Bridgeport Vise Repair Advice?

I have one of those 6" Bridgeport vises and it is really stout! The nut damage probably happened by hammering on the handle. Don't do it! I was able to get my vise nicely fitted so the movable jaw cannot rise more than .0005". I have used Kurt vises, and they are nice, but I like my rebuilt Bridgeport vise better. It looked like scrap metal when I got it, but it was really an easy project, uses box ways like a heavy milling machine.
 
OK, good progress made. I put the jaw in my mill vise and used a 3/4" roughing mill to make an "X" pattern in the bushing so that the walls were thin enough to split with a bushing splitter punch. Once the bushing was removed in two pieces, the retainer pin was plainly visible, and could be easily driven out from the inside. It's a blind pin, so there is no other practical way I can think of to remove it. You couldn't see it at all. Like Billh50 mentioned, they drove it in before machining the final surface. :grin:

The casting ID for the bushing is 1.250", and the pin is .125". I've done quite a bit of internal threading, so I thought it would be fun to grind up an Acme thread cutter tool and give it a go, but the biggest piece of brass or bearing bronze I have is 1.000". I have some ground/polished 1.250" 1018 steel rod, but the old one was brass, so it's probably a good idea to stay with brass for the new one. :(

The brass bushing from McMaster-Carr is ~$15 plus shipping. The OD of the new bushing is listed as 1.253". Almost sounds like it was made for this project. I'm thinking I will freeze the bushing and warm up the jaw before pressing the new bushing in. Then just drill and press in a new retainer pin.

Although the new bushing is not installed yet, it seems like removing the old one would be the more challenging part of the repair. It will probably be Tuesday or Wednesday before I get my new bushing with the holiday weekend and all. Wish I had some 1.250 brass round stock to play with in the meantime :cool 2:

GG
 
Bob Korves said:
I have one of those 6" Bridgeport vises and it is really stout!.............
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Dad brought home a broken Bridgeport vise in my younger years, long before Kurt vises came around. It was broken off at the end where the handle end was. Buba must have been around when more force was needed to tighten down what was being held because it was moving in the jaws. Well, I took three 1/2" socket head cap screws and carefully located and placed the screws to give it maximum support to hold the front end of that vise together. We used that vise for several years thereafter until a Kurt vise was purchased to replace it. They are rugged and tough!!!
 
Ooops, I forgot to post the update. Got the new Acme cylinder nut. I ordered a 7/8"-6 brass RH thread, but it turns out I needed a LH thread instead. No problem, they are exactly the same price, $13.58. Turns out that McMaster-Carr is only an hour away from me (I didn't even know!?!), so I drove down for a quick exchange and we're good to go.

Threaded the nut onto the lead screw from the vise and chucked it up in the lathe. Turned the OD of the nut down from 1.500" to 1.250". It was exactly the right length. I pressed in the nut, and drilled the .125" hole for the retainer pin. Pressed in the pin, and we're done! It works great, and replacing the threaded insert isn't a bad job at all. As I thought, getting the old nut out is the harder part.

Thanks to projectnut for the link to McMaster-Carr. That was definitely the right choice for this job. I don't think I could have bought raw brass stock for what the nut cost. If I had some 1.250"+ brass rod laying around, I would definitely have given it a try, but the biggest piece of brass I own is only 1.000". Maybe next time.

GG
 
4gsr said:
Dad brought home a broken Bridgeport vise in my younger years, long before Kurt vises came around. It was broken off at the end where the handle end was. Buba must have been around when more force was needed to tighten down what was being held because it was moving in the jaws. Well, I took three 1/2" socket head cap screws and carefully located and placed the screws to give it maximum support to hold the front end of that vise together. We used that vise for several years thereafter until a Kurt vise was purchased to replace it. They are rugged and tough!!!
Click to expand...
Too many Bubbas out there. Any time you get an urge to really gronk down hard on a vise, or hit the handle with a hammer, it is time to reconsider your setup. Save and preserve your valuable tools, there is always another way to complete the job, especially if you are a hobby machinist and there is no boss looking at his watch nervously.
 
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