Member postings for Iain Hogg

That's good to know - I think I've made my mind up about renewing my subscription now!

Iain

You might be a bit dissappointed Lee - as all the 2 pages do is mention it!

There's no actual content about restoring a car!

All it says is that you might need various tools, which anyone who actually restores cars will already have!

Is MEW available on Readly now?

Iain

Touché!

And let's face it, the Fashion Week article would be a bit more interesting!

I have to agree, the lack of appropriate content in this months issue was shocking.

Maybe, we'll get the "tarting up" an old trailer article from a few months back republished as there seems to be no effort being made for original content anymore.

I'm sure I'm not alone at this stage in considering the future of my subscription.

Usually, with the recent lack of relevant content, I could console myself with the full page advert for Home And Workshop Machinery on the rear cover - but even that was missing this month!

Iain

There seems to be a few different versions of the top cover for these machines.

Mine only has a small louvre at the back of the top cover.

Axminster are just a bit out of my price range with their lowest price model coming in at £700 - although it does look like a nice machine!

Definately a cooling problem.

As I said in another post, there is a marked improvement just by leaving the top cover off.

I've sourced some small fans today and I'm going to try two mounted at the front drawing in and two mounted at the top drawing out.

Something to check is the fan in the motor - that was what actually caused my first motor to melt.

It's just a cheap aluminium blade fan pressed onto the motor shaft. The fan can come loose and slip down the shaft and jam at the bottom of the motor.

The motor will still run as the shaft will quickly wear the pilot hole in the aluminium. If the mill isn't used for extended periods it won't be noticeable (as the fan isn't very efficient in the first place).

I have noticed a big improvement in TBS (time before smoke) by just leaving the top cover off.

No, it's just a fact that the soft plastic gears, as supplied with these Chinese machines, are too soft and don't like high temperature - and as most owners of these mills have found out strip readily.

When working with steel I generally don't take much more than 0.2mm with a milling cutter - and as this isn't generally for exytended periods, there are usually no problems with overheating (anlthough the motor does still get very hot).

The motor has obviously not failed due to overheating but it does start to smell and smoke is visible - this generally happens during fly cutting operations where there is a single point cut over a larger diameter - although I generally don't risk more than around a 0.05mm cut with steel.

I have not removed the "weakest link" from the system. The "upgraded" gears are still the weakest link in the system - although they are now made of engineering nylon PA2200 which has a higher melting point and is much stronger than the soft gray plastic version (which people think is delrin or similar).

The nylon gears have been installed by quite a few users and are definately an improvement - and are also more readily available (and actually cheaper) than trying to get replacements of the stock gears from any of the UK milling machine suppliers.

Does anyone have any experience of replacing the standard 750w motor in the WM 16.

I'm now on my second motor but have a constant problem with overheating - which leads to the brush covers melting and jamming in body of the motor.

First motor was exactly the same and I've had to resort to breaking the plastic covers out and using plastic plugs and cable ties to hold the brushes in place.

Is there a similar sized slightly more powerful electric motor available that could be substituted?

Does anyone have any experience of the Warco BS 100?

Currently considering as next workshop purchase but can't find any reviews or recomendations!

Quite expensive at £499 - is it worth it?

Hi all

New member here - recently retired and now spending more time in the workshop (OK corner of the garage!)

Based in Glasgow.

I have a Warco WM16 mill and a Warco WM250V lathe.

Love the lathe - just tolerate the mill (underpowered, overheats readily!)

Higher quality sacrificial gears, made from engineering nylon rather than the soft grey plastic, for the WM16, G0704 etc are readily available on eBay at lower cost than the Warco versions. Just search milling machine sacrificial gears.

I purchased two of these upgraded gears and after 12 months have now only just stripped the first one (drive gear) - whereas with the Warco version I was going through 3 or 4 a year. The nylon versions are much stronger and give you a bit more leeway before stripping while still protecting the metal parts.

I have seen various posts regarding making brass versions of these gears but ONLY the hi/lo changeover gear should be made in metal retaining a softer sacrificial drive gear (which is the easier to change anyway). Doing this the other way round and making a metal drive gear and retaining the soft hi/lo gear will just lead to frustration.