Thinking of buying a Bridgeport Mill

[Just for fun]

Thanks guys, Didn't know for sure what they were worth. After looking around the internet last night I can see what you mean about being overpriced.

I would prefer to have new anyway. I'm not even going to look at it.

 

[MrWhoopee]

Unless you have an unlimited budget, it's hard to justify the cost of new for a hobbyist. The price difference between a good used mill and new will buy a lot of the tooling you are going to need. Tooling is expensive and it takes a lot to be able to fully utilize a mill. Were it me, I'd set a maximum of about $2500 for a mill and the same amount for tooling. Used mills can frequently be found with basic tooling included, sometimes much more than the basics.

 

[Aaron_W]

I will note that he claims to be including every attachment available for the BP, it is not just the right angle head. It does sound like he is including a lot of tooling as well as a like new Kurt vice which alone could run $450+.

If you assumed $2800 for the mill, $500 for the vise and $2500 in tooling with $1000 added for negotiating it might not be that overpriced. Of course that all depends on what tooling he actually has and the condition of everything.

$7000 will put you into most of the PM knee mills, but then you have to consider taxes, delivery fees, a vise ($600 for a new 6" Kurt), tooling (a lot more $$$$$), so this could actually be worth a look, as new could easily run you $10,000 delivered with a nice variety of tooling.

Edit
I'm not saying that this is a good deal, just that it could be, all depends on what it actually comes with. Based on the photos I'm not seeing the "every accessory made for a BP", I don't even see a rotary table included but if he has a lot more than is shown it could actually be a decent price.

 

[Beckerkumm]

IMO, when buying used you want to look for a higher quality machine than you can afford new. The 6-7K range buys a pretty nice used mill that isn't step pulley, has a bigger table ( I like additional width ), has an X and Z powerfeed, and maybe even a power drawbar if you get lucky. Taiwan mills are cheaper used than Bridgeport. Machines made by First are usually good quality. Alliant mills were one of the early BP clones and some say nicer. I've bought tooling with machines and most of it sits in the box. I'd buy a good machine and tooling as needed. Dave

 

[Just for fun]

That all makes since but I would prefer a little newer. I like the idea of buying used with tooling but preferably not something almost as old as I am.

 

[ErichKeane]

$7k is a TON for a run out bridgeport... That is "new import" mill price range! That one doesn't even seem to have powerfeed or a DRO! For that price, you could pick up one of the 9x49 Birmingham mills brand-new:

Pulley change head with powerfeed + DRO: ~ $6500

Birmingham Milling Machine 9" x 49" Table, R8 Spindle, 3HP/220V Motor w/Uniq/Sino DRO 2 Axis & Align Power Milling Table Feed - Longitudinal X-Axis - BPS-1649C

Birmingham Milling Machine, 9" x 49" Table, R8 Spindle, 3HP/220V Motor. Features Uniq/Sino DRO 2 Axis & Align Power Milling Table Feed - Longitudinal X-Axis for precision and efficiency.

www.penntoolco.com

Variable speed head, with powerfeed + DRO: ~$7300

Birmingham Milling Machine with 9" x 49" Table, with DRO & Power Feed - B3S-800P

Offering a huge selection of industrial tool sales online. Find over 100,000 metalworking products, precision measuring tools, power tools & accessories.

www.penntoolco.com

 

[Tmate]

I paid $3,500 for this one bare, which was about average in my area. Any $1,500 to $2,000 mills I looked at were junk. I added an X axis power feed, a VFD, and a DRO. I wanted a step-pulley model since I was going to need a VFD anyway, and a 36" table for space reasons.

I'm sure I could have waited and looked and maybe saved a thousand dollars or so, or gotten one with some accessories. The question for me was how much time was I willing to spend to save X number of dollars. Also, all my add-ons are new.

 

[addertooth]

Everyone has a "decision tree" when they purchase. One of the common trees, is comparing the price of a used classical tool, with the current price of a new tool from Taiwan. For those who have been watching, the price of the good Taiwan products have been rather markedly marching upwards in the past year. (The Taiwan Mill I purchased in October of last year, now costs 9.4 percent more today). This has given some of the older classic tools a bump in price in some markets. For those (like me), who live in areas where there was no significant fabrication/manufacturing shops, decent tools are scarce... and uniformly overpriced. Those folks who live in the East/North-East, they have much larger pool of good used equipment which is less than an hour drive way, which is perpetually on the market.

 

[markba633csi]

I'm with Tmate, I like the step pulley, short-table versions too. If'n I was in the market for one
-Mark

 

[Beckerkumm]

I've bought over 50 machines, woodworking and metalworking over the past twenty years and about three have been within one hour. One I overpaid for because i was too lazy to haul something farther away. New or used, I need to feel warm and fuzzy about the seller. Anyone who tells me his stuff is perfect I run from. Guys who will give me details about runout, backlash, wear, etc get some attention. With new pick a dealer you feel will work with you. New stuff has risk too. Machines are mass made to a price point and QC and consistency are everything and sometimes ( often ) lacking. A Chinese or even Taiwan mill might be accurate and hold settings as well as any but as the price goes down, so do the % of machines that make the grade. Grizzly gets lots of praise because they deal well with problems, not because they deliver problem fee machinery.

If you need a machine delivered, look at point to point delivery on a flat bed. Don't let your machine go through a freight terminal once you have paid and accepted risk. If you can avoid residential delivery, that is good, and if you can avoid lift gate service, even better. Dave