Most of your commercial machinery will be 3 phase, as noted above dont let that scare you, Ive replaced most of the motors (buffers, belt sanders etc.) in my shop to 3 phase. I would stay away from static phase converters, they may be cheap and easy to install, but you lose so much, keep in mind that a BP mill motor is only a 1 or 1 horse. Also, when looking at used 3 PH commercial machines, ensure that they are 220 and not 440.
Something else to consider are Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs), the prices have come down considerably, provides soo much more control over the machine. You can adjust the speed of the machine with the VFD; think no more belt/gear changes on mill/lathe. Just turn a knob or push an up/down button.
Mike brought up a good point with the Wells-Index, Bridgeports are not the only mills worth considering, and in fact they are pretty light weight compared to other brands: Wells-Index, Van Norman, Pratt Whitney etc. Now with that said, there are only two makes that are easy to get parts for: Bridgeport and Wells-Index. Lots of aftermarket parts for BP, and Wells-Index still supports all machines built since 1940.
I passed on a Wells-Index mill once only because the spindle taper was not R8. So Mike if you want to dump that ratty old Index mill.. let me know.
