Warco lathe

Stuart don't think you will be unhappy with the WM250,I would buy another if I had too. It doesn't take up much room in the shed,my shed is 8x10 feet got lathe,mill,floor standing pillar drill two benches one with a simat 101 lathe on it a motorbike, bandsaw and room for the dog (just) when I'm down here!

Mark P.

That will be a tight fit, Stuart. only about 630mm or 2'1" to spare, and the shelves to fit in at the tailstock end. Might they prevent you sliding the tailstock off?.

If the shed wall at the headstock end isn't on a boundary, I'd be templed to fit a sort of windowless oriel bay in it at the headstock end, to get a bit more space and so gears can be set up on wet days as well as on fine ones. Maybe with a little trapdoor so that really long stock can be passed through the headstock to the exterior, though a support would be needed to stop it flailing round.

Andy

Re tumbler revers, just stop flick the switch into reverse and thats it, you can even give the speed knob a tweak and back out faster than you went in. But as you say for occasional screwcutting its not an issue

Stuart, the end cover does not hinge, you unscrew two knurled knobs and move it out about about 25mm and can then lift it up, I'l have a measure & take a photo in the morning of the exact amount of space needed, 250 may be a fraction less than my 280.

Also if you can afford the extra get the 250 with power cross feed.

Try and leave room for a mandrel handle. Useful for cautious screwcutting and tapping.

Lots and lots of very constructive comments here - thanks chaps! Jason, I agree that the powered cross feed would be the business and if that lathe fits I think that given the constraints of my shed a WM 14 milling machine would be appropiate as a companion. Thats the way my thinking is going. - Stuart

Well took my cover off and noticed that there is actually a short return to the bottom of the cover, this means you need approx 100mm to the left of the lathe to allow the cover to be removed enough to slide it up. If you wanted to shorten teh studs and put a notch in teh return then this could be reduced to 50mm but you do need room to get yout hand in to unscrew the knobs,

Thanks for that Jason, exactly the detail I need to make final decision, very much appreciate your efforts and pics. - Best regards - Stuart

I've been pleased with my wm250. Before purchase I went along to Warco with a rule and checked out all major measurements that I needed to make a decision and make a bench. I made the bench a bit taller than necessary on the basis that I did not need back ache and i could stand on a duck board (manufactured from a pallet) if needed. So far I have not needed that but grandson and other small visitors have been grateful!

I've found the slow speed perfectly OK for the sort of cuts I take; in fact the speed is rock steady and the motor control so easy I never really want to see a gearbox again...

Steve W

When I bought my Drummond M the backgear was broken

I spent the first year without it, learning stuff, including how to fix it

When I fixed the backgear I turned my hobby lathe into a semi-professional production line machine which could happily work all day on heavier jobs like screwcutting and milling

edit

If you haven't ever had backgear then you don't know what you're missing

Because of the huge torque It takes a hobby lathe to a different level

Things like drilling big holes in steel(torque) or turning aluminium(slow speed no heat ) or parting off (torque) or turning down tough cast iron with carbide(no iron filings flying about all over the shop) become an option

Probably the biggest hobbyists advantage is the ability backgear has to do a really tough job with almost no heat being created

put simply

Backgear gives you two lathes from one

y

Edited By Ady1 on 12/02/2013 11:42:57

Sorry about that, I got my back gears and change gears mixed up.

blame it on my age.

Roy

Can I ask another question please on this lathe. I have a set of ER25 collets which I have been using on my old lathe. The nose on the spindle was ground to take the collet directly and a threaded collar tightened it up on the work piece. This allowed long lengths of stock to go up the spindle/quill bore while the required end bit was machined.

Would I be able to use these collets in the same manner on this lathe and how would it work? If I am unable to use them as described then what is recommended as an alternative?

Thanks

Stuart

You will have to use them in a collet chuck something like this

Edited By JasonB on 12/02/2013 18:34:30

Thanks again Jason, that looks like it will fit the bill. Hope the accuracy is as good as my old setup i.e .0003" runout max - Stuart

Hi Stuart

I bought my WM250V-F at the Harrogate exhib' last year in a package deal along with a WM16 mill & stands, I recieved it in Aug as I was converting my garage so asked Warco to delay delivery until notified. I have only just started to make swarf in anger this year & have just 95% completed a rear toolpost to suit. It has handled what I threw at it re. machining CI, MS & Brass, using 3 & 4 jaw chucks so am more than satisfied with it's performance. The mill is the same quality, handling all materials with ease,I am in the process of fitting DRO's to the mill at the mo', just fitted the Y axis today & will be fitting the X axis in due course.

The only gripe of real note is that the stands are rather flimsy to prevent total absence of vibration although ea.sturdy enough to support weight of machine, so in retrospect I would have gone with making a solid wooden or heavy angle iron framed bench for ea. machine. I sent the first lathe stand back as on one side the foot did not align up with the top & so would not sit level on the floor,as said they were included in package deal so everything matches up so to speak. another note, the drive belt is very thin.. 1/4" wide, so I bought a stand by from Warco after sales..a bit pricey if you ask me! but at least I will have a spare should anything untoward happen.

I have a set of ER 25 collets too but you will need to get a MT4 collet chuck to fit 'up the spout' as that is the taper size on the headstock, these are obtainable from all the UK ME suppliers at reasonable cost although I bought mine direct from a Hong Kong co at a much better price,inc postage. All in all both are capable machines so far, as long as you don't try riving off huge amounts in one pass, Harrisons & Bridgeports they are not!. As the sayings go,..'you gets what you pay for'.. 'don't expect a rolls for mini price', in they end they will do what you want them to do as long as you take care.

Cheers

George

George you don't need to use an MT type ER holder, the one I linked to lets you use the ER collets and keeps the bore clear for long work as there is no need for a draw bar. You can also machine the backplate to get it running true in your lathe.

Though as a stop gap you could use a MT4-MT2 reducer and use any MT2 tooling from the mill including a collet chuck.

I think that's for mini-lathes with a 75mm (approx) spindle flange, Jason. Not sure where you'd find one for a 125mm flange (or, more pertinently, the right register diameter to go on such a flange). Arc Euro do one for 100mm and another for 150mm (both for ER32s), but none for 125mm.

They are handy; I have a 100mm one for ER25, and as Stuart says it's useful for holding long stock up to 16mm dia. which needs to pass through the spindle.

Not too hard to roll your own, I suppose, though that would turn a lot of metal into swarf unless fabricated from a large dia. disc and a smaller dia. nosepiece.

Andy

Thats the one Warco list as an extra for the 250 lathe.

The recess does not go onto the  the lathe flange, or the smaller spigot which is approx 50mm. The backplate is machined with a short spigot to locate in the recess in the chuck, standard practice. Use a 125mm backplate to suit the lathe flange and fit the 100mm chuck to it.

J

Edit Chronos do a 125mm one but you would still use a backplate with it

Edited By JasonB on 12/02/2013 20:24:55

They are easy enough to make. heres my ER 32 one for a Chester Comet varispeed.

I admit I did buy the closing ring.

Roy.

Edited By wheeltapper on 12/02/2013 20:24:19

Re cover screws: fit short stud to lathe. Then fit (threaded inside) tube through cover with small handle on outside. This is how it is done on lots of other lathes.

Re vibration: Rather like washing machines you can add lumps of concrete to the stand to reduce vibration. There is a picture of a Boxford on the web somewhere where the owner has bolted it to a massive lump of granite on a short stand. I assume he had this bit of granite lying around and wanted to use it.