Stuck bridgeport knee

[jfi...@cbnstl.com]

Hey folks I picked up an old bridgeport the other day for a good price
because the knee is stuck. I took the table off and did a little looking
around, it turns out the the knee nut had twisted off the pedestal causing
the knee crank to free spin. The previous owner try so hard to crank the
knee after it had stuck they broke off the very top portion of the
pedestal, that's not my major concern at this point. My big problem is
breaking free the knee. The knee gib adjusting screw is missing and it
looks like the top portion of the gibe is missing so I can't adjust the
gib.

I've tried to jack up the knee to loosing it and I've tried downward
pressure as well. I've got liquid wrench on all the parts and ways hoping
it will soak in and loosing up the components. If anyone has any
suggestions I'd be grateful for the help.

Thanks

--
Jack Fisher

[Polymer Man]

jfi...@cbnstl.com wrote:
> Hey folks I picked up an old bridgeport the other day for a good price
> because the knee is stuck.

snip

I'll bet the answer to your problem will be loosening the gib and
getting it out. There may be two gib adjusting screws, one on the big
side, and one on the small side. If so, take the one on the big side
out, put it into the small side, and push it out. If there are no
screws on either side you need to use a hammer and a drift punch an
knock the gib out from the small side.

[~Roy]

Agree with Polymer man..... the gib is holding it.

...........On 7 May 2006 13:15:05 -0700, "Polymer Man"

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[Ned Simmons]

In article <20060507154219.681$K...@newsreader.com>, jfi...@cbnstl.com
says...

If my memory is clear on this, and I can't check because my present mill
has square ways, the large end of the gib is at the top of the knee such
that if the adjusting screw is gone and you crank the table up the gib
tends to wedge itself. The obvious solution is to lower the table and
hope the gib frees up - a more desperate and awkward move is to hammer
on the bottom of the gib with a brass drift to try to break it free.

You should also be aware that there's a stop screw in the column between
the dovetails that limits the knee's upward travel, but the missing
adjusting screw points to the gib as the problem.

Ned Simmons

[Jon Elson]

I agree that no matter what the problem, loosening the gib is a
first step. But, most Bridgeport knee gibs have screws 'keyed'
to the gib. So, the gib has a groove, and a groove and ring at the end
of the screws engage the "hook" at the ends of the gib. So, you can't
get either screw to come out by itself. You have to get the screws
loose, and then work them out together with the gib. If the gib is
truly frozen, then you risk breaking off the screw that you are trying
to pull with. The gib has to come UP to loosen.

Jon