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Where to get good used mill
- Thread starter Susquatch
- Start date
Hmmmmm......... Perhaps I could do something similar with a lot of my MT3 tooling. I have a nice lathe. I suppose I could turn down all the MT3 tapers to some smaller straight shaft to fit a large straight R8 tool holder and incorporate an indexing pin of some kind to hold it in place and stop it from turning.....
A lady called me about a genuine Bridgeport Series I that I had enquired about a few weeks ago. Apparently, the sale fell through so its still available.
She can't answer my questions so I'm guessing it's an estate sale. She even dropped the price and wants 2 grand now. I'm also guessing I could get it for less than that.
But it's in rough shape. The bed is quite hen-pecked, it looks like they installed some hand made TBolt Tools to adjust the Gibbs on the fly. On the plus side, it's already been converted to 220V.
I'm thinking I might buy it, clean it up, make a few repairs, and flip it. Or if it turns out to be a diamond in the rough, maybe Flip the Hartford.
Am I crazy?
Ps - we are picking up the Hartford tonight! I can smell it already!
She can't answer my questions so I'm guessing it's an estate sale. She even dropped the price and wants 2 grand now. I'm also guessing I could get it for less than that.
But it's in rough shape. The bed is quite hen-pecked, it looks like they installed some hand made TBolt Tools to adjust the Gibbs on the fly. On the plus side, it's already been converted to 220V.
I'm thinking I might buy it, clean it up, make a few repairs, and flip it. Or if it turns out to be a diamond in the rough, maybe Flip the Hartford.
Am I crazy?
Ps - we are picking up the Hartford tonight! I can smell it already!
Attachments
Brent H
Ultra Member
@Susquatch : If you can get it for cheap, have a go at it - the table is a bit pecked in the middle but doesn't have chunks missing. If it is all around flat it is not a huge issue as there are ways to repair deeper gouges with plugs and scrapping etc- that T handle is for the x axis lock - not original but you can get aftermarket pretty cheap. the axis locks basically push in on the gibbs
Good info on the Gibb Lock.
Not sure I feel up to doing any major bed repairs. I'd be inclined to just leave it as is or do a little low temp filling and then take it to someplace with a big surface Grinder.
What is your version of cheap?
I would have a go at it, if you can get it at a lower price.
What kind of price do you think is reasonable?
Brent H
Ultra Member
If you go over it and take into account missing knobs, handles etc - looks like the power feed rate switch is broken, the manual quill feed wheel is missing, the power quill feed up/down neutral selector is missing, x axis lock
https://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/1297
https://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/1259
https://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/1299
https://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/1300
https://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/1413
https://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/1030
https://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/1206
https://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/1122
https://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/1149
https://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/1209
https://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/1148 x2
That is just a cursory list - so if you want to make it nice and original, say you will put $500 in parts into it, grab it for $1500 and fix it up, sell it for $3500??
Mills in the era of that one (same as mine) have the chromed ways so the wear is not as much if lubrication is used and you will see the scrapping still visible. If the back lash has been looked after and things run well it would be a worthy project and will be the same as the Hartford with respect to most parts.
https://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/1297
https://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/1259
https://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/1299
https://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/1300
https://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/1413
https://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/1030
https://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/1206
https://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/1122
https://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/1149
https://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/1209
https://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/product/1148 x2
That is just a cursory list - so if you want to make it nice and original, say you will put $500 in parts into it, grab it for $1500 and fix it up, sell it for $3500??
Mills in the era of that one (same as mine) have the chromed ways so the wear is not as much if lubrication is used and you will see the scrapping still visible. If the back lash has been looked after and things run well it would be a worthy project and will be the same as the Hartford with respect to most parts.
Great stuff Brent & 6.5 Fan.
I was even thinking a thousand. She says it has to be out of there by the 8th. (closing date on the shop????) Don't know if she has a contingency plan. Right time right place???
But let's see what she says when I get there tomorrow.
Cheers & Thx
Its a tough way to make a living. Factor in the time and hassle of moving and fixing and you'd make 3x as much cleaning houses on the weekend. Then there this ethical thing....its rare that the problems are limited to what you can see now but once you get start getting it apart the other 3/4's of the problems reveal themselves....what are you going to do then? sell it for big bucks to some poor home shop brethren with only 1/4 of it fixed?
In a moment of weakness I agreed to recondition a small lathe in exchange for something from a friend. Value of the deal is probably around 4000. I thought yippy, protect the cash flow and get what I want, its only time! I've done a bunch of reconditioning and should have know better....two months into in, and maybe 1/2 way done I should've just paid cash. 250/week for you leisure hours seems like a decent amount of money. Its not, below minimum wage and now, until its done, I have no more leisure hours!
oh, and, don't grind something like that table....fraught with risk. Use a stone or burr file take off anything that's proud and leave the rest. I just chanced grinding on a small cross slide it caused some warping. Only a few tenths, but it meant more work scraping to get the dovetails right. In case you are wondering, I always grind with flood - that stops heat build up but doesn't much effect the temp when the molecule of abrasive meets the molecule of cast iron. Things can move. (probably not, maybe not, but it sucks when they do)
What would I do? If I wanted it for me, I'd tell her I can afford X but I will for sure take it if X works for you, while emphasizing the poor condition. Getting a great deal is nice, but we want to be fair with widows etc for all the obvious reasons. I'd offer what I thought it was really worth in that condition. Obviously less than 2, or it wouldn't still be sitting there. Otherwise, if I didn't want it. I'd pass and spend my time making something I want to make (the dark view from deep inside a big project)
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Kinda what I was thinking. I don't really know her story. But I strongly suspect that the mill will become a free gift to somebody if it doesn't get moved. Maybe the new owner of the shop if that is what is happening. I'm gunna try and go today after I unload the Hartford. It's sitting on my flatbed outside my shop as I write this. It has a few more defects than I anticipated but all in all, I think it's gorgeous. I guess we will see once I get the motor swapped. I wish I knew someone local with a Converter they would loan me.
This is very wise advice. I feel like you know me when you wrote that. I have never knowingly cheated anyone in my whole life. Ethics and integrity are built into my soul.
I have no idea what I will do if it turns out to be a sick pig. Maybe scrap it for parts or just sell it for what it's worth with full disclosure. Or use it to repair my Hartford!
Repairing the bed is a bit of a problem even for my new Hartford. It has a few pecker marks in it. Have you ever tried Devcon Plastic Steel? Unless I am mistaken, it doesn't have to be strong in anything but compression as long as the damage is only top surface.
My life is full of projects big and small. It gives me purpose. I don't mind some quick flip money but I have not worked for an hourly rate in 50 years and don't put value on my time that way. If I did, I would still be consulting for big bucks. I sure as heck would not be farming or repairing farm equipment or fabricating stuff. My time value at this point in my life is purely a love affair with the projects themselves and the learning experience. And maybe the fear of ever finding myself with nothing to do.
I expect she won't take my offer if I do make one. But it sounds like a fun deal to me if she does. We will see.
historicalarms
Ultra Member
A heavily "hen pecked" table would indicate to me a lot of use without do-care & attention and indicate a thorough "running trial" to make sure no "jam-up" damage is evident in the gearing.
I've watched the H&W YouTube videos repairing Bridgeports but I hadn't realized they also sold their own used refurbs. Dang, some nice iron in there.
http://www.hwmachinerepair.com/machinery-sales.html
http://www.hwmachinerepair.com/machinery-sales.html
Ya, I think I get what you are saying. The Bridgeport has a half dozen 1/2" starter holes in the table. All the same size and same depth but in different places. I can see doing it once and then cursing swearing and vowing never ever to do that again. But a half dozen times? Gotta be an idiot at work there. I'll be checking it from end to end before I put any more money into it.
Doesn't really matter to me if they do or don't. Seems I own two now...... I'll have my hands full getting them up to snuff and selling one of them.
I would have a go at it, if you can get it at a lower price.
I bought it too.
The story isn't what I expected. Her hubby financed a business with a machinist friend who walked after they bought some equipment. So now they have equipment they don't know how to use and a shop they can't use. The shop is sold and they are trying to get as much as they can for the equipment. I offerred 1.5k and we settled at 1.8K. Yes, it isn't pretty, and parts are missing, but it's a genuine Bridgeport Series I, and everything seems to work fine and smooth. Couldn't run it without power, but the Spindle feels really nice smooth and solid turning it in my hands.
I have both machines in my shop now so it's just a matter of going over them with a fine tooth comb, figuring out which one I want to keep and flipping the other one. I like McGiver's outlook on the idea of making a quick buck. It ain't gunna go that way. Flipping stuff is just not my thing. Never was, never will be. But maybe I can learn a few things, have some fun, cover my costs, and make some other fellow spirit happy too. That would be good!