Old newbie getting back in the swarfe manufacturing game

[Malcolm ThomasonParticipant @malcolmthomason95095]

Hello all.

I'm Malcolm, from near Macclesfield, although an exile from North Lancs.

Retired ex power station engineer mainly interested in old motorbikes.

Having down-sized when we moved here I am now looking to get a smallish lathe for light hobby use. Warco/Chester belt drive or small geared drive e.g. BV20.

Any observations/offers greatly accepted.

[Malcolm ThomasonParticipant @malcolmthomason95095]

[Chris Evans 6Participant @chrisevans6]

Welcome along Malcolm from another old bike tinkerer, pre-war bikes for me.

[Harry WilkesParticipant @harrywilkes58467]

Hi Malcolm worked at a few power stations up and down the country in my younger day's for the CEGB on the coal delivery side. That said welcome to forum

H

[Mike HurleyParticipant @mikehurley60381]

Welcome Malcolm. Plenty of friendly, practical advice is here.

Chester & Warco offer a wide range of machines these days and appear to offer good after sales support. The BV20 is pretty basic and quite long in the tooth these days ( I know, as I own one! )

It's going to depend on what you think you will be using it for. With your interest in old m/cycles are you looking to make small parts or something more substantial. This will indicate the size, accuracy & power you need.

Geared head machines tend to be a bit more noisy than belt / electronic drive systems, which can be a consideration in some environments

If you aren't in a rush, keeping an eye on the classifieds may turn up something that would suit at a good price

All the best Mike

 

 

Edited By Mike Hurley on 17/08/2023 19:32:26

[Malcolm ThomasonParticipant @malcolmthomason95095]

Thanks for the welcoming words and your views on gear vs belt drives.

I've been sceptical about Chinese gear drives and had a belt drive Chester Craftsman before down-sizing to a garden shed, but have access to a larger Warco gear drive lathe and have found it fine and quiet.

I have been looking at the new Warco WM240B belt drive and may take the plunge on a new one.

If I need to turn something larger I can always use the bigger lathe.

In answer to Chris, I also like prewar bikes and have recently worked on a 1926 BSA L26, a 1928 500 SV and a 1930 500 Sloper, all of which successfully finished the Banbury Run this year. However, I turned down the offer of riding the Sloper as I prefer my bikes to have mirrors!

I did work on a coal fired (PF) station in my apprenticeship with ICI and I vowed never again! Nuclear for me.

all the best to you all and I'll update you on what I eventually buy.

Malcolm.

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

Good morning Malcolm,

I don't think the WM240B has tee slots in the cross slide. This is likely to be a hindrance if you wish to use a "milling slide", "rear tool post", etc. Having said that, I suspect a little reworking of the cross slide might be possible. But not something you may necessarily want to do on a new machine and invalidate the warranty.

[Malcolm ThomasonParticipant @malcolmthomason95095]

Morning Bo'sun,

The catalogue photo shows two tee slots on the cross slide so, hopefully , the actual production machine should have them. Not a particular fan as the cross slide can tighten up when something is bolted to the cross slide. I know my old Myford certainly did.

I'll keep looking.

Cheers,

Malcolm.

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

Hi Malcolm,

Have a look a the Warco 9576 Base Plate. The product description implies that the WM240B does not have tee slots.

Hope this helps.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Welcome to the Forum

Always someone on here who can help you. With advice, in person, by making things for you.

Pity that you sold the Craftsman. I have had a lookalike for twenty years, and wouldn't be without it.

A most useful machine.

Youn are going to enjoy yourself!

Howard

[Chris Evans 6Participant @chrisevans6]

Hi Malcolm, my sloper has mirrors. I would not ride without them, done 5 Banbury runs now.

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