Help Needed On Bridgeport Pricing (pics)

[M.B. Naegle]

I like the short table mills better than the more common longer ones. Unless you need to make some really long cuts (and you'll need something with really good table ways for that anyway), the only advantage of the big table is putting multiple jobs on it at once. Even then, they all wear out in the middle so if your table is really worn, you'll be adjusting your gib every time you move to the ends, but the short ones not as much because they tend to get moved across their full range frequently and therefore wear evenly.

IMO, the traditional long table Bridgeport is a design flaw, while the short table actually fits the base of the machine (the first BPs were all shorty's too). It would have been better if with the long table they had a wider saddle so it would wear and support itself more evenly.

 

[Laverda]

Local to me (Los Angeles area) a 1976 J head that was completely rebuilt (all new bearings, rescraped, table reground, repainted) with a Sony DRO, power feed and Mitutoyo DRO on the quill recently sold for $4200. It was not run after the rebuild as the customer got tired of waiting for it to be done and bought another rebuilt Bridgeport so this one had to go.

I would venture to guess the one you are looking at would go for $2000 here?
It appears to have been painted with a brush without masking anything, which is concerning

 

[Nmbmxer]

I might be the only one who doesn’t like the varispeed heads, I prefer using my step pulley machine with a VFD. Once belt setting works most of the time. I have a two speed motor so I can get 2 ranges with the drum switch, and two more with back gear. I pretty much just use back gear for 1/2-13+ taps and 3/4” tooling, most everything else is fine HP on the 1200rpm belt position. Boring heads I might need back gear but usually not as cuts are light. My varispeed machines all have loose pulley keys and make a racket. If you have the guards off you can flip the motor lock and move the belt in less time than it takes to run that little handwheel around a zillion times. Without a VFD I’d defer to the varispeed.

 

[Mikalius]

Paid $500 for this one a few months ago.

Nice find! I got this puppy for $0 -- it was going to scrap if I didn't take it. 36" table, no chromed ways, and the same BP vise you've got (though my handle is broken)

 

[jccaclimber]

I have a lot of unpleasant things to say about small imports/benchtop mills. Particularly those with a round column. The first time you lose position when raising the column to swap from an end mill to a drill chuck you'll wish you had spent more money.
Others here can better speak to machine pricing, but unless you're making small plastic junk that's better off on a laser cutter, I'd consider a Bridgeport as a minimum.
Having a DRO really is nice, be warry about buying a cheaper machine then having to add one.
My mill, by the time I was done fixing the shot bearings in the head, putting a VFD on it (to run on single phase), etc. ran me about $1k, but if I had to buy that DRO and power feed (mine is an old EZ-trak without the floppy disk) then I'd be at your price.

 

[wood2steel]

Take a breather on that one; I've got the same Bridgeport here, a SuperMax, and an MSC mill here; 2 Mitutoyo Dro's, 3 power feeds, and a Mitsubishi vfd, plus an extra Bridgeport parts head and I believe I got around $3,600 invested. There are still a lot of good machines out there for a good price if you'll wait a short while; just be ready to jump when that good deal pops up. That price range is what you'd pay through a machine dealer who will give you somewhat of a short warranty.
Good luck!
Johnny

 

[Mikalius]

Take a breather on that one

Couldn't agree more -- the key to "finding" these "great deals" is to keep your eyes open, and be ready to pounce immediately when you see them. It's more vigilance and luck than anything, in my book

 

[paulz]

36" table?? Looks like chrome ways too. Where did you get such a deal?

Right place, right time. Had a job lifting an injection mold press with our 75 ton rotator wrecker, and saw the BP unwired and sitting off to the side in the shop. Asked about it's future and put the word in that I'd like to make an offer on it if it's going down the road. Forgot about it.....
Two months later I got a call and a price. Picked it up the next day.

 

[wood2steel]

Hey,
Paulz! Kudos to your Rotator Wrecker!! Went to get my 10,000 lb Powerturn last month and saw a 12,000 lb forklift stand on its nose. Standing there along side 6 other guys scratching their heads and the boss came out and said he was calling his neighbor to get things moving along. Absolutely Amazing how easy that Rotator solved this crisis!!

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Sounds like it’s had a fairly hard life previously. I don’t like re-painted machines, I prefer them in the original paint even if they’re a bit careworn. . I also don’t like “ restored and re-furbished “. By whom ? Was it a professional job or D I Y ? If it was done by a pro there should be an invoice to prove it.

Regards Tyrone.

 

[adammil1]

I am a rebuilder, but I used to be a VP of a used machinery company. It looks like it's been painted and cleaned up. The table and I bet the ways are original. Close ups of them would help. It's a step pulley head with the hand feed wheel which is not common. It has an after market table power feed. With-out the DRO the machine would sell here in Minnesota for about $2500.00 to $3000.00 With the DRO $4000.00 to $4500.00. In the used machinery game, it wouldn't change the price if the head was rebuilt or not, but if he rebuilt the head with new bearings and belts or a direct hobbyist sale. That's a fair price. If the ways are worn and scores then I would stay closer to $3500.00 If you compare it to a crappy Chinese machine it's a bargain. After looking at it again, the DRO looks like one of the good ones with memory and it has an independent electronic scale on the head quill. That's a fair price. I would offer cash and he loads it for free. Provided the ways are not worn and scored. I can't see a Lube pump on the left side of the knee. Is there one. Another good thing is it is an original Bridgeport made before Textron bought them.

That DRO looks like one of the SINO Chinese models that one can get on aliexpress for less than $400 not sure it would bump the price $1000-$1500, but they seem to be a decent DRO.

 

[Richard King]

I just did a little detective work. Look up JB's profile. Then google JB Manufacturing in Utah. It looks like he is a machinery dealer and sells machines and tooling. There is a report on Practical Machinist where someone reported / called him a spammer. Seeing he has not responded to any of our posts, I suspect he owns the Mill and made up the story to get some FREE advertising or trying to figure out what to price the mill. In another post he has, he asked about the value of a Monarch lathe because the owner died. Also sounded like BS in my opinion. Like I said I suspected something was up when the description list was posted in his first post. If he doesn't respond I hope the Moderators delete this whole post and possibly ban him.

 

[Richard King]

That DRO looks like one of the SINO Chinese models that one can get on aliexpress for less than $400 not sure it would bump the price $1000-$1500, but they seem to be a decent DRO.

Your right. I never knew DRO's are so cheap. I did look up DRO's on Amazon and 2 axis are selling for $300.00 and 3 Axis are selling for around $600.00. I haven't bought a DRO in years and the prices have really gone down. I also looked into the OP's profile. This post might be BS anyway. Check what I wrote below.

 

[adammil1]

On

Your right. I never knew DRO's are so cheap. I did look up DRO's on Amazon and 2 axis are selling for $300.00 and 3 Axis are selling for around $600.00. I haven't bought a DRO in years and the prices have really gone down. I also looked into the OP's profile. This post might be BS anyway. Check what I wrote below.

They're even cheaper if you buy factory direct;

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004822460547.html

I still say leave the post it's always interesting to see what Bridgeports are going for around the country. Doesn't seem like the prices have actually changed much in the past 20yrs despite inflation.

 

[bhigdog]

Crappy paint job, amature "re-build", not even a vice...........I don't think so............Bob

 

[G-ManBart]

That looks like an Align/Workhorse unit to me. I've got one. They're not cheap, are very well made in Taiwan and very functional and reliable.

The Vevor power feeds are essentially a clone of the Align and they copied the colors, markings pretty closely, but this one isn't an Align. It's definitely a Vevor brand (you can see the first letter is a V). Here's a pic from the listing zoomed in a bit, and another from an online post about installing one of these Vevor power feeds...sure looks like the same thing to me. They're under $150 from places like eBay. I've read they work well, so it's not the end of the world, but clearly not worth as much as an Align or Servo would be.

 

[Gordon Heaton]

Right you are! Just looked at mine and the embossed logo is more like a fan. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[Dry Creek]

Sounds high to me as well. If his dad really used it & decided to go with something else for a hobby, he should have vise & tooling etc to go with it.

 

[moonlight machine]

Your right. I never knew DRO's are so cheap. I did look up DRO's on Amazon and 2 axis are selling for $300.00 and 3 Axis are selling for around $600.00. I haven't bought a DRO in years and the prices have really gone down. I also looked into the OP's profile. This post might be BS anyway. Check what I wrote below.

China DROs are Cheap. Like a harbor freight lathe. High quality DROs are not.