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How to know if a Bridgeport is refurbished

50Rod

Plastic
Joined
Mar 1, 2017
Hello all. I am somewhat new to the PM, I signed up a long time ago but haven't spent much time here. I'll try to keep this short. I am a manual machinist of 27 year. My background is Aircraft tooling and prototype work. I cut my teeth in Wichita KS right out of high school and now live in Kila MT. I responded to a craigslist add the other day, the guy had a excellent Wilton bullet vise for a good price. I went to his shop to inspect and purchase the vise. As always a person should ask "what else do you have for sale?" He said he might sell his bridgeport mill. In my neck of the woods there are no "nice machines", I was prepared to see a old used up BP like all the others. To my surprise the thing looked almost new old stock, I would say 95%. It had the ding in the motor cover from someone leaving a wrench on the draw bar and it had two small drill divots in the center of the table. everything else was perfect! It has X and Y power feed...the nice ones! It also has a older DRO on it which is one of the signs to me that is isn't refurbished. I don't think someone would put a way out of date DRO on a newly refurbished machine, especially if they can do it to this degree! The other sign that made me think it was original was the power feed quill is all gummed up from not being used/old grease. The scrapings/ways are all beautiful and shinny. The table is excellent, having only very very minor scratches in a few places and of course the "rookie mistake table divots". I can pick it up for $7500 which is a lot of money but if it is in fact an original-not refurbished BP then I'm all over it! If someone refurbished this thing then my hat if off to them because its beautiful, but i'm not interested in refurbished machines. Can anyone tell me what to look for and where to find signs of refurbishment? It would be very slight things, I looked the machine over for 30 min but I couldn't see anything obvious. It may seam like a silly question but there are some great refurbished machines out there and its hard to tell there not factory new. By the way its a 1996 with the variable speed head. Many Thanks!
 
Hello all. I am somewhat new to the PM, I signed up a long time ago but haven't spent much time here. I'll try to keep this short. I am a manual machinist of 27 year. My background is Aircraft tooling and prototype work. I cut my teeth in Wichita KS right out of high school and now live in Kila MT. I responded to a craigslist add the other day, the guy had a excellent Wilton bullet vise for a good price. I went to his shop to inspect and purchase the vise. As always a person should ask "what else do you have for sale?" He said he might sell his bridgeport mill. In my neck of the woods there are no "nice machines", I was prepared to see a old used up BP like all the others. To my surprise the thing looked almost new old stock, I would say 95%. It had the ding in the motor cover from someone leaving a wrench on the draw bar and it had two small drill divots in the center of the table. everything else was perfect! It has X and Y power feed...the nice ones! It also has a older DRO on it which is one of the signs to me that is isn't refurbished. I don't think someone would put a way out of date DRO on a newly refurbished machine, especially if they can do it to this degree! The other sign that made me think it was original was the power feed quill is all gummed up from not being used/old grease. The scrapings/ways are all beautiful and shinny. The table is excellent, having only very very minor scratches in a few places and of course the "rookie mistake table divots". I can pick it up for $7500 which is a lot of money but if it is in fact an original-not refurbished BP then I'm all over it! If someone refurbished this thing then my hat if off to them because its beautiful, but i'm not interested in refurbished machines. Can anyone tell me what to look for and where to find signs of refurbishment? It would be very slight things, I looked the machine over for 30 min but I couldn't see anything obvious. It may seam like a silly question but there are some great refurbished machines out there and its hard to tell there not factory new. By the way its a 1996 with the variable speed head. Many Thanks!

What is this refurbished you are going on about? there is nothing wrong with a mill that has been properly scraped, If it just has a new paint job that is a different matter altogether. Last I heard a new BP was about 18K If that one is that nice it may well be worth that money. Servo power feeds? About a grand each now days, vice, collets,other tooling? A rebuilt mill may have had its original old DRO re installed, an old DRO on this mill means nothing. If it is that nice just get it. Do you have any photos?
 
Put a dti on it and pull each axis. A couple of thou would be good. Another trick is to snug up the gibs in mid travel then run em to ends. If very tight at ends or binds before making it to ends, the machine has more wear than advertized. Don’t do the snug gib trick on vertical ways- if you break the gib it’s a bugger to get out.

It’s not unheard of for someone to fake scrape a machine to make it look new, so beware.

L7

And over $7000 is a lot for a used Bport.
 
I do not have pics yet. I will be going back soon to run indicators on it. The X has a Bridgport brand with factory Baldor motor power feed. The Y is a Servo brand. It comes with a new Kirt vise and a basic set of Bridgport brand R8's...maybe another clue that its not refurbished. The ways for the saddle (on the knee-most visible)are very shinny and the scrapings are very even with little to no wear. How could a guy tell if they are chrome or just polished? I do not have a problem with refurbished machines...but, if I am going to buy one it will be from a known builder with good techniques. I wasn't looking when I found this one but if its original then I cant hardly pass it up. How many "almost new" original BP's are out there? Im a NOS hunter, I take very good care of my equipment so I dont mind using a rare machine. Any other ideas on sighs it may be original or refurbished? I wonder if I look up thru the bottom of the knee with a flashlight, would there be anything telling up there? Thanks for the thoughts!
 
Any ideas how to tell if it chrome or ? Thanks

If the ways on the knee are shiney it has chrome ways. Almost no chance it has been scraped if it has chrome ways. You would have to strip the chrome before scraping and then good luck finding someone to re chrome them. Look at the ways on the bottom of the table, they will not be chrome. You will be able to see a big difference in the color / shine of the ways on the knee in comparison to the table ways. It is normal for table to not be chrome. You cannot run chrome against chrome.
 
So chrome ways are not scraped? are they smooth? every BP I have ever seen has scraping on the ways
 
With all of that decided, I would defiantly say they are chrome ways on the BP I am considering. I looked at the beater in my shop and i'm sure it is chromed also. it was used hard before I got it, I only use it for in-letting stocks now.IMG_6380.jpg
 
I do not have pics yet. I will be going back soon to run indicators on it. The X has a Bridgport brand with factory Baldor motor power feed. The Y is a Servo brand. It comes with a new Kirt vise and a basic set of Bridgport brand R8's...maybe another clue that its not refurbished. The ways for the saddle (on the knee-most visible)are very shinny and the scrapings are very even with little to no wear. How could a guy tell if they are chrome or just polished? I do not have a problem with refurbished machines...but, if I am going to buy one it will be from a known builder with good techniques. I wasn't looking when I found this one but if its original then I cant hardly pass it up. How many "almost new" original BP's are out there? Im a NOS hunter, I take very good care of my equipment so I dont mind using a rare machine. Any other ideas on sighs it may be original or refurbished? I wonder if I look up thru the bottom of the knee with a flashlight, would there be anything telling up there? Thanks for the thoughts!

I have one, can get pics tomorrow.
Guy bought it new in 1968 and had it installed in his basement!
 
I'll try to keep this short. I am a manual machinist of 27 year.

I will keep this short too.
If you can't see the differences after a 30 minute inspection and 27 years experience then you should delay your decision and let somebody else buy the machine.
That somebody else would probably screw it all up ROYAL and that BP will join the ranks of the FUBAR.

You should buy this thing before it's too late.
 
I will keep this short too.
If you can't see the differences after a 30 minute inspection and 27 years experience then you should delay your decision and let somebody else buy the machine.
That somebody else would probably screw it all up ROYAL and that BP will join the ranks of the FUBAR.

You should buy this thing before it's too late.

Probably good advice!
 
Flaking.

We rebuild mills all the time and put the old DRO on it if there is nothing wrong with it. Granted, a good portion of our customers want new stuff put on it... I would say about 25% keep their old ones on it. We just sent one out last week with an Anilam MiniWizard and its original scales on it.

Jon
 








 
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