On Wed, 11 May 2011 18:01:05 -0400, Ecnerwal
wrote:


I also don't know what I don't know about looking at a Bridgeport, to
some extent. I guess it has the dovetail ram, which is a good thing, as
I understand it. I've done a lot more with lathes than mills, but I'm
looking to add either a mill or a shaper to the line-up, and shapers are
few, far between, and really hard to move if they are big enough to do
much work.

http://images.craigslist.org/3m23p53...2a14c31bd3.jpg
http://images.craigslist.org/3m83o73...90f4341445.jpg
http://images.craigslist.org/3kb3o03...59755e19a6.jpg

Anything good, bad, indifferent, useful, sucky about the mills in the
pictures you can tell from the pictures would be helpful. Where to look
and what to check for (I guess I know that scraping patterns worn away
indicate bed wear, but I'm really limited on "common problems of the
Bridgeport to look out for"

Crank the table X and Y to the center position..and then engage the
lock just a smidge..just so you can feel each axis dragging..and then
crank both in and out..and all the way to the left and the right

If either gets noticably harder as you go towards the end of the
travel...you have significant way wear.

Its not a deal breaker...but a heads up.

Look at the dials on the cranks. Turn one way until the table moves.
Then turn the opposite direction until the table again moves. This
indicates how much wear there is on the screw and nuts...the
difference between the two numbers....Id think hard about spending
very much money on a mill that had more than about 60 thous backlash
in either axis. Its not...not..not a deal braker...just something to
be aware of .

How much?

Gunner

Whenever a Liberal utters the term "Common Sense approach"....grab your
wallet, your ass, and your guns because the sombitch is about to do
something damned nasty to all three of them.