Warco lathes

Brendan

I'm no expert so please take my comments with that in mind. I have no experience of the BV-20 but did use a 918 (not Warco) for some years before changing to a Myford. The 918 is an accurate machine but a bit lightweight. This doesn't matter if you have plenty of time but later as your experience increases you will find it a frustration when having to remove large amounts of metal. The drive system can also give a few problems and although I didn't experience any, many people break belts easily. It also lacks a few basic facilities like a slow speed and a leadscrew reverse, however there are so many 918 groups/pages available these can be added later. I found the machine a good starting point and accurate but not particularly nice to use.

In general the larger the spindle bore the better but in this particular case the difference is so small I don't believe that it would be a key issue in my mind.

Depends on what type of tooling you are going to use. If you stay with HSS (my recommendation) top speed is not a major issue, if however you go for the throw away tips you will need to run a small lathe as fast as possible to get reasonable performance.

The bench needs to provide some stable support as these lightweight lathe beds can twist and lead to inaccuracy. This is a particular problem if the humidity changes and the bench top moves. Mine worked well for a couple of years on a wooden bench but it had a thick well seasoned top.

You are absolutely correct here, budget to at least double your expenditure over the next couple of years. I have bought several Warco items and have been pleased with the results. You do need to remember what sector of the market you are in but in general they "do as they say on the tin". The company is also extemely friendly and helpful in my experience and provides good spares backup for their equipment. Although I have rarely needed to use it for the items I have bought. If you are looking at this type of lathe have a look at the C6 offered by Arceurotrade, it seems to be a bit more heavily built and is offered with a variable speed option.

They will both cut a (limited) range of metric/imperial threads with the use of a gearbox/change gears. Make sure they cut the particular ones you want.

Hope this helps a little but if you search this forum you will find a good deal of advice on buying a first lathe, import or otherwise. An investment of time in research will ensure that your financial investment is less risky but, most people if they get hooked by the hobby will progress to a larger more complex machine after a few projects. If you search on Warco, Chester, Import, first lathe etc you will be reading for hours. As usual I have no connection with any of these suppliers just learnt by a few successes and mistakes in the past.

Best regards

Keith

Just about. It's a bit high for threading, especially threading to a shoulder where you want to stop the lathe precisely. But you can make a handle to turn the mandrel by hand for such cases.

If the low speed is achieved electronically, it may not be accompanied by high torque, so working on large diameter becomes tricky. OTOH changing belts is a bit less convenient.

Buy what you need, you will accumulate tooling over the years. There's no point investing in a 38-piece carbide tooling set if you only use 3 or 4 of them and find you prefer HSS tools instead...

Umm, it also refers to the pitch on the leadscrews. Usually. But you occasionally hear horror stories of metric dials on Imperial leadscrews, or vice-versa. (I've never come across that. But I do have a machine with a 1.25mm leadscrew pitch, whose manual said it was 1mm and gave thread cutting tables on that basis!)

It is a great deal more convenient to cut imperial threads on imperial machines, and (usually) metric on metric, though metric thread pitches don't always mesh perfectly with leadscrew pitches ( M2.5x0.45mm comes to mind)

The most practical way to cut metric with an imperial leadscrew (and probably vice versa) is to leave the gearing engaged for the whole time, and to reverse the spindle to get back to the start point. (Is your spindle motor reversible? If not, you're back to that handle.)

Or taps and dies...

- Brian

Beware though, whichever leadscrew the lathe has (metric/imperial), cutting threads of the 'other' standard is usually a (rather poor) approximation to the stated thread. You can only make an accurate conversion by incorporating a 127 tooth change wheel somewhere in the train.

and just to add another penn'eth, get a lathe with a clutch, many of the low-end Chinese lathes lack this essential feature. --

Chris Edwards (in deepest Dorset) ..."There must be an easier way...!"

Keith -

leadscrew reverse, however there are so many 918 groups/pages availabl these can be added later.

I did go looking for a newsgroup for Warco products (searching fo "918" in Yahoo Groups gives an interesting first hit ;), but I haven' been able to find one. If anybody could point me in the right directio that would be appreciated.

particularly nice to use.

In what way? I must admit that the Myford lathes at the MEE seemed lot smoother but I just told myself that the Warco ones would "bed in ;)

Brenda

-- anotheri

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Brian -

How does tell if this is the case?

Brenda

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Gary -

cutting threads of the 'other' standard is usually a (rather poor approximation to the stated thread. You can only make an accurat conversion by incorporating a 127 tooth change wheel somewhere in th train.

Ah, 127 being half of 254 by any chance? I (think) I'm starting to ge the idea a little bit more now!

Brenda

-- anotheri

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Brendan, try 9x20 Lathe and 9x20 Lathe2 on the groups search. The first one is the main 'discussion' site, a bit over-active with much repitition, mainly american, and full of huge egos. The second is an overflow site and repository for files with specs, rebuild instructions, and lots of modifications. Nothing specifically on the Warco there, but these things are pretty much identical except for colour wherever you are in the World. I don't have one of these myself so can't help much, but came across the 9x20 groups when researching earlier this year. HTH

Peter

Brendan

In America they know the lathe as a 9x20 at the moment there are a couple of active Yahoo groups at

The 918 has a few rough edges and as you have already noted the slides can be a little sticky. My Myford is a very nice machine to use but I need to convince myself that it was worth all of the extra money if I'm honest. As I said previously the 918 did most things I wanted it just took a little longer and I got a few more sore fingers. As I took early retirement and expected to use the machine every day this type of thing became important to me - I would not swap back. There is an interesting discussion on general import machines on this forum if you search for the thread on "Lathe & Mill". These machines are much improved of late and I believe are really good value for money. Certainly not the ideal lathe but not far from the ideal FIRST lathe if cost is to be considered. If cost is not an issue and you are fairly certain that it will be a lifetime interest then have a real good look for a Myford. Don't be frightened to go secondhand they last for several lifetimes if properly looked after but, then again, I suspect the modern imports would also see me off if treated well (electrics excepted).

Best regards

Keith

Wayne

A clutch is certainly nice to have, but _definitely_ not essential. I'm not sure about Myford, but neither the Boxford I once owned, nor the Southbend that a friend has have clutches. By the way, when I sold the Boxford I replaced it with the 12x36 (big brother of the 918) from Chester, and I certainly don't regret it. It doesn't have a clutch either.

The 918/920 machines have a belt tension lever which can be used as a clutch to all intents and purposes, although this is sometimes a bit hit & miss apparantly, due to the fact they seem to fit smaller belts sometimes. This could also explain why they break more often, apart from being the size of a rubber band:)

Peter

Ah, 9x20 = 918, that's very useful to know. Thanks chaps, as you sa

there are definitely some active groups and websites for the 9x20.

Brenda

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lifetime interest

Sadly cost is an issue :( No way could I justify the thick-end of seve grand for a new Myford lathe.

secondhand they last for several lifetimes if properly looked after

I thought about this, but decided I was frightened! I just don't kno enough about lathes to spot a dog. And even the Myford secondhand one were selling for £3k, when bought from Myford. They were very nice though.

Brenda

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just found this

For Sale Tools Warco lathe only 4 weeks old unused geared head bills to prove. Bargai at £400

Keith

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Brendan

I can certainly understand your point of view here. I am looking for a replacement mill and do not have the necessary knowledge to pick a "goodun"; even though a couple of kind people on here (who do have the knowledge) have offered to help I am reluctant to take the plunge for a secondhand machine of unknown origin and use. Thats why I am a supporter of the import machines which I believe provide a relatively cheap way into our hobby. Just how many new model engineers would we get if they all had to buy new Myfords - not many I would suggest. I still have an import lathe - a Warco BH600 and am very happy with it. Being larger it fills in where the Myford and my Boxford can't go.

If you can really feel the difference between the Myford slides and the others make sure you spend some time with your chosen machine before handing over the money. Warco have two showrooms now (north and south) and have always been very understanding of me just moving the slides "to get the feel". Many of us (40+ year olds) have been spoilt by early exposure to very expensive and very smooth machines during school/training. In the early days of the import machines the difference was considerable and although it is still there, the latest machines are a big improvement in this area. Chester also has a large showroom and I'm sure you can get some "time on the dials" somewhere. The shows are OK but there are usually too many people and so many different choices that confusion sets in. No machine will do everything or please everybody you just need to make sure it will do what you want it to. Like all other aspects of life, "each to his own", although I prefer my Myford to my Boxford, there are many, many others out there who see it the other way round. Consider the advice offered then buy (and enjoy) what feels and looks right to you.

The other factor is your own engineering background, if you are used to operating very expensive machinery then the type of equipment we can afford at home is always a little frustrating. If you haven't been exposed to this sort of stuff then the machine you buy and use will feel more comfortable the more you use it. You will get some things you hate about it but as your experience and confidence increases you will be able to improve that a good deal anyway. The Steve Bedair site shows the improvements that can be made to the basic 920 machine with some time and effort. That doesn't mean that they all have to be made - just the ones that affect your use of the machine. Having asked the same question as you did initially, "which is the best between.......", I also didn't get a clear answer. After some advice on here that pointed out I needed to decide what I wanted to do with it the penny finally dropped and I realised that there wasn't "a best" just one that suited my needs better. To tell you a secret I even regularly pick holes with my Myford -usually when I've made a c**k up. Both machines you identify seem very reasonable routes into model engineering, the 918 has been available for much longer so much more is know about it. Good luck, I'm sure you will find the right machine for you.

Best regards

Keith

Might be worth a look as they sell to mainly to engineering trade.

They have a small hobby range as well as large CNC machines.

Lionel

Thanks Lionel, I'll take a look. Brenda

-- anotheri

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Might be worth a look as they sell to mainly to engineering trade.

They have a small hobby range as well as large CNC machines.

Lionel

As this company sells mainly to the engineering trade, customers expectations might be higher, so assuming that quality may be better than companies selling mainly to hobby market.

Lionel