Down sizing - mill advice

Hi all,

Haven't posted here for a while but need some advice if possible.

I have to reduce the size of my current workshop to allow for other projects in the garage. The first thing that needs action is my Bridgeport mill, very rarely used so have been thinking of something smaller. For many years until I bought the Bridgeport I wanted a VMC (any flavour) but am now concerned the working envelope is too small.

So anyone using a Warco WM18, or one of the Lux/Super Lux type machines (square column), your experience and advice would be much appreciated. I use the workshop (when fit) for general car/model work and survived for many years with a "real" RF25 which is now sold. I'm tight so not too expensive and my experience of secondhand is that "good" is hard to find and I don't want to spend years looking.

Any help much appreciated

Best regards

Keith

Reply to
jontom1_uk
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Hi Keith, nice to see you posting again I've taken a bit of a hiatus from the whole posting/forum thing myself .for the past year or so, and been busy with other hobbies.

Can't help much with advice for you, but I do agree that after having used my Warco VMC for less than a year, if I had to go for a hobby/ model-engineer type mill again, I'd probably choose one of the Super Major or Super Lux machines over the VMC. Whilst the knee was very useful it didn't make up for the limited Y travel and a relatively small dovetail slide on the same.

Hopefully someone with more relevant experience will respond to you. Regards

Peter

Reply to
Peter Neill

Hi Peter, good to hear from you, I hope your other interests still occupy those machines of yours I would hate to think of them stood abandoned and quiet like mine have been for several years now. Just thinking of reducing to those I will actually use so the Bridgeport despite its=E2=80=99 versatility will have to go as will a couple of the lathes. I feel a bit of a traitor really as some woodworking items have now joined the collection. As many find, once the workshop is =E2=80=9Ccollected=E2=80=9D the question of what to do with it is rather ha= rd to answer.

Thanks for your comments which, as ever, are very useful; while I think the VMC is a fine machine as my interests have wandered from =E2=80=9Cmodels=E2=80=9D as you say the work envelope would be limiting. I = have not used anything like the capacity of the Bridgeport, so the Super Lux would seem to be a couple of sizes down but I have never looked at one seriously and hoped someone might be using one and have a few thoughts. Information seems a bit limited on the usual sources and a search through here just brings up one or two mainly positive comments. I can=E2=80=99t believe that no one has an opinion =EF=81=8A

Anyway Peter, great to hear from you and that you are enjoying your spare time, I appreciate the =E2=80=9Cbump up=E2=80=9D. I hope that the wat= er is now fully under control and of course the day job is as it should be.

Best regards

Keith

Reply to
jontom1_uk

I have a Chester Champion 20C,looks identical to a Warco WM18. Its a nice machine for light use, but not suitable for any sustained use. I blew up the motor trying to cut gears on a 7" by 1/2" cast iron blank, for a model traction engine. Then recently blew up the control board, removing about 1/2" from a lump of steel 2" wide 4" long. I admit probably should not have tried the gear cutting, but the replacement Tom Senior mill could cut the teeth in one pass!

Reply to
SimonH

hi Keith I have a Chester Lux and am very pleased with it. I looked at the VMC types but decided too small table/travel. The Lux is very solid and I can take whopping big cuts in steel. Top speed is abit slow around

1600 rpm so have to go slow with the very small cutters. I run a 3 ph motor via an inveter so slowest speed must be 5-10 rpm . Great for tapping under power. Down side to the mill is head is heavy and difficult to tram. .With the gibs slightly tighten it will climb mill very well. being sensible with the sizeof cut of course. Any thing else you need to know just ask. Call in and have a look if you are local. I am at the top end of the Wirral.

Mike

Reply to
Mike cole

Simon Hi, thanks for that I will do some more research on how similar the two machines are. I would certainly expect to be able to cut the type of gear you mention without doing any damage to the motor/control gear. Your Tom Senior seems to be much more as I would expect a mid size mill to be. I'm a bit old fashioned in expecting "proper" machines to be heavy lumps but some of these newer import types seem to get fairly good stiffness without the mass, it is that type of machine that I have no experience off at all so yor comments are most useful and much appreciated, thank you.

Best regards

Keith

Reply to
jontom1_uk

Hi Mike, that you very much for your reply, like Simon's it is just what I was hoping for - some real user experience. Much appreciate your offer of a view but, I am in South Wales so I will have to politely decline, and I bet you make the best coffee in the area. I hadn't noticed the top speed which is a bit slow for the smaller cutters but one of my hopes was to run from VFD which you are already doing so that is a bonus to me. I have heard a comment about the lower spindle bearing being a bit suspect, have you had any problems? It is a challenge these days to put some of these very negative comments into perspective as happy owners are too busy enjoying the tool to post. I would enjoy the slow spindle speed both for tapping and for fly cutting so I will certainly need to get a serious look at a machine, perhaps at Harrogate or one of the Chester open Saturdays. Anyway, mustn't dribble on, thanks very much for the informative post and if it is OK with you I will come back with some more specific questions once I have had a look at one.

Best regards

Keith

Reply to
jontom1_uk

As regards the bottom bearing I too have heard of one person replacing this. I have had no problems with mine. The mass of the basic mill is around

300 kg . It breaks down into the base, Column and head quite quickly. Mine is a MT4 version. Oiling the slides is a bit of a pain. I have been toying with the ideal of fitting a oiler from Arc Euro Trade. But then the price puts me off and I go and get my oil can out. I am thinking of doing the oppersite to you and getting a bigger mill. Current model is 1/3 scale traction engine. While the Lux have coped well so far it may just be a little bit too small for when I build something bigger.

Mike

PS what part of South Wales are you. I grew up in Bargoed and Tenby.

Reply to
Mike cole

Mike, thank you very much for those insights you have covered several areas that help a great deal. The fact that it breaks down easily helps with the moving issue and I=92m pleased to hear that you have not had any bearing problems. You have also made a point; about getting a larger machine yourself, that has once again made me review my plan to downsize. I have always been reluctant to ditch the Bridgeport as =93capability=94 when you have it is invariably useful. I am coming round to the idea that I should reduce the number of lathes I have to keep it and maybe add a smaller mill with an R8 spindle for smaller jobs. It means that it would have to live in an unheated part of my workshop but with proper protection it will outlast me I suspect. I have struggled with this for several years now and I guess I should take note that I haven=92t actually acted on my plan =96 =93smell the roses=94 comes to mind.

I=92m not too far from the area of your youth; I live on the coast between Bridgend and Llantwit and have spent many happy days in Tenby but have never cracked the parking problem. When younger my children enjoyed many happy days racing model cars with the Oakdale club.

Thanks again Mike, your comments have been helpful and much appreciated, if you are in the area coffee is always available.

Best regards

Keith

Reply to
jontom1_uk

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