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Bridgeport Mill

Dtapster

Aluminum
Joined
Jan 3, 2021
New to the forum and hobby. Looking at a Bridgeport mill and would appreciate your comments. Here are a few pics.

Thanks,

Doug
 

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Price is still negotiable. There will be very little tooling with the mill. It's in an operating (and successful shop) and the tooling will be kept for the other Bridgeport mill the owner has. Just like this one but with a smaller bed.

Doug

P.S. Sorry for the sideways pics - can't figure out how to change them.
 
Why are they selling it?

They are keeping the smaller Bridgeport?

IMHO as a service tech, I would be wary. It looks good and looks clean. But if they are keeping a smaller BP for themselves and selling the bigger one... ya that just sounds iffy to me.

Very low SN on the 8F, looks to be chrome ways with flaking...

Just an FYI, that is almost always my first question is why is someone selling it. I guess when it comes to a machine being sold, I always assume there is an issue with it.

Jon
 
Price is still negotiable.

That tells us nothing, he could be asking 10k..... I'm guessing there are not a lot of mills for sale in Montana, maybe I'm wrong. Prices vary by region, you could probably buy the same machine for less elsewhere, but spend just as much/more to transport it.

I purchased a really nice Gorton a few months back, had to haul it out of CA, by the time it was in my shop I was into it for about 3K, purchasing local was not an option in my community.
 
That tells us nothing, he could be asking 10k..... I'm guessing there are not a lot of mills for sale in Montana, maybe I'm wrong. Prices vary by region, you could probably buy the same machine for less elsewhere, but spend just as much/more to transport it.

I purchased a really nice Gorton a few months back, had to haul it out of CA, by the time it was in my shop I was into it for about 3K, purchasing local was not an option in my community.

With respect, asking the OP the asking price isn’t relevant as we don’t know his budget or reqts. If the answer was $5000, would that be too much or too little? Really depends on the OP.

Here are my thoughts: that looks to be as nice a mill as one would want or expect. It’s a newer model. For someone just wanting to noodle around, it could be more than required. Despite what the curmudgeons who used to rule around here said, you don’t need a mill this nice to do good work.

As to its condition, I would go look at it and see if everything works, just like you would with a used car. Test drive it. You have to expect wear, but not abuse. I’d inspect the precision surfaces.

From what I can see, it looks like it’s in good shape.Remember, parts are available and everything can be fixed for the right price.

For a home shop machine, I feel like the old pulley heads have a slight advantage over the variable speed head if a VFD is to be used. I feel like it’s simpler.

Also think it odd that a newer mill like this is lacking a DRO. That’s a big negative to me and a head scratcher. That might be a reason for selling it, if there are 2 and the other has a DRO fitted.

Last, people are weird and do weird things for weird reasons. I bought my 1967 BP for $500 from a machine shop owner (machinist?) who didn’t bother trying to figure out why the table didn’t move when he cranked the y axis. So not to be disrespectful or disagreeable, I don’t think asking why it’s being sold is relevant as that assumes the seller is like us. He or she simply may not be. Could be the wrong color for his shop.
 
With respect, asking the OP the asking price isn’t relevant as we don’t know his budget or reqts. If the answer was $5000, would that be too much or too little? Really depends on the OP.

Here are my thoughts: that looks to be as nice a mill as one would want or expect. It’s a newer model. For someone just wanting to noodle around, it could be more than required. Despite what the curmudgeons who used to rule around here said, you don’t need a mill this nice to do good work.

As to its condition, I would go look at it and see if everything works, just like you would with a used car. Test drive it. You have to expect wear, but not abuse. I’d inspect the precision surfaces.

From what I can see, it looks like it’s in good shape.Remember, parts are available and everything can be fixed for the right price.

For a home shop machine, I feel like the old pulley heads have a slight advantage over the variable speed head if a VFD is to be used. I feel like it’s simpler.

Also think it odd that a newer mill like this is lacking a DRO. That’s a big negative to me and a head scratcher. That might be a reason for selling it, if there are 2 and the other has a DRO fitted.

Last, people are weird and do weird things for weird reasons. I bought my 1967 BP for $500 from a machine shop owner (machinist?) who didn’t bother trying to figure out why the table didn’t move when he cranked the y axis. So not to be disrespectful or disagreeable, I don’t think asking why it’s being sold is relevant as that assumes the seller is like us. He or she simply may not be. Could be the wrong color for his shop.

Everything you've said makes sense. The seller is an honest person. He's owned this machine shop in this town for many, many years and is well respected. The reason he's selling this machine is that he has another one just like this one that he rebuilt the head (amateur terminology) with new bearings to the tune of ~$2,500 so he's keeping it, even though the table is not as long. Doesn't need two milling machines now.

Someone mentioned the price and shipping. Although I'm a novice on Bridgeport mills I'm not a novice on buying and shipping large items. In this region these machines are not readily available for midwest or east coast prices, UNLESS you get REAL lucky. Simple reason is population and industry. The east and midwest have been and are more industrialized, pure and simple.

And you're correct, this machine is probably overkill for my home shop purposes. A friend has a nice Jet with a much smaller footprint that does a nice job for him for small projects - maybe I should look around for a smaller machine. Open to suggestions from you here as to make and model # for candidates.

Price -he's only mentioned a range so far, $5-6K. Asked him if he was flexible and he said he was. This is not something I have to have, just a "want." Factoring in all the variables i.e. region of the country, availability, shipping costs, my needs and wants it could or could not be the machine for me. There's no doubt I could get by with much less. Just don't want to buy something I'll spend all my time repairing rather than working on projects.

Even thought about looking at a new and smaller Grizzly machine. Still open to your thoughts and suggestions.

Doug
 
Everything you've said makes sense. The seller is an honest person. He's owned this machine shop in this town for many, many years and is well respected. The reason he's selling this machine is that he has another one just like this one that he rebuilt the head (amateur terminology) with new bearings to the tune of ~$2,500 so he's keeping it, even though the table is not as long. Doesn't need two milling machines now.

Someone mentioned the price and shipping. Although I'm a novice on Bridgeport mills I'm not a novice on buying and shipping large items. In this region these machines are not readily available for midwest or east coast prices, UNLESS you get REAL lucky. Simple reason is population and industry. The east and midwest have been and are more industrialized, pure and simple.

And you're correct, this machine is probably overkill for my home shop purposes. A friend has a nice Jet with a much smaller footprint that does a nice job for him for small projects - maybe I should look around for a smaller machine. Open to suggestions from you here as to make and model # for candidates.

Price -he's only mentioned a range so far, $5-6K. Asked him if he was flexible and he said he was. This is not something I have to have, just a "want." Factoring in all the variables i.e. region of the country, availability, shipping costs, my needs and wants it could or could not be the machine for me. There's no doubt I could get by with much less. Just don't want to buy something I'll spend all my time repairing rather than working on projects.

Even thought about looking at a new and smaller Grizzly machine. Still open to your thoughts and suggestions.

Doug

Griz......NO NO NO NO. Check the feed screws in the middle of travel then on one end. The difference is the wear on the lead screw. If it is worn you can still use it, you just need to let the table lock drag when climb cutting. Turn it on, is it quiet or does it rattle? Rattle is easy to cure. H&W has the parts for reasonable prices. I have been using the same machine since about 1980, Totally reliable. Out in the machine tool desert it is probably worth 5,000.00
 
You know your situation best. I think around here, the market for old equipment is high and there’s a lot of it. Sellers get lots of interest. But few people make offers because they lack the skill, means, willingness, etc to transport a 2000# mill. In time, sellers take what they can. I think having the means to move a BP puts you in an advantageous position.

My guess is that mill is probably worth $5k and may well sell for that. If the owner is willing to deliver, he’ll obviously get top dollar for it.

On the other hand, he might be willing to part with it for less if he likes you, wants it gone, and doesn’t want to bother with some amateur risking his life loading this top heavy tool on his property.

When I bought my mill, my son and I disassembled it and basically hand loaded it until all we had left was the column. We had a u haul trailer and a shop crane. Took about 3 hours to disassemble, pack and load. Was really a piece of cake.
 
Like the other folks said, check it out real good....it certainly looks like it's been maintained over the years, and parts are readily available.
Even if you only use it for hobby, you may use it later for paying jobs.

By the way, your state is beautiful! It's been some years since I've vacationed there, but hoping to come within 2 or 3 years to explore some ghost towns.
 
Hi,
I looked YEARS for a deal on a Bridgeport and finally found one perfect for me.

To me Bridgeports have soul, others, not so much?

Love my Bridgeport!
 

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Like the other folks said, check it out real good....it certainly looks like it's been maintained over the years, and parts are readily available.
Even if you only use it for hobby, you may use it later for paying jobs.

By the way, your state is beautiful! It's been some years since I've vacationed there, but hoping to come within 2 or 3 years to explore some ghost towns.


Thanks to all thus far, for your thoughts, comments and suggestions.

Adam, you mentioned the lack of a DRO - I noticed that also and mentioned it to the owner/seller. His reply was that he is "old school" and prefers those methods for measurement. I'm not familiar enough with the process to know how critical having the DRO is. My feeling is that not having one on the machine has little to do with its cost. Owner is older and as I said earlier, has been very successful.

Jeff, thanks for the comments about Montana. We've lived out here for 15 years now and have driven the stake! It's not called "The Last Best Place" for nothing in our opinion.

Will post more as the process progresses.

Doug
 
Have the nice old man with a good reputation take it for a spin for you. Have him show you everything, powerfeed on quill up/down and kicks out where stop is set. X axis powerfeed low/high speeds (& kickout where stops are set). High/Low range on motor. If you don't know all the in/outs of the machine ask and have him show you, you'll know when something doesn't work or sound right. Show these guys a picture of the ways on the knee. Just wonder why he sunk $2500 into the smaller bed machine and is letting this one go and didn't have to put any money into the larger one. Good luck on your purchase.
 
Machine shop owners typically, and sometimes quite regularly for re-building, would swap heads out on machines. I would question that he is just keeping the smaller table machine because he just re-built that head. If I owned those two machine and wanted to sell one, I'd swap heads around between the two machines (yes, it's simply a matter of taking one head off and putting the other on), keeping the re-built head on the larger table machine and selling the other.

I'm not saying he's pulling a fast one, but I CERTAINLLY question why he wouldn't do as I suggested swapping heads.

Ted
 
Maybe there's just a lot less wear on the smaller table machine, that would be an obvious reason to keep it. Lot less $$ to rebuild the head on that one than total rebuild for the other. Doesn't mean that the one for sale is not a good machine for the OP if it checks out ok
 
Machine shop owners typically, and sometimes quite regularly for re-building, would swap heads out on machines. I would question that he is just keeping the smaller table machine because he just re-built that head. If I owned those two machine and wanted to sell one, I'd swap heads around between the two machines (yes, it's simply a matter of taking one head off and putting the other on), keeping the re-built head on the larger table machine and selling the other.

I'm not saying he's pulling a fast one, but I CERTAINLLY question why he wouldn't do as I suggested swapping heads.

Ted

I think, given the info we have, we should be able to put this to bed. He's a reputable business owner, selling at a decent price. Remember, if he was the original owner, this may be more than what he paid for it new. He's also in a region of the country not known for older machines in every nook and cranny. He could probably have asked for more.

Plus, some people prefer the short tables. Maybe he rebuilt the head on the machine he preferred. And maybe that machine IS in better condition. That doesn't mean this one is a lemon.

Speaking of lemons: Doug is asking for our advice. He deserves our perspective, which I think he is getting. My sense is Doug, if the mill is priced right FOR YOU, and its not abused, everything else can be fixed pretty inexpensively. I'm not sure, with the exception of that REALLY rusty mill in another thread, there even ARE lemon BPs. I agree it would be nice to see it run. But if you heard a bad bearing in the motor or even the quill, how much money are we really talking about? H&W provide us with excellent support, both info and parts. If after reading our opinions you are still on the fence, I would ask Jon to ask Barry to set up a time for a phone call. He does that. Ask him to view the pics with you and see what he says. In my opinion, Barry Walker is legitimate reason to choose a BP mill.

I've purchased used tools and equipment over the last 25 years from woodworkers and machinists. In all that time, I don't think I was misled, cheated, or swindled once. If I felt uncomfortable with a seller, I'd pass. Doesn't sound like this seller is raising the hairs on the back of your neck, Doug. I vote we respect your intuition and move on with the technical details.

I missed the riser. That's a desirable feature. It does make the mill taller and puts the draw bar that much higher. You should assume you may want a base at some point. I haven't done it yet, but just some big steel rect tubing under the mill with outrigger feet might allow you to move your mill easier (with a pallet jack in my case). Not something big pro shops do, but something smaller outfits and home shops might do. That could easily add another 6". Make sure you have the ceiling space and that would be comfortable for you. You can always remove the riser and sell it if its not good for you. You can download the original BP manual which has the dimensions.

I'm as old school as they get. I really like a DRO on every axis. Not a 100% must have, but my guess is, most BP buyers will want one. I would use that as a potential negotiating point. Able to pay, transport, not looking to cherry pick tooling, accept without DRO, no hassle purchase. That's the approach I'd take.

Edit:
Just reviewing the pics-
That looks like a nice clean shop. I notice brooms and dust pans and no air line nearby. I feel like compressed air can shoot moist air and shoot chips into places where they shouldn't be. 2 pluses. Oiler is another plus in my book. Knee serial number indicates early 1992 build date. If it lived in that shop all its life (could have done) might have very little wear. Chrome knee ways look good.
 
Thanks again to all for your comments, views, suggestions and perspective. Adam, I do know the seller is not the original owner. He bought it from someone else here in Montana. I didn't get the details as I had just dropped by the shop unannounced and he was gracious enough to let me snap some photos. He was busy with one of his employees as they were working on a project. I'll probably make an appointment next week and see if I can reserve some time with him to give it a test run.

Will let you know what happens.

Thanks,

Doug
 
Was thinking about the DRO. Seems like most of the newer machines have them. Did a little research and there seems to be quite a variance in their cost. Two axis or three? For those who have installed them on your mills, how difficult was it to do? (no electrical guru am I, but can follow directions pretty well!)

Thanks,

Doug
 








 
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