newb from Il reporting in just got a mill surface grinder

[hammertime1]

Howdy all, newbie reporting in. I actually went to college 20 years ago for machine tool technology. I always had a knack for building things, wanting to learn new things. Getting to play with mills, surface grinders, lathes and doing heat treating was the icing on the cake. I watched the job prospects dry up with salaries significantly slashed for buddies who did find jobs. I was making more as the lab assistant ad they should have had no trouble making almost double starting. I decide to go back to thing I did best and live for the adraline instead of using the skills I learned. I spent the last 13yrs doing that until a spinal injury ended my career.
After a long hiatus, and an injury ending my career, I decided for my sanity's sake I needed to start doing something to keep my mind active at at a pace that won't have me on the couch barely able to move and in pain. I knew there was only way to control that and if I did things myself at my own pace. I talked to the house boss and told her I really missed playing with big boy tools. After her blessing and using the little bit of money I had from getting paid out for my unused vacation time I acquired, a Bridgeport Mill M head and DoAll. the converters just showed up last friday. just need to get em wired, sadly one thing I hate is the big E. and with my injury the getting on the ladder and all the bending can't do some of it anyways. But hopefully won't be to long before earthing is up n running

 

[930dreamer]

Welcome to the GJ, post some pics.

 

[hammertime1]

I tried to post a pic with first post, looks like part of post and pic didn't make it. sadly, I broke the screw for the knob that holds the table wheel in place. it happened during the move which turned into a fiasco. I am still trying to find another one.
A friend who is a retired machinist gave me two tool boxes worth of stuff to help me get started. Sadly when he went to give me them to me, he discovered that water had gotten inside them. Almost everything was ruined. The dial indicators were Literally rotten they had been pulling the moisture inside their little boxes for year. The micrometers were welded shut with rust and the list goes on, of things damaged beyond fixing. The pic ***** but literally everything in the picture should have been nice n shiny instead of dark black. All the rust blended in with how dark it was when I took the picture. I hopefully can save the V blocks and a few other things. There were a lot of small precision clamps that I had never seen before and would be perfect for some of the things I have planned. A lot of stuff I had or made went mia while I was in the military. Ya got to love family.
I am hoping to put feed on the table. my back won't like all that moving b hand an oh it looks like so much fun to just spin and spin them handles. I got the DRO box(It works) with the Mill but the previous owner tossed the rest of the parts away when he rebuilt the mil and the M headl a few years back. He said it wall pretty destroyed and he did not need it. I still wold have preferred to have em to see what I could have salvaged. That is another want to get DRO working for the table and feed if I can get the parts cheap enough after I have some time to build up my finds again.

 

[upndown]

Welcome hammertime!! I cut my eye teeth on machines like that back in the early 70's..apprentice mold maker in Crystal Lake Ill. Still enjoy playing with them. I still remember the day they installed digital readouts on the Bridgeports, man thought we were shittn in tall cotton! haha times sure have changed. Enjoy your new toys!