It looks like a Warco Major and is still current so Warco should be able to supply a manual.

See web page Warco Major

Richard

Hi Matthew, welcome to the forum. Judging by the 12" rule attached to the front of the table, I think it is likely to be a Warco Economy mill/drill. On the plate above the serial No. is stamped with; RF-25 which concurs with the listing No's. below.

Regards Nick.

Edited By Nicholas Farr on 28/08/2020 11:12:01

Hi Matthew,

Although this is described as an economy mill it is a beast relative to modern mini-mills intended for hobby use. Its only an economy machine relative to "proper" industrial machines. I am sure you will have a lot of fun playing with it.

Hi Matthew, the prices shown are from a 2002 catalogue, the Major of similar design by comparison at the same time was £1150.00.

Regards Nick.

Hi Matthew, there are a few adds on the R/H side of this page of sellers and shopping partners, also arceurotrade.co.uk, Chronos.ltd.uk, RDG Tools to name a few popular ones.

Regards Nick.

Edited By Nicholas Farr on 28/08/2020 14:40:23

Mathew, glad the link was good. I have had the 'Economy' mill/dill for about 10 years, forget when exactly I got it, and it has served me well during that time.

I have made a few alterations over the years, fitted a DRO to all axis, 3 ph motor and inverter, changed the belt drive to poly vee and fitted power feed to the x axis, and see no reason to change it for what I do, certainly could not justify the expense of changing especially as I got it for only £600 from Warco as they were selling the last few (imperial machines) they had in stock off cheap. SWMBO thought I was mad when it arrived, but it offers a lot of mill for the money and certainly more than I would otherwise have been able to afford at the time.

So enjoy it, realise it has limitations as all tools do, the main one here being loosing tool registration when raising or lowering the head but even that can be worked around.

Chris

If you can count the threads-per-inch, 3/8 Whit should be 16, 7/16 Unf will have 20..

The 7/16 Unf will look noticeably "fine" compared with M10, whilst Whit will look to be about the same pitch.

Might be worth seeing if your spindle bore will accept a piece of 12mm bar, and use treaded rod & a nut to make one – it'll be fine, strength-wise – and perhaps offer a greater range of tooling/suppliers.

Just a word to the wise. The Name plate has been removed at some time, and replaced with odd screws. I wonder what was going on behind the plate ? It may just have been someone trying to fit a DRO or finer measurement system for the quill – or something else. I have a much older ECONOMY mill – (Ex schools) which is far more basic than the one shown, the top cover is held on with over centre clamps, there aren't any stops for the longitudinal travel and there are less speed ratios to select and no reverse (Although the motor is reversible).

Matthew,

To address your query earlier in the thread, the world is your lobster, really. An internet search will throw up a multitude of results for a source of ER collet chucks. They vary from acceptable quality (for a starter chuck) to outrageously expensive for super accurate, professional quality goods. Delivery times vary as well, depending, mostly, on how much you are prepared to pay versus waiting for delivery. Any of the site's advertisers on the righthand side will happily supply you with one. Don't forget you'll need the collets as well. It all adds to the cost. There are often bargains to be had if you shop around. I've been more than satisfied with the chucks that I've bought from sources from both near and far. Hope the 12mm studding fits your spindle!

John

and wide

Edited By John Hinkley on 29/08/2020 11:19:41