On Oct 22, 1:50*pm, "Pete C." wrote:
Jim Stewart wrote:

Vernon wrote:
As I research machine tools I'm seeing other names than "Bridgeport"
although this is the name that I routinely associate with "milling
machine".

Just where does this brand rate in the great poobah list of the best
milling machines, and why? *Is it the same old "buy what you can get
parts for in your neck of the woods"? Or there other, more esoteric
considerations?

Deckel seems to be the hands-down winner
for snob appeal. *Personally, I'm thankful
to be able to use anything with a knee.

Bridgeport is kind of the "Kleenex" of milling machines, common to the
point of becoming a generic term. A Bridgeport is a very good and
serviceable machine for a typical home shop. It is heavy, but not to the
point of being unmanageable for an average HSM'er and it uses (well,
most use) the very common and inexpensive R8 spindle taper.

Other machines are arguably superior in various ways, but those
advantages mostly applied to production use pre-CNC days and has little
relevance to a typical HSM'er. Other machines are more rigid, but this
also makes them much heavier and difficult to move. Other machines have
more power, but this makes issues like VFDs and phase converters more of
a problem and also typically moves them to other spindle tapers which
are considerably more expensive than the R8 equivalents.

Thanks for your most helpful and logically presented explanations.
Metinks me will not aspire to anything more grandiose than a
Bridgeport, if even that. V