Down at the Old Mill

My son-in-law has got himself a Bridgeport mill that I think is older than me. He's excited to clean it up and has expressed an interest in doing something with a receiver. I would like to get him some tooling for it for his upcoming birthday, but I know bupkiss about machining or machinery, so I turn to the High Road for advice. All I know is the mill has an R8 taper.

Of course, I can always just ask what he needs, but that kind of spoils the surprise... Is this a dumb idea, or can I make a good guess at some tooling that would be useful to him and would fit in his new baby? I know I've seen some pretty amazing threads involving machining here. I'd say "don't worry about hurting my feelings," but I bet that's unnecessary.

Thanks for all the wisdom to come!

Thanks for the replies.

Turns out he got two vises (one missing a handle) along with it. I have ordered a clamping kit that will fit (assuming that one actually measures a t-slot at the top rather than the bottom!).

I think the indexing head is beyond my means for now, but the collet holder and collets seem affordable. The collet holder has to fit the R8 taper? Or am I misunderstanding that?

Oh, and not that it matters, but according to the serial number, it was built in 1944, so it's a LOT older than me. Well, some older...

I ordered him a 5C holder and collets and a clamping kit. Thanks again for the advice and explanations.