Finding or Fixing a good bridgeport vs buying a clone

sdelivery said:
After 25 plus years of building new machine tools and repairing and rebuilding you learn what works what doesn't., how to predict outcome and how to repair customers machinery so that everyone is as happy as they are going to be.
It may seem opinionated or know it all ish...but it is what they pay me for. Same for Tim Besmer.
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If I came across as putting down Tim, it wasn't intentional. Tim is a good guy with a lot of knowledge. He is rather opinionated, as are many above intelligent people. He's noted a few things that I had done to my BP when refurbing it that he said were wrong, but I followed the advice of other rebuilders. Tim's viewpoint wasn't wrong, I just think that many times there are more than one "right" way to do something. Tim sticks to his guns. It works for him, he's been successful for decades doing what he does.
 
@bikesandcars You have received some good advice here. Just my personal experience here. I purchased a Sharp mill this past summer which has been awesome. Everybody on this forum says there's no substitute for mass and rigidity and they are correct. The mill that I owned before that was a Precision Matthews 833t and while a decent mill it does not compare to a large knee mill.
The problem with Bridgeport Mills is that most of them come out of a production environment and they're completely worn out. It seems like bridgeport's were the go-to for most companies when they set up their production lines. My mill came out of a tool and die shop which saw significantly less wear and tear than something in production. I would encourage you to keep looking for a larger mill and not settle for less.
 
I have an Acra which is made by First, the same manufacturer that makes the Sharp mill. So far so good. I wonder what the piece of junk Taiwan mill that the caveman welder bought, wow that is a super bummer.
 
bikesandcars said:
I have a very used Bridgeport I purchased to get started for cheap (not knowing better). Ways are very bad, no oiling system, the head is good.

I've learned some things using it but I'm ready for a "tight" machine.

As I see I have a few options: Find a better used machine ( around me a real crap-shoot). Find a recently reconditioned machine from a vendor (8K to 10K). Purchase a clone like a newer Precision Matthews mill.

I'm partial to American made machines, but I'm also partial to having a tight, capable and higher HP machine plus money in my pocket.

Any suggestions from folks that have been there and done that?
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Guess you don't check out the " For Sale " section below ? There are also loads of mills in our area if you know what you're looking for . :grin:
 
This is just another guy in a very different market...

I agree 100% that condition is everything. *BUT* you seem to want to save $$$ These things do not go together. You could wait to find a "unicorn machine" - one that it cheap and virtually unused, but that is like waiting to win the lottery.

So here is my advice FWIW: Use what you have - adjust your gibbs to get the best out of your machine. Save up some $$$.

I used my first mill for over 20 years, with all its little problems before buying a bigger mill. Then I found a unicorn. Then I got a free Taiwanese machine. So now I have to sell my 'bigger mill', and make space to reassemble the free machine.

Sometimes it works out. But keep making chips and enjoying the hobby, If you aren't doing the first, you can't get to the second.
 
7milesup said:
The problem with Bridgeport Mills is that most of them come out of a production environment and they're completely worn out. It seems like bridgeport's were the go-to for most companies when they set up their production lines. My mill came out of a tool and die shop which saw significantly less wear and tear than something in production.
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Bridgeports are the industry standard . While some may be used in a production environment , they are not production machines . CNC's are production machines and have been for 40 years . Production machines run 24/7 . Haven't known of a Bridgeport anywhere to be abused like that . Most vertical turret mills by whatever name reside in tool and die / maintenance shops where they get very little use , if any . Hell , I may use my Enco in at work once a week . It's old , but it's tighter than a bull's ash in fly season . You also have to keep it that way .
 
Well , I burn a lot of ash in the woodstove ! Years ago , someone told me " you just can't beat a good piece of ash " . ( not exactly sure what he meant by it ) ;)
 
If your interested in another BP I could see if my wife’s uncle would want to sell his . He was a Tool &Die and bought one for his own use . If I remember, he picked it up at the factory, used it for a side business in his garage . I never asked if would sell it though he sold a lathe he had and some of his tools . I forgot he lives in Phillipsburg
 
Allentown and the surrounding areas of Pa are the hot spots of equipment on the east coast . Cabin Fever is right up the road . I'm just taking this as the OP has 4 posts in 10 months and maybe is really not looking too aggressively . (sp) . I do a google search and find 100 mills in our area .
 
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