Condor mill

[RobonthemoorParticipant @robonthemoor]

I have been offered a Condor mill not sure of the age, I've been on Tony's @ lathe but there isn't one listed! Anyone know any info about then? Or a web site I can read up on a condor milling machine, I can only assume they where built under a different name🤔

Regards Rob

[RobonthemoorParticipant @robonthemoor]

Can’t find info

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Most likely a Bridgeport clone. Model 2S is step pulley head variant, picture of Varispeed version here :- **LINK** .

Made in Spain I think allegedly of decent workshop quality and sufficiently close to the original that many Bridgeport parts fit although many of the fasteners are metric. Far as I know the brand was not applied to Far Eastern imports.

Clive.

[RobonthemoorParticipant @robonthemoor]

Thanks for the reply Clive

to me it looks like a Ajax or semco, someone built them!!! Who is the key. Was they 30int or R8?

 

 

Edited By Robonthemoor on 25/05/2016 15:48:22

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Hmmn. On further nooging around t'net I think the man who told me Condors were made in Spain may have been getting mixed up with Kondia. Especially as it was a phone conversation.

Screwed on nameplates so could easily come from a factory doing "what brand goes on this one" business. But its a cast plate suggesting things are as bit more serious than a plain old sticker would. You may be onto something suggesting some connection with the folk who made Semco badged Bridgeport clones. Both breeds appear to have followed the Bridgeport curved front head design quite closely on the step pulley type version yet use a wider, more angular style for the Varispeed models. Step pulley Condor pictured here **LINK** . I associate the angular Varispeed head with Taiwanese designs. Falcon Machine Tools, Chevalier brand, being one example at the better quality end. Probably not one of theirs as the tended to use gearbox style power feeds rather than Servo style electric ones. Pretty sure that XYZ, KVR et al are Taiwanese built.

According to this stock list **LINK** Nobilla have one up for sale at £4,995. Smart enough in pictures and I guess they are confident that its basically a decent quality machine.

Clive.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

This, on ebay, might be of interest re. Bridgeport compatibility:

**LINK**

MichaelG.

[Ex contributorParticipant @mgnbuk]

to me it looks like a Ajax

When Ajax were based in Bredbury near Stockport their turret mills were made by the Spanish manufacturer Lagun. Not sure where the current – Southern based – Ajax machines originate.

Nigel B

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Looks like the Condor is a pretty accurate clone of a Bridgeport if you can swop the ram without problems.

Lagun have a pretty distinctive flat front to the head so probably not the folk who made Condor. Bit upmarket from a Bridgeport too I believe being heavier and with some alleged improvements inside.

Clive.

.

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Look under condor lathes @lathes dot co dot uk. Mills are mentioned.

[RobonthemoorParticipant @robonthemoor]

Well" thanks for all the info chaps, more than I know about it, I think Ajax went to semco and merged🤔 Kondia are Spanish & a very heavy nice mill, I like very much, I think what Al204 says, as I have not seen the condor as yet,, Al has, the condor is between Bridgeport & Kondia , will look under condor lathes @ lathes dot co dot uk👍

[RobonthemoorParticipant @robonthemoor]

Posted by Richard Balderson on 25/05/2016 19:29:42:

Look under condor lathes @lathes dot co dot uk. Mills are mentioned.

Richard" I can't for the life of me see condor under lathes!! I assume you are looking under C ? On the lathe section A to Z🤔

[RobonthemoorParticipant @robonthemoor]

I'm also finding condor connected to Weiler this was my first thoughts,, but I thought they only did small bench type machines🤔 As well as lathes.

[RobonthemoorParticipant @robonthemoor]

Posted by Robonthemoor on 25/05/2016 20:53:17:

Well" thanks for all the info chaps, I think Ajax went to semco and merged🤔 Kondia are Spanish, & a very heavy nice mill, I like them very much, I think what Al204 , said" but I have not seen the condor as yet,, Al places the condor between Bridgeport & Kondia in size. Will look under condor lathes @ lathes dot co dot uk👍

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Fir anyone confused by those little boxes, apparently it's a Unicode ''thinking face'.

neil

Neil

[RobonthemoorParticipant @robonthemoor]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 26/05/2016 19:21:24:

Fir anyone confused by those little boxes, apparently it's a Unicode ''thinking face'.

neil

Neil

👍

[Ex contributorParticipant @mgnbuk]

I think Ajax went to semco and merged

Not sure what you mean by this ?

I can't recall now whether Ajax Bredbury ceased trading voluntarily or went into administration. The name & trademarks etc. were taken over by a company in the Midlands (IIRC), who the moved further South.

In the mid '80s my previous employer produced the CNC version of the Ajax knee mill. Before Spain joined the EEC, there were prohibitive import duties on "complete" CNC machine tools, so Ajax (and others) brought in the machine carcasses without the electrics / electronics – the spindle motor & coolant pump were the only electrical bits supplied, and empty electrical cabinets. These carcasses were shipped to Halifax, where we built the electrical panels, fitted the servomotors & Heidenhain control & wired the lot up. I guess we did between 40 and 50 altogether – the Ajax lorry brought 2 fresh carcasses & took 2 completed machines away every couple of weeks. Again at a guess, it was probably Spain's admittance to the EEC that removed the tariffs & made it more economical to bring the machines completely fitted out by Lagun, as the work stopped quite suddenly. Some years later we did something similar in the early days of XYZ Machine Tools on their Taiwanese knee mills.

We also used to buy Lagun 50 taper double angle milling heads through Ajax to retrofit to Butler Elgamill travelling column milling machines. At the time a new Lagun head with hydraulic drawbar cost around £6 – 7,000 – Asquith Butler wanted around £18,000 to rebuild a manual Butler head. There is one of the rebuilt Elgamills with a Lagun head on Ebay at the moment.

The last time I went to their premises was to measure up a CNC lathe to put together a proposal to build & integrate an automatic loading system to a CNC lathe. There was a skip in the yard being filled with new taper turning attachments from the stores. The larger Ajax branded manual lathes came from Bulgaria and the standard fitment included the taper turning attachment. These were removed in the UK & sold as an extra – it didn't look like many buyers paid extra for one ! The loader proposal came to nothing & I don't think it was long after that visit that they ceased trading.

Absolutely nothing to do with Condor machines, just jogged some memories !

Nigel B

[RobonthemoorParticipant @robonthemoor]

I was told Semco bought out Ajax brand, & moved south east of London, may of been Essex, read this on the web some time ago,, will try to find it again. You tel a very good story Nigel about your past I enjoy that, can you remember Condor milling machines from your past?.

[RobonthemoorParticipant @robonthemoor]

Ajax In 1979 the Compnay moved to new premises in Bredbury, Stockport and became part of the CEI Group, within their specialist engineering sector – a subsequent sale transferring assets to Graseby Plc. In 1992 the Company was transferred back into private ownership following a management buyout from the Graseby Group. By October 2001 the company was in new hands, having been taken over by the Viking Group – who counted amongst their acquisitions Startrite bandsaw and drilling machines. Now based in Birminham, in November 2002 the company was taken over by its current owner Mr Savin, (who relocated it to Hampshire), to be joined in March 2005 by the long-established Southampton-based machine tool dealership Semco Machine Tools ( Southern Engineering & Machinery Co.) The Company trades successfully to this day.

[davebParticipant @daveb17630]

Posted by Clive Foster on 25/05/2016 19:11:49:Looks like the Condor is a pretty accurate clone of a Bridgeport if you can swop the ram without problems.Lagun have a pretty distinctive flat front to the head so probably not the folk who made Condor. Bit upmarket from a Bridgeport too I believe being heavier and with some alleged improvements inside.Clive.

Clive, actually, more like a Bridgeport on steroids. You can't just swap the ram, you have to swap the turret too, the ram clamping arrangements are completely different. Some parts are interchangeable but there are dimensional differences so it's best not to make any assumptions. Casting for column, knee and saddle are different to Bridgeport, also a bit heavier. Condor varyspeed mills are made in Taiwan, almost identical to XYZ etc. The giveaway is the 'M' cast at the top of the column.

[RobonthemoorParticipant @robonthemoor]

Thanks Daveb👍 I wondered what the M was about, that's sums it up" Bridgeport on steroids😀

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