Bridgeport Resto

N8TheGreat

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Oct 16, 2015
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After purchasing my new milling machine through an online auction I went and picked up yesterday
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Rented a tilting flat bed trailer from the local tool rental store for cheap cheap cheap. the tilting option was amazing for unloading since I have nothing heavy duty enough to pick it up but we were able to slide it off the trailer and onto some pipe and wheeled it into the garage :)
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It needs a little work before its ready for work...but once done I am sure it will provide many years of service for me.
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Looks like a good start. Nice job getting it off of the trailer! :encourage:
 
Hi N8,

First, welcome to the site.
Second, congratulations on the new hardware! :encourage:

There are many knowledgeable Bridgeport owners here, you've found a great place for Q&A and camaraderie.

-brino
 
Thanks @brino and @JimDawson for the replies and warm welcomes. snooping around on this site for a bit now and I know there are a lot of knowledgeable people on here with wisdom and experience to share :) that's why i signed up!!

Couple questions to get me started....
1. mill did not come with a motor which is ok but i wish that is did even if it was in need of a rebuild...but that's besides the point. question is who has had good luck with substitutes? I plan on keeping it 3ph and it will be set up for VFD. even though this is a variable speed head originally. any one recommend a particular motor or even conversion to VFD if its out there for this.

2. To fully dismantle or not ... I am going to be cleaning it up A LOT and repainting but I am hesitant to take everything apart. should I clean it the best that I can AS IS and make it look pretty and operational or completely dissemble and clean and inspect all parts? what is the generally consensus? problem is I am very ... well ... lets just say anal, and I know that if I fully dissemble it will be out of commission until I know everything is better then when it came out of the factory which I know will add to the cost and significantly lengthen it rebuild time.

Thanks for any and all input!!!
 
It's really too bad that you didn't get it with the motor. The real problem is that there is a lot more hardware needed on the motor end for the vari-drive. You can get an import motor/vari-drive pulley assembly from Jet complete for about $950. It may not be a direct bolt on, but should be adaptable. I have no idea what a true BP motor assembly would cost. The motor is a special and has a long shaft for the vari-drive pulley assembly.

Another option might be to install a timing belt drive and eliminate the entire vari-drive system. That's what I'm going to do if my vari-drive fails. The VFD has enough range to cover the speeds needed. If I were going to do that, then a sensorless vector drive and an inverter rated motor would be in order. A 2 KW AC servo drive spindle system would be the top of the line.

If the machine is in generally good shape and has been properly lubricated then I would not do a complete tear down. Just clean things up a bit. You won't know about the condition of the head and spindle before you are able to power it up.
 
I just did a quick search on eBay and found 3 vari speed motors with the pulleys for around $400. And new for about $1000. I'd post links but I can't do that on my phone.

Just search for Bridgeport Motor.

Wish I could find one for my Kent mill for that price.
 
Thanks for the replies.
I do plan on running a VFD so I will need a motor that is inverter rated. I may be wrong but I don't believe stock motors will handle that.

So I will be disengaging the factory variable drive pulleys and running my own setup instead to work with new motor.
does anyone offer a pulley setup for this conversion? and what motor brand/size/mounting have people had good experience with?
 
You could run the stock motor on a VFD, but you won't have the speed/torque range that you would get with an inverter rated motor and a sensorless vector drive. There are two types of VFD, most are V/Hz type, the other type is sensorless vector. The latter is more expensive, but offer greater torque over a wider range.

I can't help with exactly what pulley arrangement to use.
 
As an example, the Hitachi WJ300 is a sensorless vector VFD. Cost me under $350 if I recall. There is a WJ200 also. I bought mine w/ a remote min-keypad. then you can mount it all, wire it, and have a keypad w a flip up lid or panel etc... On the low end, The ebay Hunyang's VFD for a 1 or 2 hP are something like 80-$100. If it were my Mill, I would go w/ a Sensorless Vector style on the mill. If it were a small grinder or something- then I would go low end VFD.

I also have a Varispeed Mill setup w/ a VFD on CNC. It does make a challange for setting the RPMs via software. If you find a keen way to get this setup for the drive train I'm all ears!!

Welcome and post away- I know I have and they are awesome here!!!!

On the clean out/up- Does it have a one-shot oil system? Aluminum or plastic tubing? Mine was all plugged w/ goo. Had to remobe them all. Soak and blow out w/ compressed air! To me- Making sure I get oil in key places was an area we spend time upon.

the table will have the usual adjustments. I likes this one as a Newb.

Electrical connections and disconnects. On my hobby mill w/ VFD I found wire post after wire terminal loose and barely screwed down. Check it over there.

When my mini mill blew up after 1 week I determined someone had put the lollipop disconnect across 1 leg of the 220 into the VFD in order to turn the VFD based machine on/off. Total no-no That is what blew up the cheap VFD . So I installed the WJ300 w/ the correct make/break setups to power that mill on/off.

Jim D. turned my onto Automation Direct. LOVE those guys! They also have a student discount typically! find a way there if you can. a .edu email if I recall.

there are a lot of motors out there. I learned a ton about them from sites. I liked this article.
http://ecmweb.com/design/mating-new-variable-frequency-drives-existing-motors

There is also a large motor reuse/New Old Stock up in Lansing or Saginaw if I recall. Lots of good deals there. I'll see if I can fine the URL.

btw/ I grew up in Westland. Venoy and Warran rds. long time ago!
 
There is a good chance that on Saturday I will have a timing belt drive in my hot little hand. I'll post pictures if it happens.
 
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