Bridgeport Variable Speed Head Top-Half Dissasembly

This video shows you how to tear apart the top half of your Bridgeport head to make required repairs.

[@Tripp23]

Because of this channel I completely over hauled our barely used ‘73 Bridgeport. I never knew I would have such interest in restoring machines like this. Thank you H&W!

[@bfflorida2311]

Finally real repair shop video ...cut the chase...no fancy talk or tools, just pure knowledge and experience...awesome job !!!

[@angargoy7181]

The bridgeport milling machine is one of the best machines for manufacturing precision parts. I was working for many years when I was young with an equal and when I watch the video I remember those times. Greetings from Spain

[@thaiexodus2916]

Outstanding instructional video. Terse, concise and to the point. No 15 minutes explaining what a screw driver is and how to use an open end wrench like nearly all the overly talkative videos show.

[@HWMachRepair]

Thank you. We like to believe that most people are somewhat familiar with the basics before starting a project like this!

[@rossnesbitt972]

I need to thank you for creating these videos. With these I was able to breakdown and repair the bushings and bearings my own 2j head. I did need to buy a new motor pulley unit as my one was an old type and the new bushings didn't fit. Because of your work, the whole process was so simple and far easier than I anticipated. It also allowed my to better understand the machine and I feel a lot more confident in using her now. Keep up the amazing work!

[@reynaldogarza2579]

Thank you very much Barry! I disassembled my Bridgeport top half and I’m in the process of putting it back together with new parts from your company. Everything has gone smoothly thanks to you videos. Keep posting your videos. Thank you. -Rey

[@jhueth3969]

Awesome video. I ordered your rebuild kit to rebuild a Prototrak head. I’ve rebuilt quite a few machines but having this video makes it so much faster. Will definitely be ordering from you again.

[@DavidHerscher]

this entire video series is freaking excellent

[@slip0n0fall]

Finally some real rebuild videos, not just "never taken one of these apart before let's just pull things off and degrease them"

[@SAULSAAVEDRA]

Men, you really know what you're doing, a very helpful video, thank you for your dedication and for passing your knowledge and experience. It's greatly appreciated.

[@Rubberroger]

Thank you Barry and H&W. I use a series 1 two HP and I'm pretty sure the brake shoes are on their last legs. When tightening collets I really have to swing on the brake lever to hold the spindle! I could not imagine doing the teardown to get to them without first seeing how it's done. Excellent tutorial, no mess, no fuss. Thanks again form the U.K.

[@hectorcasas2113]

Thank you Very Much for your Help. Placing an order with some parts to reassemble my machine.

[@Rx7man]

I've watched at least a dozen of these vids now, and if I haven't learned anything else, it's that "Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it ain't"

[@pb68slab18]

Shout out to H&W! They are THE place for any info , problems or parts you need for your genuine Bridgeport mill! From their rebuild kits with high-quality parts , belts and bearings w/diagrams and step by step instructions , to Barry's excellent step by step instruction videos. We bought 2 top end kits and the videos here made the rebuilding so simple. We didn't realize one of our machines was a 1 1/2hp and the other a 2hp. No problem! A very pleasant phone call to Debbie(?) got the different parts explained and exchanged.

[@Jondamnit]

Excellent idea to post the part numbers at each section..! Kudos!

[@eddies6669]

My Master !!! subscribed , a real repair, not some selfie dud just talking about how much he knowss,, this is just to the point. fianlly , thanks

[@Chromevulcan]

I love how "the old fashioned way" always involve a prybar and/or hammer.

[@daylightintheswamp9315]

amazing instructional video. obvious years of experience and mastery of your trade Thanks you from Seattle.

[@CNCJoeFromRomeo]

Thank You for the great videos. I will definitely be re-watching as I rebuild my Bridgeport - and when I need replacement parts- H&W will be first on my list when I go shopping.

[@Technica_IO]

Nice job man, that looks like many years of experience talking!

[@dingorun1]

Another fantastic video from H & W Repair Shop! I know where I’ll be going for parts on my Bridgeport! Thanks Barry!

[@rafihussain]

Best job ever. Great technology u ppl had got. CV belt in cars these days. U got that years back. Far West invent n build. Near east copy n earn n enjoy.

[@mauriciorivera8877]

Master gracias por tus enseñanzas saludos desde Colombia

[@roberthaldeman5312]

Excellent video very helpful

[@riversvic]

I have an Index Mill with your guys sticker on it, neat to find you guys on KZbin!

[@joshkroman7810]

Fantastic, informative videos! I just bought a 1968 with J head and will likely be collecting receipts from you guys fairly soon!

[@MursePetty]

Excellent video! If you guys ever get an Excello 602 in the shop I would love to see a video like this about it. I'm having a hell of a time working on mine.

[@roberthill8614]

Excellent! Helped a lot!

[@Lakesidearmorer]

Thanks for the VERY informative class. Fingers crossed I don't have to get into mine.

[@larrymatsumoto7730]

Great video I'll be talking my mill apart l heard a snap and something broke and now the spindles not turning I hope it's as easy as you do it.

[@beccaw5900]

Thank you for doing this video just helped me replace a belt on an xyz 1500 mill in the uk 👍🙏

[@aaronholstrom1971]

Great video full of good info. Thanks!

[@JourneymanRandy]

well done. Thanks for your great video

[@user-dw3kt4sn7c]

thank you for sharing this. it's help me a lot to be a technician

[@pearcemachineshop5200]

Thanks very much for that I'll have a think and decide what to do. Cheers Alan.

[@joecnc3341]

Great video! Thank you for sharing the info on all of these segments -it will help me immensely when I rebuild my mill I like your assistant's tattoo - Mr Scissor hands.. LOL

[@mikelaffosse3233]

From henceforth you shall be known as Dr. Bridgeport

[@ront8270]

I love your videos

[@jeffflanagan2814]

@H&W Machine Awesome video! Very much appreciate the knowledge!

[@ajfisher2136]

Great video, thank you

[@ke6bnl]

great job very helpful even though I only have a non variable speed.

[@bill5138]

Great video! Thank you very much!

[@thebrisbanebennetts]

Kick ass video guys. Love it.

[@russtuff]

I'm happy to find this. I just bought a Bridgeport and it makes a clunking noise near the bottom of the motor (bad bearing I assume).

[@HWMachRepair]

There isn't a bearing at the bottom of the motor, so you wont have to worry about checking that. Usually with clunking coming from the motor area its because the bushings need to be changed out on the Adjustable Vari-Disc. You will have to take the disc off of the shaft to check it. We do have a video with directions on how to change the bushings. If you want to call and talk it over with a tech you can give us a call: 1-800-285-5271

[@russtuff]

@@HWMachRepair Thanks for the info, I'll definitely check out your video. You can hear the sound mine is making at the end of kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKKcaWuBe9tga6s if you're curious.

[@HWMachRepair]

@@russtuff I had Barry listen to it. he says if the noise is the same in both high and low it's most likely the disc. Great find for $750.

[@russtuff]

@@HWMachRepair Thanks!

[@C_HILL_OUT]

I have a 1978 Bridgeport that I believe the top end is locked up. What if I can’t get it turned down to the lowest speed before disassembly?

[@gordonagent7037]

Barry, have to ask if you did a video on the rebuild on this head, Cheers

[@Austinificationify]

Silly me was trying to pry the bull gear off without sliding out the high/low gear control assembly. Must have rewatched the video 10x before i realized

[@goodnamesare]

Great video! Please lose the music. I turn the sound up to hear what he is saying then have to turn it down because of the music.

[@user-eo6vp7zp1g]

Só do Brasil e tenho maquina dessa tive desmotar ela pra manutenção Preventiva e vi que as cheveta são se tecnil e certo???

[@Pobadill]

do you have any video of lower head assembly?

[@jamesschafer1699]

never broke down the housing with bearing cap. because it was loose means it was broken? having this issue with my new bearings still

[@SDCustoms]

How much did that motor weigh? You handled it like a champ lol.

[@beefcakesasquatch6608]

How we get the jacked up shaft out of motor?

[@amironmachinery]

i need the stationery timing belt bearing to replace and i dont know how to remove it

[@Rayne7X]

Awe i needed to see the brake bearing cap replacement and that is the only part you didn't do lol

[@roddiesmith2167]

Awesome videos Barry. Do you guys carry parts for a Frejoth vertical mill? It is a 3 HP. It looks a lot like the Bridgeport.

[@HWMachRepair]

No, the two machines are not compatible. We may have parts that will work with the Frejoth but I need to know what you are needing and we may need some measurements. [e-mail]

[@andyb4236]

Thanks!

[@gordonagent7037]

Hi Barry, great video mate, to the point, very instructional. I have actually watched it 4x now as about to do a teardown on my head as the spindle has seized. Can you tell me why this head is being stripped please, what were the symptoms/problems before you got it. Is it possible that the head spindle shaft bearings seize very often? As I mentioned, my spindle has seized, any advice for me to watch for. I hope you also have posted a video on putting it back together again. I can't find a Bridgeport dealer here in Australia, if I need to get parts from the States can you suggest a good dealer please. Keep the good stuff coming mate, Cheers, Gordon

[@HWMachRepair]

Thanks Gordon! The head that I was tearing down was in for a general rebuild. This head was just in general poor condition with worn out bushings, belts, bearings and many other things. If your spindle is locked up and you have a variable speed head you don’t have to disassemble the entire head, you can just remove the spindle from the head by following our video kzbin.info/www/bejne/imK8e4SLpbOol7M As far as a dealer goes, you are correct, as far as I know there are no dealers in your part of the world. We do ship quite often to Australia and we can always quote you shipping if you get in touch with Virginia at [e-mail]. Our website for parts is: www.machinerypartsdepot.com Let me know if you have any additional questions.

[@cesarrafaelbarragan3627]

I¨m cesar barragan from mexico and I wondering if you have instruccion for assembly bridgeport head ?

[@twowheelinjim61]

We just ordered your variable speed head rebuild kit. I’m excited to tear into this nasty old head. So far I’ve discovered the gear housing plate is missing. How critical is it? Please let me know if I need to order a replacement. Great video by the way..

[@HWMachRepair]

It's not critical to the machine running, but it does help keep debris off of the gears which could cause issues down the line.

[@futuretechb1]

Need info about upper clutch of Lagun Turret Mill please upload info about located your Left side Lagun Spindle Head in this video

[@HWMachRepair]

We are unable to upload anything in the comment section. If you have Lagun questions you can email our head department: [e-mail]

[@MakeEverything]

If you remover the three 11/16 nuts on the bottom of the bull gear assembly, can you lift the top half off the machine without fully tearing it down? I have to replace a quill dust cover and am hoping to do it without tearing down the whole top end. These videos are great!

[@randr10]

Did you figure this out? I have the same question.

[@randr10]

In the interest of helping someone else with this who stumbles across this video, you can get to the quill dust cover through the bottom if you take out the spindle and quill. No need to disassemble the whole head to get to that, although you may want to buy the "how to rebuild a bridgeport" manual off of ebay.

[@ilmondodimassi]

How is the song that you hear every now and then?

[@thanosd6826]

That 'last component that was dissembled at the 18:10 min mark - can that be removed with the motor, back gear still assembled? I.E does loosening those castle nuts allow you to remove everything above the downfeed engagement lever as one assembly?

[@HWMachRepair]

Yes, you can remove the bull gear housing as well as the rest of the upper head in one piece. You have to remember that it will be very back heavy because of the motor and when you put it back on the quill housing assembly the spindle spline must line up with the spline in the splined gear hub.

[@NaksNamanVlog]

Already Purchased spare aprta also repair manual. Question the conctrol board is missing for the 6F A 2J head. Where to purchase board only.

[@HWMachRepair]

The original 6F board isn't available anymore, so you will have to use the 6F upgrade kit. It comes with the board, mounting bracket, and instructions to wire it correctly to the 6F. machinerypartsdepot.com/product/038-0217/ We have 3 in stock as of today and if you have any questions, give us a call 1-800-285-5271

[@NaksNamanVlog]

@@HWMachRepair near future i will recommend again our company to purchase this controll board.. thanks alot. im from Philippines.

[@turningpoint6643]

Refreshing to watch how a pro gets the job done. You don't get to be that fast without doing a couple of hundred of them first I'd guess. Any thoughts or tricks on getting the broken thread from the knurled knob out of the feed reverse control that I stupidly broke while moving mine Barry? It's snapped off below the surface. It's on a Taiwan Bemato built mill that I'm sure was cloned from a step pulley Bridgeport since all the controls are the same and are all in the same location if that makes any difference.

[@HWMachRepair]

The good news about that broken screw is that it does not bottom out so many times you can get a pick and unthread it with that. If that does not work I use a Dremel with a thin cutting blade and grind a slot into the broken screw. I then use a very small screwdriver to unthread it. You may have to cut into the outer shaft a little but it will not be seen once you install the new feed reversing knob.

[@turningpoint6643]

Thank you very much, that should work and I'll give it a try.

[@philippatek3928]

What if my brake stopped working???

[@jimdorman1550]

Is there such of a thing of a single phase motor for a bridgeport?

[@HWMachRepair]

There is for a Step Pulley, but not a Variable Speed. We suggest using a phase convertor. We sell a solid state phase convertor that we highly recommend. If you have any questions you can call us at 1-800-285-5271 or you can see the convertor here on the website: machinerypartsdepot.com/product/pc02vs/ We also have a new video coming out soon that shows you how to wire one up.

[@dougguynn2622]

enjoyed

[@scottm7341]

I wish I had watched your vid first... On bad video advice, I took the bull gear housing off before removing the gears and small shaft

[@McFingal]

Can you retrofit a veri-speed head to a nonveri-speed spindle housing? Or do you need to buy the complete head?

[@HWMachRepair]

+The Texas Gun Guy Yes, the housing that the spindle is located in is the same for both the Variable Speed and the Step Pulley type head. If you have any questions or run into any problems give us a call and ask for Barry. 1-800-285-5271 or 260-422-0020.

[@McFingal]

+H&W Machine Repair and Rebuilding: Thank you guys. I've rebuilt this head with your help already, you were spot on with the parts and services I received, and for that you have a customer for life. I now have to rebuild the lower end, and knee, it needs to be scraped 😵🔫 I'm going to send it out for that. Do you guys offer scraping services?

[@HWMachRepair]

+The Texas Gun Guy Grinding and scraping is actually what our business was founded on, and it's still our specialty!

[@StansWorld]

Whats is the usual problem when they will only ramp up about half way then no more speed?

[@HWMachRepair]

There can be several different issues but, the most common would be an issue with the adjustable vari discs and the shafts they move on. The issue usually lies with the motor vari disc and shaft so, taking off the motor will generally give you a good idea on what is causing the problem. You could also have a problem with the speed change assembly. The tilt plate could be bent, the chain could be broken in a spot, or some other small issue. Give us a call if you would like us to help over the phone: [phone]

[@ricbarker4829]

I wish I had a hairdresser in the family.....

[@kevinmarshall7783]

Can you tell me how to change the drive belt and timing belt on a 1960ish Bridgeport with 1HP motor?

[@HWMachRepair]

It is actually very different and easier to change out both belts on a step pulley than a variable speed. You have to remove the motor from the belt housing. You can do this by removing the locknut and handle from both sides of the motor that allow it to move. Slip the v-belt off the motor pulley and you can lift the motor off. For this next step you will have to lower the quill to the absolute lowest it can go. There are six socket head cap screws that hold the belt housing to the bull gear housing. Remove all screws so you can lift the belt housing and assemblies off all in one. The timing belt will have to be slipped off the timing belt pulley. This is easiest with the quill all the way lowered. Turn the belt housing upside down and you can remove and replace the v-belt. At this same time you can remove and replace the timing belt then put everything back on. You do not have to remove anything that has to do with the cam ring. If you have any more questions please give me a call.

[@chrisr.3122]

How is the head held for repairs?

[@HWMachRepair]

If you are working in the upper half of the head, most of those repairs can be done with the head still attached to the machine. For work in the quill, you may have to remove it, depending on how what you are doing. We have a customized table in our shop that can hold four heads at once, but it wouldn't be hard to make a small workstation for one head, you just need a workbench and some steel to make the bracket. I would post a picture here but KZbin won't let me. If you want to email me at [e-mail] I can email you some pictures, or you can call 1-800-285-5271 and talk to Barry. He has done a bunch of on site repairs and he can help you figure out the best way to complete the repair you are trying to make.

[@TheAutoTechSteve]

Please put out reassembly videos :-)

[@HWMachRepair]

I actually just finished up the reassembly video for this and just posted it. Hope you enjoy!

[@HWMachRepair]

Just finished up take 2. It should be good now.

[@Robonthemoor]

Can you inform me how to correct tension the vari belt

[@HWMachRepair]

The tension in a Bridgeport is actually created by the spring on the motor vari-disc. You may need a new spring if you are having issues. Give me a call at 1-800-285-5271 if you have any questions, or would like a new spring. I think a new one is around $30, or I could get you a good used one for around $15.

[@pearcemachineshop5200]

Hi this is Alan it's my mill Robin is talking about, it's an Ajax Turret Mill is that something you would have parts for, I'm also looking for the replacement plastic bushes for both pulleys I'm in the UK so bear that in mind. Regards Alan.

[@HWMachRepair]

Hi Alan, I don't have a source for Ajax here in the US, but it looks like they are still being made in the UK. You can try contacting them directly: 44 (0)1590 67600 or [e-mail]. If they cant help you, you may have to manufacture the bushings yourself. I can email some instructions if you need help with that, just let me know: [e-mail]

[@pearcemachineshop5200]

H&W Machine Repair and Rebuilding , hi I think I would like to make the bushings would you still be able to send me some information on the material I would need and any advice would be welcome on how to make them. Regards Alan.

[@lilypondgarage2968]

You need a cordless impact gun

[@user-eo6vp7zp1g]

Olá boa noite

[@andyZ3500s]

Very informative and to the point but the music got to go.

[@darryldodge8383]

music is quite annoying when you speed up some of your shots, please forget the added music, it adds nothing ! The videos are informative and stand on their own without adding someone's sad music choices !

[@InDaBarn]

+Darryl Dodge I agree. No music, Please.

[@kenp3L]

Awful music.

[@cesarrafaelbarragan3627]

do you have an other video to assembly the bridgport head on the web?

[@goodnamesare]

Great video! Please lose the music. I turn the sound up to hear what he is saying then have to turn it down because of the music.