Warco GH600

I know you get burly builders, maybe burly plumbers, but didn't know you got burly software Engineers. I thought hey were all like me and sat at a desk for too long.

Warco did tell me that it will come on a 1m pallet.

Could you tell from looking at the crate that it had toppled?

With both Brian's and your now your's having fell over, perhaps they need to have a rethink on how they pack things.

I will watch for this when the lorry arrives.

I was being facetious - they sit at a desk all day long like you too

Here's how the crate looked....

Mine arrived today.

I had more luck. It was the right way up and no sign of damage to the case.

The driver was very good. He put it in the garage. A good job as it is heavier than I expected.

I have no idea how you managed to get it up to your shed.

Hi Ian - glad to hear the delivery went smoothly. I managed to get mine up on the stand last night, using the "jack and pack" technique. That wasn't easy either, I had no idea owning a lathe was so challenging. There's still plenty to do before I can make any cuts...

Hi Ian .

Congratulations on joining the GH600 Club

Brian

Cheers Brian.

I am guessing it will be a couple of weeks before I am up and running.

Cleaning off some of the oil while I wait for some steel to arrive to make the base.

That will give me some time to decide how I will lift it.

Have you tried changing the chuck yet? What a game!

I had top grind an allen key down to fit and I think they had been done up by one of the weight lifters in my earlier link. Then to remove the 3 jaw chuck from the register. I had to put a bar in the chuck to wriggle it free.

It is a very tight fit..

Trying to align the chuck and refit the bolts that hold it in place is challenging.

I do remember you warning me about this Brian.

The mini-lathe solution of studs and nuts was far easier. Is there any reason why I can't use studs and nuts rather than the bolts supplied?

Also, should there be a cover plate on the hole in the side door to keep swarf out of the change wheels?

Apart from that, the stand is built but the lathe is still on the floor. Most of the shipping grease has gone and has been replaced with way oil. I have not stripped the slides down - only cleaned what is accessible.

So far I have a good feeling about it, with everything feeling tight and smooth.

Edited By Ian Thomson 2 on 02/08/2019 19:03:46

Hi Ian .

Yes there should be a cover over the end of the spindle . It pivots on a cap screw fitted into the small hole .

I don't know what stand version you have but compared with the 280V which had shelves my GH600 stand had two panels filling in between the towers. I removed these, took off the angle iron that supports them , curt each section in half and re fitted them horizontally to form supports for the panels that become shelves . As you may remember from your visit, storage space in my workshop ( AKA Tip) is at a premium.

Brian .

Hi Ian - my unit came with a small yellow round cover for the side door, but it was loose somewhere (can't remember where exactly) and there was no fixing to mount it with. I guess I'll get around to fitting it somehow...

I'm with you regarding changing the chuck. The system with socket-head bolts facing into the head-stock, only accessible via a wee notch, is plain nuts.The tiny stubby hex key provided is even more laughable. Like you I had to modify a standard allen key to fit, and even then it was a struggle. I skinned one of my knuckles in the fight, but to be fair, I do that tackling even the simplest of jobs...

I have replaced the socket-head bolts with standard 25 x 8mm hex-head bolts, allowing a standard spanner to be used. Goodness knows why they didn't do that in the first place. I'm happy to be corrected if anyone can suggest why socket-head bolts are better...

I should also note, I had an anxious moment when the unit wouldn't start after I managed to get it up on the stand. It turns out the safety switch that is actuated by the side door is rather sensitive. A small shim taped to the inside of the door sorted that out by ensuring the switch is fully activated when the door is closed.

Found it!

It was stuck under the foot.

That also explains the bolt that was floating about in there.

Edited By Ian Thomson 2 on 02/08/2019 21:44:34

Warco must have adopted the 280V cabinet design for the GH600 now. Mine has shelves.

Aha! Can't remember where I found mine, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't under the foot. I guess they randomly toss one into every crate before nailing the lid down

It is now many years since I bought my lathe from Warco. I started by assembling the stand, bolting it to the tray. I then turned it upside down and painted the bottom of the columns with two coats of industrial paint. When dry, I cut some pieces of felt from the packing case and stuck these on the bottom plates using a roof adhesive. All this was to protect the stand from rot when in contact with the concrete floor. Since then, I got two pieces of 1/2" plate and made up a frame to support the lathe on casters. I removed the plate between the columns and filled the space with a metal drawer cabinet bought in Lidls and sprayed in the Warco colour the remaining space is filled with a drum and pump for the suds system.

The only niggle I have is the heavy cast iron headstock cover. I fear that it can accidently drop and cause some real damage to fingers. I tried to fit a gas strut from a car but without much success. I now have a plan to build a new cover from aluminum and use a catch to keep it closed.

The lathe is a joy to use and I think that once you get used to the various change levers, you too will start to manufacture large bags of swarf.

An "under the bench" project which i have to do is fit a 3PH motor with controller but I have been a bit slow on that one, mainly because I can not see a simple way to retain the lever controls and safety switches.

The BH600 and it's clones also have the heavy cast iron cover for the Headstock. For changing belts / engaging Back Gear, I wedge it with a big block of wood. Hasn't slipped in the last 15 years, so far. But there is still time!

I made a simple plywood cover for the top. The sides extend above and below, to locate on the cover while hopefully retaining all the Chuck keys, Allen keys,Spanners etc dumped on the top.

Howard

Here it is in place...

Still a bit of work to be done. I'be put some machine feet on the stand so that I can bring it up to a comfortable height. I'm not happy with how high they are. I'm going to put some concrete slabs under the feet so that they are at a minimal height, but still offer some adjustment. Then I need to ensure everything is twist-free.

But I couldn't wait any longer to try it. My first project is a part for a friend's motorcycle stand. It's simple and in aluminium, so a good starter project. Here it is half-done...

I've taken it out of the 3 jaw because I need to flip it. I'll put the 4-jaw on the lathe tomorrow and see how much fun it is getting it to run true.

I am planning to use these machine casters:

103mm high and rated at 500kg each / 1000kg per 4.

They have a large central rubber foot that screws down.

Probably overkill, but I am going to use 4 on each pedestal to allow for fine tuning the leveling.

They will allow the lathe to be easily moved should the need ever arise.

There are 2 extra gears supplied in the toolbox:

One marked 64. I guess it goes here:

To cut these threads:

What is the other one used for?

Looks to me as if it is the alternative gear for the screw cutting indicator on the apron. Look at the chart on the splashback

Brian

Thanks Brian.

I have removed the splashback to make lifting the lathe easier, and it is resting currently resting on my workbench face down.

I missed that chart.

Ian, where did you get those castors from? could do with some like that for one of my grinding machines.

Gray