Looking at this Bridgeport that is FAR away

joec2000 said:
Thanks for the feedback, everyone - much appreciated. From the sound of things, I should limit my search to the state of FL then, so I can reasonably easily see it, feel it, etc. I was looking at this one yesterday, which is about a 2 hr drive from me, but it has the varidrive 2J head, which is expensive to fix from what I hear. Looks like it has that "Tibon" badge on it too. Thoughts on expanding my search to 2J heads as well?

Thanks!

- Joe
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I rebuilt the head on my 2J 2hp Bridgeport and it was pretty easy, and not expensive. It really only needed new bushings, but I replaced most of the usual wear items while I had it apart. I don't think I spent $300 and that included a new timing belt, new drive belt, etc. Keep in mind they were meant to be run essentially 24/7 so they factored in the ability to repair/rebuild on-site when they were designed. You really don't need any special tools or skills unless there are serious issues, which would be pretty obvious. If you can see it run and it's not making crazy noises, it's probably fine. The one you linked looks solid.

The power drawbar on the first one you linked is what would make me think it was in a production environment. Power drawbars aren't cheap so mostly they're used in production setups since they just save a few seconds compared to a manual drawbar.
 
Personally, I would be very cautious about buying a used machine sight-unseen. Even the most well-intentioned seller may have a very different opinion from you on what's suitable for your purposes. There is an outfit in the Atlanta area from whom I've bought a couple of pieces of equipment (a lathe and a surface grinder) and been very satisfied with both their professionalism and the products I bought. They have several Bridgeport's listed, and Atlanta's not too far up the road if you want to see one up close and personal.

Here's a link:
theequipmenthub.com

Used Milling Machines For Sale | Vertical and Horizontal Mills

The Used milling machine category at The Equipment Hub have high quality metal milling machines that are inspected and guaranteed for performance.
theequipmenthub.com theequipmenthub.com

Regards
 
One reason to stick with a BP or clone is the availability of tooling . Right angle heads , quill masters , shaper/slotting attachments etc . Turret mills are the most versatile machines in the shop . Don't shy away from the VS heads either as some have stated . If and when they would go bad , they're not hard to fix .
 
verbotenwhisky said:
Without ill intent, please explain/describe/define your rigidity issues, how did they manifest themselves? I do not necessarily disagree with your statement but I hear the word "rigidity" thrown around a lot, I know what it means I am just not certain I get the specific context here. Is it lack of mass? bad joints? loose construction? or is it that one must take lighter cuts due to the physical limitation of the size and horse power of the machine?
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Long day at work...
I believe that @jwmelvin highlighted most of what I regard as more rigidity. When I owned my PM833T, the power of the machine was never an issue. It would cut what I needed to cut without too much complaint. However, vibration and chatter were sometimes apparent, especially when the gibs weren't snug or the Z-axis wasn't locked down. Of course, locking and unlocking the Z-axis inevitably introduced errors to the setup, which was frustrating. The 833T does weigh near 1000 lbs, so it's not exactly a "light" benchtop mill.
Contrast that to my Sharp mill that weighs somewhere around 3500lbs. Mine has a 2-axis CNC system, so it is closer to 4000 lbs. The difference was astounding when I installed an end mill and made my first cut on the Sharp knee mill. It is hard to quantify in a post on the internet, but I knew right away that I had made a good decision. Smooth. Precise. Quieter. Robust. It is just a world of difference IMHO. That being said, my mill has some wear and there are a few things I need to fix, but now that I know what it is like to have that mass, I wouldn't go back.

Just my 1.5 cents (inflation ya know)
 
Most of these mills (Kent, Manford, Sharp, Acra, ...) are rebranded Chinese or Taiwanese machines that they stick there name on, they also can be the same model number but sourced differently from year to year. The Manford 2V looks very similar to the Sharp LMV/Acra LCM mills, it indicates they are made in Taiwan which usually is a bit better built. Also it is a more recent manufacturer (2006) so one assumes less wear and tear. But they post crappy pictures with no price, and w/o getting a hands on look it is pretty much Russian roulette as to is this one being OK. Also availability of parts if needed. Also worth looking for Lagun mills that often get decommissioned, they are very solid knee mills, but parts are a premium and Reeves drives often need rebuilding in older mills. Should run smoothly and track up and down the speed range. Parts is always a crap shoot for an older machines and then down the road. Bridgeport mills will most likely have parts but getting very expensive, and in most cases used ones are overpriced and pretty worn out.
 

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The best mill made is always the mill that sits in front of you . The mill doesn't make parts . Be it a Bridgeport , Sharp , Acra , Lagun , Enco , Kondia , excello , etc , it's a mill . If your ways sag .0001 after 5 years , 10 years , 30 years , does it really make a difference in what you are producing ? I send this out to all newbies . ALL machines will not be accurate to tenths whatever the brand , If you need .0001 accuracy over 48" you're buying the wrong equipment . These specs manufacturers provide are in a dream world with perfect conditions which don't exist in real life . Buy the machine that feels tight , examine the ways and the spindle and buy what you want . The only person that can answer the question " whats it worth "
is yourself .
 
MrWhoopee said:
Looks like MachineInventory and Leblondlathe.com are spamming your CL pretty heavily. If it has the phone #860-964-6549, avoid them. All part of the infamous Al Babin's operations.
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That's the first thing I thought of when I saw that the Bridgeport was in Connecticut...

Al Babin is known to have multiple ebay accounts, along with several business names... if it is coming from Connecticut, be wary.

-Bear
 
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