Bridgeport Availability In Your Part Of This Country

In our area things are quite dry, but great deals can still be found, for the people who never quit.
 
I appreciate what Janderso says. I do not know what it's like away from the West Coast. I just observe that at any given time, there are maybe 3 mills available in the Northern California area. That could be small compared to elsewhere, I can't say.
 
Pretty slim pickings in Colorado. There are always a couple of decent but expensive mills available, but you generally have to be patient to find a good deal. I found one after looking on and off for about 2 years. I'd actually given up on a BP or clone and had a Brown and Sharpe vertical. I went to look at a surface grinder and one of the machines being sold was a 60's j-head with a slottting head, power feed and a bunch of tooling for $2250. I didn't waste any time and pulled out cash. Aside from the dirt, surface rust and grease pumped into the way oilers, it is a nearly unused mill. Cleaned up to like new condition with only a few hazy areas on the table from the rust. I got pretty lucky.
 
How about some pics of that beauty Mr. Quattro.
 
Here in North Dakota there are nearly none for sale. I can think of only 4 listed for sale that I know of in the last couple years. We need to go to either Minneapolis or Denver to find anything (600 to 700 miles one way). I got my clone out of Denver. Mill had almost no use (likely less than 50 hours) with X power feed and came with many collets, 2 vises (one import, one Kurt), boring heads (2 and 3), rotory table, end mill holders, and a few other things all in a large cabinet. Had to pay $4500 with tax and everything, but I am very happy with the mill. I also know of another mill in the area that recently came from Denver.
 
$4,500 for what you got is certainly a fair deal in my mind.
Clearly the manufacturing hubs in the 1970's is where the bulk of these old mills seem to be.
 
Hi Janderso. The supply is kind of tight in the Bay Area, but not bad. Just keep an eye out, and steer clear of the fakes. There are some dealers out here too, who know the hobby market and don't jack up their prices. If you see a Craigslist ad which says "rare, very rare", the item is probably overpriced. I kind of find that people are image oriented around here, and a beater which is really solid deep down will sell for quite a bit less. There are also a lot of collectors who push up prices by buying and not using, as well as wannabe flippers. But, I really got a shock when a fellow blacksmith moved to east Oregon. It is totally dry out there. Everything is scarce and overpriced, and basically, Craigslist and Ebay are impossible. You just have to bide your time at farm auctions.

By the way, how's life in Paradise, CA? I know a few smiths who are looking that direction, but are a little concerned about the remoteness and the drug news. Is quality of life decent? If so, you can probably take a few lumps from lower machine tool availability like my friend in Oregon.
 
Well Eric, life is good in Paradise. My wife and I moved here in 1986 from Walnut Creek. We were neighbors you and I. Sunnyvale is just a hop, skip and a jump from Walnut Creek.
I keep checking Craigslist in the Sacramento area and the Bay Area. There are a few Bridgeports in California, nothing like Connecticut, Ohio, New York etc.
Richard King sent me the name of a re-grinding outfit down south. I may go that route on my worn table/saddle.
Patience is the golden rule as they say.
 
Any state that touches the Great Lakes will have good inventory of machinery. Along with the east coast. I have a bathroom book that talk about industry in late 18 early 1900's. Just about everything was made in Chicago it seems. Amazing how much and to drive through some areas that are abandoned still because the whole town worked for that huge factory.
 
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