peej410 Posted September 7, 2004 Share Posted September 7, 2004 ok so i got an early bridgeport milling machine in awesome condition from this guys house that passed away... i got the mill an old atlas lathe and a brown and sharpe surface grinder for 500 bucks and then 300 for about 300lbs worth of tooling heheh. anyways to get my mill home i had to take it apart. i was very careful taking it apart and the only thing i cant figure out is why theres play now in the X and Y planes there werent before it was like maybe .010 now its quite a bit more. if i put the table in backwards would that account for some of it? and does anyone have any links about this stuff ive been looking a little bit for a week or so and havent really found much except machines for sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2126 Posted September 7, 2004 Share Posted September 7, 2004 peej, have you adjusted the gibs for both x and y axis. A must do thing for any sort of serious tolerance work. You will always, and I say that with some reserve, have some play in the lead screws...due to the tolerances between the drive and driven members. This however does not effect the table play (the gibs take care of table play). Also, if you have little or no experience with these machines, I advise you to get some tailings and get used to working them until you gain some confidence with the machines. Learn the proper ways to secure your material so you won't wind up a cripple. Always SAFETY FIRST!!! Machining has alot to do with the feed rate, tool speed, and the material you are working. Learn about the different kinds of material (metalurgy) because what works with one material does not necessarilly work with another. Oh yah, make sure you level out your machines first thing after you get them in there peminant work place. Sounds like you've scored big time...good for you! Hope this little bit of insight helps you out to some degree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted September 7, 2004 Share Posted September 7, 2004 How did the guy's house pass away? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Phil1934 Posted September 7, 2004 Share Posted September 7, 2004 We touched this on another board, and you may snicker, but a telephone book in the shirt is not a bad idea. I've had to change plans on a couple items after they shifted and got milled where they shouldn't. P.S. Sorry to hear about the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted September 7, 2004 Share Posted September 7, 2004 Shame about those old houses.. Oh yes.. The lead screws could be just worn.. is this machine quite old? If so, Im sure it's seen LOTS of use over the years, and posibly not much maintinence. But the gibs should take up most of the slack.. Im not sure if is even posible to put the table in 'backwards' is there? That surface grinder should be a nice one too. My shop has an old one, but it's dead nuts acurate. I'll agree with the safety thing as well.. hmm.. improperly secured workpiece.. 2.5" cutter at 3000rpm.. wow.. never did find that piece... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peej410 Posted September 7, 2004 Author Share Posted September 7, 2004 How did the guy's house pass away? funny guy !!!! the guy was a tool and die maker actually he passed away a few years ago, his widow is now incapable of taking care of herself and was put into a home. her relatives were selling the house and my mom knew the relative so she called me up to come look at it and i took everything including some big pieces of aluminum block and plates and all sorts of stuff. in regards to the lack of experience. i have some, now i know that a gib is the little wedgie thingy. how tight should i make those? theres absolutely no play in them but i dont know how much resistance there should be, i used the zerk fittings to lube everything. the machine looks like its only a few years old and the internals look new as well as it having a newer J head on it i believe. ive done some production work on a milling machine at the fab shop i used to work at. we also used it for coping tubes for cage work with big endmills. my machine currently has less "screw thingy" play than our machine at the shop but i got it down to less than .010 on the long one and about .012 on the short one. it also came with a phase convertor now i need an extension cord. i will also be leveling it up so that when im fixturing things i can use a level on them. is this a good idea ? or a waste of time? last question... where can i look up to find out what the surface grinder and lathe are worth. the lathe isnt quite what i want and i know i wont need the surface grinder but i cant find either on ebay ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dot Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 Nice Score PeeJ: I got lucky in the same way. About 6 years ago my father in-law left me his machine shop. The only problem was that he lived live next to the Atlantic, ocean front, and all the surfaces had turned black. Other than the lost resale value everything works fine. It seems like every time I want to do something new I have to hit the books. It really makes one appreciate what you tool & die and machinists have had to learn to get your ticket. My condolences to the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 It seems like every time I want to do something new I have to hit the books. It really makes one appreciate what you tool & die and machinists have had to learn to get your ticket. My condolences to the house. Yah.. me too man! Speaking as a 1st year apprentice, I can say I definatly know.. uh.. not much! I can see why it takes 4 years to apprentice, and then another 4-6 to become a GOOD tool maker/machinist but hey.. life is all about learning right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillZ260 Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 why theres play now in the X and Y planes there werent before it was like maybe .010 now its quite a bit more I learned on old bridgports with some endplay and you will need to have a really good feel for the machine. USE the table locks, and test cut lots of stuff to see what the play is for each plane. When you switch direction in either plane, lock that plane, reverst the direction of the hand feed handle, reset your zero and keep truckin. You always have to keep the slack in favor of the direction you are cutting on these older mills. (really any mill for that matter, good practice) You will get the hang of it and, well, other than going to a vo-tech and really learning, you will just have to get after it. Good score! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peej410 Posted September 8, 2004 Author Share Posted September 8, 2004 yeah im really excited heh, Dot. what kind of equipment did you get? and what books should i look for? if i head to barnes and noble will they have books on it ? datsunlover. i never knew tool and die makers had to apprentice for four years, sounds like college. but u actually learn something with this four years hahah. billz260. i learned most of that making stuff at the shop i worked at. i had to make about 250 of the little blocks on these stub pipes http://www.tangerineracing.com/images/HeaderPics/Modified%20Stub%20Pipes%20Reduced.jpg in 3 or 4 different sizes. each piece requires 4 machining processes and 3 finishing. ugh im getting bored just thinking about it check out the rest of the site too theres alotta stuff i made on there or helped design Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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