What's this Bridgeport worth?

[tjb]

I have an opportunity to get a brand new '80's vintage Bridgeport milling machine. No, really. 'Brand new'. It's still sitting on its shipping pallet in the original purchaser's controlled environment warehouse and has never even been plugged in. Doesn't even have a plug on the end of the wire. The owner said it is equipped with a 2HP motor. That's a bit of a curiosity to me - I would have thought 3HP, but that's a guess on my part.

But there's a catch (duh). It was originally purchased with a 'tracer attachment' that is still on the machine. I'm not totally certain what that is other than to know that it's evidently obsolete. I've been told it was a pre-computer/electronic option that allowed for assembly-line style milling repeatability.

So here are the questions.
1. How difficult is it to remove the taper attachment? And will it be necessary to procure anything to reattach in order for the machine to be operational?
2. What's it worth? It's 'new' - literally; but it's also old. And a gamble. The guy has a good reputation, but after sitting that long, who knows if the motor is any good. Not to mention that quite literally ALL peripherals will need to be added - DRO, power feeds, etc.

Would love some input from some of our seasoned veterans.

Regards

 

[Richard King 2]

If someone gave me that machine I would say NO. That's a Hydraulic tracer mill and as you said the parts are not around anymore. I never heard anyone say anything good about them when they were new. Always were broken down. The head does not tip in both directions. To me the value is zero. If your thinking of buying it as is. $500.00 worth of pain I would say. Keep looking for a regular knee mill.

 

[tjb]

That's the kind of thing I need to hear. THANKS, Richard.

Regards

 

[sdelivery]

Ok, first it isn't garbage.
The Tracer attachment allowed an operator to use a template to make identical features.
The base casting is the same ,the knee changed, the table is convertible back to a non tracer machine.
The head is the same but the swivel was changed out for the heavy pattern mount.
2 HP was the standard motor on the Bridgeport head.
It can still be run in a non tracer function but is not as user friendly.
This would be a great deal up to 1000.00 providing it truly is NEW

 

[sdelivery]

How much can you buy a NEW Bridgeport head for?
How much is a NEW Bridgeport motor cost?
The base(colume) with the upper vee way mounting and ram are the same. The condition of the iron alone makes this machine valuable.
Consider having to recondition the way surfaces on a old machines cost.
Now, is it a plug and play Bridgeport your going to cut with tomorrow?
that depends on what your expectations are.
The Tracer attachment uses
hydraulics to move the slides so that X&Y movements could be performed simultaneously, this is the same idea that has been used for lathes.

 

[tjb]

I've spent quite a bit of time building street rods out of old cars and trucks that many people would have considered 'garbage'. Clearly, it can be done, but there are qualifiers:
1. You need to know what you're looking at. What looks like 'junk' may actually be junk, but if properly evaluated could be a gem.
2. When you get in to something like that, you need to know what you're doing. It's a lot of work and will take a long time to get it the way you want it, and you need the ability to evaluate and visualize that in advance. It's not for the faint-hearted.
3. Be ready to spend a pretty good bit of money. Hobbies like that are not cheap.

Bottom line, the challenges with this Bridgeport don't sound to be too terribly different. I've been in the guts of the few mills and lathes that I've owned, but by no means am I an expert on these types of machines. Sounds like the best thing for me to do is pass.

Thanks to both you guys for what I anticipated would be the case.

Regards

 

[projectnut]

Personally if I needed another mill and it was in the $1,000.00 category or less, I'd take a chance. That being said I would like to see it run before purchasing it. In all likelihood as Richard said the tracer function is inoperable. We had one in the shop and it was a PITA to use as a tracer. We did eventually remove the tracer components and run it as a manual machine.

It won't be cheap to convert. It appears to have a 48" or possibly longer table. It will need new X and Y control end caps, handles and bearings, along with some modifications to allow the head to nod. I would expect the conversion time to be in the 3-to-6-month period if you're working on it as a hobby.

I would contact the people at H&W Machine Repair to get an estimate of what parts for the project would cost. They have many years of experience with these machines and would be more than happy to give you a hand.

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On the upside it looks like it's been setting for a while so the owner would probably let it go for minimal dollars. On the downside the tracer probably doesn't work and there's a lot of extra baggage and weight with the hydraulics and tracer mechanism. Your choice, but it will probably be a time consuming although rewarding project should you take it on.

 

[Cadillac]

If you can find a donar for all the bits you’ll need to convert it go for it. Lowball the offer to cover yourself. If it’s brand new it’s got some value but will need some work to be useful.

 

[Dabbler]

@tjb This machine is a very good deal. You can easily remove the X and Y hydraulics and put manual handles on them. The motor will be fine. They don't 'wear out' when never powered up. The Z is a little more complicated, but not out of reach of a skilled hobbyist.

Where else can you get original flaked ways, and the HD head? These things are like hen's teeth - very hard to find.

I would buy it in a heartbeat and remove the tracer - not because it is obsolete - hey people still use shapers - but because for a hobby it is in the way of hobby fun. I've set up a hydraulic tracer when at a truss plant, and it is not worth salvaging that part. The conversion back to a manual machine is way easier than rebuilding a machine from scratch.

P.S. a 2HP was standard for the J head model.

- I'd offer 1000 with the comment that I'd have to buy parts to make it into a manual mill again, as no one will want to use a hydraulic tracer. I'd go as high as 1500 - you will need to buy about 500 in parts from HW machine repair - thay have all the parts you need. If you are lazy, send it to them for the refit. (but I have no idea about their labour costs).

 

[graham-xrf]

+1 with @Dabbler here.
If the machine has simply sat there all this time, you still have a bundle of unworn precision machinery. It will have gummed up as fluids evaporated, but that can be cleaned up, flushed, wiped off, replaced, whatever. Motors are made of fundamental stuff. iron, copper, and insulation. There is not a whole lot that can deteriorate other than maybe a capacitor on a single phase motor.