Pratt & Whitney Tapemate C Vs. Bridgeport Knee Mill

[jevs]

I have a Pratt & Whitney Tapemate C that I started converting to modern CNC. I scrapped all the old electronics. I have all the electronics I should need to make it go.

The problem is I just moved and getting this machine on my trailer was quite a challenge. I am wondering if it is worth messing with or if I should just start over with a bridgeport.

There have been posts in the past that say the Pratt & Whitney Tapemate C is no good for milling and more for drilling.

My question is.....is this 2 ton machine less rigid than a bridgeport knee mill? Is the bridgeport going to work better for milling, or are people just saying the Pratt & whitney is not as rigid as some of the other machining centers?

I do not have much free time these days and I don't want to waste my time making a giant drill press. This machine is in excellent condition though. It's hard for me to let it go, but I want to machine parts, not just drill and tap.

This is a hobby though, I am not trying to run a business off of this machine.

I am also concerned about clearances. It looks like this machine moves the whole tool changer turret up and down, unlike the new Fanuc Robodrills which release the tooling and then can plunge up and down. Would this cause clearance annoyances without having really long tooling?

This machine is on a trailer loaded and now would be the time to sell it.

Thanks

[jevs]

Here are a couple pictures. One is the first day I brought it home. The other is with all the old electronics removed and my power supply, VFD, Drivers, etc mounted.