WARCO WM-250 lathe family and WM16 mill

I’ve noticed on my new 250V lathe that the dial on the carriage hand wheel is calibrated with each division shown as 0.25 mm. So far so good, but the scale on the wheel then counts 10 graduations as 1, 20 graduations as 2, and so on and so on (see photo). This seems really unhelpful as to work out how far it’s moved you have to multiple the wheel by 10 then divide by 4. I’m just curious as to why it has been done like this ? Surely it would have been better for the first major graduation to read 2.5 ?

I imagine it's so that each major division is a "tenth" of an inch.

Rod

Sorry, that should of course be 100th with each division being a thou. I wonder if the leadscrew is 2.5 mm pitch or 10tpi?

David, just to clarify, went to workshop & took a couple of pics...

set zero on saddle scale & digi readout..

0 - 1 reading...

Digi reading...

Imperial equiv'... 0.098"

moved saddle to 1 div'...

1 div = 0.010"

Hence 0 -1 on hand wheel = 2.5 mm saddle travel... 1 div = 0.010" travel ~ 0.25mm, as shown on saddle scale... ( calculator says .00984" ), readings +/- a couple of thou' all dependant on back lash on rack, accuracy of digi etc. Hope this has made it clearer.

George.

Thanks Mechman48 – you have gone to quite a bit of trouble for me and that’s really appreciated.

No probs; just confirmed for myself at the same time, always willing to help where I can.

My new WM250V came with a C spanner that fits the slotted nut shown below. Can I use this to hold the spindle whilst changing chucks – for some reason it feels like this is a bad idea (will it do something bad to the main bearing setup?) so I thought I’d better check with those more knowledgeable than myself first? (I need to find a way of locking the spindle without using the chuck - all part of making a back plate for a collet chuck)

Edited By David Cambridge on 29/10/2015 08:05:48

David, the slotted nuts allow for adjustment of spindle endfloat and bearing pre-load. I wouldn't suggest you use those to stop the spindle turning.

Not sure why you want to do this anyway, are you assuming the chucks are threaded onto the spindle?

The chucks on these lathes are mounted with three studs through the spindle flange

Thanks Graeme

You have confirmed my worry that it was a bad idea – luckily I have this forum and helpful people like yourself to guide me!

When changing chucks I find it easier to hold the spindle still as I undo the bolts on the studs. Normally that’s dead easy because it’s straight forward enough to find something on the chuck to take hold of. However, at the moment I’m sorting out a back plate to mount a collet chuck and it’s tricky to keep it still. (It will be fine when it’s done - it’s just during the machining that I’ve got this problem. It’s nothing I can’t work round though).

David

Ditto Graeme's comment; I use the chuck key in the chuck sockets to hold the spindle whilst I undo the 3 nuts on the back of the flange... mains plug out of course... or hold the jaws with a shifter, if you haven't already I would change the nuts & washers for flanged nuts, saves fiddling with nuts & washers in the tight space at the back of the spindle flange... really could do with another 5mm in the gap!.

George.

The Warco 250 manual forgets to mention how to change the belt position. Does anyone know how to do this ? According to the manual it’s important that the tensioning roler is correct, but it fails to mention how to adjust it ?

Thanks

David

.

I would imagine that adjustment is a simple three-handed matter of slackening the black Hex-head bolt; then rotating the disk to push the jockey-wheel in just far enough to set the correct tension [whatever that might be]; then, before anything slips, tightening the Hex-head.

Sounds a doddle

MichaelG.

Hi David

Sorry I don't know which model 250 you have - I have a manual for the latest 250V inverter model if you need any info copying and posting here re belt positions etc. The roller (i.e. tension) is adjusted by loosing the bolt arrowed as Michael says...

Hope this helps

Cheers

Garry

Edited By Garry_C on 08/11/2015 18:01:32

Thanks Garry. That did the trick.

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

To finish 2015 off I managed to finally get the new QCTP fitted to my lathe.
Cut up a length of BMS, no bandsaw required here just a bit of old school elbow grease!




Turned down to 22mm, 10mm hole drilled and a 6.7mm hole drilled further up the piece for a 8mm tap.



6.7mm tapped with M8 tap to fit existing stud on topslide.



Work piece fitted to stud to check for fit.



Piece parted off and turned down to 10mm for 1.5mm pitch thread.

The next steps was a baptism of fire! I installed my 4 jaw chuck and placed the round splined Turret body of the new QCTP in the jaws using copper pieces to protect the splines.



I used the inside diameter on the turret to align it in the 4 Jaw Chuck. Fortunately I watched this Youtube video so the process was not to painful:

https://youtu.be/2KMhx4DbyDg?list=PLK1rceD0kKIhofLeXXSjU7Qn6fipJOgvA

I had to then make some shims up for a 8mm boring bar to get work on centre. I set my boring bar 42mm out of the tool post but after a single pass it was clear that I would have to reduce the amount of overhang as the bar was deflecting in the bore.
This was a laborious task and took up much of the day as I had to bore 1 side of the the Turret turn the work around realign and bore out the other side.

Once complete the result was spot on and very pleased that I can now take advantage of the benefits a QCTP has to offer!





G

Edited By Grant Nicholas on 01/01/2016 02:03:34

Edited By Grant Nicholas on 01/01/2016 02:07:36

Edited By Grant Nicholas on 01/01/2016 02:10:43

Edited By JasonB on 01/01/2016 07:58:12

Edited By JasonB on 01/01/2016 08:00:47

Edited By JasonB on 04/01/2016 15:48:32

Grant,

Nice job on the tool post. Only seen this after posting response to your other thread earlier... precisely one of the reasons I mentioned /suggesting all queries re. Warco 250 / 290 machines to be collated under the 'Warco 250 & WM16 family' thread.

George.

Edited By JasonB on 04/01/2016 15:49:57

Hi George

Thanks and I do apologise. I completely forgot to do this and understand the benefits of having everything Warco in 1 place. I have now bookmarked that thread you linked to.

Perhaps a moderator can make a dedicated Warco category as there seems to be a lot of members here with the Warco family of machines?

G.

Edited By JasonB on 04/01/2016 15:50:33

Hi Grant.

No need for apologies; I too am surprised at the no. of members that have Warco equip', says a lot for our particular choice of Chinese machinery. I did suggest the same idea in one of my posts, just prior to the hols IIRC, but not so sure any of the moderators have noted suggestion... yet ? No doubt a lot of Myford owners would suggest the same idea although there is a Myford owners forum on another website.

George.

The problem with making it a Warco dedicated catagory is that the "family" includes very similar machines by the likes of Chester, SPG, Toolco, Amadeal, Busy Bee, Optimum, etc, etc

At least the way it is now anyone who knows their machine is similar to the WM250 has a chance to find the thread. If it were just called a Warco thread they may not bother looking.

J

George/Martin : Thanks for the plug..Just a small correction. They are not magnetic scales. They are cheap and simple digital readout bars which work in the same way as digital callipers. link

George, you nearly gave me a heat attack . Magnetic scales are a lot more expensive, similar/more than glass scales. Might introduce them later this year.

Ketan at ARC

Sorry, just read the post and realised it was an old post.

Edited By Ketan Swali on 04/01/2016 20:03:38