Milling Machine Switch a Roo. A new (to me) Bridgeport in my life.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 พ.ค. 2020
- I have long coveted the venerable Bridgeport milling machine. This is the big boys preferred metal removing device and it was time for me to move on to something with a little more grunt than my much modified Denbigh horizontal mill with a DIY vertical head. In one day with the help of a mate, we swapped the Denbigh with the Bridgeport. Everything went well....sort of!
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What real man doesn't dream of the day his Bridgeport comes in?
Not me! I have worked on too many knackered Bridgeports in various maintenance workshops over the years to want one. And I really dislike the R8 spindles. Fortunately, I managed to get a decent Italian (1966 vintage) universal mill with powered overarm and ISO40 tapers, ex university and hardly used.
To anyone who hasn’t successfully moved a big machine it’s hard to convey the pure joy of doing so. Thank you you for sharing your own joy. Looking forward to seeing how you ‘restore’ the Bridgeport. 👍😀
Just like the Egyptians, leavers, rollers, beer, and manpower can move mountains. Or even Bridgeports. :)
Don't forget the wedges 😉
Without needing to do some repairs to those oil lines I would have recommend pulling the table and Y axis anyway Mark. That's the only real way you can verify none of the restrictors or lines are plugged and all the areas that are supposed to be getting oil are. With the age of that mill I'd bet your going to find at least a few of the restrictors are plugged. Cleaning out all the old oil, swarf where you wouldn't ever expect it could get in to and flushing the X,Y axis nuts will give even less back lash than you already have and a lot smoother to operate machine. The oiling system on these are pretty straight forward so other than the time involved you won't have any problems. If it were me? I also think I'd pull the knee for a thorough cleaning new felt wipers etc. In the long run you'll be happier you did. Swing the turrett around 90 degrees but keep the ram in so the head is as close to the column as possible for balance and the knee comes out the top of the column knee ways. Plus you can then clean, re-adjust the tooth engagement and re-lube the crown and pinion gears that operate the knee screw. It's quite possible those have never been looked at since the machine was built. The BP mills are a simple collection of parts and breaking one down into it's basic sub assembly's isn't very hard at all.
I am still trying to decide how far to go with the disassembly. I have already committed to taking off the table and the saddle and I watched the excellent series of videos by H&W Machine Works and they removed the knee with a fork lift. I do have a 2 tonne chain hoist which I can get close to but directly over the knee so maybe that will help. I agree that the lube system needs to be thoroughly inspected and cleaned. There are leaks in the manifold but I have been able to get a replacement restrictor and copper tube for the crushed pipe.
Regards,
Preso
@@Preso58 If you go that far It's probably easier to pull the head by using the table protected with a piece of ply and supporting the head on the end of the spindle while the head bolts are removed. Then just use the Y axis feed screw to pull the head away from the knuckle.That's how I always do mine even though I have an engine hoist. But pull the motor first since it lightens the head weight. With the head off then pull the head nod and tilt assembly off the end of the ram. Pull the ram gib and ram. Loosen all 4 turrett bolts then reach in that column side door and support the internal spider with one hand while the ram turrett bolts are removed. Then the turrett can be removed. It's maybe 2 days to RE/RE and thoroughly clean all the parts. If you do go that far be EXTREMELY CAREFUL with the knee gib. It has to come out and go back in with zero chance of breaking it. A broken knee gib is the last thing you want to experience and some of the horrors about what happens are detailed on the Practical Machinist forums. I'd highly recommend to at least pull that knee gib for a close inspection of it's overall condition to avoid any possible future problems with it just in case. With a used machine you pretty much need to inspect everything before you can be sure of what you have. The only issue with re-assembly is getting all 4 of the head bolts correctly positioned and the head seated in place. Those bolts move everywhere else but where you want them so using the table to support the head and it's X,Y movements and the knee to adjust the elevation to ease the head into place while you play with the head bolt positioning and guide them through the head casting is the easiest way I've found. It's not that hard, just a bit time consuming and frustrating the first time you try it. My BP clone is classed as a 3/4 sized or baby Bridgeport so everything is about half the weight of yours. Fwiw I did find it easier to slide the knee off and on with the column laid over on its back. Obviously the head, motor, ram, turrett etc has to be removed first for that to work.
When you finish tram the head to the table and get all the tilt/nod bolts tight one trick I stole off the PM forums is to then back the tilt/nod worms off to a neutral position where you can spin them back and forth with your fingers. Any pre load left on those worms and the cutting loads and vibrations help to slowly move the head out of tram in the direction those worms are loaded in. It's not by much, but a few 10ths movement on those worms is a few thou out at the spindle nose.Since I started doing that my head stays in tram a whole lot better.
The broken part of the oiling System is a springloaded piston, similar to the german "Vogel" type oiling system. These are interchangeable for different amounts of oil. I would like to give you a new manifold and piston assemblys for free, if you want one
That's very generous of you but I have just purchased a new metering valve and the brass pipe came out easily but the new copper I am fitting will have to go in after the bed and saddle come off next week. I will be able to get a better look at the lube system then. I will certainly get in touch with you if I need any more parts but I am hoping it will all just need a clean.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 just realised you replied to my comment. Please do get in touch if you need anything, even other things, I overhaul old machinery as my job, we mainly do old "Dörries" vertical lathes, so I do have acces to a lot of things you might need. Would be a pleasure If I could give back a little, because you share sth with us that is priceless and that is you knowledge and experience, so thank you for that.
Btw. Thanks a lot for mentioning me in your Video!
Actually my Name is Niklas, so Hi! I just use Smitty as an alias.
Smitty, I was a bit premature in declining your offer of the lube system parts. I took the manifold off from under the saddle yesterday and found another #1 restrictor valve was bent/broken. If you would still like to help out please contact me at mark.presling@gmail.com
Regards,
Mark
My goodness, Preso, you live in a veritable tropical paradise! Why on Earth am I still here in ol' les ay-tats ooo-knees? Oh I know... because I'd have to move my Bridgeport again. :D
This video brought back some Good and Not so good memory's That was the EXACT way I moved my 1951 South Bend 14"x72" tool room lath the only difference is I had NO HELP and took me 4 days to move it 15 feet lol (over gravel to boot) That is something I would NOT want to again by myself!!! I am in the market looking for a Bridge Port . -Believe me you are going to LOVE that Machine !!!!
I feel for you. I am glad I did have some help. I just finished watching Adam Booth's video of unloading his massive shaper from his trailer, solo! There's a lot that can go wrong and it happens very quickly and violently. That's why I forgot to set the camera up to capture the machine touching down on the concrete. Still, it all turned out OK in the end. I am getting ready to film the follow up video next week. I now have a rotary phase converter and the machine fired up and ran beautifully so that's a bonus. I half expected the motor, or bearings or the belt to be shot but it all sounds good. I haven't actually cut anything with it yet but I steadily working my way through a series of minor repairs and adjustments.
Regards,
Mark
I enjoyed that ! It's nice to know, I am not the only one making an arse of myself when I am trying to move machine that weigh about a ton or more !
Prezza, your pal deserved every penny of his pay !
Toodles
Paddy
Why are all the best TH-cam videos I happen upon by Aussies? They have such a natural, genuine, friendly approach. I often regret my parents didn't take up the chance of Assisted Passage (no - that's not another name for KY Jelly). A single complaint - the speeding up meant Oz inventive expletives were unintelligible.
She looks like a great machine Mark. Congratulations! Talk about leaving us wanting more! Haha Thanks for sharing.
Nice clean little old Bridgeport mill. Once you become familiar with the backlash and quirks, it will make you smile everytime you use it. Next project.. DRO.
Yes, I was sad giving up the DRO on the Denbigh but it was a bonus getting metric dials on the Bridgeport. That will keep me honest until I can afford another DRO setup.
Regards,
Preso
This is how retired pensioners built the pyramids... imagine how much bigger they would have been if they had beer.. (I'm old)
it took me 2 years to find my Bridgeport. I don't know how I ever lived without one!
I feel that. Very centeral US here, I waited 6 years for one to appear around here, finally ended up with an Index 645, which is a bit bigger than the Bridgeports I've seen, but it has no back gear, and manual belt speed change, which is a bit of a pain. Still, better than no mill, by far.
I have wanted one for many years and it was always a case of them being just outside my budget. In the end I withdrew some money from my superannuation and just paid whatever it cost. I am planning a follow up video where I break down the costs. You are correct though. They are very nice machines.
Regards,
Mark
Ah the joys of rigging.
Nice job.
Nice addition. I often wanted a horizontal attachment for mine. Wish I had shop space like that, and with palm trees outside.
One of the other Bridgeports that was a candidate for me had the full horizontal arbor assembly including the bracket that bolts onto the ram, plus a quillmaster attachment and loads of collets and tooling but it was the same price as the one that I bought. I started to suspect that it was way more worn than the one that I chose. I asked the vendor to take some close up photos of the Y axis ways and you could tell that it was pretty clapped out. I badly wanted that capability for using gear cutters and that was one reason why I was reluctant to go for a turret mill. I think the attachment I have is a a good compromise.
Regards,
Mark
Congrats, and I am glad you didn't get hurt. I am from Québec Canada but I lived in Australia for years, and I love to hear the aussie accent, it reminds me of the great time I had there. Great content
Nicolas, we were in Quebec two years ago just in time for the autumn (fall) colours. We loved it there and want to go back to see more. I worked on a remote learning project with a Canadian teacher from Winnipeg and it was interesting how similar our education systems are. The accent issue was a problem for him though. We met up in London for the competition and he eventually had to tell me to speak more slowly so he could understand me! I thought we were both speaking English but we call it "Strine" here. 😁
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 I actually did my Graduate Diploma in Education in Melbourne, and almost got a job with the Victorian School of Languages doing remote teaching, but I had to leave Australia, so it didn't work out. I now teach French here in Québec and now I teach from home so it has come full circle. Québec is beautiful in autumn, it's my favourite season and glad you were able to experience it. If you ever come back, please let me know, I'll show you around, I have no problem with the Australian accent, even though it's my second language :)
Congratultions with the new mill. A Bridgeport is a super versatile mill 👍👌
Thanks. I love the Bridgeport as do so many other users around the world. It's a solid and dependable workhorse and just the right size for what I do.
Regards,
Mark
Don't be surprised if the variable speed is noisy . The belts are expensive .and it has a couple of plastic bushes in it .easy to make just a bit fiddley . Oh and a nylon key .. all a bit dissapointing . I have three of them . Bed conversion is normal v belt and a VFD . Nice and quiet then .. great to have new toys
Mark, I got a rotary phase converter set up and the mill just plugs in and all the accessories work without having to do any rewiring. I fully expected the head to be noisy but it seems pretty good. I have nothing to compare it to but I am happy with it as it is. I am doing a follow up video shortly so I'll be keen to hear from others if they think it's OK.
Regards,
Mark
Beautiful! Congratulations, Mark!
That was an awesome watch. Thanks for that. Well done.
congratulations! always nice to get a new machine
Congratulations! It looks like a great machine!
LOL thats the way i moved all my machines... good old pipes and muscle .. by myself at least you had a buddy to help .. beer does wonders !! glad to hear you got a bridgeport !!!! congrats ! Joe
Thanks Joe. I have coveted a Bridgeport for so many years. If I was 15 years younger you would blame it on a mid life crisis. Some men buy sports cars, I bought a Bridgeport.
Regards,
Mark
congrats on the new mill Preso - looking forward to seeing more!
Looking great Mark very happy for you too.
Looking forward for all the repairs that need to be done and all the small things that make you crazy 😁. I love your channel and your humor. Keep going mate!
Good luck with your new BP Mark. I hope you get a lot of good years out of it. Thanks for sharing this part of the adventure.
A lovely machine to have, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
New machine day is always exciting!
Looks like you have got a fantastic machine. Metric is a bonus
Congratulations, Mark! Thanks for sharing, it was fun to watch and so suspenseful at the end! Great way to leave us wanting more.
Tom, I have a follow up video coming out shortly. The mill is now running although I took the table and saddle off it today to reconnect the broken lube line. However the electrical side is now sorted.
Regards,
Mark
Congrats with the new to you machine, I am looking forward to see the projects that you are going to do with it :-)
Sweet bit of kit there.
Nice to see two old farts showing how it's done!! I moved a Elliot Milllimor last summer. Use a 3 ton engine hoist. You guys made it look easy! And I'm sure you will be whipping this new mill into shape ASAP.
Thanks. I now have it running and it sounds sweet. Due to Covid travel bans I had to buy it sight unseen so there was some risk involved but somehow I got lucky and it hasn't disappointed me.
Regards,
Mark
Nice purchase Mark. Looking forward to seeing how you wire it up. 😃👍👌
Mick, I got a rotary phase converter so it just plugs into the box and everything works without having to mess with the electrical side. Certainly safer for me and despite the cost it seems like a good way to go. I'll be doing a follow up video shortly.
Regards,
Mark
Looks like you are going to be busy making all sorts of cool things with the new to you machine. Don't worry about not having the steel tipped shoes, they only work for certain occasions. I knew a guy who used to deliver Miller beer, wore his trusty dusty steel tipped shoes and one day dropped a keg of beer on his foot from out of the truck bay over the wheels. He nearly had is toes completely severed from the cap as it hit near the largest opening where the joints start, it is the weakest point. He is okay now, had everything repaired. They certainly would have worked for your situation though. Can't wait to see how you dress that thing up, flames maybe, or a blower. Thanks for the video!
Craig, that situation with the roller was scary because it was all happening in slow motion and I could do nothing about it except call out for the crane operators attention. It was close but luckily no damage. I have heard that about steel cap shoes and I think they tested it on Mythbusters at one point. I am looking forward to using the mill. I do have it running now and I am working on a follow up video to show how the electrical installation went. I am also going to do a cost breakdown just in case anyone is considering the same thing.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 It's good that nothing bad happened, no fun getting smashed. I really enjoy your videos, learn something new every time I watch.
Nice video. Congrats on getting a Bridgeport! Can't wait to see what you make with it. Mahalo for sharing! : )
Thanks 👍 I now have it running and it sounds sweet. I am still familiarising myself with all the levers and spinny things!
Regards,
Mark
Kudos Mark!
Good Show Mate...as always. I am truly happy for you. My jealous factor does not go above a factor of 2. Us regular folks don't get to purchase new Bridgeports. If you can purchase a new Bridgeport, you aren't regular folks. Hope you will vid your adventures bringing this mill up to your standards. that ought to be fun. I have moved several pieces of heavy equipment. Can't say it was the most fun I ever had. Got it done and glad I survived it. Really glad you weren't injured.
Yes, it was a close thing with the roller incident. I must say I am very impressed with the design and the quality of the engineering that goes into a Bridgeport. It seems that you can dismantle the whole machine with a couple of spanners and a handful of allen keys. I am planning a follow up video next week and I will try to break down the cost so that others can get an idea of where the money goes on a machine of this type. I had a budget which was nearly double the list price for the mill and it was pretty close. I think I will go over by a couple of hundred!
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 On a machine tool, it's hard to over budget. The machine doesn't do anything without tooling. I do loves me some Bridgeport. I wish I had one. I'd find a place to put it. Looking forward to this. Be well.
Two skinny old men with rollers can move the world. Congratulations!
I hope you enjoy your "new" mill as much as I've enjoyed my Index model 40. Some jobs in the home shop can't be done without a mill or mill attachment on a lathe. Keep up the good work.
Ken, that Bridgeport has been on my bucket list for so long. I could never quite save enough to buy one so I dipped into my superannuation to fund it. I should have done it ages ago. I don't have a problem spending my kids inheritance!
Regards,
Preso
Hi Mark
Like you i just purchased the same bridgeport machine .
In your moving clip i spied you have a cholchester lathe just got one of them too.
Cant wait to start restoring please keep making utube clips i need the ozzy insparation and humour.
Good too to see you and your mate were keeping your fluids up with the xxxx.
Clint, that Colchester came from a TAFE college and we got it and a load of milling machines and three shapers for just the cost of transport. All the machines went into our engineering shop at school. The Colchester literally fell off the truck when the forklift operator bumped it. Luckily it fell onto the grass on the kerb side of the truck. The headstock guard got smashed and the chip tray got bent up but that must have broken it's fall. It was deemed to be too dangerous with the gears on the end of the headstock exposed so I offered to buy it. I ended up getting it for $500. Also bought a Varno shaper for $300 that was surplus to our needs and sold it for $1000 so the Colchester actually cost me nothing. Sometimes you just get lucky. The Bridgeport though was an altogether more expensive purchase. I am doing a follow up video where I will break down the costs in case anyone is thinking of doing the same thing.
Regards,
Mark
you got a nice concrete slab and that is worth it weight in gold. Job well done! And good luck with then mill.
b.t.w. I once dropped an engine block on my foot wearing flip-flips on a hot day breaking the second biggest toe. I was in a rush because a summer storm was coming in. It did not hurt all that much because the dopamine kicking in. But it felt weird rubbing the broken bones against each other and I almost fainted. You won't believe the colours its got :) Never went to see a doctor, because I read on the internet they do nothing about it since it wasn't the big one. It healed fine, today I don't remember witch foot it was, but it was soar for a long time. Moral of the story, don't wear flip-flops wear clogs :)
Yes, I saw your clogs in your latest video. Best protection ever I am guessing.
Regards,
Mark
They have a safety rating but I'm not sure they are the best protection. I once had a horse stand one it and it split the clog like a piece of firewood. They can also be rather slippery, especially when a chicken got into the old barn and left some chicken shit.
When I heard "she'll be alright" I was expecting something bad to happen, and it almost did!
Congratulations on the new Bridgeport! BTW, removing the X table and saddle are not very difficult. You may want to do this to clean out any blown in chips from overzealous cleaning. Wou can also clean the oil passages at the same time.
Bill, I have committed to removing the table and saddle. I have watched the excellent resources put up by H&W Machine Repair which make it look so easy. As you say, it will give me a chance to check out the state of the rest of the lube system.
Regards,
Mark
It is amazing how well pipes work to move heavy equipment.
Nice Bridgeport. I hope the crushed oil pipe is accessible if you move/remove the cover for the Y axis lead screw.
I look forward to the future videos of fixing some of the issues like the broken fine feed wheel, new knob etc.
I wish I had the headroom for a Bridgeport or similar machine.
Dave.
Yes, it's surprising how tall the head is on the variable speed model. I did manage to get the crushed oil feed out. After I unscrewed it from the manifold it just pulled out through the side of the knee. I have made a new pipe from 5/32" copper pipe and I purchased a genuine Bijur metering valve from a company in Melbourne. AU$65 including GST and shipping but I would have paid the same getting one from the USA. I have committed to taking the table and saddle off next week and it will give me a chance to inspect the innards at the same time I reconnect the oil feed.
Regards,
Mark
Alleluia!, lol. In times like those my mind always thinks of the Egyptians and the feats they overcame. Where there's a will there's a way. Too bad on the shipping cost for a Booth delivery. Looking forward to videos to come. Thanks! Mark 😁
Interestingly, just yesterday I watched Adam Booth unloading his new shaper from the back of his trailer single handed. I must say I admired his technique but then he's got the tools to do it.
Regards,
Mark
I am a Machine Operator from Cat, seeing the delivery service operator lift that milling, bore, drilling machine the way he did may both my heart and stomach go up inside my throat. I have watched Millwrights drop or break the machine head because they thought they could. 32 years at Cat and saw a lot of stupid things, including engineering making mistakes costing several million dollars. They did recheck a pit they had dug to put a new machine in and they were off by 3 inches which put the machine on top of another one. Thank goodness you didn't have the head pop off but I hope you check the ways, gimbles to make sure it didn't throw it out of true and didn't bind up the ways.
G'Day SFCRambo60, I can assure you that is the correct way to lift a Bridgeport. How do I know, I've got my Bridgeport users manual right in front of me. Page #5 method #1 shows lifting with 3/4" Whitworth Eye on top of the Ram, method #2 shows slinging underneath the Ram as was done with Marks machine. Having moved and setup many machines in workshops, that's also exactly how you rig a horizontal or universal Mill.
Cam
@@camatbattler2233 i ran several at Cat and they went to move it and broke the milling head off of it. I have run many different mills, bore, lathes, drills, CNC machines, transfer machines, Omni Sunstrand CNC's, I have run every machine on the 3208 blocks, heads, front covers, also the 3404 and 3406 besides the 3412 blocks and rods. I save Cat 3 million dollars in one year with Cost Reduction Ideas.
Oh, don't believe me, Cat and I have blown up enough different machines. The Maintenance Department made up stencils for me, I blew up 3 machines in one night. 2 were drills and one simplex mill. 32 years in like 8 different Buildings from East Peoria to Mosville Illinois.
they lifted from the ram not the head
The really dangerous way to move a Bridgeport is to use a forklift under the dovetail on the ram. It's evidently common to chip the cast iron or to have the whole mill slide off the forks. The vendor told me they were going to load it onto the semi trailer with a forklift and I nearly had a fit. They went on to say that they have purpose made rubber blocks to cushion the iron and given that it was coming from 1600km away I just had to trust them to do it right. As it turns out there is no damage so I feel relieved now that it's in and running.
Regards,
Mark
Y'know, looking at some else doing it, makes you realise, that is a dangerous bloody job. Well done fellas. A mate, well a bloke I know, had a bad accident moving a ginormous lathe by himself. Wound up under it for over 12 hours before he was found. A painfull not very happy fellow. He was also very cross. Be carefull.
Yes, when things go kinetic with heavy machinery it can all be over very quickly. I am glad your acquaintance lived to tell the tale.
Regards,
Mark
Ad revenue from a full restoration video series might be worth it.
I'll love to see this one in your future projects, and very glad you did not lose your toe. I will never put myself in front of a rolling machine tool, too risky ans scary. I recently discovered your channel and I'm loving it, well I guess you already know that.
I've been learning all my machining skills from the internet, and the guys in the machine shop at the university think "I've got a decent training". Many of your projects are in my list, I'm just waiting to have the chance to start building my own shop. Hopefully within two years I will start having my first machines but meanwhile I'll keep using the shop at the university. Luckily is open for students and staff as well and they don't ask many questions as long as you don't make a profit nor anything crazy. I'm staff now but I come from and electrical engineering background, so there is much to learn. Unfortunately at the University shop you cannot leave stuff in the machines for too long and some setup require tooling that the staff there is not willing to lend easily. Being short of time and not willing to negotiate why I need a dividing head or the handle for the split nut of the lathe I guess that for now I'm limited to the basics. But many of your projects have inspired me to copy-machine them as soon as I have my own machines.
Limited access to good machines is better than no access.
That's great that you have the use of the university workshop. They are usually well equipped but I can understand why you would have to limit your projects on borrowed machines. When I was training at college we had excellent quality machines and tools but the lecturer was fanatical about cleanliness and looking after the tools. There was a glass case on the wall full of taps and dies that we were not allowed to use. They looked pristine and no one dared to ask why we couldn't use them. We started to suspect that he just wanted to show them off. Good luck with building up your own home workshop. It's a noble pursuit!
Regards,
Mark
HI Mark great video if you are touching up the paint on your mill , the closest off the shelf is a Rust-oleum 2135 Reseda Green the RAL Paint Number is RAL6011 if you only require touch up. the Adcock green was a custom mix is available in l ltr tins in the U.K way more than you require .
Ken, it seems that the green paint is not original. Worse still, it looks like it was painted with a brush. It's not bad but I was going to take a part down to my local paint shop to see if they can colour match it in an industrial enamel. They have done this for me before but it would be good to know exactly what the paint code was. I will take the number you have given me and see if it's a match. It'd be great if it was!
Regards,
Mark
Congratulations Preso :) That was a very sad ending to the story!
Ahh, but there's a happy ending coming up. I got the rotary phase converter set up and the mill is now plug and play!
Regards,
Mark
I love how this shop video segued into horror film recommendations
Fair warning.... if you haven't seen it already. I must say I watched Christian Bale in the movie "Vice" where he plays the part of Dick Cheney and in the movie "The Machinist" he looks positively emaciated compared to the weight that he put on for "Vice" A very interesting actor.
Regards,
Mark
Hey Mark. Congratulations on the purchase of your Bridgeport mill. Looks like a nice addition to your shop. I’d like to see that turbine engine running 😉. Oh BTW, it’s Aaron here (Aaron Engineering) this is my other channel. PS: loved the 4X Gold plug 🍻. It’s popular up home, but not down here with Melbourne metrosexuals 🤣
Aaron, I put the jet video on another channel that I started before this one and now I can't remember the password! th-cam.com/video/N7F4Bp-TcTA/w-d-xo.html
Mark Presling Thanks for the link Mark. Very cool 👏 💪
Mark, congratulations on getting this mill! I'm jealous. ;) I'm looking forward to videos on what you do to get it into running condition, plus what you do with it on future projects.
If you decide to "restore" or "renovate" this mill, you can get a book on that by ILION Industrial Services LLC. The book I'm referring to called "A Guide to Renovating the Bridgeport "2J" Variable Speed Milling Machine 2nd Edition" and is on "Bridgeport" milling machines, but since yours was licensed by Bridgeport, the book ought to be useful to you. You can get it via Amazon. If it's like their book I bought on South Bend lathes, it will go into detail on oiling, seals, wipers, etc., too. This isn't a paid ad for their books, but I am happy with the one I have.
Bob, I just ordered it! Thanks for the tip. I have committed to removing the table and the saddle so a guide book is going to be mighty handy. I am good at tearing things apart but I'm not the most organised person in the world so this will keep me on track.
Regards,
Mark
You might wish to get a riser block to give a little extra clearance for when you use the horizontal attachment.
Cheers
Yes, I have been looking for one but they mostly come from the USA and as you would expect the shipping charges are astronomical. I have put my machinery supplier on notice to look out for some accessories for me.
Regards,
Mark
2:15 As soon as you said you'd double his pay, I knew what he was getting. The joke's so old it's got mould on it.
It's so hard to judge whether it's a step forward going to a BP. They're out of my league as I have a proper mill. It's only a small one - 3HP (40 taper) but is feature-packed. Who knew ? it was just a mill to me having known nothing about them before. As at the time, I said to dad, We'd be silly not to get it. I was wrong, we would have been totally stupid not to get it. - Machining by Mike.
Very nearly the exact same way I moved my mill and 2 lathes. 1 of the lathes a near 4000 pound hendey. Its amazing what can be done with rollers
Hey even here in the States it costs a fortune to ship an Abom79. When I bought mine I made the road trip and picked it up myself.
Ha ha. Just as I was putting the finishing touches on this video I was watching Adam Booth unloading the massive new shaper that he has just moved into his shop. He did it single handed.... as you would expect.
Regards, Mark
That wheel is screaming for a cast Bronze replacement! :-P
I know! Maybe aluminium though.
Regards,
Mark
If you need to move any heavy gear in the future , I am not far from you and I have (genuine )2.5ton Armstrong engine crane you can borrow , just need a trailer , it moves my Mill and lathe no problems , only discovered your channel 2 weeks ago slowly working my way thru
Cheers Chris
Thanks Chris. Nice to know for the future.
Regards,
Mark
Two words - pallet jack. I move around my Wells Index mill and Monarch 10ee with ease. You can find them here in Texas for about US$100 all day long. Much safer as well. Maybe even rent one as how often do you need to move a big machine?
Craig, I almost bought a pallet jack a few years ago. It was down at our local recycling centre and they only wanted about $50 for it. The hydraulic mechanism was not functioning but I figured I could repair it. In the end I dithered around for too long and it was gone by the time I decided to get it. I have a 20' shipping container which I bought to keep all my seldom used tools in but my two children and my mother all decided that what I really wanted a container for was for storing all their overflow furniture and sundry stuff. Now it's full and I still have to store all my own things under the house! I just finished watching Adam Booth shifting his big shaper into his shop using a pallet jack and some load skates. Still, the mill is in now and nothing got broken so hopefully I'll never have to do it again.
Regards,
Preso
Thats not beer its a lemon squash... just ask the boys from The skid factory. Did well for a couple old fellas!
Nice addition Mark. You want to go round corners using the pipe roller method, introduce the pipe at the front at an angle and the machine will start to follow, then continue. I have found this works well.
Now I am Jealous, I want BP quill machine too, John, EC Australia..
PS Check out Max Grant from WA and see his progress on R8 Tooling if you like.
I have been watching Max Grant's videos. Very cool stuff indeed. The Denbigh eventually got picked up a few days ago and it had been sitting outside for over a week. I kept it covered but it was starting to rust by the time the new owner got it on a truck. I must say we took our usual approach to any job that Macca and I do. We just make it up as we go along! We did eventually work out how to arrange the rollers to steer the machine but we had almost finished by that stage.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 It is a handy trick that my father showed me around 40 years ago and works well once you have the steering alignment calibrated, lol. Cheers mate, John.
Mark that's a nice machine. If the oil lines are low pressure, could you bypass that with some rubber tubing and just t off the lines
Clarke, I managed to get a new Bijur fitting but it wasn't cheap. It's going to go on next week when I can get the table and saddle off. It should be interesting to see how it all looks inside. I love that there are still spares for Bridgeports available but it all comes from the USA and there are a few bits available in the UK. We here in Australia pay a fortune for shipping out of the USA but at least I know the spares are there if I need them.
Regards,
Mark
Nice info, i also have a brideport adcock and shipley and i have always wanted to know how to decode the serial number. Thanks
One of those oil lines leading into the knee should be feeding the right side z-axis dovetail and the other probably oils the elevating lead screw. If it's the latter that's crushed, you can probably get away with capping it off and manually oiling it.
Nicholas, the table and saddle are coming off shortly. The pipe does go to the Z axis screw but I can't really get at it from underneath. I am old and I have a crook neck so there's no way I'm lying on my back and trying to do it by feel. When the table comes off I will have a chance to get a good look at wear and tear.
Regards,
Mark
Hi Mark, just found your channel have subscribed great stuff. Anyway, I'm just going through your back catalogue - two things which have jumped out to me. First you seem to constantly need to touch, stroke, feel wipe etc etc your 'things' be it moulds or whatever Stop it, It's a REALLY bad habit to have and possible detrimental in certain circumstances. Second check out your fellow countryman 'Oldfoundryman' he will help you leaps and bounds on your casting and casting techniques. Please pay close attention to bis degassing, use of facing sand and moulding frames. Anyway, keep up the good work loving your vids
Yes, I'm a very tactile person. I have had tons of help from Martin West (Olfoundryman) and he regularly critiques my casting adventures (in a good way). He has invited me to visit his workshop next time I am in Melbourne and he has kindly offered me a supply of his greensand. He has become something of mentor and I greatly appreciate his guidance.
Regards,
Mark
I have heard in that particular toe situation you describe, steel caps are worse potentially as the steel cap still gets crushed and makes the damage worse.... :S Always though steel caps were just for protecting against dropping smaller moderately heavy items on your feet, not bridgeports hahahaha. Anyway good job, nice machine, look forward to you putting it to use.
The particularly scary thing about that situation was that it was all happening in slow motion. I could see how it was going to play out but there was nothing I could do about it apart from shouting for the crane operator's attention. Some years ago I had to remove a handle from a wood mortising machine at work and as I was knocking it off the shaft it slid off unexpectedly and out of instinct I put my foot underneath it to break it's fall. I thought it was made of hollow tube but it was solid steel and around a metre long. It crushed my big toe and it took nearly a year to heal. We had to wear leather shoes in the school workshop but they weren't steel caps. As soon as I could get back into shoes I went out and bought steel caps for work. This accident happened on the last day of term too so I had the two weeks of holiday to deal with the pain and swelling. I nearly passed out when I saw the mess! 😱
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 wow ouch, that's pretty rough! They have certainly saved my toes on a number of occasions as they are standard footware when I'm doing any 'serious' work, mainly outside... but I should probably wear them in the shop more. In fact I dropped something on my foot, I think it was a log, and crushed the top of my foot, but the toes were fine hahaha.
On the note of shops, you have a very large shop! Lucky man. Are you in VIC?
@@7duser10 No, we live in Tinbeerwah which is about 20km west of Noosa on the Sunshine Coast. It's nice here but it's very much dependant on tourism. It's about our only industry. I feel jealous sometimes when I read about people in Melbourne who pop down to the local market or machinery dealer and pick up bargains on tooling and measuring equipment. I guess that when the car industry shut down there was a flood of good quality equipment up for grabs. In fact, that's where my mill came from.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 bargains? What bargains! Where are these markets!? everything seems to get snapped up pretty quick in Melbourne. I did happen upon a closing down tool & diemaker but most stuff was spoken for, far too large or too expenisve. Plus don't be too jealous, square meterage costs keeps shop size down. Maybe I need to get out more... All the new machinery dealers are too expensive. I must confess I saw you put your location as tinbeerwah but I thought it was a joke :S ... Oops sorry!
That is a pretty old machine but it looks in good shape. What are the condition of the ways, dovetails and gibs, do you think they need scraping? Those are oil metering units next to the oiler on that manifold and they cost a fortune to replace anywhere from $15-$20 US each (bijur type), if you find out where to get them cheap please let us know. BTW they are almost impossible to clean if they get gummed up, they contain a pressed bush with a tiny spiral like thread on the oustide that limits oil flow. There is also a tiny spring loaded ball bearing that acts like a valve before the oil passes through an impossibly tiny preforated filter mesh. Different sizes depend on how many drops of oil per minute the unit lets through. You'll be lucky if all your metering units work and to check properly you have to take the table off. Anyway great find.
I really don't feel confident enough to start scraping any of the ways. Besides, I don't really have the tools to do it anyway. From the brief inspection I have been able to do so far the ways are worn but not excessively. I will be taking the table off next week so I can have a better look. I did end up getting a replacement oil metering valve and it's a genuine Bijur unit. I was able to get it from a supplier in Melbourne and it ended up costing me the same as it would have been from a supplier in the USA. So I think the Melbourne company just passed on the shipping charges to me. Over AU$65 for the part and delivery so not cheap by any measure. 😭
Regards,
Mark
If you dont have a gantry, what do you think about spinning the arm around and use the accessory end as a "crane" arm to lift the table? I may have to do something similar with mine. I envision using the knee to lift it up strap the table to the arm, disassemble then lower the knee and rotate the head to get the table off to the side. Works in my head... maybe someone out there has done it?
I am thinking I can raise the knee and then slide my tool cart underneath the table with a big piece of kitchen benchtop to spread the weight. Then I can just lower the knee and slide the table off. Probably easier said than done but your method sounds doable as well. I was wondering what the big hole was for on the other end of the ram. I haven't seen anyone using it for anything.
Regards,
Mark
Mark, you should've waited until it was raining and night time to really get the full effect of moving a heavy thing without the proper tools.
Well, I was wearing inappropriate footwear and we drank plenty of beer so I thought that was a good start but yes, rain and inadequate lighting would have put the icing on the cake! 😁
Hi Mark,
been watching a few of your clips about your bridge port mill. I recently bought the same machine Bridgeport by Adcock & Shipley with variable speed head. Got it from SA and transported up to the Gold Coast. Basically in good order but needs a few minor things like quill clock spring and minor bits and pieces. Do you have any good contacts for Bridgeport parts in Aust. Obviously plenty on ebay but i would like to get stuff locally if possible. Any help would be great. Keep up the good work with the youtube clips. Cheers
I have yet to find any local suppliers of genuine Bridgeport spares. I did buy some cheap Chinese parts but I was disappointed with the quality. I have bought most of the parts I needed from H&W Machine Repair in the USA. They have a TH-cam channel with very good videos showing dismantling and reassembly of all parts of the mill. They also stock every conceivable replacement part. Of course the exchange rate and the shipping is a bit eye watering but their service is very good.
Good luck with the mill. In my view they are an excellent machine.
Regards,
Mark
How about a video on the turbo-jet please Preso??
Larry, I have been planning for some time to get the jet out again. The last time I ran it I had a hot start and the turbine guide vane ring distorted just enough to rub on the blades of the turbine disc. It needs to have a little machined off the guide vane ring but it's a delicate operation. I have only ever run it a handful of times. It scares the living daylights out of me every time it spools up. The original video of it is here th-cam.com/video/N7F4Bp-TcTA/w-d-xo.html
Regards,
Mark
Hey, if you're going to cast that hand wheel you can watch my video where I made a hand wheel that looks a lot like the one you have to make. easy job.
Thanks. I will check it out. I am keen to try a casting with an irregular parting line. I have already watched a demo by Mr. Pete and one by Windy Hill Foundry. It never hurts to watch how other people do it! Actually, I just found the series you have done and I'll work my way through them.
Regards,
Mark
I'm surprised you did this without the help of a bloke in some Stubbies....
Ha, ha. I was looking at some old photos from the 70's when the short stubbies were in fashion. Not a good look!
Regards,
Mark
Is that the way the pirimids were built? M
Where did you get it from ? Been looking looking for a while without any luck.
I found mine on Machines4U www.machines4u.com.au/ They do come up from time to time. There were two recently auctioned here in Queensland and one had the shaper head with it. It would have been worth it to buy the entire mill just for the shaper head.
Regards,
Mark
Mark, try peeking up under the knee, I'm not sure about your mill, but I can see the plumbing for the one shot oiler on my Index 645 by looking up under where the knee screw is.
I have already removed the damaged tubing and it came out quite easily. From the shape of it I am certain it is the oil line for the Z axis screw. I tried poking around under the knee but I am old and my neck doesn't work like it used to so I have committed to removing the table and the saddle. There will be a second video coming out soon showing the results.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 I look forward to it :)
Hmm a 1.5 hp veritable speed head.
When I bought my Bridgeport I ended up having to rebuild the whole top end.
Please do the power drawbar post
Cheers mark
Mark, it's already on the list. It's going to be done using two castings and some linear bearings for the slidey part!
Regards,
Preso
You got me beat there as I have no capability for casting if you can make more casting that I could buy or may be mill some on my Bridgeport perhaps , only 5,7 tall and it’s been pissing me of trying to reach the drawbar for ages so will look Foward to this project ,thank you for your input people all over the world enjoy your balanced views and wonderfully manor
Regards mark
Yakety Sax. Pay your friend in exposure.
Geezzz Mark, shock horror, finally a face to the voice. Great pickup on the mill and you won't look back. They are extremely versatile machines and the Horizontal Head Attachment just adds another dimension to the way you can do your machining set-ups, I wouldn't be without mine. In fact I have two Horizontal Attachments, I converted one to use as a Quill Mounted Slotter. You can check the operation here : th-cam.com/video/QtT7lGgwygk/w-d-xo.html and I did a description and break down of it here : th-cam.com/video/LYIdi7ruRps/w-d-xo.html
Mine was in rough shape when I got it and I spent alot of time giving it a "Birthday" to put things right. I made up a 2" riser just to give me a little bit more head room to work with. I did put a VFD on mine and with the variable speed very rarely need to go into back gear. Anyway, enjoy your new purchase and I look forward to seeing some of the new projects on the table.
Cam
Wow, that slotter is genius. So is your workshop crane and why have I never had any of videos show up in my recommended feed? I have just subscribed and will have to go back through the rest of your channel. Travel restriction permitting, I am planning to get down to Melbourne for the Let's Make It exhibition in October. Not sure if you are thinking about going but maybe we could meet up.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 G'Day Mark, thanks for the complement. I've been watching your doings for a couple of years now and really enjoy the variety that you present in you Video's. Those of us with small channels do have some interesting content to offer but certainly don't get much in the way of exposure, but hey I get nervousness with a couple of hundred views so I'm comfortable with that. I'm certainly hoping to get up to the expo in Melbourne and catch up with many of the other Australian TH-cam's face to face. I'll be tailing out on a 6 month Shutdown which is planned to finish in November so am hoping to get some time off to attend.
Cam
I'm jealous! Enjoy your new machine Mark! By the way +1 for the imperial hate :D
Dimitri, I am old enough to have worked with both imperial and metric. I went through all my primary and secondary schooling using imperial and then switched to metric when I started at college. Who really wants to mess with 64ths and 32nds? I don't get it.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 The best part is that they use 64ths and 32nds and then at the same time thousands - base 8 to base 10...biggest wtf for me. I was forced to use imperial in some shops in the US - it actually does work once you wrap your brain around it - but I don't like it.
Mark... you absolutely do NOT look like your voice sounds.I was expecting around 2 - 2.2 meters and wire thin. Instead I see a normal shop guy, balding old with never enough tools and never the right tools. Cheers mate.
Now you can see why I usually hide from the camera. I'm not exactly George Clooney! I have what they call a good head for radio.
Regards,
Mark
Part of the "SANDING ORDER" in any industry = dont put yourself into a dangerous situation.
Something like let's say .... putting your TOES , or fingers, or lips !!!
First rule of machine shop= respect the machine .. because it has NO respect for YOU !!!
here endith the lesson.
Nice mill. Be good to it.
The worst thing about that would be accident was that it was all happening in slow motion. In hindsight, all I had to do was take the shoe off!
Regards,
Mark
Not plug n play then 😉 enjoy
Ahh, but now it is! I purchased a rotary phase converter for it and it literally just plugs in and everything works!
I'll be doing a follow up shortly.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 :-)
Can tell a lot about a man by the beer he drinks. At the moment I can't tell anything about you because you haven't shown us what beer you drink ;)
Love the video's all joking aside!
I'll drink anything!
Regards,
Preso
View of carton at 2:11. Queenslanders call it XXXX because they don't know how to spell beer.
That's cheating.. last Bridgeport I had to move was done in pieces. Head, table and turret. Up a set of stairs and on a truck...Not much fun... Then put it back together when we got to its new home.. Plus you got the horizontal head too!
Brad, I had heard of some people moving Bridgeports into cellars and down stairs. That would be really scary. I admire you for tackling stairs.
Regards,
Mark
😂
Oh come on I wanted to watch some blood ;-)
The crushed pipe shouldn't be much of a problem, just some heavy lifting.
Congratulation! And glad its metric. Tho I'm an American, I hate the uncivilized Imperial system.
I have a follow up video coming up shortly. Things have moved on and the mill is now running. I am very anxious to see it cut something but the table and saddle are going to come off first.
Regards,
Mark
Mark ref having to repair the oiler, Alex Steele did a multi part series on repairing his Bridgeport which might be of assistance.
th-cam.com/video/2fXceR7lb7A/w-d-xo.html
Andrew, thanks for the tip. I haven't watched that series yet. (I have watched every other one I could find). It's surprising Alec's video didn't come up in the search results. It's not like he's not popular!
Regards,
Mark
Nooooooooooo