Here is a list of all the postings steve clark 2 has made in our forums. Click on a thread name to jump to the thread.
Thread: Warco WM-14 or Amadeal AMA-16 |
15/03/2013 13:28:31 |
Warco seem to be out of stock of the metric version. Are the measurements spot on with these machines anyway, I'd imagine that checking/using a micrometer several times throughout a job would be more accurate? Apart from the folks who live in the States does anyone prefer to have an imperial marked machine? |
14/03/2013 16:31:28 |
Posted by Ady1 on 14/03/2013 01:59:38:
Mr Steve Until you get into bed with a woman you will never know anything about women, no matter how much advice you get, or how many books you read
Cimb into bed with one Mr Steve, go for it Ha ha, yes very good. It's just a fair old wedge of cash to me, I can't afford or plan to buy any more machines, just hoping to avoid buying a lemon first time out of the box as so to speak. |
13/03/2013 15:39:33 |
http://www.warco.co.uk/milling-machines/31-wm-14-variable-speed-milling-machine.html http://www.amadeal.co.uk/acatalog/AMA16V.html
Now these two machines look pretty much identical to me, the specs are all most the same,.....although why is the maximum end milling capacity 12mm on the Warco when it's 16mm on the Amadeal? Which one would you buy and why?
I couldn't get to the Ally Pally show the other month, snow prevented me from leaving home, hopefully the weather will be OK this Saturday, hoping to get to Warco's open day, may pick up a bargain?? |
Thread: Milling Machines |
19/01/2013 23:03:10 |
Posted by Donald Wittmann on 19/01/2013 11:02:06:
Well said Steve Clark, I agree totally with your deductions. As for Arc, the guy is pleasant enough UNTIL someone starts telling the truth about Chinese machines and then you can rest assured that his sidekick Mr S will respond to back him up. The only difference between them and Laurel and Hardy is Laurel and Hardy were a laugh, this pair are a joke. Ps, if possible look for a second hand Wabeco mill. first class Hobby /Light engineering gear. and then, [ And I don,t mean this offensively] you will be the limitation [ Which will be less and less as you gain experience]. Regards, Donald.
Thank you, for a minute I thought it must just be me who's seeing it this way, others comments seem to be nothing but praise for the service/advice they have received. I'm not doubting their words/own personal experience but when you have clearly seen what's been posted here, you got to understand how I'm taking it, surely it's not the best way to respond to any new comer.
Ok, let's not dwell on the point any longer, Ketan I accept your apology. Howard Winwood, I can assure you that I never joined the forum for a slanging match or to upset anyone, why would I want to do that?? I already own & use many different types of tools/machinery, I come from a service engineer background, I've serviced,repaired, stripped down many things over the years so I don't mind having to do some fettling to a mill. My earlier comment about precision, think of it like this from a newbie's point of view, buy a cheap circular saw for example and you still expect it to cut straight just like an expensive Dewalt would, totally different type of machine I know but you get my drift? I understand that ones skill level will help no end, not offended by any advice/help on that score, I normally pick things up pretty quick.
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18/01/2013 23:31:47 |
No, nothing to do with sour grapes honestly, that were my experience on the phone. Ok, you can only go by what you have seen here, I've never had such a response before, not another member has replied like he has, do you really think that's accepted then??? |
18/01/2013 20:02:32 |
Right, let me clear up some points here, firstly I joined this forum to help me narrow down my choice of mill and gain some knowledge on the different bit holding systems, it really is that simple, I had no idea which suppliers of such machines were/were not connected with this forum. In my very first post I did state that I've already had the "what are you going to use it for" question, I can only have this size of machine period so what does it matter, if the parts are for a train, remote control car, boat etc etc? What on earth has my location got to do with anything either? I travel all over this Country, going to many different types of shows throughout the Year so don't assume I live in the South! What next, will my race or religion come into it?
You know after all the recommendations on here on the SX2 and the fact that it's belt drive, I was actually considering one, funny that you all of a sudden stated that you wouldn't sell me one.
Ketan, I must say, it would appear you have a 'big chip' on your shoulder about something or maybe you just can't stand any negative comments about the machines you sell, jumping on my post about the holes being drilled slightly out for example, that actually originally came from someone else by the way! You know I didn't want to say this but I've actually spoken to you, some time ago I phoned you, asked a couple of general questions on lathes and the mere suggestion of a competitor's machine resulted in a big huff and you slagging them off! I were most shocked and surprised, how unprofessional of you and you know what, I found them to be the complete opposite, most kind & helpful, I did end up purchasing a lathe from them.
Sorry but from my own telephone conversation and the way you have responded here I couldn't recommend Arceurotrade to anyone.
Anyway, many thanks for all the info from the other members on this forum, much appreciated.
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17/01/2013 22:12:01 |
Ketan, really?? What a strange way to treat people, you make a lot of assumptions don't you! Frankly your attitude to potentially new customers stinks. |
17/01/2013 20:32:38 |
If I were to buy a mill with plastic gears/drive and wanted to convert it to belt drive I take it that this is the kit to buy, is there a stockist of such a kit in the UK?
http://www.stirlingsteele.com/beltdrive.html |
17/01/2013 19:49:32 |
Posted by Bazyle on 17/01/2013 19:29:27:
What are people thinking is precision? (for amateurs) I'm quite pleased to get accuracy of a thou and modellers needing better fits traditionally lap them to achieve that. Commercially on smallish bits like 2mm I'm offered and happy with a tolerance of 0.02mm as any tighter costs more. Yes, what degree of precision was meant? I wasn't sure. Those figures you quote sound reasonable to me, I can live with that. |
17/01/2013 18:04:56 |
Well here's a question for you, these are hobby type machines right, who makes steam engine related parts for their train sets for example, I assumed that the tolerances for such parts are important so it would kind of follow that the machines would be a precision instrument?? |
17/01/2013 15:01:32 |
I am a bit surprised about the precision aspect, how far off are these machines then? I'm sure that I'm not the only new comer to such machines who would assume that they would be pretty much spot on! How much do you have to spend to get one that is then? For those that have one with a fixed head, how do you get on if you want to drill/cut at an angle? Let's say it's a length of bar or flat plate, I'm guessing that you are stuffed if it's in the centre? Angle vice would only be good for working on the ends?? |
16/01/2013 16:38:26 |
Posted by Ketan Swali on 16/01/2013 13:05:31:
Posted by steve clark 2 on 15/01/2013 12:30:01:
Thanks guys, a can of worms it sure is isn't it. One company I spoke to disputes the thinking that these machines are made by a couple of factories in China, if they were then there would be less differences in wattage motors for example from one make/model to another. Also other related parts may well not fit what appears to be a 'twin' machine. I dont quite understand what you mean. Depending on what machine you want, there are many makers of mini-mill and mini-lathe. Motor sizes, wattage, length and type of bed for lathe, and different lengths of table etc. for mills, depends on what the importer wants out of each manufacturers range. Some parts will be different on 'twin' machines. eg. lathe mini-lathe from SIEG has a different bed from the one manufactured by some other factory. Saddles may be different. Ketan at ARC.
In the past I've been told that it doesn't really matter which one you buy, they all come from one or two factories period. This guy were saying that's bull because there are so many different wattage motors alone fitted to these machines, why would say two factories make/fit several different motors in the first place? |
16/01/2013 16:32:59 |
Posted by Terryd on 16/01/2013 08:42:43:
Posted by Old School on 15/01/2013 13:03:13:
Steve ...............................The main advantage is R8 tooling has a key way in it does not slip in the machine and it does not have to pulled up as tight with draw bar as mt tooling and consequentially you dont have to hit the draw bar as hard to release the tooling. Olly Hi Steve, I don't know if this has been pointed out by others but RE taper is not a collet system it is an alternative taper system to Morse tapers. The 'E' system of collets are used in holders or chucks which can have Morse or R8 tapers (there are other systems but these two are the most common). The ER collet systems are useful because they can hold a range of size in each collet, unlike other less versatile systems. Hence a 6mm collet can hold work or cutters between 5 and 6mm because of the 'compressibility' of the collet. The system can be used to hold work or tools so is very versatile. So if you have an E collet chuck with a few collets for the milling machine that is really all the toolholding you need. There is no need for a different 'milling' chuck. My MT3, E32 chuck is hardly ever removed from the milling machine and it can hold all but my largest drills and milling cutters. I have a seperate lathe collet holder which I can use for much of my turning when I need accurate concentricity and repeatability As another 'old schooler' I can honestly say that I never have to do more than nip up the drawbar in my milling machine with an MT3 taper housing and my MT2 drilling machine has never dropped it's chuck or the large MT drills I sometimes use and the MT taper in my lathe headstock and tailstock have never let me down. The problems with morse tapers combined with drawbars is that folk tend to tighten them with too much force and consequently need to hammer the drawbar to free the taper. Worst problem is that they then use a steel hammer instead of a copper one (or similar) to bash the poor thing when struggling to remove the chuck. In all my years of machining I have usually just had to give the drawbar a light rap to release it, only rarely had to use a lot of force but have used a copper hammer and caused no damage to the machine. Then again I was taught in the toolroom but did witness a few gorillas in the production machine shop who thought that they had to use a lump hammer on every spanner and locking lever in sight. The advantage in the home workshop of MTs is that tooling is common to lathe, drilling and milling machines, I can transfer my E32 collets and other tooling from lathe to milling machine or drilling machine with ease. No need for duplicate collet chucks. My advice as to actual machine is to get the most solid you can, I have the equivalent of the Warco WM18 with a similar pressed steel stand and find it perfectly adequate and solid when bolted down. It's not a patch on my mate's Bridgeport but it does what I need without complaint. Regards T Edited By Terryd on 16/01/2013 08:44:41
Thanks, now I don't know what to do, the E system sounds good, one collet being able to clamp a couple of different sized bits would be a bonus in my eyes. Is it like the system on a Dremel machine then where the 'cap' screws down tightly squeezing the collet around the tool's shaft? Does the 'cap' part eat into/take away some of the available work height though? Would the R8 be better in this aspect? |
15/01/2013 21:27:34 |
Posted by Bob Perkins on 15/01/2013 21:16:48:
Consider a SX2 plus from arc. I'm really pleased with mine. Small machines will always have many limitations. I too had space and funding limitations and find this a good comprimise. Yes, I will do. What do you make of their extra charge/service of stripping it down/putting it together? Others I have spoke to have thought that it's bang out of order, not really necessary if you are fairly competent with a set of spanners. |
15/01/2013 20:59:32 |
Now the fact I've plumped for R8 means that certain machines are out, like the Warco right? |
15/01/2013 20:50:25 |
Thanks guys, well the general vote for R8 has convinced me to go for that. It's just the rest I'm still unsure about. LOL |
15/01/2013 20:21:20 |
Posted by Stub Mandrel on 15/01/2013 19:22:30:
Hi Steve, What sort of work do you intend doing with your mill, and do you intend to invest alt in tooling, or just get enough to get by. Neil I can't give you a specific answer to the first question, has I've said before, does it really matter anyway? when my space & budget dictates that I can only buy this size of mill period, surely they will all only be able to handle smaller/lighter jobs. Yes, I will need some cutters, who can buy them all when starting out? Just a few at first to get me started.
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15/01/2013 20:14:14 |
Posted by Bazyle on 15/01/2013 17:13:35:
Slow down! Please don't be offended but I think your level of knowledge is not yet enough to wisely commit on a major budget item unless you are well into the 'no child allowance' income bracket. More time to read the umpteen threads on just this forum will save you money and give more satisfaction in the long run. (China production. many many parts factories supply fewer but multiple integrators. Just like cars and you know all hatchbacks look nearly the same and all use the same brakes etc.) I've been looking at such machines, on/off for over a year now, been to a show and spoken to a few people, they all say that thier machine and back up service is the best, sometimes the more you research a subject the more it becomes blurred, just look at the conflicting views from folk on here, sooner or later you have to bite the bullet and buy one. Edited By steve clark 2 on 15/01/2013 20:22:38 |
15/01/2013 15:08:47 |
OK, let's say I bought that first mill on my list, that's got a MT3 spindle/hole yes, will all these different collets fit in there? I see they list a few different ones, R8, ER32 & ER25 have been mentioned here, which one should I go for?? http://www.amadeal.co.uk/acatalog/Collets.html
By the way, I already have a dedicated pillar drill for drill bits/drilling. |
15/01/2013 12:31:43 |
I forgot to say, it's shocking that you can't rely on the holes being drilled in the right place on such a machine. |
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