Milling machines in California

This is a STEAL! Even needing motor work.

modesto.craigslist.org

Mill - tools - by owner - sale

Sharp milling machine needs motor rebuilt. No tooling. I have a forklift to load it. Call or text only. 209-681-eight 7 one 9 Ask for Dev
modesto.craigslist.org

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Yep! Better jump on that one! I would jump in my truck and buy that one sight unseen for parts alone, Most likely can be used though.
 
I understand you're looking for American iron, but FWIW, here's one data point for a Central California purchase. I bought a used Enco branded Mainland China BP clone off CL eight years ago in San Luis Obispo.

I bought the machine from a local machinist and machine shop owner who had bought it for his late father.

Yr 2000 model, 9X42, 2HP, 3 phase, step-less variable speed
3-Axis DRO, X-axis power feed
He threw in a 6" vise and an R-8 collet set

I paid $3,500 for it. Probably way too much, but the machine was in pristine condition, plus the seller seemed like a solid guy who obviously knew what he was selling. I looked up the machine in the 2012 Enco catalogue, and it listed for about $8500. I included one of the photos from the CL ad.

HTH, Bill


Steve Photo 2 (465).jpg
 
250 said:
This is the machine I went and looked at, and the inspiration for the thread. I didn't make him an offer that day, told him I needed to think about a couple things. Someone shot grease into all the oil zirks for the ways. I've learned subsequently that there are oil zirks out there so I can see how that error was made. Still means I'm looking at taking it apart to clean. There seemed to be a lot of play in the table feed, maybe half a crank or more, which I think was something like 0.100, and a noticeable gap would develop between the dial and the table. Don't know if its an adjustment issue or if its a worn parts issue. Didn't snap a pic of this unfortunately. Story is it didn't come out of a production environment, so that's good.
Click to expand...

He greased the knee, which doesn't move much, so that's probably not an issue. You can wash the grease out with oil and let the residue rinse out slowly with use, as long as chips aren't sticking to it, it won't cause problems.

The lead screw is worn to knife edges. Easy to replace and not horribly expensive, but adds to the cost. If one screw is worn, so is the other.

Backlash on the table on a vertical mill is NO PROBLEM 95% of the time. There is a lot of adjustment in those trapezoid nuts/anti-backlash nuts. If a trap nut is worn, they are also fairly and easily replaceable, but again add to the cost. How much backlash is acceptable is up to the operator on a manual machine. The heavier the machine, the more backlash compensation is available, and the better it works. So wear is an issue, but most of the time backlash can be removed using a 36" long cross tip screwdriver to reach past the left side handwheel and you can snug the screws.
 
pontiac428 said:
He greased the knee, which doesn't move much, so that's probably not an issue. You can wash the grease out with oil and let the residue rinse out slowly with use, as long as chips aren't sticking to it, it won't cause problems.

The lead screw is worn to knife edges. Easy to replace and not horribly expensive, but adds to the cost. If one screw is worn, so is the other.

Backlash on the table on a vertical mill is NO PROBLEM 95% of the time. There is a lot of adjustment in those trapezoid nuts/anti-backlash nuts. If a trap nut is worn, they are also fairly and easily replaceable, but again add to the cost. How much backlash is acceptable is up to the operator on a manual machine. The heavier the machine, the more backlash compensation is available, and the better it works. So wear is an issue, but most of the time backlash can be removed using a 36" long cross tip screwdriver to reach past the left side handwheel and you can snug the screws.
Click to expand...
The wear on the lead screw, that's where the screw changes color in the picture towards the right? Where might one source a new lead screw, besides potentially Wells/Index themselves? Looking at the parts breakdown, I see only one screw. Where is the other? Lifting the knee?
 
There will be a screw for each axis so three.

Having the maker still in business is a great benefit regardless of if they have the part or not. Leadscrews are usually Acme thread so many sources if you have a lathe and can duplicate whatever's at the ends.

John
 
I do have a lathe, but not a lot of time on it. Its not long enough to cut an entire shaft, but if you're saying I could buy one with the thread already cut and machine the ends as needed, that I could handle.
 
The lead screw pictured is in the table, that's the X axis. The other lead screw is in the knee and moves the Y axis. They are cut with an Acme thread profile. When new, the valley and the peak are the same width. When worn, the peaks narrow to razor blade edges. The nut wears along with the screw, so the difference you measure between the untouched threads on the ends and the worn threads in the middle can be roughly doubled (because the nut is worn too) to give you an idea of how much unconstrained slop that adds up to.

In my opinion/experience, if you can look at a lead screw with careful, calibrated eyes, and detect differences in the thread thickness of the lead screw along its wear path, then it's too much and should be replaced. In reality, what makes too much wear is up to the machine's owner.

I would only buy a lead screw from the manufacturer or surrogate under specific, probably adverse, conditions. Many Acme threaded screw stock sizes in English and metric are available from McMaster and other supply houses. Having one cut or ground to your spec is not a particularly expensive proposition either, and can be expected to cost less than sourcing a replacement in some cases. The way I've done it is to buy Acme threaded stock and turn the ends to match the original.

Your lead screw nuts can be replaced through good guy shops like H-M Machine. Anybody with the equipment and the gumption can reproduce those parts, and there is always a demand, so there are options. Even eBay sometimes. They are wear parts, so really as long as the material is right and the precision is reasonable, anything that fits will do. I haven't priced this stuff recently, but depending on which route you go, I'm pretty sure it can get done for $500 per axis, lead screws and nuts.

A decent primer for understanding what it takes to bring a mill up to snuff is this book. It will help you identify what you are looking at, and what it takes to correct:

A Guide to Renovating the Bridgeport "2J" Variable Speed Milling Machine: ILION Industrial Services LLC: 9781482367911: Amazon.com: Books

A Guide to Renovating the Bridgeport 2J Variable Speed Milling Machine [ILION Industrial Services LLC] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A Guide to Renovating the Bridgeport 2J Variable Speed Milling Machine
www.amazon.com
 
Is this type of wear pretty typical of machines in this price point? Less money on initial acquisition, more on repairs?

And going back a bit earlier in the thread, do dealers provide any sort of specifics when it comes to machine condition?

I know its a whole bunch of questions, just want everyone to know I appreciate the knowledge shared.
 
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