i got one a few years ago. had to make a few parts for it, learning as i go. plastic makes good practice like was stated. i also prefer brass and alum. mine has prob not paid for itself yet but it's pretty close. if you are like me sometimes you just cant wait till the store opens in the morning, monday morning, or it comes in the mail. i have stayed up all night working on something.
not really advise, but i got rid of my drill press and drill all my holes with the mill umless it's with a hand drill motor. if you are used to a 110 drill press bogging down if the drill becomes hung this won't do it. the 220 motor is pretty unforgiving. if it's clamped well the drill itself will shatter/fly apart. don't seem to have much trouble milling but punching thru on the last of a hole unless you have a feel for it...
Congrats on the new mill. Like others have said, you'll wonder how you ever got along without it. Also, I think it was mentioned that the next thing you will "need" is a lathe. That's true and if your able to score both there is hardly anything you'll not be able to make. Be careful, it can be a dangerous machine, but if treated with respect will offer you untold hours of creativity. Frank
My brick on this pile....Most machinists are deliberte, Think-Do-Think people. The Do-Think-Do people are great test pilots, but poor machinists. Only knew one fast guy, and he was lightning fast; said he couldn't stand to work slow. I just didn't look, and he worked completely safely the whole time I knew him.
http://www.practicalmachinist.com it is like the HAMB of the machinist world. Skilled hobbyists and professional shop guys all lurking around in there. This is the text book I use in machine shop school: Machining Fundamentals John R. Walker There are several editions of this book, you can find them on the auction sites, the text book sites, the used book sites, etc.. The book covers safety, manual lathes, manual mills, measuring devices... everything you need starting from scratch. Always! USE! Eye protection! If you have long hair, tie it, braid it back when working. Do not wear any jewelry when machining, the metal might not give, but your arm and fingers will. Trust me, I have heard some interesting horror stories from my machine tool instructors. Good luck, -W
Nice piece of machinery! Here's my painted heap of heavy lathe-metal I bought recently... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=326466
Precision measurement supply,San Antonio,Texas has tapes and dvd's with a lot of usefull tips for lathes and mills.A little goofy but informative. www.precisionmeasure.com
well the best use of them is against some keys or dowel pins stuck in your t-slots. if youre using a bridgeport, youll need 5/8 pins or keys. the part goes against the pins like the back rail (jaw) of a vise and the clamps off the front. note that they should be indexed on the same flat on the hex part of the clamp. then youll have to use at least two more, one for each end. when you go to tighten them, take a rubber hammer or dead blow and as you tighten, make sure the part sits flat down to the table. also tighten evenly like youre torquing a head to a block. it shouldnt take a great deal of force either. over tightening will just want to make the part rise from the table or make a mark in your piece. never use them on anything thats prominently bowed or warped. get a vise for such use. hope that helps
Bridgeport/lathe in the basement.....its gonna be tough gettin that stuff out http://35hotrod.smugmug.com/gallery/2649184_H5Amu#P-1-12
Some good information being given to you but I thought I'd offer a few comments: - "chattering" is due to excessive RPM far-more than being caused by feedrate. - Do not start with plastic as had been noted earlier unless you clearly understand "climb-milling" versus "conventional-milling". Being soft, plastic tends to "suck" the end mill into the material which can be dangerous (broken end mills and/or yanking the plastic from the vice). This problem is controllable with conventional milling. - position the table in the center of it's travel for X & Y axis and try to move or "rock" the table by pushing back and forth on it from the ends. This is a check for the adjustment of the "gibs" which assure table tightness. Most older machines are loose in the center where they are most often used and very tight at the ends of table travel. You will have to reach a compromised setting more than likely due to wear of the gibs and ways. - before dialing-in and squaring your vice, remove the vice and dial-in or "sweep" the table relative to the spindle. This will assure consistent cuts without ridges as mentioned by one of the guys earlier in your thread. After you do this, then mount and square your vice. - em
I bought a very similar machine a few years ago. It would be tough to go back to life without it. The biggest time saver from the start is being able to do simple things like cutting a slot, drilling a pattern of holes or squaring up a block accurately. You are a Hamber, so you'll never need complicated billet parts, right? I agree with the previous posters - material holding is critical. Cutting forces can be surprizingly high. If in doubt, add another clamp. And, definately get a rotary table. Re-drilling a set of rotors for a different stud pattern is not rocket science, at it will save you a lot of money, for example. Get an Enco catalog - its a nice source of low buck tooling. Good luck
Nice mill. You can do a lot with them. Learn about climb milling and start saving money for a rotary table and dividing head. I've got a chance on an older Bridgeport mill. Dates from the late 40's to 50's I believe. Am I correct in assuming that all Bridgeports use the R-8 taper? I'm told the mill in question weighs about 1000#. Sound about right? Seems like it ought to be heavier since the bigger drill-mills come in at 750# sans stand.
If a part comes loose from the vise let it fly.I was working next to a guy several years ago and he tried to grab the part as it came loose from the vise and his thumb went flying across the shop and stopped when it hit a tool cabinet.Also you said you have an air compressor so use air to blow the chips from the part being machined.Never use rags or brushes or anything the machine can grab while it is in your hand.
"Am I correct in assuming that all Bridgeports use the R-8 taper?" No, there are some "M" head mills out there. They use Morse taper. Mostly smaller mills in my experience.
"M" head mills are Bridgeport? Got quite a few arbors in R-8 and will keep those if I let the drill-mill go.
The older machines, 1/2 HP motors, are M's, it says it on the data plate. Some get updated with newer heads. There are at least two different collets used on the M's. Both of my M's have the smaller collets and both are different. The collets look similsr but are not interchangeable. Different drawbar threads. One is a 1955 and the other a 1950. R-8's are on later mills, J's I think. The M's are good, but limited to 1/2 inch shank cutters. And being 1/2 HP, that's fine. I have end mills up to 1 inch with 1/2 inch shanks. When the newer ones came out, the M's were not used much. Unless it was a production machine running all day long. In tool rooms, the M's sat and were barely used. Most toolroom M's are in fine shape because of this.
i have had pretty good luck with plastic and nylon but i have never used a ultra small end mill on them. i have on aluminum though. i have always read TOUSE A BRUSH, not compressed air for chip removal, so not to blow chips in the ways. who knows, i only know what i have read and what i have done wrong.
Thanks for the info guys. I was with the present owner when three of us went to pick up the mill. We had a 3000# capacity engine hoist and it was a bitch getting it out of the 1920's era poured cement building, across the threshold, down a narrow brick-paved path, around a 45* corner and up a slight grade to the parked off-camber car trailer. Come-alongs, big levers, pinch bars, 4-block pulley setup, the whole shooting match. New owner gets home, next day the neighbor brings his commercal crane over, grabs the mill, turns, extends the stinger horizontally and sticks the mill where it goes in the shop. Nothing quite like the right tool for the job....
My advise for anyone using this type of machinery; if you get hurt.. the machine doesn't feel a thing!!! I have two plastic bones in my left index finger to prove this; ran an end mill for more than 30 years...one mistake got me!! Be careful; take your time; and, if in doubt....ask someone before attempting to proceed!!
safety safety safety. high points have already been mentioned. NEVER CLIMB MILL! this will grab the part out of what ever is holding it. always conventional mill - acme ball screws have clearance that allows climb milling to take out all of this clearance by the cutting tool literally pulling the workpiece into the spindle. no rags - good. always brush instead of air - good. FINALLY - possibly a new tip. Never operate the machine all by yourself! Always have someone nearby in case your pony tail gets caught in the spindle or something equally horrible. Good luck! -90% Jimmy
these are what you need to hold your work down, try msc for a good source. T slot clamp set. and nothing wrong with complicated billet aluminum parts if you learn to make them yourself.
M heads came with 3 different collet systems- #2 Morse, #3(?) Brown & Sharp. and another similar collet that was Bridgeport's own. All 3 are limited to 1/2" maximum size, and only the Morse is readily available. About the only source for the later two are machinery flea markets, and the three are visually alike, and usually unmarked, except for the size end mill they hold- so if you find one of the sizes that you are missing, it is a crap shoot weather the taper is correct. Two other M head shortcomings, besides the 1/2" collet limit are- Not being backgeared, the slowest speed is marginally too fast for a half inch endmill in steel, and way too fast for any larger size cutter (in steel). Don't consider carbide cutters, you don't have the horsepower, and probably don't have the rigidity to use them The spindle has limited down travel, compared to a J head, and has NO provision for power down feed, so don't waste your money on a boring head. There is a manual fine down feed, in addition to the drill press like handle, but it is relatively useless for boring. The power feed gearbox on the end of your table was a very rugged one, and unless it was abused, might be OK- but if it needs gears, forget it, as Bridgeport stopped parts availability 25 or more years ago, when the Servo type variable speed feeds became popular. Not trying to piss on your picnic, just some things you should be aware of--- Herb Kephart
gotta get a lathe now, here are a couple of my videos. I need to get my OWN bridgeport, instead of someone elses but grateful to be able to use one as much as i do. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEwPL0ogjLw http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6360582766050716236 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1354260972598499839
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