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Post by Staffordshirechina on Jan 24, 2009 9:21:12 GMT
Regarding the advice from steam4ian, here in England, if you order something from anywhere outside the EU zone you will get stung import duty, handling fees and VAT when the item arrives at your door. Something like a lathe would attract a nasty surprise bill. A lot of people don't know about this when they hastily buy 'cheap' items on Ebay and get caught out.
Les
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Post by stubee on Jan 24, 2009 12:25:39 GMT
Hi Guys,
Just noticed a 'Warco 918 lathe' on eBay and practically on my doorstep!, slighty bigger than I was looking for but looks a very tidy machine. Anyone have any experience with this model of lathe? would I be better with mini?
Cheers, Stu
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ajsbsa
Involved Member
Steve Benson
Posts: 54
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Post by ajsbsa on Jan 24, 2009 12:46:19 GMT
Looks very good value (currently £175) to me if you have the room, and I imagine that spares are not an issue either. The worst that could happen is you may have to replace the electrics with one of the new 240 volt 3 phase variable speed motors from Newton Telsa. Steve
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Post by Staffordshirechina on Jan 24, 2009 13:51:30 GMT
Looks a reasonable bet to me too. Cross your fingers and think of a bid..........
Les
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Post by havoc on Jan 24, 2009 14:09:23 GMT
It would serve your purpose.
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steam4ian
Elder Statesman
One good turn deserves another
Posts: 2,069
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Post by steam4ian on Jan 25, 2009 9:17:59 GMT
G'day Stu Good luck with the 918. Make sure it is a WARCO as shown on the current catalogue as there are other versions of that lathe with less features and of lower quality finish; much as the varieties of 7x12. The belt drive will allow you to turn a genuine 9" which should do for all but the wheels of a Stirling Single in 71/4. A few minor points I have heard. Some of the 918s & 920s were weak in the compound mounting allowing tool flex and chatter; mods have been published. There is no tumbler reverse on the leadscrew; not a big deal and again mods have beem published. I found this handy on my minilathe last night whilst boring. There is no backgear so thread cutting to a shoulder could give you an adrenaline rush. Try this link, it may be helpful mini-lathe.org.uk/buying_bigger_lathe.shtml Regarding price, in Oz the 918/920 like the WARCO 918 sells for 645 Pounds which include Ozzie GST of 10%. On flea bay second hand lathes go for about 70% of that. Again, good biddiong. Ian
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Post by maninshed on Jan 25, 2009 20:45:28 GMT
I looked at the mini lathes and though the Warco was the best because of the tailstock being more robust. By the time I had thought about all the extras. It was a better deal to go for the Warco WM180 still a mini lathe 7 x 12 but more robust and came with all the clobber. Have a look at thread I started on mimi lathes earler this month. I also joined the Yahoo mini lathe user group, the guys there were really helpful.
Martyn.
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Post by modeng2000 on Jan 26, 2009 6:52:17 GMT
Hi Stu, I have the Warco WM180 and it is good value. Like most machines, there are adaptions that enhance its operation but other than that I have had no problems with it.
John
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Post by stubee on Jan 26, 2009 9:22:23 GMT
Well I took the plunge and bought the second-hand Warco 918, picked it up yesterday and am very pleased with it. The dials are a bit stiff due to not being used for some years but everyting seems to be there and is (most importantly) operational.
Any tips for setting up the tolerances etc on this machine? - obviously did'nt come with a manual ...
Stu
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Post by Staffordshirechina on Jan 26, 2009 10:14:30 GMT
Well done that man! Happy new lathe.
With the age of your lathe, the original manual may well have been very limited and written in 'Chinglish' anyway, maybe steam4ian has a copy?
Les
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Post by stubee on Jan 26, 2009 10:35:24 GMT
On the lathe it states 1991 so I guess not that old. As you say the manual could well be in 'Engrish' but would still be useful for the diagrams etc. I didn't think to ask if anyone has a copy on here - but if they do ..... Stu
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steam4ian
Elder Statesman
One good turn deserves another
Posts: 2,069
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Post by steam4ian on Jan 26, 2009 10:57:26 GMT
Well done Stu. Les says I may be able to help with a manual. Unfortunately the answer is No. I only own two lathes a 7x12 Mini and an old Hercus 9" which requires a bit of work (may be an under statement). You may find www.lathes.co.uk/index.htm helpful. I have used a few lathes over time and I have never yet seen a manual. I think there is a Yahoo group which covers the 918 and/or 920. I have certainly found the 7x12 group on Yahoo a great asset. Regards, Ian
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joegib
Seasoned Member
Posts: 123
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Post by joegib on Jan 27, 2009 8:29:39 GMT
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russell
Statesman
Chain driven
Posts: 762
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Post by russell on Jan 27, 2009 14:56:06 GMT
Congratulations on your purchase Stu,
I have a 918 lathe in addition to the Atlas and use it for odd jobs when the Atlas is set up for something else. The 918 is a basically good lathe but, unless you modify the topslide mounting, you must take gentle cuts. I doubt if you will find this a problem at first as beginners are usually cautious anyway.
The best mod I made to mine was to throw away the chinese 3-jaw chuck and replace it with a TOS chuck from Chronos.
One problem that is difficult to overcome is that the lowest speed is rather high for screwcutting. There are however mods to overcome this on the Yahoo 9x20 group site.
Russell.
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steam4ian
Elder Statesman
One good turn deserves another
Posts: 2,069
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Post by steam4ian on Jan 28, 2009 10:27:06 GMT
G'day Joe
Thanks for the link to that Yahoo group. I joined and found a copy of the handbook for my old Hercus lathe.
There is plenty of stuff around if you look.
BTW the Hercus Handbook is an excellent primer on most lathe operations.
Regards Ian
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Post by petercolman on Jan 28, 2009 19:54:34 GMT
Stu You said that you wanted a lathe that you would not grow out of. As you can see, there is a massive Myford cult in the ME World, mainly because it is a good machine but with limitations as have been mentioned. You will spend hours standing in front of the machine you buy and will be frustrated if it wont do what you want so for my bit I would ask you to bear in mind that a bad little un is worse than a bad big un and buy the largest machine you can afford, take advice and get an industrial machine in good order, be patient and you will find what you want, I began with a Myford ML7 and replaced it with a Harrison L5 that served me well for 20 years (it was 40+ years old and still OK when I sold it) I bought a M300 Harrison second hand for much less than a good super 7 would cost and then fell in love with a Hardinge HLV at £500 in totaly rebuilt condition, these bargains are out there if you can wait and you will get a first class machine a little larger than a myford for less money provided you can find the room. Peter
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