Milling Machine Suggestions

[butchlambert]

I would caution you on a Bridgport. Just about every used one I have looked at had dips in the ways. You need to put a lot of work into them and need to have a lot of experience under your belt to get them back to 100%. If you are just a novice look at the Precision Matthews lines of Taiwan made mills.

Guess I was lucky with both of my mid 60s machine. I did replace the bronze leadscrew nuts when I first got them whether I needed them or not.

 

[pat fulghum]

. .... My lathe is a Taiwan built PM 1340 GT 3- phase with Dr Mark’s control board and I am extremely happy with it..

Who is Dr Mark?

 

[carlsbad]

When it comes time to buying replacement parts or aftermarket accessories, you'll wish you had a bridgeport. I had a leak in my garage roof a few years back. Didn't know it for a while. Had to replace the spindle bearings, the recoil spring on the quill feed, and several other parts. All were readily available on ebay and had them within a few days. While I had it apart I replaced the screw pin that holds the R8 tooling. Also easy to find. I also have a dorian right angle milling attachment that is handly and probably impossible to find for most other mills. --Jerry

 

[7mmmag]

Bridgeport is a benchmark where others are compared to but I do have a Cincinnati toolmaster with nmtb 40 that also is very good machine .

 

[INTJ]

Who is Dr Mark?

The MD that builds and sells the upgraded control board for the PM 1340GT.

https://www.hobby-machinist.com/thr...-vfd-control-system-build-with-a-twist.54752/

 

[Cloudrepair]

I would caution you on a Bridgport. Just about every used one I have looked at had dips in the ways. You need to put a lot of work into them and need to have a lot of experience under your belt to get them back to 100%. If you are just a novice look at the Precision Matthews lines of Taiwan made mills.

I think even if not a novice you would do good with a pm950v it isnt that much to move one of those around to avoid it. But that goes the same for a Bridge port in good shape if you can recognize good shape

 

[Cloudrepair]

I have worked with many different mills and love the bridports to but they all have issues.
In my own shop a tight Bridgeport wood be great but any good mill I can make it do the work I need however tight it needs be , now that all comes with time.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I want to do the dc motor conversion on my bridgeport. I ran one way back and i gotta have it

 

[Shrek]

I want to do the dc motor conversion on my bridgeport. I ran one way back and i gotta have it

What does the DC conversion do that a VFD doesn’t ?

 

[GenePoole]

What does the DC conversion do that a VFD doesn’t ?

More torque at lower RPMs.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Exactly^

 

[hpshooter]

AC motor designed to operate on 60cycle current losses torque quickly when the input frequency is lowered to reduce speed.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

AC motor designed to operate on 60cycle current losses torque quickly when the input frequency is lowered to reduce speed.

Its down in the single digit percentages at a lot of the frequencies unless its a motor made for a vfd- inverter duty- which a bridgeport motor is not. A dc motor with voltage control puts out 100% at 1v thru its rated voltage. All it takes is a speed control board, a pot, and 110v (or whatever your controls are set up for). Just another one of those internet fads gone viral like everything else i guess. Eating tide pods? Planking? Ice bucket challenge?

 

[Slickrick0999]

Well, taking everything into consideration including the wiring in the shop, we went with the Precision Mathews PM-30MV. Hopefully this will get us up and running when it and the lathe get here.
Thanks

 

[INTJ]

Good choice. I wound up replacing my 727V with an 833T. Within 2 hours of listing my 727V on Craigslist it sold.

I just got it set up—still have to tram it. I also had to build my own stand—PM was out of the ones for the 833. My stand came out well enough but I wound up spending more on steel than I would have had I bought one. Then again, mine is way sturdier.

I can get a measured 22” of X travel. That is just enough to inlet Alex’s LRB stock. The PM 30MV should work for that as well.