Views on the Warco WM14 with 3xDRO

[TiddlerTadParticipant @tiddlertad]

Hi

Having purchased an Arc SC3 lathe a couple of months ago, I now fancy getting a small beginners milling machine.

I was interested in the Arc SX2P but having visited their office I was disappointed with the poor performance of the cantilever supporting the head. That was the only negative, with R8 and brushless motor being two major positives. Unfortunately the Arc X2.7 would be too large for my workshop. As such I am now considering the Warco WM14 with 3xDRO. OK, its a brushed motor with MT2 taper, but I think I will have to make compromises. Can anyone owning a WM14 give me their views on this?

Many thanks in anticipation.

Andrew

[TiddlerTadParticipant @tiddlertad]

[Martin Shaw 1Participant @martinshaw1]

Andrew

I bought an SX2P last spring and I haven't had any issues with it. I presume your referring to rack and pinion arrangement that raises the head up the column, I would agree with you that it isn't ideal, but I haven't found it to be a problem in use. I do plan however to do a gas strut mod in due course. In my opinion the brushless motor and R8 spindle taper are major benefits, the other one is of course the fixed column, once it's checked for verticality, you'll not need to bother with it again. The tilting column on the WM14, or indeed any mill is a source of potential error you can do without. It's also very quiet in operation, often the loudest noise is the cutter against the work piece. I would seriously suggest you look at the SX2P again.

From an impartial point of view I have bought items mainly from Arc, but also odd bits from Warco, but not a machine, so I can't comment on their service though I have no reason to doubt it, I can say the service I've had from Arc has been superb.

Regards

Martin

[John RuddParticipant @johnrudd16576]

I have an SX2P, I modified the spring arrangement by substituting a gas strut….works great..

Brushless motor, MT3 taper, now fitted with 3 dro scales on X,Y and Z…

Very happy with mine….

Only machinery I've bought from Warco was a bandsaw, damaged in transit ( motor capacitor casing ) and a matching stand….the stand came without any fixings…( another fone call)….

Service from Arc is exemplary…

[Phil Francis 1Participant @philfrancis1]

Yep SX2P for me as well. Cannot fault ARC, picked mine up from there warehouse first class service. Phil

[Mick HenshallParticipant @mickhenshall99321]

I have had my WM14 for 2 or 3 years it has given me no problems, on occasion I would have liked a larger table but have managed. I fitted a dro to the x & y axis the machine has a built in z axis readout which has been accurate it uses a button battery which I have only just renewed and the mill has been used a lot, the dro is a really good upgrade although a lot of the functions are a mystery to me but learn as I go along, as I am a confirmed imperial user  and much stuff is metric to toggle between both is a help,the dro was bought from Warco, the fitting instructions for the dro were not that good and I done it slightly differently. All in all it has done all I want, the safety shield soon becomes difficult to see through so I removed it and wear safety glasses, also the rubber bed protectors don't last long, I have no experience of other machines and although satisfied with the 14 maybe should have gone with the larger WM16

MICK

Edited By Mick Henshall on 18/01/2018 20:10:14

[JourneymanParticipant @journeyman]

Have had a WM14 for about 8years. It has done all that I wanted without problem. It has a swivel head rather than a tilting column but I have never used the function, it was trammed in when it arrived and has stayed that way. Don,t have a DRO but would like one. Only real problem is lack of Z height, I should have got the WM 16.

John

[Jonathan MeadParticipant @jonathanmead91773]

I bought a WM14 last year and fitted the Warco DRO system on the X and Y axis. I've been very pleased with the performance of the mill and DRO – the PCD and chain drilling functions have been extremely useful. The WM14 has a captive drawbar making changing arbours etc very easy. I bought an ER25 collet set and MT2 chuck, and use this most of the time, so R8 versus MT2 isn't really an issue.

[TiddlerTadParticipant @tiddlertad]

Many thanks for all your comments and views on this – very much appreciated.

The positive comments in relation to both the SX2P and the WM14 have made me reconsider the SX2P. However, I am still undecided at this point. I do like the SX2P, but to me it doesn't seem great getting a new machine and having to replace the cantilever with a strut. It's a shame that there isn't a version out there that has a brushless motor, R8 and a strut mechanism.

I will continue considering pros and cons.

Again, many thanks for your help and support.

Cheers

Andrew

[TiddlerTadParticipant @tiddlertad]

Hi All

Just to let you know that I have bitten the bullet and ordered an SX2P from Arc.

Many thanks for all the help and advice.

Cheers. Andrew

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