Bridgeport - Worth Restoring?

[MEngineer]

Gents,

I have found a mill for sale locally that I am potentially interested in. I have not seen it in person.

What are your thoughts on something like this? Is it more of a project than I am interested in?

 

[dr_clyde]

Depends on how much you value your time.

Personally, I'd pass, even for free. You can buy a working bridgeport in useable shape for 2 grand all day long.

If you've got nothing to do, and are looking for a challenge, go for it. Most I'd pay is scrap price less my time to haul it.

 

[Maui]

That looks like an M head Bridgeport that has been sitting outside in the weather for quite a while. Unless you are getting it for free, I'd pass.

 

[APEowner]

If you want a milling machine then pass. If you want a long term restoration project and you can get that for scrap price or less then go for it.

 

[dr_clyde]

That looks like an M head Bridgeport that has been sitting outside in the weather for quite a while. Unless you are getting it for free, I'd pass.

That's a J head btw. Looks like it's missing the pulleys though.

 

[zmotorsports]

I'd pass on that one. Sad to see an otherwise potentially nice machine just sit out in the weather and turn to scrap.

Mike.

 

[MEngineer]

These type of thoughts are the spurts of logic that I have to fight to suppress every time I look at an old USA made piece of machinery being ignored and on its way to the recycle.

 

[Cahark]

My First Bridgeport had a digital readout and needed a bit of cleanup. 400 bucks. Personally I would hold out for a better machine. If you could get it for free, and you had all the missing parts....maybe. But even still, plan on all new bearings and extensive work to the ways. Truly it all depends on how ambitious you are, but personally I would pass and wait for a better deal. another option if its completely trashed and going to scrap is to take the table off and use it for a welding/fixturing table

 

[slodat]

I bought a very similar condition machine a couple years ago for $80. A dear friend is a machinist that loves restoring old machinery. He is restoring mine in trade for some work I'm doing for him. Effort for effort sorta thing. I don't see usable Bridgeport milling machines for "$2000 all day long". I'll have a few grand in it when it's done, but I'll have a completely rebuilt machine that will outlast me.. My .02..

 

[Adam.C]

Gents,

I have found a mill for sale locally that I am potentially interested in. I have not seen it in person.

What are your thoughts on something like this? Is it more of a project than I am interested in?

I recently bought a 1967 S1 J head for $500 in MUCH better condition. I completely disassembled it, and am in the process of cleaning, repainting, and restoring it. That process removes rust and refines working surfaces. So in my mind the mill you are showing is just a matter of degrees more work. Very possible that is just surface rust. Even pitting doesn't effect working surfaces significantly unless there are more pits than surface. As bad as this looks, a clean machine with a lot of wear could actually be a worse machine functionally.

On the down side, it is missing its motor, and the drive pulleys. Looks like some of the hand wheels, levers and knobs are missing from the head. If it was $500, I might buy it just for parts. That knee crank handle is probably worth $50 alone. But in the same breath, good parts are expensive so buying this then buying replacement parts to make it whole probably wouldn't make sense.

 

[bczygan]

How much?

Has he got the motor?

Buy for scrap, or free and scrape the ways and throw a used head on it and you have a user.

 

[txvwnut]

Run do not walk away from that one. I wouldn't even touch it for free. Its obvious its been stored outside and has been scavenged of it motor possibly pulleys and a few other parts.

 

[MEngineer]

supposedly he has the motor for it and it is 3phase. That to me suggests that perhaps he wasn't completely dumb and stored it inside an may have some of the "missing" handles and such in a box

 

[dr_clyde]

I bought a very similar condition machine a couple years ago for $80. A dear friend is a machinist that loves restoring old machinery. He is restoring mine in trade for some work I'm doing for him. Effort for effort sorta thing. I don't see usable Bridgeport milling machines for "$2000 all day long". I'll have a few grand in it when it's done, but I'll have a completely rebuilt machine that will outlast me.. My .02..

Granted, you live in WA and I live in MI, but I promise they are out there. The one OP is looking at is listed at $950 obo which is just nuts IMO. A quick perusal of craigslist in Seattle yielded a similar vintage J head for around $2700, but you know, working and all there. I bet with negotiation it could be had for less than $2500.

If you look and are patient, they are there. My local machinery dealer has 3 pages of bridgeport listings on his site, ranging from 2-7 grand used, or a brand new one for way more.

I paid $3800 for mine, but it has all the trimmings like power feeds, dro, power drawbar, and was in a nicely maintained shop. I bought it in an auction.

 

[Air21]

He put the motor inside and left the mill outside? You get motors from the Granger catalog, true ways though...

RUN!

 

[MEngineer]

For the record, I am not interested in paying the asking price of $950. I am kicking around the idea of talking to him about a slightly elevated scrap price. Depending on his personality and motivation for selling I might be able to talk him down a fair bit. If not, I am not even close to interested.

 

[Irish Mike]

I bought a '57 "J" head for 400.00 a few years ago. It needed about 300.00 worth of work I did myself. A great Mill....950.00 seems steep....

 

[dr_clyde]

Holy cow, second post since 2006.

 

[Irish Mike]

I've been busy....

 

[MEngineer]

I've been busy....

Restoring a Mill?

 

[slodat]

Ok.. This just got really funny!

I'll admit my situation is quite different. My buddy wants to restore my Bridgeport, so he can practice on the ways. He's converting his to CNC, so I'll get the near new screws and nuts out of his, etc. I figure I'll have a completely rebuilt machine. MEngineer, I'd offer $200.. When I bought mine scrap was $80/T. I paid $80..

 

[Adam.C]

He put the motor inside and left the mill outside? You get motors from the Granger catalog, true ways though...

RUN!

Rust alone doesn't necessarily effect the ways. I see no oiler, which in my mind, is more troubling. I wouldn't run from a rusty machine, but I might from a greased machine. Mine had what looked like a factory fitted one pump Bijur oiler. And it was working the day I bought it.

My column ways were brown and the bottom few inches were painted! You chemically strip the gunk, then wd-40 and scotch brite and this is what they look like:

 

[Irish Mike]

Restoring a Mill?

HaHa.....no...I bought the book from H&W and replaced a few bearings/parts and it purrs like new. It took about two weeks to go through the head. With the book, anyone can do it.

 

[gte718p]

I'm with the run crowd.

I'm going to be a little cynical, if you knew how to properly evaluate the machine you wouldn't be asking the question here. Without properly evaluating the machine and based on the evidence in the picture, you could easily be buying a huge expensive project to make a marginal machine.

If that is what you are looking for by all means. Completing that level of restoration is rewarding on its own and you will be a better machinist at the end of it. However it is not for the faint of heart.

 

[MEngineer]

I explained my situation to him and told him my budget was low, but that I would love to talk to him about restoring his machine. He told me he has had some other interest. I told him to let me know in another few weeks if he still has it for sale and perhaps we can come to an agreement.

We shall see what happens.

 

[justanengineer]

It all depends on price to me, but I've been through many machines. For a couple hundred bucks I'd take it, toss a $200 used head on it, scrub the ways and be making chips in an easy weekend, given a 4-day it'd be painted. Bridgeports are ridiculously simple to work on and parts are uber common, theyre pretty much the 1970 C-10 of the machine world.

OTOH, you could also probably buy a completely rebuilt machine from the local rebuilder for $5-6k and be done with it, different strokes for different folks.

 

[Roberts210]

I have a soft spot for abused animals and abandoned machinery. My 2-bits is if you can get it for a scrap price go ahead.