Head Stands for the Bridgeport Mill

[@alexhise968]

You are missed John so thankful for these videos

[@fiatnutz]

It's not giving away secrets, I'm just passing along some of my knowledge to keep this trade alive. The school system has been a big let down as far a technical training go's. As you know everybody is going to college these days, never mind that we need technicians to do this kind of work and college ain't gonna do it. If you have knowledge, pass it along. Everyone has to pay back to their trade, I write books and do these videos as my part. Thank you for the kind comments. John...

[@_vlnt_7800]

I´d be deeply interested in buy your books. Where can I find them? Thanks for sharing the knowledge!

[@hootinouts]

Amen brother. I am in the same league and mindset as you. I began my career in tool and die back in 1977 but, in the NE where I have lived all my life, all the factories and shops closed or went elsewhere. Now in my early 60's, I have a couple of small machine tools in my home workshop and cherish every moment I am able to spend time making things with them. This trade is something that gets into your blood and never leaves you. Sadly, I have no children to pass on my skills to so perhaps I will be able to start a KZbin channel and leave a legacy that way. Peace and blessings to you my friend.

[@krazykozey2259]

Man, I don't say this much, but I love you, lol. Everyone's told me I can't resurface heads on my bridgeport, and they'll never be true. Now, I just need to learn how to do valve jobs on it. I deal with 60s and 70s muscle cars and want to be able to do everything in-house. The cost to buy a head resurfacer, boring/honing equipment and all the valve stuff just to do 10 motors a year is worth it for me. Also the machine shops here in Florida are nothing like what's up north. I'm sick of paying double the cost vs Cleveland and getting half-assed work. Thank you!

[@voodoonights551]

I find machine work relaxing, something about creating objects or improving machinery just feels right

[@joeretro]

The universal T nut twists my brain a bit. I would not have thought of it. The jacks are a great idea, useful in many ways. Thanks for giving away great secrets..

[@markrichardson239]

And here I was over-engineering a fixture... Too cool. Thanks! Mark

[@MrWinn]

Your willingness to share your knowledge is truly, for me a gift. Thanks for the vids.

[@JPilot2]

Dear John, thank you kindly for sharing you're awesome "Head Stands for the Bridgeport Mill!" Nice job!! :-)

[@hootinouts]

Wow, this is an amazing setup. It looks rather precarious; however, it is obvious that you have the head well supported. I miss working on the Bridgeport. One of the best machine tools ever. I have an older and rare Harbor Freight drill mill at home that satisfied my machining need. Just wish it had a knee on it.

[@scotttipps8155]

Always come up with some great gadgets and solutions. Great Idea John thank you for sharing

[@Rcull456]

Just discovered this. As a backwoods no-mind machinist? I have struggled with many projects that can not be easily set up on my surfacer. If you consider these stand "rickety", you should see some of the awful setups I have had to settled for. These look GREAT, and I have already built some for my next difficult set up. THANKS!

[@overdbus]

makes me glad we have boring mills, may the force be with ya...

[@gtgarage]

I'll be making a set of these this week. Very nice. I especially like the clamp using the univeral joint. That one is gonna get a lot of use.

[@joel8363]

And, so how did the stands work out for you? This is the new fiatnutz channel.

[@jagboy69]

I like your adjustable jacks! Very slick!

[@AeroSport103]

Real creative thinking! Thanks for posting.

[@mgregggphone]

Looks like clever tools to make this work. Thank you for the video.

[@BruceBoschek]

Very nice setup. It won't be difficult to make, either. Thank you for sharing this.

[@g0fvt]

Ingenious fixture, interesting as always, thank you.

[@MrUbiquitousTech]

Nice setup, thanks for sharing!

[@outsidescrewball]

Cool tips...tks...like the universal joint...clever!

[@glassglowz]

Excellent video!

[@fiatnutz]

I just went and measured the head and got 24.4, not too bad for a rickety set-up.

[@shadysean1]

nice heavy fly cutter keeps the chatter down very nice lve the jacks to!

[@geraldgreen9991]

Thanks!, I like the video !!

[@mauromauro9149]

Excelente idea señor

[@fiatnutz]

Bridgeport mills are not made for resurfacing cast iron with interuppeted cuts, use carbie with a fairly sharp angle cutting edge with a small radius, run at 300-400 rpm, with a very slow feed rate and that should get you by, kind of. The turret mill just doesn't have the mass and regidity required to get a good surface finish on CI.

[@camillosteuss]

Would you not rather go with a hss savagely sharp tool with some fine angles and nice coating of hydraulic oil with a brush between every pass... That either way results in need for low speeds, reduces cutting forces greatly and thereby reduces the need for rigidity, tho i understand what you meant by you words, I'm just wandering whether you would rather than using carbide, try to elope around the lack of rigidity with lessened cutting forces required through sharp hss and good oil... Asking as someone who is moving in the direction of having a shop myself...

[@utubetommy]

Did you check the flatness of the head after milling it using jo-blocks or 1-2-3- blocks? Just looks like there should have been more tooling points and clamps for support. The way the workpiece is held looks risky, especially for a one-shot set-up.

[@kieranproven4874]

Very smart, Thank you.

[@eflanagan1921]

Very clever !

[@blitzkrueg07]

as a toolmaker by trade.... this makes me nervous LOL I guess they have been doing it for years.. and light cuts are the secret

[@cotesgarage3391]

hi built a set and used them worked great also how many bits in ur flycutter? I made one from a 350 chevy flywheel

[@aj9270]

great idea John ! Is the Ra finish as good using the bridgeport vs. the head re-surfacer ?

[@chrisbali5246]

Was a full pass across the heads made?I missed that part?

[@fiatnutz]

Works for me!

[@doriancharles608]

really nice!

[@sibusisojaro8750]

..can I also use grinding surface machine to surface cylinder head?

[@aklimaibeche4103]

THANK YOU!!!!!! no more special tools!!!!

[@dmcduce]

It's a Fiat 124 Cylinder Head,John said it at the beggining of the video..

[@rjr1954]

Always love all your videos John on the cutter assy are you using a pcd or cbn disk or just a normal carbide bit . I have a sorta same set up like yours at my shop works great on aluminum head but for some reason have a heck of a time getting a nice surface on cast iron head . also is the the big cutter head using a R8 standard mill arbor . Rods machine shop Parker az

[@joel8363]

Hi Rod, I'm using a PCD puck that is held in a cutter body that I made. I can also use my CBN in it as well. I've moved to the JO-EL channel, please check it out.

[@idus]

Is the RA on this type of cut pretty good? Would you be able to resurface any type of head on this machine that will fit within the dimensions of the cutting area? Thanks, Andrew

[@joel8363]

The short answer for surface finish is yes, if you are using a PCD insert; the short answer for any type head is no. I typically do this on aluminum heads unless the head does not fit in my resurfacer. The Bridgeport is marginally acceptable for resurfacing because the knee and base are not of sufficient mass and structure. You can only take cuts around .002"-.003" with this setup. Be sure to subscribe to the new JO-EL channel, that's where all new video is finding a home now.

[@futten3230]

genious setup

[@fiatnutz]

Dude, if you have questions about this and you are REALLY interested in my answers, call me at the shop. I don't to debates on KZbin.

[@tpcoachfix]

Great video, thanks.

[@joshsundiwa]

Good one thank you

[@TravisAndrew1]

amazing

[@SveinPeder]

NIce work my man!

[@zeke1eod]

What attachment is that cutting head?

[@skidoolover101]

What kind of cutter are you using? Can't seem to find anything similar. I've seen lots of Shell mills but nothing of that diameter. Almost sounds like a single tooth?

[@DieselRamcharger]

What are you using as the bit holder? Would love to set this up in my shop.

[@joel8363]

It's something that I made for a PCD puck cutter. I have moved to the JO-EL channel, check it out.

[@idontgiveafuck08]

love the vids been watching for awhile now ,john I gotta ask what type of music is that? and what do you smoke to enjoy it? lol jk great vids tho

[@wadesnow4625]

Sir where can one get a flycutter like that an the cost thanks great video

[@Mogman150]

Search for a shell cutter (w/carbide inserts)

[@gzoman5]

What or who’s cutter head is that?

[@aboothman680]

Good very good

[@AussieJeepBasher]

He makes the music himself..

[@parrot69777]

Just curious......but does your mill always make a straight cut when milling across the knee? Meaning are the end of the heads .002-.003 lower than the center? Have been told by others it is not possible to get a perfectly flat cut on a Bridgeport?

[@sean9878]

you can get a flat cut with a good machine. problem is a lot of times there is play in the ways so the table would tilt when going over that knee

[@pipeweldor4850]

Jerry, a well taken care of Bridgeport that has not been hammered to piss, been oiled and cleaned regularly and has a good operator should have very minimal deflection on the x axis when the table is at the outboard extremes. More often then not, the table surface itself is bowed from many many years of tee nut tightening, each time these nuts are tightened, after thousands of cycles, the table eventually develops a slightly convex surface from the stress and a peeing action is imposed on the table. A common work holding configuration would run parallel to the x axis so clamping is often situated on the ends of the part further out from the table center-line, further exasperating this problem. A good machinist can compensate during part fixture design, part jig design or part mounting and clamping during setup very easily. Good quality tooling and accessories make this problem less of a issue too. Obviously part of keeping any machine working well is preventative maintenance, and this is where a good maintenance program can really help, first off proper machine leveling and mounting on a good solid base, regular servicing call ups with the plant millwrights or machine fitters, regular daily cleaning and oiling at end of shift, monthly grease, tri annual checks for backlash and making proper adjustments, gib adjustment, yearly spindle run out checks, x and y axis checks for deflection and trueness, ensuring proper operator training i.e not hogging with a 6" fly cutter on a small flimsy knee mill, table flatness checks and when bowing becomes a issue and proper regrinding table top flat and true. And finally, at end of life, instead of scrapping it and replacing it with a Taiwan clone, send it away for a machine tool rebuilding, sand blast, re grinding, re scraping, new bearings, screws and nuts and gibs, new hand-wheels, new belts, spindle regrinding and new bearing cartridges, motor and switches and wiring, paint and oiling, crate and ship back to owner for another 25 years of trouble free service. People are so quick to say the machine is no good. 99.9% time the machine tool has been abused, had little to no maintenance, has been run hard and put away wet, and is often undersized, under-powered and under rigid for the type of work they are throwing on them, being worked to death in a quota based sweat shop with machine operators who have minimal training and are pushing it to the max on every capability, spending its life spitting out blue chips, at max feed and max speed the machine and tools will handle, and after all this, the foreman is pushing for more production. The Bridgeport series 1 was designed to a be a accurate small universal knee mill, that was affordable, had a small footprint, was reliable, was adaptable with a good variety of attachments and tooling, so as it can handle a variety of light machining tasks with ample accuracy. They made nearly 400,000 of them, and that being said, is the most highly copycatted milling machine every produced, nearly every machine building country has produced its own version based on the original Bridgeport design, which I bet would bring the "Bridgeport type mill" numbers well into the multi-millions, nearly every machine shop in the world has one or had one, or its variants and billions of accurate profit making parts have been produced on them by scores of tool makers, die makers, mold makers, machinist, machine tool operators, maintenance millwrights, machine fitters and many other mechanical tradesmen, on homeland, in war zones, on ships, on aircraft carriers, mobile machine shops,in the arctic, in trade schools, vocational schools, high school, laboratories, university and colleges, nuclear plants, power plants, deep in mines, auto-shops, Detroit auto manufactures, aircraft manufactures, aerospace and weapons production, war support, and pretty much every god damned place metal, plastic or composite parts need to be machined to produce a part. This speaks for the quality and usefulness of a Bridgeport.

[@6h471]

A Bridgeport is the wrong machine for this job.

[@plymouth-hl20ton37]

Pete 913 don't know how to operate a mill do you

[@Pyle81]

@@pipeweldor4850 Amen brother. Ive been in a lot of arm pits from hell holes in the middle east to South Africa. And from the tip of South America all the way to Nome, Alaska in North America. And you'll find Bridgeport and all the cloned sisters in every country around the world. And its been that way since the end of WW-2. Ive seen MONSTER ship parts milled in Trinidad from machines that where bought here in the US and shipped down there in Sea Containers. They drag them out, wire them up and go to work. Often not even taking time to level them or do any significant cleaning on the. I recently bought a "very lightly used" Well Index 745. It was a one owner machine sold New in February of 1968. And then sat idle from 1992 till I bought it in December of 2021. This things like NEW, its amazing how tight she still is.

[@DougHanchard]

Just me, aluminum as a material does not absorb vibration well. It should be well supported across both x and y planes. I would have used a shell mill instead of a flycutter and slowed down the RPM and no more than 5 tho feed rate on a Bridgeport. The stand mounts are ingenious. But I would have used at least 8 and run 4 through the angled valve guide holes with threaded rods to cinch down with chamfered nuts from below and above the valve guides. And then at least 4 or 6 through the cylinder head bolt holes. All in the name of maintaining maximum stability and rigidity of the casting.

[@IndependenceIron]

With that many supports you would have most likely warped the head with clamping force. 3 points establish a perfect plane and anymore points simply introduce error. A head of that thickness should have adequate rigidity with a light cut.

[@destro513]

Thoughts: a single insert large fly is used so it can cover the whole surface in one pass with minimal tool load. I would try and mimick the rottler, sunnen and other head surfacing machines by using this set up with a very high speed and slow @ 10ipm feed. The finish is very important as most head gaskets require a very fine finish to aid in sealing. Newer gaskets can and sometimes require a less smooth finish. If a shell cutter is used you would have to make multiple passes which would not give a constant finish, if you had one big enough like an 8 insert it is too large for a j head to take all in one pass the rotating mass of the cutter itself is really borderline of what an r8 can take. Hell the big prototraks with this cat 30 and 40 holders have a time taking 30 thou. But for the record I dont know much about any of this really.. and side not the sound a true head surfacing machine makes as it spins guessing 4k passing over a cast iron deck is pure music. Just a lil off the top

[@angy878787]

I use a simple plate to rectify

[@craigtate5930]

Sounds like Woody Harrelson

[@محمدالعراقي-ك2ر6غ]

How much this machine

[@Desertduleler_88]

Fiat heads are notorious for corrosion, no wonder it was a wield repair plus surface grind.

[@jaker805]

im going out in my garage to ruin some lawn mower engines on my bridgeport

[@Motodents]

How did it go?

[@siimkivi]

5 years without an answer. Think we all know how it went

[@TheJefferson]

@@Motodents ive done a few moped heads with no issue

[@cryoburned]

Does that mean you're taking apprentices?

[@irritablearchitect]

Just guessing, but I think it's late model Chrysler Hemi.

[@charlieromeo7663]

Becker, you're unbelievable. The creator or this video is simply demonstrating what works for him. No one is impressed with your claim of experience, especially me. The proof is in the pudding. Do you really think he didn't check his work with a straightedge? Why don't you post a video so you can earn some measure of credibility and possibly some respect? Oh wait, the you tube crowd is probably well below your level to understand. I've checked your videos and believe me, you're not that special. We could only hope we could one day be as brilliant and as wonderful as you think you are. Do the world a favor and sell your computer.

[@joel8363]

Charlie, Thank you for your support. As you mentioned, this does work for me - and quite well. We all know about the trolls in the world and they are what they are - TROLLS. Please check out my new JO-EL channel, I have moved production of my videos over there. When google took over KZbin, their interface sucks and I have not been able to get into my account since, so JO-EL was created.

[@fiatnutz]

Fiat 124 Coupe or Spyder w/1800cc engine

[@melodymagallanes1145]

Bien me justa

[@josecarbajal1164]

Wish you were my neighbor

[@motoreta49]

mínim motores vapor

[@motoreta49]

motores vapor

[@motoreta49]

míni motores vapor

[@andregross7420]

Flycutters are not good for bridgeport heads and spindle set up. Or as I have been told...

[@feedinc2735]

I thought you were about to break a tool!

[@irritablearchitect]

Musta missed it.

[@utubetommy]

Not a very stable set-up to machine a flat surface with such a wide flycutter.

[@jamesnesbitt1082]

M

[@The_Conspiracy_Analyst]

sad, sad shit!

[@AngliaNutz]

NOT COOL! A brand new Bridgeport milling machine rocks both the knee and saddle when the table goes from far right to center to far left. Lawnmower cylinder head? Yes. Four banger cylinder head? No.

[@pipeweldor4850]

I know of a now privatized ex boeing shop with a row of about 12 series 1 j heads in manual configuration setup in daily use and another 6 larger series 2 bridgeports with modern cnc retrofits, they are currently manufacturing defence and aerospace parts with these machines, i.e as of last week. No, they are not the best universal knee mill EVER made, but certainly one of the most common north american made knee mills, and albeit, overall well made solid machine. Still better then 99% of what taiwan, india and china are throwing our way over the pond. But ya, its no Deckel or SIP. However, for machine work tolerances used in the engine rebuilding world, Ports are more then acceptable with a adept machinist. If you think these engines rolled out of the detroit plants mass machined and built with better tolerances, your being fooled.

[@AngliaNutz]

Pipe Welder, J heads??? and the name of that privatized ex Boeing shop is and it is locate where? 50+ years of diversified machine shop experience has allowed me to watch the industry evolve from Conventional machines to Numerical Control machines and then to Computer Numerical Control. My career started in a line shaft shop where I worked during my high school years. Google it. I served my apprenticeship under the late Paul Blanchat at the now defunct Blanchat Machine Co. After Paul passed the people that took control of the company thought that they could continue to compete with conventional machines. Where they needed a $1.00 the industry was doing it for 30¢. There was a period of time back in the 60s & early 70s when many machinist had a Bridgeport milling machine in their home garage and they could make decent money cranking the machines. As the industry modernized then they could not crank the machines fast enough to be competitive. Series I and II Bridgeport milling machines are no different today than they were back then. Sure you can retro-fit them with CNC controls, but there is nothing that can be done to overcome their rubber neck, Z axis in the quill, short X&Y axis ways and low mass. They are not a competitive machine.

[@pipeweldor4850]

Hailey industries now, like most aerospace firms, they have been bough and sold in a series of mergers, downsize moves, consolidations and asset acquisitions, etc. I believe the are currently owned by Magellan aerospace, which has bought up most of Aero firms from Canada's golden Aero years. They however are multi national, also with a US and EU presence. Boeing Canada Technologies had its hands in there for a while as well as a plant down the road before walking away from most of its Boeing Fabrication facilities. Its clients include Pratt & Whitney Canada, Fiat Avio, Rolls-Royce, General Electric, Sikorsky Aircraft, Pratt & Whitney, TRW Lucas, GKN Westland, Agusta, Hamilton Sundstrand, Northop Grumman, Boeing, Raytheon, Bombardier, Honeywell, Volvo, Sales are well north of 50,000,000$ a year from this one plant alone. Anyways, back to the Bridgeport J head series 1. I am rather surprised by your unfamiliarity with the common J head designation, but yet you can call out its supposed table inaccuracies. Just about every machine shop in the world has one. Bridgeport designed all of its many various heads in a alphabetic and or numerical designation, the J head being the by far most common variant. For a man who claims to have 50 years of machining background, as well as most likely at least a age of 70 years, you have a very narrow minded approach to viewing things. For example in your previous post your calling names and pointing out grammar errors. Hardly and type of behavior a man of your supposed experience would typically exhibit. Any machine tool, weather it be a boring mill, a lathe, a milling machine, or even a simple drill press, will have accuracy issues if used in a manner in which it was not designed, or if it is not maintained. If the machine is abused, i.e no maintenance, no adjustments, no cleaning, no oiling, no greasing, heavy one ended loads, over tightening of tee nuts, heavy hogging cuts, abuse by over zealous operators on a qouta program in a sweat shop, then yes, it will have accuracy issues. Rode hard and put away wet, any machine tool will have issues with accuracy and repeatability as all wearing points all accumulate slop and play, which all adds up to inaccuracy, however when a proper maintenance program is followed, where as proper care is excersized, and the machine is used as it was designed, this wear and its associated inaccuracies can be much controlled by preventive maintenance and adjustment. After this wear has reached a point were as it can no longer be adjusted and tolerated, i.e accuracy has diminished to a point of not holding the required tolerance, the machine can be rebuild by a good machine tool rebuilder, often times to a better tolerance then as mass produced new. The bridgeport series 1 machine was designed to produce machined components and parts to a high level of accuracy when adjusted, setup and tooled properly by a skilled machine tool operator, machinist, tool maker, etc. It had a modest table capacity of 750lbs when loaded evenly and equally across its worth dimensions. It was not made for hogging cuts, nor was the machine designed to be a jig borer. The machines is the most heavily copied mill ever produced, with the actually Bridgeport brand producing something like 400,000 machines alone, with copies probably in the millions. Many tool rooms in many facilities had, or still have a series one bridgeport in current use. This is because it is universally accepted as a very useful, solid well made machine foundation, and when used properly and cared for properly, will give one a long service life with more then exceptable accuracy. Yes, many machine tools will trump it when it comes to quality, speed and accuracy, but it does meet most shops needs for a universal knee mill when it comes down to versatility, cost of purchase and ownership, accuracy, footprint and accessory tooling options. Many many shops have decided its more then up to par. It is, after all, the most produced milling machine in the world, and the most copied. Not to mention, it has more after market support for parts, add ones, upgrades and rebuild kits. You can even find fifty year old series 1 machines fully rebuilt, re ground, re scrapped and re fitted, restored to better then new condition for purchase by reputable machine rebuilders. I wonder why. To finish off Ill sum it up, I watched a video a man put online for others to view and learn from. This man owns a business and runs a shop rebuilding engines. He makes these videos in a attempt to better the world by helping to instill knowledge in people who are interested in his trade. He does so free of charge and for little to no thanks. But yet you belittled and berated his attempt at this and left inflammatory comments for the whole world to look at that highlight what kind of man you are. For some reason the internet seems to bring out the worst in some people, that is, people like you. Please feel free to post videos showing the way you would do it. It always is the people with no videos or no online presence that seem to do what you did.

[@AngliaNutz]

I'm very familiar with the Bridgeport J series head, aka belt head. There is nothing to be learned from you about a Bridgeport milling machine or machining in general. The J head died with Bridgeport Machines, Inc. so that tells me that shop has a line of old and most likely worn out milling machines with a 1½ horsepower spindle. EVERY company that sublets work inspects the bidding contractors facility before awarding them a contract. A line of Bridgeport milling machines will not attract work that will make a machine shop prosperous. You failed to state what type of parts and machine operations they use the Bridgeport milling machines for. Pointing out why a Bridgeport milling machine is not the right machine for the featured job is not flaming anyone. It was a public service to advise WanaBs that it is not a good practice. Bridgeport Machines, Inc. manufactured machines in Taiwan and the Hardinge group continues to manufacture machines in Taiwan. I'm not in the video production business because I have no desire to impress people. If what I stated was incorrect then there would be more than two people trying to argue with me. Anyone that has real world machine shop experience knows that my assessment is correct. You preaching machine shop to me after 50+ years of real world experience is laughable to say the least. AMF

[@pipeweldor4850]

+Alec Prince, this guy is not a tradesman, he's no machinist, manual or cnc, he was at best a shop grunt who thinks he knows something. Every machine shop in the world has a Bridgeport or variant of the original design. this guy is a fucking goof who doesn't know shit obviously. lol, 50 years + machining background, lol, 50 years sweeping chips maybe. His arrogance, stupidity and idiotic replys are on here for the whole world to see now. lol, you got to love KZbin to bring out to goofs in the comment section. lol. ya. Bridgeports are junk, no one uses them, they are inaccurate, lol, what a knobber. I love idiots like him showing the whole world there stupidity. lol maybe he can find some grammar mistakes to point out, he can play English teacher now too, lol. We know he can't play machinist teacher, lol. and I agree, cnc guys are a dime a dozen, good manual machinists are hard to come by. manual machining will always be around. I am surprised the meat head hasn't rebutted yet, maybe the old fuck figured out he is wrong, or better yet he might of done the world a favour and went to sleep and never woke up.

[@chuckadams4400]

A botched job.....horrible!

[@joel8363]

How so??? It got the job done and the customer was happy, what more do you want?

[@motoreta49]

mínim motores vapor