its getting hard to find tool holders new.
For smaller tooling, look at TTS tool holders. They register off the spindle mill nose so they don't have length issues. You also don't have completely undo the drawbar to change tools, its very fast and a hell of a lot cheaper than a power drawbar.
The TTS super fly is one of the nicest small fly cutters I have tried. They are very affordable and easy to find.