[NOCARRIER]

I am interested in purschasing this mill. What do you guys think for $6000.00

[NOCARRIER]

OOOPS, here is the link

http://www.villagephotos.com/viewpub...p?id_=16218909

[WayneHill]

Pictures 14x and 15x show the best features.

[NOCARRIER]

TELL ME ABOUT IT!!!! Too bad she isn't CNC controlled. What do you think about the machine? Does it seem like a good price?

[WayneHill]

The mill looks good too. Let's have the BP experts here look 'Her' over with a fine tooth comb.

[UKRobotics]

Is it new or second hand ? It does look in good condition but if you are wanting it for cnc conversion I feel the price is a little steep. I recently bought a bridgeport series 2 already cnc but with a few faults for half that money.

Of course if you are wanting it just to use as a manual machine, and the other technical details about it are up to your specifications then i'd say go for it.

[NOCARRIER]

The machine is seccond hand. I will primarly be using the machine manually but would probably like to convert it in the future as my skills get better.

[NOCARRIER]

Here is the original AD print:

Serial numbers are as follows:

On the Knee it is BR258430
On the Head it is L283578
Specifications are as follows:

2 HP Variable Speed Head.
Infinitely variable speed from 60 to 4,200 RPM.
R8 spindle taper.
Power quill feeds of 0.0015, .003, .006 IPR.
9" X 48" Table.
Longitudinal (X) table travel of 24"
Cross (Y) table travel of 12"
Quill travel of 5"
Knee travel of 16"
Ram travel of 16’’
Head Cant (forward and back) 45°
Head Tilt (side to side)90°+
Features:

Mitutoyo DRO on X and Y
Mitutoyo DRO on Quill
Bridgeport Power Feed on the X axis
Bijur one-shot lubrication system.
Bijur Spraymist Coolant System
Chrome ways
(R8 Collets - 2 included)
Hard Chrome-Plated Quill
Work Light
Power Requirements: 220/480 3 Phase or 220 single phase with a rotary phase converter.
Additional Items:

Laguna 6 1/2 in Machinist's vise
Drill Chuck
2 R8 Collets
Magnetic Base Dial Indicator
Stainless Steel Caliper
Bridgeport Clamp Down Kit
Wrench/Hammer for Adjustments
Bolt Down Dial Indicator Base
5 100 uF Capacitors for building a Rotary Phase Converter
Nice Metal Case for building a Rotary Phase Converter
CD with step by step instructions for building a Rotary Phase Converter including lots of pictures and diagrams.
Rigging Straps for moving the Machine

Condition Report:


This machine is in extremelly good condition. I bought it about 9 months ago from a R&D shop nearby. They were the original owners and used the machine infrequently to make small aluminum parts for prototype (they had a big CNC for production and a large Laguna Mill for regular prototyping. I bought it for gunsmithing, but alas, I found out that I am highly allergic to some of the oils used in machining. My loss is your gain. I have run the machine only once while it was in the original owner's shop. If you have been waiting for a creampuff machine, this is it. I hunted for almost a year for the perfect machine. After I found out that I could not use it because of my allergies, I stopped collecting parts for the rotary phase converter (allows you to run the machine on 220 single phase without any loss in horsepower), but not before I found and purchased the 5 capacitors needed. All you need to complete it is an old 3HP 3 phase motor to use as an idler motor (it sets up and synchonizes the 3rd leg of the 3 phase req to run the machine). They can be scrounged from scrap yards for next to nothing. I will send complete instructions with lots of pictures and wiring diagrams so you can complete it.

The chrome ways show almost NO WEAR AT ALL. The backlash in the screws is less than .010" and I have not even adjusted the gibs yet (to reduce that amount). The motor runs smooth and cool as well as the spindle bearings. This machine looks and runs like new. I can send you some video footage that I took of it being run when I was looking at the machine initially.

[machintek]

Looks great for the money.
How does the head sound?
Make sure power feed works.

George

[bill south]

Wow!!!!! Outstanding features. I want one!!!!! BTW, what is that big machine she's standing next to????
billyjack

[One of Many]

I am interested in purschasing this mill. What do you guys think for $6000.00

That mill is in about the same shape mine was when I bought it. Mine is an 1990 EZ-Trak 2axis CNC. I gave $7700 for it about 6yrs ago. Still in the same shape!

I'd guess this one to be mid to late 90's. It has all the bells and whistles that make for a nice manual mill. If those handles on the table are the free wheeling type, they take some getting used to.

Don't know much about the DRO. The scales look like they are standard, but if they are absolute type, good luck finding replacements. It may be cheaper to replace the whole system by that time anyways.

Overall, I'd say it was priced fair if all the tooling shown is included. If the price were negociable, I'd see what cash on the table might get it for.

Chances are you would have less problems with the machine than the Bad Girl! But, heck if that is part of the deal, she'd go quick on eBay......Take what you can use and sell off the rest! LOL!

DC

[titchener]

If the machine has no problems at all, that's a reasonable price, not a steal but a fair price. I would pay that for the machine no problem if I needed one, and I wish my first machine was in as good a shape as that one. Here's some info on how to check it out:

It was written for somebody else, but lots of it is general checkout info. The machine in question had a lot of backlash, your's shouldn't.

You can work with a machine with 0.050" of backlash and a DRO but its going to be a pain in the rear. That's an extra half a turn of the handle every time you reverse position. Its possible that the nut may be adjusted or reworked to get rid of some of the backlash, but unless you are getting a great deal on the machine I'd keep looking.

When checking the backlash, check it both at the extremes and in the center, this will show you how much the lead screw is worn. Personally I wouldn't buy a used machine with any more than 0.020" backlash on both axises unless you enjoy repairing machine tools or working on sloppy ones.

Also take an indicator with a magnetic base, put in on the table and indicate on the inside taper of the spindle. Rotate the spindle slowly by hand. You should see less than 0.001" of total runout, and I like it to be way less. Any more and the spindle is either bent from a crash or worn on the inside taper. Spindles can be reground, but figure $300. to $500. to do this.

Run the machine and listen to it carefully, and as suggested above, make a cut if you can. Listen to any abnormal noise from the spindle bearings, which are at the very bottom of the spindle. If its a vari-speed machine, run it through the speed range and listen for any rattles, which shows wear in the vari-speed. This is fixable, but for non-Bridgeport machines parts can be a hassle.

Engage the quill power feed and see if it seems to work. Unfortunately the power feed units on these type of machines are often abused and have worn out clutches. Not to bad to replace on a real Bridgeport, a possible hassle getting parts on a copy machine.

See how much slop is in the quill handle as you switch from down to up motion of the quill (put light drag on it with the lock). Too much slop here makes the machine a pain to use and can cause chatter when drilling. You can get around that by putting a little drag on the lock, but again it makes the machine more a pain to use.

You can also put the indicator in the quill, indicate on the table surface and get an idea of how much the ways on the machine are worn by moving the table back and forth in both directions.

Typically when you find the right machine (used in a model shop or prototype shop, not production) you can tell right off the bat by looking at it that its going to pass all these tests. Those are the machines to find. I learned this the hard way, the first mill I bought as a younger man had been used in production and was pretty beat but I didn't know how to check it back then. I've still got it and use it for "2nd op" jobs but on my new mill I knew what to look for and got a good one.

Good luck-

Paul T.

[NOCARRIER]

I appreciate all the feedback you guys are giving me on this. I am trying to get my business going and I want to purschase a good "ready to go" milling machine. Funds are tight right now so I can't afford investing the money on the wrong milling machine or investing the time ( which is very scarce) in repairing one with major issues.

Here are a couple of videos the seller sent me when he was looking at the mill.

[NOCARRIER]

For some reason I can't get the videos to load.

I even tried the hammer and it didn't work

[Carel]

Nocarrier: you are sending out different signals. In post #8 you claim to be allergic to machining oils. In post #13 you want a "ready to go mill". What mill will that be?

Carel

[One of Many]

Nocarrier: you are sending out different signals. In post #8 you claim to be allergic to machining oils. In post #13 you want a "ready to go mill". What mill will that be?

Carel

So, that must be what the girl was for. To wipe all that oil off yer hands and keep the machine clean! Heheh!

Carel, if you read the post, it states that is what the original seller posted in the advert.

DC

[Hood]

Nocarrier: you are sending out different signals. In post #8 you claim to be allergic to machining oils. In post #13 you want a "ready to go mill". What mill will that be?

Carel

Post 8 is the description and info from the seller that NOCARRIER received.
Hood

[lakeside]

well we all see what realy looks good would not mind scrapping the ways(and the ways on the machine still show no wear it was taken care of and I bet that's not the only thing that get taken care )

[NOCARRIER]

Thanks for clearing that up for Carel. I guess he must have been looking at something else while he was reading. (can ya blame the guy? It IS a FINE piece of american craftsmanship proudly made in the good ol' US of A!!!) If it wasn't my thread I would have probably made the same mistake.


Thanks a million everyone I really appreciate the help.

[Carel]

Nocarrier: I am sorry. I carefully reread the thread and now I see it. The confusing thing was the very detailed info on the machine, so I saw you as the owner. This is what you get when you read and write in another language. And yes, they are fine pieces of all American craftmanship.

Carel