WARCO MAJOR QUILL REMOVAL

After 20 years of use and with spindle run out getting unacceptable, I decided to inspect/ refurbish the quill and spindle on my trusty Warco Major Mill/drill.......

I found some information on U Tube of course ....BUT...having stripped the quill control shaft , quill locking bolt and spring return and using a gear puller to remove the pulleys ( all very straightforward ) I then expected the quill to slide down for easy removal....?????

It doesn't...???? It stops as if there is a locking / restraining 'device' which I have missed...????? I have looked everywhere on the machine and can't see anything which could be stopping the quill from coming out..???

I have so far resisted the temptation to 'move' things with a copper hammer.

Any HELP on this will be greatly appreciated...

When you say the locking bolt do you mean the handle / split cotter, or the anti-rotation / limit screw in the drilling beneath the spring box? ..there could conceivably be two grub-screws, one behind the other..

Try the torch before the hammer

Just to be clear, all depth stop arrangement needs to be removed, also the quill will not come out unless the handle pinion is out first..

Edited By DiogenesII on 03/08/2021 07:31:36

Edited By DiogenesII on 03/08/2021 07:41:51

Have you removed the quill anit-rotation dog point grub screw ?

IIRC this is on the LHS of the head casting, in line with the slot in the quill - it is a socket head grub screw locked with a nut. The groove in the quill that the dog point of the grub screw runs in doesn't break out at the top of the quill housing, so it won't drop out unless the grub screw is removed first..

Nigel B.

Thanks for responding...i have removed the quill locking lever and the small quill alignment grub screw, that's why I am at a loss to think what could be retaining the quill.

All the u tube films on similar machines show the quill being easily removed but this will not go down beyond a certain point..?

Can you ascertain whether it is the quill which is stuck in it's housing (it should be free to rotate, now?), or is the top of the spindle 'hanging-up' in it's splines in the drive sleeve at the top?

Thanks Diogenes II, The quill will now rotate in the housing. The splines / spindle will rotate in the quill and go up and down as normal. The quill will go out the bottom of the housing about 5 inches but then stops.

It goes out about as far as it normally goes when operating the mill and I had assumed that the stop / down position was determined by the rack/ quill end position...now I am not so sure.

There is nothing I can see that is stopping it and I conclude that there is another lock screw or other device stopping it....?

Which I simply cannot find....?

I have drawings which are titled " Warco Major " , but, my configuration is different...? So mine must be a different ( older ? ) version.... after all the Major has been in production for many years and I bought mine 20 years ago...

I am grateful for your response. Thanks.

It's hard to imagine what might be obstructing it if it is free to turn in it's housing.. ..it'd be a useful thing to establish that we are talking about the same particular model of machine

This earlier thread contains a link to a useful section through the head (about 6 posts down) in an album belonging to Robbo, as well as one that links to the Grizzly G0705 manual which looks pretty much identical to my machine..

Warco Major Mill/Drill

If you're able to post a picture of your machine and/or where you are 'at' with it, it might help to identify the particular model and maybe elicit some further responses..

Yes I saw those docs and printed them off...

'Robbo' was helping Trevor Wilson and although Trevor appears not to have been on line for some time and there are no contact details for him , I have sent a 'help' message to 'Robbo'....

Thanks again for your interest....

Edited By Terry Turner 2 on 03/08/2021 19:19:45

Perhaps try removing the down feed, micrometer feed screw and the quill lock?

Robert Butler

There will be a length of rack gears cut into the side of the quill and if the gears are not cut right to the top of the quill, and the meshing gear is still in place, that would stop the removal.

I have removed the quill shaft and fine feed mechanism and the quill lock and anti rotation stud.. it is a mystery…?

all the u tube fins on similar machines show the quill sliding out easily after the main shaft is removed….. I may have to put some heat into it as DiogenesIi suggests or try snd apply progressive pressure.. not a hammer….

Thanks for responding

This picture shows the front of the museum's drill mill. If the depth stop mechanism and the plate behind it are removed, access for the preload of the spindle bearings is available. And also a view of the inside of the quill bore in the head. Your machine may be similar and there is a possibility that you might be able to see something causing the jam. Does it stop dead, or just get tighter and tighter?

Ha. when I said 'torch' this morning I meant you should peer down the anti-rotation screw hole with a light-source and check that there weren't two grubscrews, one behind the other in it, I didn't mean heat .. ..that would be a very last resort!

..if you have to apply pressure to the top of the spindle be very careful to keep everything straight so as not to bend it - it's only a hollow tube, long in relation to it's thickness.. I'd really try and find exactly what's jamming before applying too much force..

Did you use a puller, bearing on the top of the spindle, to get the pulley off ? - a small bruise on the top might stop it passing all the way through the splines in the sleeve, they're a pretty close fit..

Hi Terry Turner 2, looking at the photo of the milling machine that have posted, I would say it looks to be similar to the Chester Eagle 25 rather than a Warco major, which may or may not have the same configuration on the quill.

The Warco Economy is also similar Economy Mill

Regards Nick.

Edited By Nicholas Farr on 03/08/2021 21:39:25

With thanks to everyone who has helped me, I have to confess that I accept what Nicholas Parr says..my machine is much more like the Chester Eagle 25 than the Warco...I bought it 20 years ago and my memory had played tricks on me ...not for the first time...

I will now go off and try and get information about the quill assembly for the Chester machines and hope that is the answer. Apologies for almost certainly wasting your time.

You didn't mention the depth stop, but it's so obvious that it would be a very long shot. The other thing would be to use a mirror to look down at the top of the front pulley to see the splined end of the spindle which should pass through the centre of the splines in the pulley as the quill is lowered. A captive drawbar would certainly stop that happening.

Thanks Old Mart......This picture will show that everything that I can think of that would stop the quill from sliding out has been removed and I used a gear puller to remove the pulleys so no damage was done to the top of the spindle....and the locking lever and anti rotation grub screw on the other side of the head have also been removed...? .. Please see pic..

I am now finding it very hard to get information about the Chester Eagle 25 which may hold the secret to the Quill design on my model...

Edited By Terry Turner 2 on 04/08/2021 21:10:17

Your photo shows the depth stop still in place, have you removed the adjuster screws? Also, the fine feed for the Zaxis is still in place (2 socket head cap screws), I removed that on a similar mill, although that may be clutching at straws. Removing the pulleys would, as far as I remember, have no affect, as the centre part with the female splines would still be in place.Your spindle is empty, I presume?

Edited By old mart on 04/08/2021 21:37:24

Sorry that picture shows the drill stop but I removed it and everything else on the head with could impede the quill . The quill and spindle both rotate freely but will not slide out the bottom of the head like every other mill of its type I have seen stripped on U Tube...? You are right about the pulleys but I wanted to see what , if anything, was underneath them... Thanks for responding...

Edited By Terry Turner 2 on 04/08/2021 21:49:21

Edited By Terry Turner 2 on 04/08/2021 21:51:01

Push the quill up as far as it will go, and examine the top of the spindle to see if there is anything stopping the splines from passing through the drive that the pulleys were on.

This link to a Grizzly manual might help, these drill mills are of very similar design.

**LINK**