my newest is my oldest Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 I prefer to drink IPA Denatured is the better, less toxic choice, if quenching a 'thirst'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canyoncarver Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 I've been involved with machining parts for a little while. In my opinion you guys will be better off buying a nice used Bridgeport as opposed to alot of that Chinese crap. Good used Bridgeports can sell for more than a new import. There is a reason for that. If you want the capability to machine round parts, as you might on a lathe, but without buying a lathe, a nice additional investment can be made in a rotary table. This gives you the ability to rotate the part around the cutting tool. Here are some pics of my Bridgeport and a friend's lathe. I picked the mill up for $2500 and it had new digital readouts and power feed. Here are some non-z related car parts that were done on the Bridgeport with rotary table. The lathe is a 1960's german brand. If you want to remove .001", you dial .001", and that is how much material is removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waddiejohn Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 I bought a 9x49 Lagun with DRO and power feed and a lot of tooling for $5000.00 a year ago last May. It is in excellant condition and I love it. Most of the Bridgeports I found were worn out and had 42" tables. I think it is a toss up between good Tiawan and U.S. made stuff. The Accra brand is good equipment in my experience. The Lagun is heavier. The knee is wider and so a bit more stable than the Bridgeport and copies, but for general use there is certainly nothing wrong with either. Before I was laid off last February I worked for a high tech company and they had a second hand Accra 9x42 mill and the guys that ran it abused it. They didn't even clean the cosmoline off of the collets and chips were imbeded in the goo. When I took over the shop I did some good cleaning and maintenance and that machine was a pleasure to use so I bought an Accra lathe too. When it came time to purchase the lathe I called a local machine shop and spoke to the owner about his lathe that was the twin to the one I was buying. He'd used his a lot and was happy with it so I got one for us and I was happy with it as well. The only complaints I had were it was too short in height and it didn't have quik change gear box. At home I have my Lugun mill and a Clausing lathe plus an 8x32 U.S. Burke Millright Mill that needs a rebuild and a cheap little Chinese lathe that was popular back in the 70's. I'd love to have all U.S. made equipment, but we've priced ourselves right out of the market. Before Southbend went under their 10X36 lathe was priced at $13,000 and it was still driven with a flat leather belt. Go figure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsicard Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 canyoncarver: Thanks VERY MUCH for your post. I have a 13x40 Southbend Lathe that I purchased locally and have tuned it up. Right now I am very happy with its performance. Next I will purchase a Bridgeport Milling Machine. Yesterday was offered a Chinese built Milling Machine for $3500.00. Thanks but not thanks as I would not know where to get parts for it if I needed them. As for the Southbend Lathe, just went on Ebay and found a fellow that make expendable parts for my lathe and the qualilty of his produced parts is fantastic. Now the South Bend Lathe is back in great shape and it was made in the 1940s. I talked with this fellow yesterday that runs a CNC machine shop and he voted my ideas down and referred me to someone that makes what I want for THOUSANDS of dollars. I believe that I can make it from aluminum stock for much less with a Bridgeport and a TIG welder. So I will purchase both of these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillZ260 Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 Don't have a lot of time right now but I suggest the following. Get a machinists Handbook, indespensible for any machinist. Get a dial guage with a good mag base. Always adust for the slack of the table when changing direction. Added Thoughts: Try to always lay out your parts with dye and a scribe, could save you a part. Get an "edge-finder" In addition to the Dial Guage, a test indicator is also helpful. These should get you started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canyoncarver Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 There are some imported brands of knee mills that are worth looking in to in lieu of the Bridgeport name. Again, they're priced relative to their quality. You can look for Tree, Lagun, and Index. When looking for a used mill, alot of times you can get the collets, vise, and other tooling included. Getting a variable speed head is a worthwhile investment as opposed to a belt-drive head where you have to manually change speeds and your speeds are limited. Check out places like http://www.use-enco.com and http://www1.mscdirect.com for all of the support goodies. They sell machines too. You can spend a lifetime and a fortune stocking up on stuff to use. If you're machining aluminum buy the low-price non-coated high speed steel cutters. If you're going to machine steels, buy the low-price non-coated carbide cutters, it'll be worth the extra money in time saved. There's no need for coated cutters if you're making one or two of anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsicard Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 canyoncarver: I was just at a CNC machine shop to talk to the boss. He offered to sell me a knee milling machine. The first thing I asked is where was it made. He said China. Then I asked how much. He said $3500.00. I did not pursue it any further. What I did not express to him is HOW does one get repair parts for his milling machine??? I am certain that he would have stumbled to answer that question. Thanks but NO THANKS for Chinese built Milling Machines. If they were built in Taiwan and had a traceable source of repair parts, then MAYBE I might consider it. Grumpyvette purchase a milling machine from Grizzly. I purchased a vertical band saw from Grizzly and there is a traceable source of repair parts. I know first hand because the motor controller went defective in three months and Grizzly replaced same at no charge. I have a 194X 13x40 South Bend Lathe and purchased it locally. Fixed up the slop in the head, leveled it and purchased a Quick Change Tool Post. So far I am quite happy with the South Bend Lathe and the ability to get parts for this old a lathe. There are several forums for the South Bend Lathe and I suspect the same is true for the Bridgeport Milling Machine. That is why I will stick with Bridgeport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canyoncarver Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 I'd feel confident that you can get replacement parts for the Chinese imports. What makes a quality piece of equipment, either mill or lathe, is the materials and precision built in. This would be the meehanite casting material that makes up the machine base. How stable that material is. The spindle and bearings, and the lead screws and nuts. A similar analogy would be ...... a number years ago, when Kia the car manufacturer first came out, places like Consumer Rreports and Edmunds stated that it would be better to buy a 2-year old Toyota Corolla than to buy a new Kia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roye@hrewheels.com Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 I even tried to palm it off on John C...even he doesn't have the room! To paraphrase a Queen Song as my (second) mill sings: "Need somebody to love me, Need somebody to love me!" All I wanted it for was the R8 collett holder. I got everything else! LOL Anybody need a Bridgeport Mill in SoCal? Tony we are actually looking for another bridgeport, do you have any info about the one you want to get rid of? RE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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