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Awl--A'ight...I think I'm oh-ficial now--still a hack machinist, but an *oh-ficial* hack machinist--cuz, well, now I got a Bridgeport!  Yes indeedy... and a Kalamazoo saw, and a Hariq surface grinder. wow....The BP nearly fell off the lift-gate truck delivering it!  The lift gate actually just *dropped to the ground*, essentially cushioning the fall of said BP!   goodgawd...Sed BP is a 1.5 hp varispeed J head (more ways to tilt that head than you can shake a stick at), powerfeed in Y, pump lube, chromed ways, about a dozen r8 collets, horizontal drive head.Ahm no 'spert in BPs, proly won't use it much, but boyoboy, it sure is perty!The Kalamazoo is *kick-ass*, a 9x16 hydraulic automatic-feed cut-off saw, 1" blade, w/ re-circulating coolant & pump;  wow....  Old, really been worked, but set up properly, you can cut material to within about .010, repeatedly.Also has a "cut counter" as well, variable speed, blade brush, spray coolant before and after cut. Plus about 4 blades, no cheap item for this saw (130.5", .030).Really a production saw--also don't know when ahma use this, either...  but, it sure is perty!The Hariq is a 612 (6x12?) surface grinder, w/ magnetic chuck .  Very nicely made, it seems, very high quality castings.  Gotta rewire it from 208 to 230, some other stuff, but basically in great shape. Not only is it sure perty, I might actually use it perty soon!All for $2500.  Plus goddamm rigging.... about another $500.Oh yeah, and I had to set up the guy's replacement Kalamazoo, a real beaut--same design as the above, just newer everything--and *clean*!  Real workhorses, these saws.So how'd I do?  Not bad, I think, esp. as I know the guy very well, know that Kalamazoo very well, and have seen other comparable stuff at effing outrageous prices.Will undoubtedly have a million Q's on this stuff, but for now I just gotta clean it up--what a mess!Well, ackshooly, d'Wife will be cleaning it up.  :)I think she's actually getting the machining bug--mebbe I'll get...

Ignoramus8325 · Accepted Answer

I think that the wife news is even better news than machinerynews. Congrats. i

Jon Elson · Answer

YOW! I've moved my Bridgeport 3 times with lift gate trucks, and each time it went totally smoothly. I DID make a big point of telling the truck rental people what I was moving, and made sure they thought the particular lift gate was adequate for an 1800 Lb machine. One of them was a bit worn, and the gate tilted a bit as it was moving, so one of us got in the truck and held a rope tied to the machine. The idea was to hold the machine from sliding on the slick diamond plate gate. I don't know if that was even necessary, and we knew if it was more than a slight shift in position, one guy would have no chance of holding on to it.

WOW! That's a good deal.

Jon

Dave Lyon · Answer

1800? Are you sure? I thought they were closer to 3000.

Jon Elson · Answer

Actually, mine is a very old machine, and lighter. The Series I with 2J head, Vee ram and 42" table has a shipping weight of 2180 Lbs, as listed in Bridgeport's sales literature. I don't know what the actual weight of the machine is, but my guess is a pallet doesn't contribute more than 100 Lbs or so of the shipping weight. The Series-II manual machine has a shipping weight of 4750 Lbs.

An old catalog lists the round-ram 1J head machine as 1500 Lbs.

These are the manual machine weights I'm giving here. I converted mine myself, and the machine itself didn't gain a whole lot of weight in the conversion.

Jon

Proctologically ViolatedÂ©Â® · Answer

How does one know what machine they have? I see a J stamped on the front, but not J1 or J2 or series I or II.

That's a big diff, from 2180 to 4750! What accounts for it?

John R. Carroll · Answer

IIRC the Series II machines were more of a C frame design. The column was much more substantial. I had one in 1980 but it was a CNC. I think the machine was pretty much the same however. If you can believe it, I paid 27,500.00 for a computer and Easy Cam from Bridgeport in addition to the machine tool. The computer ran CPM 86 and I don't remember it having a hard drive at all. Maybe it did.

Koz · Answer

FYI, speaking of series II machines....Boeing surplus in Kent WA has a big un (manual) with some some of problem on the floor for 2 grand. 25% discoount on the sticker price (I believe it applies to machines) through tomorrow. Table stays put while turning the y handle is the problem I saw (free spinning). Might be a good machine for a tinkerer who wants one...although the price is still a little high. Didn't look as beat as most surplus Boeing machines do.

Koz

Bill Schwab · Answer

John,The price was not all that crazy when you think about the size of the market.  Also, the A/D hardware that would be required was not nearly so common as it is now.  If it helps any, I recall hearing of someone paying almost that much for amounts to Fred Flintstone's idea of a calculator; IIRC, that was c 1970.Back to your computer, it could easily have been floppy only.Bill

Gunner Asch · Answer

In So. Cal, I can probably get someone a hellava deal on a Syzouka knee mill...about like a Series II, with a fully functional Dynapath

10 control on it, for just about the cost to have it rigged out of the owners shop. Plus a tip for me..

Runs but the spindle is noisey. Probably needs spindle bearings. CNC in all three axis of course, no tool changer.

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the s*it out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

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