Bridgeport tear down progress

Spent some time this morning trying to get the B-Port disassembled; I had an issue several weeks ago where I was turning the Y-axis screw to its lock and when I tried to crank it a bit more so that I could removed the 3/4" nut holding the handle on the shaft, something gave way and I was left with a free spinning screw.

I removed the allen head bolts that secure the side pieces that hold the x-axis screw in place and was able to pull that screw out...


Since the y-axis screw was free spinning and couldn't hold it with one hand while trying to removed the handle nut with the other, I used a short length of pipe to wedge b/w the handle and the ground...worked like a champ...nut broke loose with moderate effort.


I then removed (4) more allen head bolts and the screw slid right out (more like popped out with a slight tug)...no need to twist and twist and twist and twist and...you get the idea...the screw out.


Not sure of what I sheared on the y-axis screw but here is a close up...


Made a bone head mistake of not moving the table to one side in preparation for sliding it off of the knee...so back into the mill goes the screw...

Also, here is what happens when you don't wear gloves while twisting the x-axis screw out...


Anyhoo...pretty successful episode of "This Old Mill" today.

You sheared the head off the adjusting screw ! The head of same goes in that notch on the side/end of the brass nut.

Ah...thanks for the news! Guess that will be first on my replacement parts list.

Dismantling a Bridgeport is simple. Why didn't you ask how beforehand?

I think I could dismantle X, Y and Z blindfolded. Your making it look difficult on your part is because you never looked on the net how or you didn't ask for help before hand. To all new owners of Bridgeport's or Bridgeport style knee mils please don't use a pipe or BFH as it isn't needed. When you remove the gibs you would be smart to spray everything with liquid wrench a few times and let it soak for a few days. There are so many How To's on You Tube and web-sites showing you how. Practical Machinist has volumes on how to's.
Instructional Videos

Richard King...

You're more than welcome to come and do the heavy work for me; I'll bring my favorite camp chair with my favorite cooler filled my my favorite beer and watch you do all the work...

You write as if your some sort of hero doing this. Practical Machinist is a group of "experienced" people who have been using and repairing machines for years. What your showing us is what a crap mechanic does and ruins a machine. If you think this is of value to us, your wrong.
Maybe you should join one of the forums where the hobby guys hang out and brag how you are taking apart your machine. What you showing us is a joke.

Matt or Don should close this thread as it isn't what PM members deserve and expect.

Richard,
Here's the original post with pics of his "in excellent shape" mill.
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/v...d-serial-indicate-about-my-bridgeport-324837/

Evidently he doesn't read other posts or look at other websites. Obviously, he thinks he's special and the first hobbiest ever to tear a BP apart.

JR

JRIowa said:

Richard,

Evidently he doesn't read other posts or look at other websites. Obviously, he thinks he's special and the first hobbiest ever to tear a BP apart.

JR

Click to expand...

Up to today I was not aware that "tear down" means the the same as "tear apart". I think a gentleman would use the word "dismantle".

To the OP, I see you have not posted much here. That's ok for me. Just get the BP out of the weather. The rust has really started...

JR previously gave the OP Kay Fisher's rebuild http://neme-s.org/shapers/bp.html

If OP had looked at Kay's work, he'd know how the Y axis nut sits in the feed nut bracket or 'dog bone'.

In addition to the 'net (with the free factory manual from Hardinge: http://hardingeus.com/usr/pdf/Knee Mills/SeriesIPartList4302Plus.pdf ), for hard copy reading:

Bridgeport Mill Rebuild Manuals for J Head and 2J Head - Buy Both and Save $ | eBay

John

Folks who leave machines outdoors ought to be shot!

comstockfriend said:

Folks who leave machines outdoors ought to be shot!

Click to expand...

Eh. People are free to do what they want with their machines. I'm thinking folks who buy machines that have been outside have waved their right to complain. What did they expect?

ewlsey said:

What did they expect?

Click to expand...

You can expect the BP to return to the original elements it was made from. Anything that is made with energy to combine elements eventually returns to it's original states. You can only forestall the process. Sounds cruel when you look at a nice BP. Don't like the idea myself.

As an amateur I found the booklet from LLC ILION Industrial Services quite reassuring.
To be ordered from any bookdealer: ""A Guide to renovating a bridgeport Series xx Milling Machine""

Comstockfriend,

Many thanks for the link to the .pdf; it will make for great reading while I sit on the porcelain throne.

Not much has happened on the BP due to sub urban dad duties; however, the goal it to get the mill torn down by Christmas weekend and out of the elements.

nearbeer said:

Comstockfriend,

Many thanks for the link to the .pdf; it will make for great reading while I sit on the porcelain throne.

Not much has happened on the BP due to sub urban dad duties; however, the goal it to get the mill torn down by Christmas weekend and out of the elements.

Click to expand...

I understand where Richard is coming from. But I just want you both to understand that these threads are valuable, perhaps moreso when stupid mistakes are discussed.

And just for Richard, when I started in engineering 25 years ago, if I got a new young female engineer working for me, it was my experience that I needed to cover certain remedial subjects, like what a socket wrench was, how rivets worked etc. These were smart engineers who became incredibly valued members of the company. But they didn't fix cars with their Dads like all the rest of the guys did in the office then. 25 years later, I do that remedial stuff with EVERY engineer regardless of gender. Almost none have any hands on experience with mechanical stuff. (BTW, of those who do, its a pretty equal distribution of men and women).

I bought a J head Bridgeport last Friday for $500. The professional machinists in the tool and die shop broke the exact same nut retaining screw and didn't bother to pull the screw to see why the handle was free wheeling. So they sold the tool for scrap.

Based solely on the online manuals, the Guide to Renovating and Bridgeport J Head, and my memory of PM threads (especially Brad Jacobs' who got some shit for his "restoration" as I recall) my 16yr old son and I were able to completely disassemble the $500 machine, and hand load it onto a U-Haul trailer with only a $99 HF cherry picker.

Point is? We can't assume pros have Richard's rebuilding skill. They need these sorts of threads as much as the rest of us. My guess is, within 10 years, the best machine builders will be hobbyists. Most pros I've met can't even do a simple hand layout.

I'm a few steps ahead of you Nearbeer. Let me know if you need help. As Richard said, these tools are pretty "agricultural". 3/16" allen and a 3/4" wrench were almost all I used. Only problem I encountered was a stuck ram. So I disconnected the turret from the column and dealt with an unfavorable ram c.g.