# New Member Getting A Couple Of Bridgeports Questions About Moving Them



## gold642 (Nov 5, 2015)

I am a new member and have just bought 2 Bridgeports sight unseen. One is a small manual mill with power on y?( left to right) digital readout. The other is a series I 3 axis cnc 2 hp. I also bought a monarch 10ee, monarch series 50, hobart welder tig/stick and a small surface grinder. I am to pick these up on Saturday. I feel comfortable about moving the lathes and surface grinder but the mills are a little scary for me. I read on here that you turn the head upside down on a wood block and run the table up to help support it. I am not sure I have a good understanding about how this is down. I have a van norman 12 universal mill which is nothing like a Bridgeport. Also I read on another site something about the digital readouts on mills have glass under a shield that is very costly if you break them. I wrote all of this on the Monarch forum and then realized that this might be a better forum for answers Bridgeport questions. Most people reply to the other site think I got a good deal as I paid $5200 sight unseen. What little I do know is from the manuals my friend picked up when He gave my check to the owners son-in law. All of the machines are suppose to be in operational condition as of 2 months ago when the original owner passed away. The shop is dry but he has a lot of cats so everything has a lite coating of fur. I'm taking a 4000 lb 4X4  forklift so once out of the shop, I can strap lift them to the trailer. Where do I connect the strap for lifting? Thanks for your help.


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## JimDawson (Nov 5, 2015)

You are posting too fast for me to keep up  Take a look at your original thread and I've posted a picture of how I have done it.

As far as the glass scales go, just be careful and don't hit them with anything, they'll be fine.
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## gold642 (Nov 5, 2015)

sorry I did not know you can see all of the sites I was thinking I have to ask on each site.Thanks again Ted


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## derf (Nov 5, 2015)

The series 1 CNC mill has a rigid ram, meaning there is nothing you can tilt. I ran into the same thing and ended up cutting out the header above my shop door to get it in.


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## Silverbullet (Nov 5, 2015)

The best way to pick it up is get it high enough to get the forks under the base. Get some 4x4 s then set the mchine on them extend about 12" on each side beyond the base . Then I would use lag screws or all thread and bolt them to the machine. Then I'd set them on the trailer and chain them down , the j head you can rotate the head 180 and bring the table up to it with a peice of lumber between the head and table . Be carefully when strapping them down not to put pressure on the readout scales. If you transport on the lumber it cushions the machines ride and protects it . Mostly just be careful . If the trailer has a wood deck you can bolt it down too.


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## JimDawson (Nov 6, 2015)

Silverbullet said:


> The best way to pick it up is get it high enough to get the forks under the base. Get some 4x4 s then set the mchine on them extend about 12" on each side beyond the base . Then I would use lag screws or all thread and bolt them to the machine. Then I'd set them on the trailer and chain them down , the j head you can rotate the head 180 and bring the table up to it with a peice of lumber between the head and table . Be carefully when strapping them down not to put pressure on the readout scales. If you transport on the lumber it cushions the machines ride and protects it . Mostly just be careful . If the trailer has a wood deck you can bolt it down too.



Silverbullet, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you here.

The safest way to pick up a knee mill is to lift from the ram, that puts the center of gravity well below the lift point.  In this case it is extra critical, as the OP will be using an all terrain 4x4 forklift.  This means soft air tires and a spongy ride, not a stable platform.  OK on a level concrete floor, but not so much on any uneven ground.  The preferred method is lifting straps under the ram if you have the head room, the second best is the forks under the ram with 2x4s between the forks and the ram.  The only time I lift a mill or any machine tool from the bottom is when there is so little head room that there is no other way.  The exception to this is surface grinders, they normally don't have anything to grab on to, so setting them on, and strapping them down to a heavy pallet is my preferred method when I have to move one.

I do agree that bolting 4x4s to the bottom of the mill for transport is a good idea, makes for a more stable base, and as you said will allow you to bolt it to the trailer deck.  It also allows you to span more stringers on the trailer so the weight is not so concentrated.

Transporting a knee mill with the table raised can cause damage to the screw and nut, I have heard stories of the nut being stripped out, although I have never seen it personally.  I use enough blocking on the table to support the head with the table at the bottom, and use a couple of wedges to take up any slack.  I also lock the knee and table locks.


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## gold642 (Nov 6, 2015)

Wow, What a great reply to my questions. I'll take pictures and try to post them. I friend of mine has offered to come along and he moved a j head ans know what to watch for on the scales. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.


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## Silverbullet (Nov 6, 2015)

Agree or not the mill will not twist ,rock, or tip to any direction . I've seen the tip and seen handles destroyed when spinning when stable on the forks it will not go anywhere unless the forklift goes too. Plus to move it it don't have to be 6' in the air. Using the eye hook is not really ment for transport its for set up in a shop with an overhead crane and from its assembly. As far as the table lift being damaged in shipping , only way it could is if the nut is worn out if the table is locked there's not much down pressure to do damage. I'm not trying to knit pick but , I would move it my way to prevent damage to the machine . I've move many different machines and never had any tips or drops or broken parts. You put a wider base on a mill and bolt it down I bet you could turn the trailer over and it would still be bolted as long as the trailers in good shape. Up to the owner go quick or go safe.


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## Tony Wells (Nov 6, 2015)

Just do it like this




(NOT)

I've moved literally dozens like this without issue


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## JimDawson (Nov 6, 2015)

Silverbullet said:


> I've seen the tip and seen handles destroyed when spinning when stable on the forks it will not go anywhere unless the forklift goes too. Plus to move it it don't have to be 6' in the air. Using the eye hook is not really ment for transport its for set up in a shop with an overhead crane and from its assembly.



I don't think I ever suggested using the eye bolt hole.  I suggested strapping the ram or lifting from the ram.  Using 2 straps, one on either side of the column, will not allow the mill to spin in the air, nor will the mill twist if the ram is sitting on the forks.  See example picture above in Tony's post.


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## JimDawson (Nov 6, 2015)

Tony Wells said:


> I've moved literally dozens like this without issue




Me too!


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## gold642 (Nov 6, 2015)

Today I'm getting pallets, 2x4's,pry bars, hydraulic jacks, floor jacks, chains , comealongs, blocking, straps ,  trailers and trucks ready to go in the morning. The 4x4 forklift is to tall to enter the shop where the machines are so I'm taking a lower profile forklift. It is also on inflated tires and is 4000 lb rated but has a total height of 78 inches. I intend to lift under the ram with 2x4's set them. I also plan on c clamping the wood onto the forks. The forks are 7 ft so placing on trailer should be easy. It should also give me room to screw 2x4,s on all sides of the mill . This should reduce the chance of a mishap to a minimum I will load on to a wood deck trailer and lag them down into  the trailer for transport and strap them down. This trailer is 16x6 and a deck at 15 inches. I think lower is better. I know it is like wearing a belt and suspenders but I will feel better. I got 6 inch lags and I hope there are hole thru the base of the mills. I'm also taking a 40 ft drop deck and a 1 ton 12x8 bed. The drop deck for the lathes , welder and surface grinder. small items on the 12x8 and both mills on the 16x6. The next trick is to take pictures on my phone and transfer them to my computer. A little techier than I am use to. The 6x 16 is pulled by my tool truck so we have ample tools available. Boy aren't we having fun now.


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## Silverbullet (Nov 6, 2015)

Biggest thing is just be careful don't lift any higher then needed, moving them strapped is ok . But the forks can hit items and breaks will occur. I don't care really which way you move them , I would move them with as much hold down as I could get. Again be careful and welcome to the site.


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## gold642 (Nov 7, 2015)

Thanks I will be as careful as possible .


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## gold642 (Nov 7, 2015)

I got everything home and no problems. I had to slide the machines outside before we could lift them. Now I know why you turn the head down. 7 ft door. The j head mill was easy to pickup with the forks with 2x4  under the ram . However the series 1 cnc was a bear. There was no power to the machine so I could not crank the table in which through the machine out of balanced to the front of the machine. The wiring was to short to rotate the head 180 degrees. I got it about 90 degrees but there was not enough room for the forks and the 2x4's. So I used straps to lift the machine and it hung crooked but i was able to get it loaded. I locked everything that i could lock.I screwed 3/8  lags into the trailer decking and used 2 load straps per machine. They road well on the way home. The ways have a fish scale pattern  on the in and out. The Series 1 pattern looks ever and very distinct. The j head mill right side was a little fainter then the left but I'll send pictures tomorrow. The table on the series 1 has a couple drill holes into it. I think the j head looks better but a good cleaning will help determine it. The previous owner had cats in the shop and I think I got about 50 lbs of cat hair as part of the deal. I plan on blowing down the machines tomorrow the start a good cleaning. Anyone have suggestions for the best cleaner? I was thinking of using kerosene, stiff brush, and lot of rags. All 5 machines appear to be complete and are probable operational where I hook them up. the monarch 10 ee was previously converted to ac with a vfd. I can not find a name plate so I assume it's missing. Anyone have any insight here let me know. It is a 2500 rpm round gauge  20 in .Anything I should be aware of before cleaning and testing the machines? Thanks for all of your help.


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## JimDawson (Nov 7, 2015)

Congratulations! Happy to here you made it home safely.

Kerosene, diesel, paint thinner, etc will work fine for cleaning.
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## gold642 (Nov 11, 2015)

I'm thinking about buying a phase converter to run the Series 1 cnc bridgeport. Anyone done this and what was the results. The j head milling machine I was thinking of using a 3 hp vfd that I already have. Should I expect any problems? 
*Ted*


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## JimDawson (Nov 11, 2015)

The VFD will work fine on the J head.

A RCP should work OK on the CNC, but you will want to check the leg to leg voltage balance and add (or subtract) capacitors to achieve the best balance.


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## gold642 (Nov 12, 2015)

I ran the j head mill today on the 3 hp vfd. It ran wonderfully. It is nice to make chips for the first time on a new to me mill. I cut slots in a 1/4 thick 304 stainless  screen for my cider mill  Now that I have the monarch 10 ee operational also. I plan to work on to the surface grinder. I'll be using a vfd on it also.


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## derf (Nov 12, 2015)

What version is the series I CNC?


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## gold642 (Nov 12, 2015)

I'm not sure I can answer this correctly. It is a Bridgeport series 1,3 axis,  2 hp head serial number 2j 107250 Textron. Does that answer your question?


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## derf (Nov 12, 2015)

It should say on it somewhere something like R2E3 or Boss 5, Boss 6,7,8 or 9.  Boss stands for "Bridgeport operating system software" 5-9 is the version.  How about posting a pic....


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## gold642 (Nov 12, 2015)

I'm not good at pictures. The machine is an early cnc  It has a separate computer IBM i think  . I will try to get pictures post on here tomorrow. I can post on hobby machinist. Look in the bridgeport forum


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## gold642 (Nov 13, 2015)

Sorry the pictures are on Practical Machinist briudgeport f


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## gold642 (Apr 9, 2016)

derf said:


> What version is the series I CNC?


Sorry, I have not been on the site lately I am not sure what you mean by version. it is a Bridgeport series one 3 axis cnc textron . It has no manual handles so the mill must be operated using the buttons or with a download  from a PC. The PC has mastercam 9 program, autocad 2004, and some other common programs on it. The machine came with a boss IV,V and VI manual.  I connected a rotophase convertor  to the 3 phase on the mill. I disconnected the 1 phase  120v transformer from the machining an connect 120v from a separate source . This way there would be a reliable power for the control. The machine does not have a tape input on it but the manual speaks of one. I can not ask the previous own any question as he passed away before the mill was sold. I have been able to get the machine to move the table on both axis and the quill in and out. Therefore I am fairly sure the machine is OK. I just have no idea how to program the machine.  I want to make a circle out of 1/2 plate steel the out side diameter needs to be 8 inch and the inside needs to be 1.5 inches. The manuals talk about g code programing. Can anyone help teach a old manual machine operator how to program this in?


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## JimDawson (Apr 9, 2016)

gold642 said:


> I just have no idea how to program the machine. I want to make a circle out of 1/2 plate steel the out side diameter needs to be 8 inch and the inside needs to be 1.5 inches. The manuals talk about g code programing. Can anyone help teach a old manual machine operator how to program this in?



This is a bit of a tall order to try to do over the internet.  The normal progression would be to draw the part in AutoCAD, then open the .dxf file in Mastercam to create the G-code, then port the G-code over to the mill controller.  It is possible that your version of Mastercam has a drafting function built in, so that would eliminate the need to draw in AutoCAD first.

Now, it's also possible that the BP controller has a ''conversational programming'' function built in where you might be able to program in a center and diameter plus the tool offset to make the cut you want.  You are just going to have so sit down and read the manuals. 

Having said that, you might be better served to find a local person to help get you started.  Maybe a local Community College or shop, something like that.  There also may be some members of H-M that are local and could help you out.
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## derf (Apr 9, 2016)

Writing G code is not as hard as some make it seem. The first thing you need to accomplish is to input a program into the machine. This will have to be done with an RS 232 cable. You will need a computer(an older one that has the serial port to accommodate this) to transfer the program. The program itself can be written in "notepad", and the software to deliver it is "hyper terminal", both windows programs. The biggest obstacle is getting the program into the machine. The BOSS operating systems have a very small memory for programs, probably around 12K characters. So once you load a program and use it , it must be removed before another can be loaded.
Read up on the manual and get the connection figured out first, and we can go from there.


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## CraigB1960 (Apr 9, 2016)

gold642 said:


> I got everything home and no problems. I had to slide the machines outside before we could lift them. Now I know why you turn the head down. 7 ft door. The j head mill was easy to pickup with the forks with 2x4  under the ram . However the series 1 cnc was a bear. There was no power to the machine so I could not crank the table in which through the machine out of balanced to the front of the machine. The wiring was to short to rotate the head 180 degrees. I got it about 90 degrees but there was not enough room for the forks and the 2x4's. So I used straps to lift the machine and it hung crooked but i was able to get it loaded. I locked everything that i could lock.I screwed 3/8  lags into the trailer decking and used 2 load straps per machine. They road well on the way home. The ways have a fish scale pattern  on the in and out. The Series 1 pattern looks ever and very distinct. The j head mill right side was a little fainter then the left but I'll send pictures tomorrow. The table on the series 1 has a couple drill holes into it. I think the j head looks better but a good cleaning will help determine it. The previous owner had cats in the shop and I think I got about 50 lbs of cat hair as part of the deal. I plan on blowing down the machines tomorrow the start a good cleaning. Anyone have suggestions for the best cleaner? I was thinking of using kerosene, stiff brush, and lot of rags. All 5 machines appear to be complete and are probable operational where I hook them up. the monarch 10 ee was previously converted to ac with a vfd. I can not find a name plate so I assume it's missing. Anyone have any insight here let me know. It is a 2500 rpm round gauge  20 in .Anything I should be aware of before cleaning and testing the machines? Thanks for all of your help.



Congratulations on the safe move and excellent collection of machines!  The 10EE is a bear to move too!  What surface grinder do you pick up?  (That is my next purchase)

Kerosene is good cleaner.  I used a lot of WD40 on my Series 1 Bridgeport and lathe.  Took longer, but it worked well for me.


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## gold642 (Apr 10, 2016)

derf said:


> Writing G code is not as hard as some make it seem. The first thing you need to accomplish is to input a program into the machine. This will have to be done with an RS 232 cable. You will need a computer(an older one that has the serial port to accommodate this) to transfer the program. The program itself can be written in "notepad", and the software to deliver it is "hyper terminal", both windows programs. The biggest obstacle is getting the program into the machine. The BOSS operating systems have a very small memory for programs, probably around 12K characters. So once you load a program and use it , it must be removed before another can be loaded.
> Read up on the manual and get the connection figured out first, and we can go from there.





derf said:


> Writing G code is not as hard as some make it seem. The first thing you need to accomplish is to input a program into the machine. This will have to be done with an RS 232 cable. You will need a computer(an older one that has the serial port to accommodate this) to transfer the program. The program itself can be written in "notepad", and the software to deliver it is "hyper terminal", both windows programs. The biggest obstacle is getting the program into the machine. The BOSS operating systems have a very small memory for programs, probably around 12K characters. So once you load a program and use it , it must be removed before another can be loaded.
> Read up on the manual and get the connection figured out first, and we can go from there.


I am reading and watching youtube videos on g code. I also think the cnc control panel has an electrical problem . It seems to not work when moving between modes. I think it is a problem in the mode switch or the ground circuit. I have drawings on the cnc machine and the mode switch seems to provide a ground it the different mode circuits. I will let you know what I find.  I taught electricity and electronics when I was in thew Navy. The drawings are similar to what i worked on 40 yrs ago.


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## gold642 (Apr 10, 2016)

CraigB1960 said:


> Congratulations on the safe move and excellent collection of machines!  The 10EE is a bear to move too!  What surface grinder do you pick up?  (That is my next purchase)
> 
> Kerosene is good cleaner.  I used a lot of WD40 on my Series 1 Bridgeport and lathe.  Took longer, but it worked well for me.


I picked up a BoyarShultz 612. It had a couple problems. Missing a 1-1/4-16 nut which holds the grinding wheel. I finally  made a new nut on the 10 ee lathe. It was also missing a magnetic table. A friend of mine has a surface grinder for sale and is letting me use his for now. I'll try the kerosene for cleaning. I am working on repairing and doing operational inspection to determine what needs to be done.


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## gold642 (Apr 10, 2016)

derf said:


> Writing G code is not as hard as some make it seem. The first thing you need to accomplish is to input a program into the machine. This will have to be done with an RS 232 cable. You will need a computer(an older one that has the serial port to accommodate this) to transfer the program. The program itself can be written in "notepad", and the software to deliver it is "hyper terminal", both windows programs. The biggest obstacle is getting the program into the machine. The BOSS operating systems have a very small memory for programs, probably around 12K characters. So once you load a program and use it , it must be removed before another can be loaded.
> Read up on the manual and get the connection figured out first, and we can go from there.


The mill came with a old computer and some programs. However it is not the best. I has to boot it 3 or 4 times to get it to come up on windows. My son-in-law is an IT freak. He was here yesterday and took the computer with him. He says he has enough used parts to built me a computer that will be stable. He is also operational testing all the cables.


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