Looking at an old "FrankenMill"

[astroracer]

A co-worker is selling this old "mill". I'll check it out of course but he says it runs fine and is fairly clean. He's asking 600
The base looks to be an old belt driven horizontal mill and it has been retrofit with a BP "M" head. He said he has some tooling and the big milling vise will go with it

He is going to pull the numbers off the head unit tonight. Do any of you think one collet system is better then another? I know an R-8 would be great but I doubt that is what it is.


Thanks for any thought or suggestions.

Mark

[portlandRon]

Bridgeport "M" heads could be had with a #2 Morse taper or with a B&S #7 taper.
Both have limited holding size and if you look on ebay you will be able to get an idea of availability and cost.

[Doozer]

I like it, but it depends on your use and skill level.
M-heads chatter when used with a boring head,
so forget using one with this mill.
Fly cutters and shell cutters limited to 1-1/4".

-Doozer

[boslab]

I was given a Bridgeport head with a horizontal mill i bought, the overarm slips out and the round arm if you will fits in, it has no motor at the moment so i have never used it, also it lacks the "knuckle" joint so it looks reasonably rigid, have never used one, was surprised how small the drive belt is, the stepped pulleys are really tight together, looks like a handy drill or for very light milling, i seem to spend more time with plastics these days, ideal for that i suppose
Mark

[madwilliamflint]

I might not know nuthin about nuthin. But for 600, that's a steal if it turns on.

[Peter S]

The mill looks to have very limited cross travel (Y-axis), although the photo may be deceiving me.

Hold out for a real turret mill IMO.

[krutch]

For that price ya can't go wrong. If this is your first mill, get ready to want one larger. But still a good first machine. My brother would want that one for the little mill work he does. Mostly slotting holes and such.
If nothing else a good trading machine. Looks clean and not abused.

[Rex]

Hopefully you have it home already

[rklopp]

I like it, but it depends on your use and skill level.
M-heads chatter when used with a boring head,
so forget using one with this mill.
Fly cutters and shell cutters limited to 1-1/4".

-Doozer

Bull. I used to use a 2" boring head with my M-head "Clausport" a lot, and could avoid chatter if I set and fed the tool properly. Same as using a boring head in any mill. The most limber part is the tool, not the M-head spindle.

[astroracer]

Hey guys, I am still working on getting this thing home. Should happen in the next few days. The two biggest issues were moving the thing and having a way to get it 45 miles from his shop to mine. Both issues have been resolved so now I am just trying to hook up with a friend who has a big lowboy car trailer.
I have been pretty busy this summer with other projects and the PO wasn't in a big yank to move it so it hasn't been a big deal but I have some work I can do on it now and need to get it set up.
Does anyone have any B&S #7 taper tooling they could/want/need to part with? Just looking for basic end mill holders and what not at the moment.
Thanks
Mark

[Oldguy]

Did a quick search on eBay and came up with these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-7-PC-BROWN-SHARPE-7-COLLET-SET-/141200126096?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20e02ef090

http://www.ebay.com/itm/B-S-Brown-Sharpe-7-Taper-Round-Collet-3-8-Inch-New-/231161984927?pt=BI_Tool_Work_Holding&hash=item35d253f79f

http://www.ebay.com/itm/B-S-Brown-Sharpe-7-Taper-Round-Collet-1-4-Inch-/231238741322?pt=BI_Tool_Work_Holding&hash=item35d6e72d4a

http://www.ebay.com/itm/B-S-Brown-Sharpe-7-Taper-Round-Collet-1-2-New-/351130843486?pt=BI_Tool_Work_Holding&hash=item51c107795e

Happy hunting and enjoy your new mill.

Glenn

[Old Hat]

Excellant! So glad you bought it. Be carefull with moving it!
Remember to that some help isn't help. I have two good friends
that I take great pains to avoid when moving machinery.

Lastly it's got real potencial and you can get past some of the limitations
mentioned above with a few tips. Keep your eyes open for a DRO for it.

=============
Expand it's foot~print one way or another.
Lag-bolt it to a heavy pallet (skid) or similar method.

I'd like to see the right hand side O' the table and the knee a little closer!

[astroracer]

Thanks guys! Yea I have eBay tagged for this stuff so I am keeping an eye out there.
To move this thing I bought a pallet jack at a yard sale for $95... It lifts the mill very easily and rolls it around just fine. The jack is wider then the mill base so there is no overhang. I'll get pics while moving it. I am hoping today is the day. A friend has a very low twin axle car trailer with a tilt bed so loading and unloading shouldn't be to bad.
Mark

[Old Hat]

A separate line (rope) attached low on a machine and brought (taken) also low
to some secure object and taken one wrap around said object and the slack
kept out by an independant helper is one of the tennants of safe machinery moving.
This line is used to "brake" any unintended movement
should the men moving a machine loose controll of it.

It's called a tag-line by some, althO' tag-line to me is a line that one uses
to guide or rotationally restrain a load that is be-ing craned overhead.

[J Tiers]

Mill looks perfectly usable....

Could indeed have limited cross travel, because as a horizontal, it wouldn't NEED a lot.... you put the cutter where the cut is.... So move the ram to where the cut is..... it has enough table that you should in general be able to set the long cuts along the table.

But it's not much worse for that, if it's even true, and $600 for a working vertical mill is not bad at all... think of what crap you would get from jet or Griz or HF for that.

No matter what the machine, there will ALWAYS be someone who will "kindly" warn you about the problems it has.... so the best advice is to see if YOU like the machine... and buy it if so. Looks like you did, good on you for that.

[B
Remember to that some help isn't help. I have two good friends
that I take great pains to avoid when moving machinery.

LOL!

Yeah..... two types of folks I avoid....

1) the "let's git it done!" guys who rush, do things that shouldn't be done just to save a few seconds, and are always where you don't think they are.... so you have to watch them like a hawk for their own good.

2) the opposite ones.... "I think it would be a lot better if we used this other plan" (that requires things we don't have and can't get until next week), they are never in there helping, but have a lot to say.