Bridgeport mill id

[Mikefromcny]

This popped up on craigslist for $500. Can anyone Id the head? Seems like a decent deal

 

[shawnspeed]

round column
M head

 

[Bob-B]

IIRC, M heads came in 2 different collet tapers, #7 B&S or #2 MT. Max capacity of either is 1/2".

 

[gearhead1]

Yep, M head. They're not as heavy duty as a J head, but for home use, It'd be worth every penny of $500 to me.

The question I would research would be if the column would take the slide and J-head. In other words, can it be converted over to J head.

 

[Mikefromcny]

Yep, M head. They're not as heavy duty as a J head, but for home use, It'd be worth every penny of $500 to me.

The question I would research would be if the column would take the slide and J-head. In other words, can it be converted over to J head.

Yes, I'm on the fence about it. J head would be preferable.

 

[matt_i]

I had one once. Its a decent machine.

It would be worthwhile to cut some material on it if the seller had a collet. This way you could look at spindle bearings. This is a 1940-1950s machine (to include the base so the head is going on 80 years old and the bearings would naturally be of some concern)

Its a 32" table which is smaller than your later machine. Likely to be plenty of backlash in the screws. Mine had a dip in the Y-axis also likely due to wear. So the tram was not ever perfect, note the head can't "nod" downward, only swivel left/right.

It was a good starter machine but note you get no cutters, no phase converter, no vise, no collets, no hold down kit, no edge finder, no spot drill, no drill chuck, no indicator, etc. There's some more money to be spent before you're ready to take on a variety of drilling, milling and tapping jobs.

 

[tdkkart]

Almost any mill is better than no mill at all.

 

[Willie Makeit]

I love my 1948 M head BP. It's just large enough to do anything i want to do at home but just small enough to fit in my garage without being a hindrance.

 

[Maui]

And don’t forget that the cost and trouble of moving that M head machine would be the same as moving a J head machine. I would keep looking...

 

[1320stang]

That'd be a $2500-$3000 mill here in central Oklahoma.

Of course a rust free 4x4 small truck or SUV with 150k on it would be $1500-$2500 here and $5k-$6k up there, right?

 

[matt_i]

One more note, there are zerks on the table ways. Those are For Oil and Not For Grease. One has to convert a grease gun over to dispense way oil.

 

[larry_g]

If this is a first machine for you and the first venture into machining then it could be a good deal. If it works now and you learn some thing operating it then sell it on down the road for $500 then you out little money. If you wise in your tooling purchases then most all the tooling will transfer to your next machine. The collets are about the only thing that is unique to that machine. If you buy the machine then you will find that mills will start falling out of trees around you.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[bsg]

Yep, M head. They're not as heavy duty as a J head, but for home use, It'd be worth every penny of $500 to me.

The question I would research would be if the column would take the slide and J-head. In other words, can it be converted over to J head.

Bridgeport made a round ram J head. The early Bridgeport J head models you could swap the turret with the round ram models to get the Dovetail ram.

My first mill was a Bridgeport round ram that used Browne & Sharpe collets, they are in fact 1/2 max shank size, not a problem when your first starting out?

Here's a couple of pictures of a couple different models for clarification.....

One thing about buying a mill, the machine is the cheap part!

Larry G beat me to this!
Most of the tooling you buy for the mill, you would be able to use on a newer machine.....

Good luck!

Kevin

 

[bobcatdan]

One advantage to the M head is they were available in single phase power.

 

[gnpenning]

That should be a good starting point. As mentioned tooling that will cross over if you decide to upgrade softens purchase.

In my area I would have jumped all over that. While a step or two up I paid quite a bit more for my Cincinnati.

Until you know how much you will be using it and how much you enjoy milling that is a good starting point. Much better than a cheap Chinese mill, plus you should be able to get your money back when you upgrade as long as it's a tight machine and you take care of it .

 

[bsg]

One advantage to the M head is they were available in single phase power.

Only problem with single phase motor, you cannot plug reverse if your tapping.....better off with a VFD for phase conversion and speed control!

Kevin

 

[IndyGarage]

M head is an OK machine. They don't have a power downfeed, but I never use that on mine much anyway.

The only real problem is the spindle taper, which means tooling will be more expensive.

Table is generally narrower, which actually can be good also.

#2 MT stuff is not too hard to find, $7 B&S is harder.

I'd go get it for $500. Clean it up and you can always get your money back out of it.

 

[Indexmill]

Only really need power down-feed for boring.

 

[MushCreek]

One advantage to the M head is they were available in single phase power.

So were J heads. I had one.