Warco Economy Mill

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Warco Economy Mill

This topic has 30 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 6 June 2024 at 23:42 by jay g.

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5 September 2023 at 19:22 #659251
jay g
Participant
@jayg67738
Hi everyone

I have just got a decent looking warco economy mill for £50 but needs a few things.

1. no belts

2. height adjustment handle missing.

3. possibly might need other things fixing like bearings etc

Anyone know where or what type of belts and handle i would need.

Thanks

Edited By jay g on 05/09/2023 19:23:07

Edited By jay g on 05/09/2023 19:28:07

Edited By jay g on 05/09/2023 19:35:29
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5 September 2023 at 19:22 #14895
jay g
Participant
@jayg67738
5 September 2023 at 19:51 #659256
Dave Halford
Participant
@davehalford22513
I'm afraid the standard belts won't be of much use without the missing pulley set.

Edited By Dave Halford on 05/09/2023 19:55:06
5 September 2023 at 19:51 #659257
DiogenesII
Participant
@diogenesii
A couple of more important bits that are missing are;

..the intermediate cone pulley and it's bracket (which fits around the column)

..and the rack for raising the head..

Do you or the previous owner have them?

Edited By DiogenesII on 05/09/2023 19:52:10
5 September 2023 at 19:52 #659259
Bizibilder
Participant
@bizibilder
You also seem to be missing the entire jockey pulley assembly. This is a four step pulley that is mounted so it can swivel round the main pillar and give you all 8 speeds. There is a manual for the RF20 and 25 here: MANUAL that should help you as this is the "generic" machine type that you have.

Edited By Bizibilder on 05/09/2023 19:53:40
5 September 2023 at 20:16 #659264
jay g
Participant
@jayg67738
Thanks guys for the knowledge. I don't have the missing parts and i doubt the seller does as it's sold as is. Did i just waste £50 or you reckon it's still worth trying to get it fixed up if possible to find the parts.
5 September 2023 at 20:57 #659271
Emgee
Participant
@emgee
Well worth getting some power to the spindle and fix the rest with some TLC.

Emgee
5 September 2023 at 20:58 #659272
Bazyle
Participant
@bazyle
It is worth way more than £50. Any 4 step pulley and a bit of engine-uity can sort out the drive. Measure the belts needed once you have that sorted out.
I would use a scissor jack for lifting the head for the time being. You can make a rack using your lathe as an horizontal mill because it can be very low precision and even made in sections.
5 September 2023 at 21:05 #659273
jay g
Participant
@jayg67738
Looking about i see 4 step pulleys around the £30-60 and could knock up a bracket with some plate so not as bad as i thought.

Will keep you all updated as it moves along.

Thanks everyone that replied
5 September 2023 at 23:04 #659288
AJAX
Participant
@ajax
Posted by jay g on 05/09/2023 21:05:31:

Looking about i see 4 step pulleys around the £30-60 and could knock up a bracket with some plate so not as bad as i thought.

Will keep you all updated as it moves along.

Thanks everyone that replied

Don't pay that much for a pulley. It could be more than you paid for the machine!

Tell me what pulley you need and I'll take a look to see if I have a spare. The price will be reasonable.
5 September 2023 at 23:06 #659289
AJAX
Participant
@ajax
A-section belt? Bore size? Do you have a lathe?

Edited By AJAX on 05/09/2023 23:06:44
6 September 2023 at 03:01 #659297
DiogenesII
Participant
@diogenesii
If you have a look at the 'Grizzly' tools website you should still be able to download a parts list, drawing & manual for their version of the same machine..

Grizzly Tools G1005Z

..it might not help you much as a source of spares, but at least you can see what things are called and how it goes together / what's missing.

These machines were quite popular in their day and widely offered, I think as well as Warco, both Chester and Sealey also sold versions of the same machine.
6 September 2023 at 19:32 #659403
Howard Lewis
Participant
@howardlewis46836
The belts listed for the RF25 Mill Drill are Primary is an A31, (A790MC ) and Secondary is an A38 (A990MC )

Presumably the figures in brackets are the Metric size equivalents.

But you need nthe correct size pulley for the Intermediate Jockey.

The pulley sheaves are numbered 1, 2, 3,4 with 1 as the top sheave on the Spindle pulley.

The top sheave on the motor pulley is 5, with 8 being the lowest.

Having measured the pulley sizes, the speeds may enable yhou to workout the sizes of the Intermediate pulley, from the speed ratios.

Belt Positions / Speeds for RF25 Mill / Drill follow in the next two posts

Sorry that the table overlaps the page. Wasn't like lthat when copied.

Howard

Edited By Howard Lewis on 06/09/2023 19:39:19
6 September 2023 at 19:35 #659404
Howard Lewis
Participant
@howardlewis46836
Belt Positions / Speeds for RF25 Mill / Drill

60Hz

50Hz

Belt Pos’n

110

90

4 – 5

210

170

4 – 6

240

200

3 – 5

300

250

2 – 5

340

280

4 – 7

440

360

3 – 6

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 07/09/2023 10:31:53

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 07/09
6 September 2023 at 19:37 #659405
Howard Lewis
Participant
@howardlewis46836
50 Hz

60 Hz

Belt Pos’n

600

730

1 – 6

700

850

2 – 7

950

1140

1 – 7

1290

1550

3 – 8

1590

1910

2 – 8

2150

2580

1 -8

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 07/09/2023 11:06:58
6 September 2023 at 19:44 #659406
Nick Clarke 3
Participant
@nickclarke3
Posted by DiogenesII on 06/09/2023 03:01:42:

These machines were quite popular in their day and widely offered, I think as well as Warco, both Chester and Sealey also sold versions of the same machine.

They were also branded as Alpine and sold by independent retailers
6 September 2023 at 19:44 #659407
Nick Clarke 3
Participant
@nickclarke3
Posted by DiogenesII on 06/09/2023 03:01:42:

These machines were quite popular in their day and widely offered, I think as well as Warco, both Chester and Sealey also sold versions of the same machine.

They were also branded as Alpine and sold by independent retailers
7 September 2023 at 10:02 #659446
Howard Lewis
Participant
@howardlewis46836
Apologies if posting my tables of speeds has messed up the formatting of this thread

Howard
7 September 2023 at 10:10 #659448
Dave Halford
Participant
@davehalford22513
At the end of the day most of us end up using a small number of cutter sizes you may find 3 speeds enough.
7 September 2023 at 11:10 #659459
SillyOldDuffer
Moderator
@sillyoldduffer
Posted by Howard Lewis on 07/09/2023 10:02:37:

Apologies if posting my tables of speeds has messed up the formatting of this thread

Howard

No problem, a forum quirk. I was able to fix it by setting table properties width to 500 pixels fixed. Shouldn't have been necessary: your tables are correct in edit mode, but not when displayed in the thread.

Dave
7 September 2023 at 11:56 #659469
jay g
Participant
@jayg67738
Posted by AJAX on 05/09/2023 23:04:27:

Posted by jay g on 05/09/2023 21:05:31:

Looking about i see 4 step pulleys around the £30-60 and could knock up a bracket with some plate so not as bad as i thought.

Will keep you all updated as it moves along.

Thanks everyone that replied

Don't pay that much for a pulley. It could be more than you paid for the machine!

Tell me what pulley you need and I'll take a look to see if I have a spare. The price will be reasonable.

Will keep it in mind once i start working on it
7 September 2023 at 12:09 #659474
jay g
Participant
@jayg67738
As i am needing a few things done and researching more on these generic mill's i thought about doing a few upgrades.

instead of getting the pulley replaced might go 3 phase with vfd and single belt with matching spindle pulley. That should bypass the column.i have seen a few other guys do the same and saves me changing belts.

Most of the time tbh it will be used as a drill press and have capabilities of milling when needed to save on space.

Thanks for the extra info some of which i have found and other's i have not.

Edited By jay g on 07/09/2023 12:11:36

Edited By jay g on 07/09/2023 12:12:22
7 September 2023 at 17:05 #659502
DiogenesII
Participant
@diogenesii
You sound like you have a plan, but look carefully at motor spec' and ratio's carefully if you want to retain a useful slow-speed milling capability with just one direct pulley-pair..
7 September 2023 at 20:02 #659516
old mart
Participant
@oldmart
It certainly is worth the money, but getting the missing parts could take some time. I would also look out for a longer bed, the similar machine at the museum has a bed with 500mm movement in the X axis. There are many ways of moving the head up and down if you have the imagination and will to tackle it.
8 September 2023 at 07:50 #659536
Howard Lewis
Participant
@howardlewis46836
Looks to be older than mine, which is 20+ years old, and a slightly different design.

But as long as it does what is needed!

The bracket for the intermediate pulley is cast iron and can crack if overtightened.. I put lerge washers under the bolt heads to spread the load more.

The RF25 appeared in many colour schemes for a variety of importers.

Rong Fu might even be able to supply the pulley, bearings and bracket, perhaps?

Howard
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