warco lathes.

I don't have any opinion about the wiring issue that's taken up so many column inches lately, but I think that the general truth about Warco machines is that they are at least adequate for most work within their size range.

I've recently posted about an issue I had where a shearpin fell out of its location without good reason and caused an alarming jam - which, however, turned out to be resolvable without additional damage or expense.

I've had the WM250V for a bit over 2 years and it's been in almost daily use for an extensive range of turning jobs from delrin to silver steel, and a lot of milling and flycutting using a Myford vertical slide with an adapted Warco baseplate. Previously I used a Myford Speed 10 for 15 years. In the 1970s I spent about 4 years as a turner using a wide range of lathes including some big Binns & Berrys, and I also work as a volunteer making components for a steam railway workshop using their machinery for work that's too big for my own.

The Warco isn't as cosmetically attractive as the Myford was, but that's the only negative comment I'll make. The 3 jaw chuck that came with it still runs true to a thou TIR on silver steel ground stock, and I've seen it run within about 6 tenths. It's not as good on outside or reverse jaws, but I bought a set of soft jaws that stops that being much of a problem.

There has never been any sort of electrical problem.

It can take 80 thou cuts on silver steel, which the Myford never could. The milling setup with vertical slide is far steadier because the bed's much wider, and the fine powered crossfeed gives a silky finish when facing, flycut-milling flats or slot-drilling.

When components like changewheel bushes and tee-nuts got damaged during the guarantee period, Warco replaced them promptly and without question. When I raised the problem I reported on these forums they responded courteously to voicemails and emails within a reasonable period, although by that time I'd found and fixed the issue - which would have been difficult for them to diagnose anyway.

Like many machines, they contain traps for the unwary - chiefly concerning driving powered feeds beyond limits of travel - but very few commercial machines are foolproof, and all kinds of engineering usually punish foolishness anyway.

Although they're quite severely value-engineered, I think they're decent working machines fairly supported by the company.

Edited By Mick Burmeister 1 on 08/05/2017 16:39:44

Just a general observation, threads like this only show what goes wrong, so show a very negative view of the world. For every one that has an issue with a Warco lathe there will be x times a silent majority who have no issues. I work in IT support for a storage vendor (one who has very high reputation for support). On some very busy days, some of my colleagues can get very down. I respond by saying that we see the raw end of the job, in that we only speak to customers with problems
1) For every customer that has an issue, there are x thousand that don't and are very happy
2) Even if a customer has an issue (Sh8t happens), it is the quality of support that gets the issue resolved that counts.

BTW I have a Warco VMC mill, I had a minor issue within warranty and it was sorted very effectively

.

Have you spoken to this guy. http://www.alphamachinetools.co.uk/lathes.php Like I suggested previously.?

Nick

Edited By Nick_G on 08/05/2017 19:40:00

Various Colchester Student 1800s, Chipmaster, Triumph 2000 + Harrison M300s at this auction, ending this week **LINK**

Nigel B

Ah okay, thanks for clarifying.

Ketan.

Hi Nigel

Interesting link & not just for the lathes !!

thanks

Does anybody have any experience of changing the main motor on a WMT500 ? It looks to me that I will need to remove the housing which covers the pulleys and gearbox which would be a nuisance if there is room to unbolt the motor

hi have just bought a warco 1322 lathe and am finding it awkward to use, then I realized it was left hand, all warco lathes seem to be this way, does any one else have problems having the carriage hand wheel on the left?

I've a 1330 which also has the handwheel on the left

It's loosely based on the design of the Harrison M300, with one stage of the gearbox removed and instead supplied with changewheels.

On the Harrison by default, on gap beds, the handwheel was on the left, and on plain beds it was on the right; I think either could be specified by special order.
It may not make it any easier to use from your point of view, and it does expose ones hand more readily to hot metal chips, but it does at least explain it for you.

Bill

Biggest market for the far eastern lathes is the US where left hand is the norm so not economical to alter for the smaller UK market.

Smart & Brown Model M mark 2 is left hand carriage handwheel.

Martin C

Fascinating! I've just commissioned a new GH1322 and thought it a little odd to use. Other than my S7 that has gone to a new home I've not used a lathe for years, they were DSG's and Swifts mostly, now Roy has pointed it out I can see the reason why!

I've had a Warco GH1330 for over 15 years, it also has the apron handwheel on the left side with the powerfeeds lever and leadscrew clasp nut lever on the right side. I would hate it to be the opposite way round, and I am right handed.

I find it far easier and natural to control the carraige when using powerfeeds or screwcutting with the control levers on the right hand side of the apron using my right hand. The carraige handwheel is only really used to quickly bring the carraige into position, or to quickly rough out a very short length of machining on a component, so it's position on the left side is unimportant, or is that just me!

My old Smart and Brown Model A lathe also thankfully has the apron handwheel on the left side. The Chinese lathe manufacturers do produce machines with the option of the apron handwheel on the left or the right. I remember that for many years most of the lathes offered by Chester Machine Tools had the apron handwheel on the right, while the equivalent lathe from Warco usually had the handwheel on the left, such as the Chester Crafstman and the discontineud Coventry machines which were the equivalent of Warco's BH600 and GH1322 & 1330 lathes, not sure if that is still the case.

Have you ever had cause to strip the carriage lock. My machine's one of the older imperial ones, and said lock seems quite iffy. It's just an M8 bolt going through the top plate, presumably to some sort of a pinch block underneath the front of the front shear. I'm loathe to take the bolt out for fear of losing wheterver it threads into.

Cheers

Bill

Yes I did have to fix the faulty carraige lock on my 1330 lathe, it's a stepped steel plate but I cannot remember if I remachined the original one or made another, it was over 14 years ago when I did it. I also fitted an adjustable 'Bristol' type handle while I was at it.

The lock is well in from the edge of the saddle and I'm sure you can't get at it without separating the apron from the saddle. I fixed the lock on mine when I had the apron off to fix a manufacturing fault on the power feed shaft gearing at the back, and also the saddle off to correct the dreadfully rough bearing surface of the vee way on the under side of the saddle that was beginning to damage the surface of the lathe bed after only several hours of use.

Thanks, I was trying to work out how to separate the saddle from the apron without going too deep in.
I already have the Bristol handle in stock ready to go. No signs of any nasty marks on my bed, so hopefully OK on that score.
I did download the Grizzly manual, so I'll have a ponder on splitting the saddle/apron.

Bill

hi can some one tell me where the carriage lock is please? regards