Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] does anyone have an Eldorado Bridgeport

Andy Wander wrote:

>Jon:
>
>Not as crazy as you might think.
>
>I have the predecessor to the Bridgemill, the Eldorado with Quadralift.
>
>What may not be apparent is that the mill head travels up and down on 4 columns about 1.5" diameter, which makes it pretty rigid, compared to other 3-in-1s. Also, the bridgemill has a fifth attachment point for the millhead near the tailstock. This supposedly makes it MUCH more rigid than mine.
>
>

Well, that is a bit better than the usual, but I still wonder if it is
really any improvement
over a more traditional benchtop mill? How much Z travel is there on
the head lift?
How much quill travel? And, what do you have to do to elevate the
head? Loosen
that 5th attachment? Does that throw off the X-Y alignment? Is it
possible to cause
unwanted tilt of the head when you lock that down? If you have to
re-tram the head
each time you raise/lower it, that would be a huge pain!

>When I was looking for a 3-in-1, I shopped all around and I concluded that the Shoptask was the best value. It was expensive, but the bolt-on CNC readiness, the leadscrew shield, and the Quadralift convinced me.
>
>Now, on the subject of whether rational humans should own 3-in-1s at all, this is a touchy subject for most of us. I won't really get into that. But if you want a 3-in-1, the Shoptask gets my vote.
>
>

Yeah, I'm not too impressed by the machines I've seen. I think there
are way too many
compromises made to build them that way.

Jon