How to square the Bridgeport head with the table

I will explain the steps required to adjust your Bridgeport head to make it square with the table. And I will explain why that could be important.

[kellyaraujo]

I cant articulate the respect I have for this man and his astounding knowledge and delivery.

[larescats]

Im new at this and learning alot from this great teacher

[lazzyrj]

You guys are keeping an almost lost art alive. Thank you for all you guys do. You've helped this industrial mechanic become better and more skilled at his job.

[bretlambky]

Great video! I took my vocational machine classes back in 1983.
My instructors wouldn’t let you run a mill until you learned how to square up the head.
With technology these days and fixed NC machines.
I have to wonder how many young machinist know how to sweep in a head.
There is no G code for perfect square... lol
Thanks again for sharing! It’s the assumed knowledge that gets lost so easy.

[Jamesp]

Great vid. I just did this to a Bridgeport that has been sitting in the corner of our shop unused for 25 years. The foreman said it can't mill flat. It mills flat now after a cleanup and trammimg. Table was out over 1/16" on the Y and 1/32" in the X. Thanks.

[angargoy]

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

[wrenw]

Beginner at best as a hobbyist on the Bridgeport and this video is great! Explained so much. Thank you for making the great videos!

[Ty_N_KC]

Ta daaaa. The channel I've been looking for! I just bought a Alliant that is a knock off of that Bridgeport you're working on. I've never had a mill or have any experience. I have a feeling I'm going to learn a lot from this channel. Thanks guys

[dustingbender]

I’ve learned more from this video than I have from school in the last 8hrs of being there. Thanks sir.

[creamshop]

i just believe this is free, a million dollars of information. thank you

[garytodd]

I love your teaching. I always wanted to be a machinest. I was 60 yo when i took machining classes at local jr. College. Have had my mill, lathe, and surface grinder for a few years now. Im able to make the things that i want and need to make. But i dont think i have enough years left in my useful working life to qualify as a machinest. But im learning every day. Thanks Don for sharing your knowledge.

[PeterMancuso]

New at machining I got a Bridgeport Mill and the squaring of the table was my first question. Using the spindle is brilliant. Your video answered all of my questions. Great to see you at the machine and how you finesse the bolts to make micro-adjustments. Thanks so much for your videos and wisdom :)

[YCMcnc]

Nice demo, I really appreciate that as an experienced professional craftsman you are willing to take the time and effort to make these vids. Also like the old school technique of using a single indicator and adjustable arm on the quill. Did my round ram J-head just the other day, only difference was that I used a Jo block as a portable target so as to to drag the indicator tip across the table. Early on it took me a while to realize that an out of tram head causes mis-alignment of holes when the is a lot of combined quill and knee travel, like starting a deep hole with knee and quill almost to top and finishing with a long boring tool with knee down.


Again, I really appreciate that you share your professional knowledge & skills.

[McFingal]

Another fine video Don. As a hobbyist I'm still learning, and with all of the fine educators like you and Mr. Pete, Keith Fenner, Keith Ruker, tom Lipton and the many others out there I just keep learning.
So Thank You very much for all you do.

[rickbrandt]

Nobody is an expert till all mistakes have been achieved.
Your vids help avoid them and keeps one's learning on track.

[jermainerace]

A lot of people have commented on the indicator holder in this video, so I'd like to add my two cents. As a production machinist I find that the fancy ultra-versatile indicator holders aren't always as convenient as you may think. I find that tramming tables and dialing in on existing features makes up a big portion of what I indicate, and having dedicated items to help with that can save time fussing around with arms and knobs. Admittedly, I am the fussy type. If something is adjustable, I tend to fuss with it. The more adjust-ability, the worse I tend to fuss. So K.I.S.S. is my motto.

May I suggest if you need an indicator holder: I have a piece of 3/8" round 1018, bent about 100 degrees so that I have a short leg of about 2-1/2" and a long leg of about 7". I chose 3/8" because I have a clamp (from a magnetic base set) that can adjust to hold the shanks of my back plunger, travel dials, and test indicator on one side (3/16"-1/4"), and 3/8" on the other. I use this item about 80% of the time I set up something on a milling machine. You could also put a hole in the end of a rod with a set screw to hold shanks (or crosswise, for that matter), or mill a tiny dovetail into it. Then, just bend as needed (or not, I use straight rods too). I have made a few different holders to do common jobs since any cheap, conveniently workable material will suffice.

Holding the short or long leg in a chuck or collet, I can indicate a pretty good range of surfaces, bores and bosses. I really like how the single piece is rigid. I can use it as a handle to spin the spindle: it will return to zero. It may be worth it to conserve time, and you may find that it's nice to have things that are sized for your equipment if you are using hobbyist machine tools.

[frankkoppen]

I use a large bearing race to sweep on. It gives you a nice flat surface.

[mrrrrrrob]

Helpful video. Thanks for posting. This is the sort of video where I "know" how to do this, but I always like watching others do it. In general, concerning machining, I've pickup up a lot of insight from others set-up and approach. I always strive to improve my own process. In regards to tramming, the mill in the shop where I work only has the head moved 1-2 times a year roughly, so for me, I have done a lot of period checks, but not so much actual adjustment. We are usually in the order of 0.02~0.05mm deviation (under 2 thousandths of an inch).

[madeljacky]

That's a brilliant easy to follow video on squaring your head to the table, many thanks for making it and showing it here.

[robertbob]

thank you for all your knolage it is hard to get older people to share the little extras the know about