Bridgeport impeccably maintained for sale.

BillsFriend · Jul 12, 2022

I had a engineer that wanted to build AR parts and I was interested. My machine operator friend came from a gifted family of machine operators and owned Stanley tools. I of course found a retired machinist with the bent fingers and stories of being recalled back to serve his country during the first gulf war as he and his other old guy buddy were the only ones left that remembered and made the 50 cal and Ma duece belt feeders! Can’t make this up, to buy a Bridgeport from. He had a new motor rebuilt and did all the gearing and made it perfect for retirement until his friend died leaving him a computerised mill. He sold me this working mill and is now retired from most things unfortunately do to health. My engineer got accepted to PHD program at University of Chicago and has no free time. Lastly my operator fell off the wagon sadly so it’s time to sell the mill. It’s located outside of Chicago.

What do you guys think the value is. There are extras shown. Cash only. Nothing under $2,500 to even look I thought. Have a tow company that can make the move for extra price.

Please let me know what’s fair!

Email me at [email protected]

Garwood · Jul 12, 2022

I bought a Bridgeport just like that from a machinery dealer when I started out. I think I paid $1800 for it around 2004. Buy did I get fucked hard. I didn't know what I was looking at or what features make these valuable.

What you have there is a Bridgeport base with a Taiwan head on it. No digitals and no powerfeed. You don't show the ways, but most Bridgeports that old are far from tight unless they've been gone through. The fact the head has been completely replaced suggests it's been heavily used.

IMO, that machine in OKish shape with cheap DRO and powerfeed is worth $2500 if you can load it. If the ways or screws are rough then it's worth what the bare head would sell for.

On a good note, there's lots of people out there who have no clue what they're looking at like I didn't when I bought my first one. Maybe you'll find one of those guys.

jaguar36 · Jul 12, 2022

Garwood said:
I bought a Bridgeport just like that from a machinery dealer when I started out. I think I paid $1800 for it around 2004. Buy did I get fucked hard. I didn't know what I was looking at or what features make these valuable.

I think alot of us were like that for our first machine. I know I was, although luckily I didn't get screwed.

Bridgeport prices are highly variable by location, but that would be a very high price for a hodgepodge of a machine with nothing but a set of collets.

Overland · Jul 12, 2022

Where is it ?

DDoug · Jul 13, 2022

Overland said:
Where is it ?

OP listed location as "Illinois"...however reading thru that pile of steaming ------ gives no indication where the actual machine may reside. :crazy:

If the machine is in such good shape, try some pix where you FOCUS the camera.

jaguar36 · Jul 13, 2022

DDoug said:
OP listed location as "Illinois"...however reading thru that pile of steaming ------ gives no indication where the actual machine may reside.

BillsFriend said:
It’s located outside of Chicago.

DDoug · Jul 13, 2022

Good catch, I wandered off after the first paragraph of nonsensical bloviating, that was not relating to the machine offered.

SIP6A · Jul 13, 2022

BillsFriend said:
Please let me know what’s fair!

Maybe $800.00, It's a 60 year old Bridgeport with a cheap replacement head. And we can't see what surprises are under the table covers.

DDoug · Jul 13, 2022

Maybe Elvis piddled on it ?

eKretz · Jul 13, 2022

There's no way to give an accurate "what it's worth." Used stuff is worth what someone will pay for it and the seller will accept. The cheap replacement head really hurts your value though. For one data point, I picked up a Wells Index 847 several years ago for $800. It has a QC30 spindle, a larger table than yours (~12" × 46") and came with a working Mitutoyo DRO. And it too was just outside of Chicago. That was a really good deal.

metalmagpie · Jul 15, 2022

Dear OP: That is not a Bridgeport mill. It is a worn machine of Taiwanese manufacture, and it comes with almost zero tooling. Normally I'd say any mill is worth $1500 but this one is more like $1200.

Toolmaker51 · Dec 23, 2022

DDoug said:
OP listed location as "Illinois"....
If the machine is in such good shape, try some pix where you FOCUS the camera.

I'm not judging camera work as much the sincerity of seller. Who puts up an ad without proofing the result? Focus is primary effect needed to vend an item. Sometimes its visible fingerprints on lens. Wow. So much for QA.
If I want pics, phone will do. When GOOD pics are called for, use a camera!

metal-ica · Dec 23, 2022

"impeccably maintained" for 61 years

Toolmaker51 · Dec 23, 2022

"Impeccably maintained" is possible but infrequent. All depends on if who bought it at least directs care taken, in direct proportion to how hard they worked to buy it.
A favorite quote is of Henry Ford; he said something akin with "...if you need a machine and do not buy it, you'll wind up paying for it."

cyanidekid · Dec 25, 2022

just a little advice, take photos of the most worn area of the ways (phone camera is more than good enough if its a recent device, they have gotten really good), and describe the item(s) accurately, for this crowd that's mandatory.

Garwood · Dec 25, 2022

cyanidekid said:
just a little advice, take photos of the most worn area of the ways (phone camera is more than good enough if its a recent device, they have gotten really good), and describe the item(s) accurately, for this crowd that's mandatory.

Phone cameras still suck. The software that makes your fake phone image look like a picture has gotten better.

DSLR takes real pictures.

jccaclimber · Dec 25, 2022

Garwood said:
Phone cameras still suck. The software that makes your fake phone image look like a picture has gotten better.

DSLR takes real pictures.

My aunt who is retired from a successful career as a full time photographer will disagree with you. Her opinion is that today’s year old good phones are near equivalent to consumer grade DSLR stuff from a decade ago for most practical purposes.
I can’t do the same thing with my 3 year old iphone that I can with my $30k Leica microscope, but I certainly take pictures that far exceed the needs of the OP if I wipe the smudges off the lens, turn the room lights on, and focus the picture.

Garwood · Dec 25, 2022

jccaclimber said:
My aunt who is retired from a successful career as a full time photographer will disagree with you. Her opinion is that today’s year old good phones are near equivalent to consumer grade DSLR stuff from a decade ago for most practical purposes.
I can’t do the same thing with my 3 year old iphone that I can with my $30k Leica microscope, but I certainly take pictures that far exceed the needs of the OP if I wipe the smudges off the lens, turn the room lights on, and focus the picture.

And how does your phone's camera focus that picture?

I'm not a photographer. I'm not a camera expert. I didn't think it mattered until about a year ago when I had a problem taking pictures with a higher end phone camera. I bought an entry level $1000 Nikon DSLR because I had to. I already had fancy studio lights.

Yes, op could take pictures to sell a Bridgeport with his phone, but my experience is a nice phone is still not much of a substitute for a real camera with a lens.

john.k · Dec 25, 2022

Dont laugh...millenials wont buy without a long story.......locally ,a 20" shaper sold for $5,500 with a story that would take a non millenial a year to read .....and the killer ......Vice is $500 extra "if you want it"

jccaclimber · Dec 25, 2022

Garwood said:
And how does your phone's camera focus that picture?
<snip>

Quite well. I touch the part of my screen I want in focus, it auto focuses, and then I take the picture. Not dissimilar from centering the image on the area of interest and doing a half press on the shutter button of a DSLR*.

The one thing my cell phone doesn’t do well is an equivalent for changing aperture size to adjust depth of field, but a $5 paid app fixes that. I hear the newer multi camera models can do this already.

*My DSLR actually doesn’t auto focus worth a darn, but that’s because the band pass filter has been replaced to allow it to see near IR. Not at all Canon’s fault.

Bridgeport impeccably maintained for sale.

Plastic

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