Bridgeport Knee Mill possibility

[lucsimoneau]

Hey y'all, have a nice new year!

So I'm in the process of considering parting ways with my Craftex CX601 Mill CNC Conversion with the Clearpath servo's and Centroid Acorn for an old Bridgeport Knee Mill.
I'm finding that the type of projects I do are one off's and most of the time involve roughing out chucks of steel that the CX601 has trouble with.
Also, I'm finding the manual part of machining more "zen" if that's a way to put it

Anyways, I might be posting the CX601 for sale on here and the usual Marketplace, Kijiji, Craigslist sites and looking into 2 options:
- No1: Old Bridgeport style knee mill, ideally with power feed on X and Z with DRO, needs to have a 220V motor (probably will need a VFD for 3 phase);
- No2: Buy a new Craftex CX603 knee mill wrapped up in the crate and delivered to my garage/shop.

The question I'm asking is: what height is needed for a Bridgeport style Knee mill? I have a wooden subfloor in my garage and with the weight of such a machine I would probably install it directly on the cement floor and rebuild the flooring around the base. But what's the functional required height of this machine? Will it fit in my garage shop?

Also, what are the models to look for and those that are better left alone (variable spindle speed vs belt/pulley combination).

Any input would be great!

Have a nice weekend!

 

[Susquatch]

If you get a VFD, I don't think it matters if you get the varidrive or the pulley version. I've used both and was ambivalent about it. If you don't end up with a VFD, the varidrive version is nicer.

I think the guy who designed the First Bridge Port was a big fellow.

The overall height is somewhat dependent on what motor you get. I have a VFD Rated motor that is longer than average. So it is up there. Just off the top of my head it might be 7 and half feet high. Maybe higher with some nod up.

I find the table height perfect for me, but I'm very tall. Some guys complain it's too high. They build a platform to stand on.

I'd say the drawbar is high for most guys too. It's perfect for me.

I'd definitely want the base sitting on concrete just to keep the vibration down as low as possible. That said, vibration levels on those big machines is pretty low anyway.

A Bridgeport or a BP Clone will make you smile if you want to do a lot of roughing or hogging. I moved up from a very big round column for that very reason.

And I never did want CNC. But I'm old school in a lot of ways. I like cranking handles and I'm pretty smooth at it even though I shake like a leaf but am steady on the handles - maybe it's just love.

You will love a DRO. The more axis the better. I have 4 plus rpm. X Y Z & Quill.

I don't have power X, Y, or Z..... Yet! Z is in the plan, and maybe X too. But not Y. I don't want to machine with them - just get from one end to the other when needed.

One man's opinion. Does that cover your questions?

 

[jorogi]

No BP experience but...
1) don't discount a 440v machine if it has 9 wires, 15 minutes and it's 220v.
2) if you sink your mill 4" into the floor you might get quite a sore back, seems these old (good) machines were designed around 5'6" to 5'8" operators.

As I type it seems I have been corrected by Sus, I defer to him as he is tall and can spell BP.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

No BP experience but...
1) don't discount a 440v machine if it has 9 wires, 15 minutes and it's 220v.
2) if you sink your mill 4" into the floor you might get quite a sore back, seems these old (good) machines were designed around 5'6" to 5'8" operators.

I'm 5'10 and that drawbar is a b#*& I can barely reach.

 

[skippyelwell]

I'm 5'10 and that drawbar is a b#*& I can barely reach.

Oh good, now I don't feel quite so short, I had to build a 3 1/4" riser to change belt speeds.

 

[Susquatch]

No BP experience but...
2) if you sink your mill 4" into the floor you might get quite a sore back, seems these old (good) machines were designed around 5'6" to 5'8" operators.

I'm shocked to read those words. But we are all different. You prolly have no neck...... LOL!

As I type it seems I have been corrected by Sus, I defer to him as he is tall and can spell BP.

I only spell it out cuz I've been asked what does BP mean too many times.

 

[lucsimoneau]

All great responses ... thanks!
What clearance height is required (I'll go and measure my clearance from concrete floor to opened garage door).

 

[Susquatch]

I'll go and measure my clearance from concrete floor to opened garage door).

Don't worry about that. Just the floor to ceiling height. You can swing the head sideways to clear car doors or when you need to lift it a bit to move it around when needed.

In fact, if you really need to, you can even bump the ceiling between a few rafters to make a boxed in space.