Decisions,decisions

[getrdun]

can i ask you people, what are the key things to look for when shopping for a bridgeport mill? (i know price is one thing.) i say bridgeport because it seems that repair parts are easy to come by, should there be a need.
i've run these before in many places but never gave thought to what i'd want in a home shop. i'm looking at this as a hobby and some jobbing here and there. thanks for any help. be well all

[macona]

Something that does not have the Bridgeport logo!

A banana bed is one thing. If you can still se scraping in the ways its a good thing, if the scraping is original...

Dont pin yourself on the Bridgeport brand. Bridgeport is the Kleenex of milling machines. There are a lot of good alternatives out there. My Supermax is a very good machine and parts are very reasonable and usually in stock. Also Index, Lagun, etc...

[squirrel]

It depends on how you like things, myself I get very frustrated when working with crap. I don't like holding my tongue in a specific location in hopes of the machine working properly. For many years I bought used this and that, VMC's, Turning centers, Hand crank mills. The first new machine was about 3 years ago and the VMC last year, man it is like nite and day. We make better parts with greater accuracy and less playing around, my blood pressure dropped about 30 points!!!! Get off the moldy money and buy a new one, you can get a good deal on the imports with a DRO for about twice the price of a used Bridgeport with an old DRO. One last thing, try to buy a machine with box ways, something like a Lagun or Chevalier. Dovetails were fine 50 years ago but the box way is a more rigid setup so your surface finish will be better and with tighter tolerances.

[TDmaker01]

macona is exactly correct in saying a bridgeport is exactly like kleenex. Imo i would actually stay away from a used bridgeport, although parts are an abundance i feel there arent many out there in good enough condition that anyone would be willing to part with. Ask around and you will not find many people who have seen or even heard of a bridgeport that was bought new in the last 15-20 years. a real good used bridgeport will be costly. ones you find for $2500 might be alright in a fab shop doing the odd bit of machining but more than likley not any good for precision work. I would be looking for a newer First, Maximart, Tech Leader, Jet, or even a brand new machine from KBC.

Personally I like XLO, canadian built heavy machines, not many around any more but i would take an old beatup xlo over a bridgeport any day

im not trying to start a pissing match, there are exceptions to what i said of course but its my 2c

[Toolguy]

Bridgy Copy

Check out the BP copy at Penn Tool. Comes with power feed and DRO for about $6000 brand new.

[squirrel]

A KBC tools sale flyer just arrived today and they have a nice machine with DRO for around $5000.