It depends where you want the rigidity when machining. I usually work with smaller tools, lighter cuts so I lock the vertical knee movement to give the work rigidity, only using the dial for vertical movement occasionally. Most of my cut indexing is done on the quill so that’s where I have the DRO for Z axis.

Hey Art , perhaps a big part of this for myself , is that I hardly EVER had a DRO on anything , starting from 1974 . Working on machines from research laboratories, Navy Bases and Ships, to job shops.

However......? One of the first things I had available at my Home Shop was the unit for the QUILL. Got a super deal on a Mitutoyo unit,it must be nearly 20 years ago now. Of course that unit read DIRECTLY on it's own display.

Only for me to discover in usage , was that it interfered with my typical use of the STOP. It required removing the "Push Button" QUILL stop I had on the mill. Yes the *Clamp On* Quick Stop unit used in it's place was also often impossible to use.? I guess I had simply not realized just how often I used my 2 Boring Heads ! ?

As far as the KNEE goes , I have hardly ever used a mill that had that readout in place. A Dial Indicator had always verified how linear the dial was overall so in general I never worried about it.

Having worked with various folks who were very much VISION challenged compared to myself? , I suppose that could be a real justification.

I have worn glasses for over 50 years , but had frequently been recognized or even complemented for my *Sharp Vision*.

Also , I must reluctantly admit to a , well , personal failing on this matter.......procrastination !?! ?

I have a two axis DRO that -came - with my dilapidated Bridgeport . It was almost brand new.

The lip SEALS have turned to STONE it's now so old. I REMOVED IT almost as soon as I got it.

I want to apocryphally say , it was *GLUED ON* !

It was in no way *SQUARE* , Parallel , Plum or even remotely SOLID. I didn't want to risk it potentially impacting ANYTHING I machines at the time. Most of which were Race Car oriented.

Alas , the proper installation of which , has just never been a priority in two decades now. ?

The LIP seals are long gone on the scales , but the low grade unit of the day still powers up and displays as designed.?

Hi all,

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I am looking for some guidance regarding DRO's for a Series 1 BP with 2J head.? For 3 axis DRO's what are the pros and cons of the third axis being on the the Z-axis (knee) or on the W-axis (quill)?

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Art

Thanks George.? I duplicated your instruction and the quill is back to smooth operation.? The lubricant appeared to have polymerized or, at least, thoroughly dried out.? It took more than light taps to extract the quill but after cleaning is unmarked.? Penetrating oil failed to work.

Hey JAMES , I would tend to believe that is the

Color. I may have more to share in a bit. But I must caution in case you'd never seen , on the subject of *stripping* the PAINT on these Bridgeports.

°BONDO° !!! and LOTS of it.? These machines are covered with it , even the 1956 models like mine.

I really didn't mind stripping it from the HEAD , and we'll okay , the "SADDLE" . But I really don't want to think about how many POUNDS of it must be on the base. Which is still surprisingly decent for very possibly being older than I am !?

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I do only have my ONE , Mill. I bought it over 25 years ago. The attachments were worth what i paid for the Mill,so I JUMPED ON IT with cash in hand .?

These machines hardly EVER came up for sale back then and they were usually PRICEY ! ?

It is one reason there are so many very USED up, ASIAN Mills all over the place today. There were times that $2800 really could buy a brand new mill and I swear , they were HARBOR FREIGHT offerings. That price generally meant it would be delivered to a trucking company warehouse.?

Really the best option in my opinion for most home machine shop types? ?.? Most don't have FORKLIFTS at home or wish to rent one !

I think I can share a now 25 year old pic. It was why I had always called THE TWO TRUCK way back then. It was literally how the machine got picked up and moved from the Home Shop it was in,to the FIRST location at my house. This pic is actually the same guy & truck ,a couple years later,

moving the Mill from my *BARN* to my just newly built SHOP structure just a few yards away.

?"*" * "* RATS !? I've lost that file at the moment.

But a related shot for this minute ?

That's my LATHE , a $1000 dollar EBay item.

All 6800 lbs. of it on this single axle trailer. I was guilty of putting a thousand pounds of various attachments it came with in a crate that I put in my Dually's bed. Along with the 600 pound BANDSAW

that was shipped with it as well.?

Yes that's a 16" AMERICAN PACEMAKER .

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Thank you Steve, I'll have a look at that.

On Thu, Mar 13, 2025 at 04:54 PM, Marty wrote:

REPUBLIC LAGUN ° FTV-2

Hi Marty,

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thank you for your reply, so you think Textron used the Blue Grey the American company used? It makes sense as I think I can see something like that in amongst all the flaky layers currently coming off of my machine.

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Yes, Paragon is the right side of the Pond for me and i have used their paints and like 'em.

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As to preparation, I will have many happy hours of stripping and de-greasing/oiling it but whether this is doable in my lifetime I'm not sure and to be honest the whole point of buying it was to have a go at cutting metal with it so I will have to see how my patience lasts.

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Good luck with the Lagun, that looks like it contains a lot more gravity than a Series 1 does and, out of interest, how many mills do you currently have!?!

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Thanks again for your help and all the best

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James

Hey JAMES , well..... you asked for it , RIGHT !?!

I guess these folks are on the right side of the

pond for yourself ?? ?

I have , well okay..... long tired on the color discussions on mostly VINTAGE Machinery long ago .? This doubtlessly stems from myself essentially growing up in a ?BODY SHOP ! ?

The paint link -

https://www.paragonpaints.co.uk/bridgeport-blue-grey-american-spec.html

Hi All,

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Can anyone help?

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I am the proud new owner of a J head Textron era, British built Bridgeport Series 1 and I am doing a bit of refurb on the head.

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It's a 1985 machine, does anyone know the correct colour I should be using?

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I did buy a can of the Adcock & Shipley cement gray and to be honest i really don't like it and would prefer a more traditional machine gray.?

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The machine was repainted at some point, I think by a toddler with a toilet brush, and so I don't have anything to guess from, the layers underneath are not really obvious or helpful.

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If there is not consensus I'll paint it a Colchester gray to match my Master but the correct one would be nice.

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Many thanks in advance,

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James

Thanks Marty, I really appreciate the informative description of the "Flaking". Like I said before I observed some journeyman machine assemblers where I worked many years ago hand scraping the dovetail slides on a machine. The ways were surface ground first and then the man covered one surface with Dykem ink and placed the slides together and moved them back and forth. This transferred the ink to the other part at all of the high spots. He then used this carbide tipped scraper with a big soft pad on the opposite end to knock down these high spots until the ink was gone and then repeated the process. This is all from memory from a long time ago but I don't recall the goal to be a carving out low spots for lube to gather but rather to go for the ultimate flat surface. These were relatively small dove tail?slides on a line of piston ring boring machines that we built from the ground up for Sealed Power, Muskegon Piston Ring and Hastings on the west side of Michigan.

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That is a nice machine, it looks like it's possibly been repainted and as Marty said some recent enhancements.

From what I have learnt the series 2 was larger and had box ways instead of dovetail ways, the series 2 Special was the series 2 column with the 2hp J head fitted to it?

I have never seen a J head 1 1/2hp series 1 which had the slow/fast vari speed cover so have thought that the slow/fast vari speed cover was only fitted to the 2hp machines, all the j head 1 1/2hp machines I've seen have had the open dial

Sorry ,meant to include this shot. It is from DAPRA the company who makes BIAX.

Of course they SHOW the Flaker , first ! ?

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Don't know if the pic will make it through ?

The NEW table as shown today , with the flaking showing on the WAYS and table Top , plus....

The BOAT ANCHOR !? The original multiple speed

gearbox , power feed. The High End unit with Hi and Lo speed drives. ?

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Hey Mike , you've seen some videos I presume ? Yes ,I suppose a "SCALEY"? look is close enough!

Doing it myself by hand on various things over the years ,It is a "BUMPING" the scraper with the palm or fist while "preloading your grip fist" in the opposite direction.? Sounds self defeating doesn't it ! ?

That is a FINAL treatment over all . You are sort of trying to achieve a "J " shaped action ,in a single movement. It usually intended to create a subtle LOW spot , for aiding in oil retention on the moving surfaces.

For trying to scrape something level of any size with a FLAKING motion like this would take a lifetime. The POWER scrapers make the job viable time wise.? These are typically made by BIAX . They cost as much as some milling machines !? They produce a specific version? of this tool just for " FLAKING " or frosting or any term you prefer.?

But many folks seem to just love the appearance of this surface. Regardless of the intent of the finish.?

I did have one suggestion to HELP spend your money here ! ? Like so many Mills , I see the Quill Feed Handle Wheel and Feed Reverse Knob are missing on this machine. Many have never used either , on their mills. It even knew that they exist.Unfortunately perhaps most first experience this wheel , FALLING OFF and maybe hitting your foot !? There is a screw in this machine,so hopefully the threads are okay.? The original units can be a little expensive,as they are cast iron. But,the newest ones are probably PLASTIC ? No doubt safer and cheaper !? But I used the Quill Feed for many things over the years. The original knurled reverse knob? works about perfectly.?

A sometimes impossibly cheap version is an eBay fixture these days.? ?

ebay.com item # 316183132771

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Excuse my ignorance but I am not familiar with the "flaking" thing. Is it the that scaly look? I have observed the process of hand scraping machine ways and thought maybe that was where that look came from. How is this flaking produced? Thanks for all the input.

Hey Mike , I refer mostly to the * FLAKING * , as others have also noted. Being done on the front

surface of the saddle , where it is normally painted.

I wonder just a bit , if the *Current* offerings from Bridgeport are having some influence on this seemingly ever growing tendency for this application . For one thing all "NEW" Bridgeport?

KNEE Mills are now called - " Series 1 " .

The current mills have more apparent *FLAKING*

in the way surfaces. But a very apparent surface

patterned cross flake applied to table top side.

This has / had become a very typical appearance

for brand new ASIAN Milling machines for quite

some time as far as the WAY surfaces . Most

surprisingly to me , on the "CHROME" surfaces.

Those were at least designed to be COVERED by

the rubber bellows originally. Having it applied to bare ways just seems self defeating for longevity.

Applied to the UNDER side is logical. But......

Not "PRETTY" for show ? ?

first hand.

I had to pass on several mills offered locally. Most disappointing to decline on a unit 3 miles from home for me. Even at a mere $500 dollars. I didn't think that ,? ° PEELING ° Chrome ways was any great improvement over my rather WORN ones.

BTW Mike , is your mill a 48" table , I thought it looked that way. My poor old machine had the arguably WORST offering . The 42" table is fine , but once you attach the " Hundred Pound" gearbox of the 1956 Power feed is seems very long !

Oh yeah , BTW , that gearbox was BROKEN OFF of my mill when I got it over 20 years ago. I also believe it was broken off MORE than once . ?

There was a WELDED part of the housing in place when I got it. But....there was a - New - fracture evident in the housing where it once WAS .

Having witnessed more calamities than I care to recall over the decades in Laboratories and Machine Shops , I have virtually NO DOUBT all the fasteners , handles,levers & buttons bent ,missing or poorly replaced on my J-Head were rooted by a FORKLIFT being nearby. ?

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