Member postings for Robin

No, you've lost me there, translation please...

Warco sent some bod around to fix it. If he had told me they gave him the wrong part I could have saved him 5 hours by fitting it myself, the whole thing was coming apart anyway...

I am well acquainted with Warco brass feed nuts, 0.2mm of backlash means you either climb mill or break your tools when it plays catch up. New screws have already arrived.

It had a glass DRO across the back of the bed and a horizontal spindle nose to rip it off the moment you got careless. There is room to fit the DRO under the bed so that is where it is going.

With a vast array of contactors they managed to connect 2 motors to one VFD, with reverse and rev counters. Everything started out at a nice safe 24Vac but then they added a 240V DRO display and a power feed which drapes a 3 core PVC flex across the front of the machine, all 3 wires connected to mains live.

The machine has enormous potential. I am not complaining, I am having lots of fun fixing it up. Fitting Bellville washers to ball screws for zero back lash, plumbing in an oil pump, CNC'ing it, I will soon get to see the gears that wind the knee up and down. They couldn't get back lash in that nut due to the force of gravity so they put extra slop on the bevel gears to simulate it, hoping for a keyway, expecting a taper pin.

Anyway, no insurmountable problems yet, it is going to be wonderful when I finish it

Should anyone find themselves in the same boat, search for, "Brass Barbed Hose Tube Right Angle Joint Fittings Pipe Connector"

Excellent, you are clever. Now the really tricky bit...

What do I type into eBay, Amazon, AliExpress etc to find these connectors?

My hobby seems to have evolved into buying machine tools, taking them apart and then moaning about what I find.

This one has lovely oilways connected to ghastly brass oilers.

How were these oilers fitted? How do I get them out so I can replace them with pipework?

I just bought 2 lathes from Chester. Unlike Warco they didn't come with faceplates,

I said, I will need faceplates" and they gave me faceplates.

Be sure to ask for faceplates if not on the list

The horizontal and vertical spindle motors on my new mill have noisy electric fans fitted to cool them. Presumably, because the VFD does not guarantee sufficient revs to do the job.

Both going at the same time, all the time was annoying so I fitted 40 degC thermal switches to shut them up until they are needed. 15mm binder clips, with the wire levers removed, provide excellent thermal contact and you wouldn't see them if you didn't know it was there.

The horizontal needed the engine hoisting to fit it, but the silence is well worth the effort.

I went to SpecSavers, chose their frames with the biggest lenses, told them I wanted bifocals with the top lens putting me in focus at 1 foot and the bottom lens at 6 inches. They didn't tell me I was stupid or that it would damage my eyesight, they asked me where I wanted the break between the lenses to occur and then made them for me. They were wonderful and years later, no harm done but I depend on them for close work, cannot live without the blessed things. All they want is your money so be imaginative

Today I had to 'phone Colchester Hobby store and apologise for my phone call yesterday

I am still miffed that they won't let me change settings on their Conquest lathe DRO, the manual says I can, but after finding my problems all stemmed from their fitting a 1um glass scale to the cross slide I am prepared to forgive.

I wasn't expecting 1 micron glass.

OTOH I don't usually buy lathes, perhaps this is normal?

Unscrew the errant camlock pin one turn and suddenly it is no longer 1mm shorter than everyone else.

Understand that the spring index hits a dent so I can feel when the camlock is ready to receive or lose a chuck. No mark required.

Put it all back together, fit the chuck, remove the chuck, replace the chuck and it is back to running sweet and true.

What a relief. Tomorrow the 4 jaw and then the faceplate

I just fetched it. I found a picture of the cam and decided there wasn't much to stop me so leant on it hard as I could.

It let go suddenly sending me stumbling backwards into the engine hoist which suddenly needed supporting to stop it falling against the lathe.

Quite exciting for a moment.

All apart now, SWMBO wants me to walk the dog before the diagnosis and repair. I think one pin on the chuck was screwed in one turn beyond the depth ring. If true then Clive wins the coconut, pictures when I get back

Hi Henry, I will try anything.

Bar out, wood in place, tight on two, number 3 still won't move

I have a foot long, 1.5" diameter iron bar in the chuck and running back through the spindle. I have given it a couple of encouraging taps to try and free it but I don't want to make it worse.

The chuck will move forwards the thickness of 2 sheets of paper and that is my lot

Once moved two locks are loose, the third is jammed tight

Edited By Robin on 21/11/2020 13:23:42

But what when a lock refuses to turn?

Should I be able to remove a lock once the detent is out?

What could stop a lock turning?

I am not having a lot of luck lately. I might need to pop down the Catholic Church and light a candle, mumble an Ave of two.

I bought a new Crusader deluxe lathe from Chester and it all looks fixable apart from changing the chuck

The D1-4 Camlocks lack the alignment marks.

Two of the locks turn through 180, the other only manages a reluctant 90 so I think I know where the problem is.

A web search reveals that out all the D1-4 user, English speaking world I am the only one suffering this problem.

I have removed the spring detents.

No answer to the Chester phone so It seems I am on my own until Monday. I don't want to get too vigorous because I don't want it to become my fault.

I hear they are dropping like flies oop North so I need to get this fixed before they have all gasped their last

Perhaps there is a wrinkle I am unaware off, a D1-4 trick to make it behave?

My 3D printer stopped working causing me to download new software.

Eventually, a new window popped up asking me if I wanted to give permission for the software to access the printer.

I cursed my impetuous mistake and started rewinding back to where I was.

If you pin a large Post It note above the computer to remind yourself that the cause of all future woes is probably the update that might be a good idea.

Roger at Warco called this morning, I think he may be sending someone to fix it. Can't complain at that. I have already reinstated the super safety chuck guard.

I am wondering if it really needs a 3hp motor. I removed the 2hp single phase from my old mill and replaced it with a 3/4 hp 3 phase and VFD. It went from growl to purr and has never been found wanting.

OTOH, if it ain't broke don't fix it, this monster sized motor might be lovely, if I ever get to switch it on I will find out

I hear you Howard but there is worse. The handles on the X screw are made like those chuck keys that spring out of engagement the moment you let go

After searching for RCB 30mA problems I found a link to this very site. On checking I found this mill has a ground connection to the VFD that does not show on the circuit diagram, shall I take it out?

Apparently, Warco's electrician is CoViD isolated and cannot call me back for two days.

I did see the Chester Model T but they don't have any stock. Shame because it has 3 axes on the DRO compared to Warco's 2.

It doesn't work. As soon as I press the green button under the lightning bolt the house RCB 30mA trip pops causing SWMBO to moan.

Warco technical support are out