Warco GH universal milling machine dismantling advice

Chris thanks for that but I've already got a Chester 20vs mill and decided if I'm going to upgrade I want something with plenty of torque for machining mild steel hence why I'm drawn to the 2kw motor. I will be fitting DRO but 3 axis , the Chester has only a 2 axis display so I would also have to upgrade that. Unless someone can give me other feed back then I'll stick with the warco GH but please don't think I'm ignoring the comments as I welcome all comments and feed back so I can make a good informed decision. I really appreciate people taking time to respond. I was originally just going to upgrade to the warco 18 mill but then when I read up on machine torque and how it works in relation to motor speed made me realise this would be a bad decision. I noticed warco do a gearhead version of the 18 model of the mill and would welcome any feedback on this as it only has a 1hp motor.

With regards to moving the machine I'm lucky as there is no grass to do over. It's just a case of getting it through my hallway,living room and conservatory 😊 Ian Parkin has kindly offered to come over and help which I can't thank him enough for his kind offer.

I love this site as it has so many members willing to help with advice may I thank you all as it's really appreciated 👍👍👍👍

Here is a thought (after seeing their advertising that 'everyb machine comes assembled'

If delivered by their

own transport, would they supply it dismantled? They clearly have to certify it, but the advertising ("Warco GH Universal Mills are supplied fully assembled"

suggests these machines arrive in parts at Warco?

No problem Mark. By choosing a gear head mill, you've already solved the torque issues that the 20vs will suffer from. The normal drilling capacity of these machines is 45mm with 1hp, and I can say that it manages this in steel all day if you want it to.

I'm sure Chester would fit a 3 axis DRO for you if you asked.

Personally, I can only see the powered spindle downfeed being really useful on boring head jobs, whereas the head elevation is used on nearly every tool change. To have both would be a nice feature, but I would not have spindle in place of head.

I managed to get a sack barrow of eBay

Have you considered the Super Major? When I was looking to buy a new mill I considered the Super Major and the GH Universal. I created a spreadsheet and worked out the cost of them . I wanted 3 axis DRO, power fed X axis and a stand.

The GH Universal came out at £3012 and the Super Major £3170. To me it was a no brainer, the Super Major had the Z power feed. Here is a video of the Super Major **LINK**

I know what you're saying petro1head and if the motor on the Chester was bigger then I would go for that but the motor size is the same as my Chester 20vs ....1hp that is my major concern. The 2 hp of the warco wins it for me. If only the Chester one was the same then I would definitely go for that. The whole point of me upgrading is to have something with a lot more torque...the more the better. I'll still be keeping my 20vs though. Also another problem even if I were to go for the Chester model is they're out of stock. I will however keep my options open and make my final decision after seeing them at the Doncaster show......you never know the next batch of Chesters mills might have bigger motors 😊😊

Thanks to Ian though the dismantling and moveing of it will be sorted 😊.

<edit - corrected unfortunate typo...>

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 05/03/2017 19:33:59

You mentioned in your reply Chester, not sure why as was talking about Warco machines. The Super Major has the same motor as the GH Universal.  I suspect your confusing the Chester Super Lux to the Warco Super Major?

Here is the spec of the Super Major - http://www.warco.co.uk/milling-machines/39-super-major-milling-drilling-machine.html

Edited By petro1head on 14/02/2017 20:28:22

Sorry Petrol1head yes I did mis-understand. I would love to have that mill seems awesome and I did consider it. The only thing that put me off was the weight some 100kg more than the GH 😳 And dismantling it seems to be a bit of a nightmare unless you can correct me. With the GH I can just unbolt the motor and control box but with the super it seems a lot more complex to do judging from what I can make out from the photos. If it's easy to split then I would go for that model maybe you can advise me further on this

I don't know, however I would say its very similar proposition.

Give Warco a bell tomorrow, they will be able to advise.

If you have the space then this is the one to buy, like I said earlier its only £170 more and a better spec.  If I had the space I would have bought it.

Hmm, if I had the space I would buy a Bridgeport

Edited By petro1head on 14/02/2017 21:38:35

Thanks for that. I better check my space as well 😳As it's going to be tight just for the GH

For what my advice is worth.

1) The more that you dismantle, the more likely you are to have problems realigning on reassembly.

So if possible, only dismantle to the point where the parts will pass through the house.

If you can lever the machine up onto rollers / trolley and wheel through, complete, do so.

I bitterly regret having separated the column and base when I first moved my Mill / Drill. If I had had had the folding crane then, I would have used it. It was much easier using the crane, when moving into this shop. Just worked through the doorway to lift the machine on to the bench, and bolt it down. Levered bench onto small rollers, and then put a sturdy piece of timber across door way. Used a scissor jack and timber to "jack and pack" bench and machine into position. Slow but safer than manual lifting and pushing.

2) You should be able to hire a folding Engine Crane.

This would allow you to lift the heavy parts onto a trolley (or two) to wheel through the house. The crane can then be folded, wheeled through, unfolded and used to lift the reassembled machine onto the stand / bench, as above.

It may be slow, but jacking and packing will allow you to lift heavy weights to a height suitable for most workshop purposes. BUT DO make sure that the weight is not going to fall onto you, or anything else.

A lot of heavy weights used to lifted and moved, down mines, by jacking and packing. It just needs patience and plenty of packing. Beware of bricks: they will crumble! Paving slabs need to be supported completely, not just at the edges.

Howard

All sort now is thanks to Ian Parkin's help 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Which machine did you end up buying

I went for the GH It's a lot LOT bigger than I expected and if I'd have seen it first I probably wouldn't have gone for it . Although it's the one I've always wanted but now it's in I'm well chuffed. I was going to look at it first at the Doncaster show but warco aren't going this year, hence why I got it now. It's a HUGE step up from my Chester 20vs Just gotta re arrange my workshop as space has become very tight. I might even have to sell my Chester but that'll be a very very last resort

I see your pics of your new mill. The power feed looks nice. Could you do me a favour when you get chance and measure the distance the feed overhangs from the end of the table to the end of the power feed as I might get one . I take it they can only be mounted to the left side of the table🙁

Hi, its 270mm overhang. However its for the WM18 and unsure it it would fit yours.

Its basically a hang down type thats swung up 90deg. You get the special plate that the feed bolts to which in turn slips over the end of the table and held by two bolts. You alsi get a gear wheel that goes where the handle would be plus a new bearing carrier.

If you want to see if it will fit, happy to take photos and measurements.

Thanks for that 👍 Just the measurement is fine.

Mark, are you sure Warco will not be at Doncaster this year? The exhibition web site still has them listed in the trade info as attending.

Alan.

I can only go by what I was told and Roger Warren of warco emailed me about two weeks ago and said due to logistics they would not be attending the Doncaster show this year

That's a pity

Maybe Warco have given up on sales and their customers in the north of England!!

I suspect they have looked at the sums associated with hiring a pantechnicon.

It's a shame that we can't find a formula for big companies to attend without having to bring a massive range of gear and yet not disappoint the punters.

Neil