On Tuesday, April 14, 2015 at 4:11:50 PM UTC-7, wrote:
I bought my Bridgeport mill new in 1981. Today I just finished power
tapping a bunch of 5/16-18 through holes in .5 thick 7075 aluminum.
With the mill in low range at 250 RPM. I just put the tap in the drill
chuck, turn the spindle on forward till the tap is through and then
plug reverse the motor and back the tap out. I can't even begin to
count how many holes I have tapped this way on this machine. I have
never overheated the motor or switch gear and they are still original.
The motor has the "tropical insulation" in it so I guess that means it
can stand hot humid running. I don't know if a new Bridgeport today
would hold up as well, I hope they would. I do know of more than one
import mill that has cooked a motor and/or the switch gear.
Eric

I'm always amazed when people rave over a Bridgeport. It means they have no idea what modern CNC machine tools are capable of and they are completely out of touch with the reality of how machining is done today.