WM250 Sticky Carriage

[Martin Laycock 1Participant @martinlaycock1]

I have a new Warco 250V Lathe and when manually winding the carriage along the bed there are three to four areas where it becomes 'stiff' and difficult to wind by hand. Can anyone recommend a solution to this please.

[Martin Laycock 1Participant @martinlaycock1]

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

If the carriage hand wheel is in the same position at every tight spot it is probably the pinion gear on the back of it a bit off centre. Adjusting the position of the rack for more clearance should help.

Otherwise, run a fine flat file carefully over the bed to make sure any burrs are knocked off both flat surfaces and corners. And slather the bed with oil. Whatever oil you have will get you started. You can get proper hydraulic oil or way oil later.

[Paul KempParticipant @paulkemp46892]

Agree it may be the carriage pinion as above. However you say it's new? Is that brand new, straight from Warco? If so I would be on the phone to them. I also wouldn't put anything harsher than a fine stone to the bed, if it's got lumps on it big enough to warrant a file there is a serious quality problem!

Paul.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Well if it has lumps big enough to bind the carriage we already have a quality problem. A fine flat file is what i have used on cheap Chinese lathes with similar problems in the past. You are not filing down high spots. Just removing burrs. The manufacturors leave some pretty raggedy sharp edges on the corners of the bed ways at the factory in some cases. Straight off the grinder with no hand fitting or QC i would conclude. A lick with a fine file and they are good as gold.

It could also be that the lift plates on the bottom of the carriage are binding on the underside of the bedways. If removing the burrs there does not fix that then best to talk to Warco if its under warranty. 

Edited By Hopper on 29/06/2020 01:56:18

Edited By Hopper on 29/06/2020 02:11:07

[Steve NeighbourParticipant @steveneighbour43428]

Posted by Martin Laycock 1 on 28/06/2020 23:38:24:

"I have a new Warco 250V Lathe"

 

You were lucky to get one !

I've had one on order since 1st week of May, still no luck

Edited By Steve Neighbour on 29/06/2020 05:09:24

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Is the carriage lock fully undone?

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

The pinion gear should be properly centred. Shifting the rack is not a proper repair – the correction should be to fit either a concentric gear or a straight shaft, whichever may be at fault.

Stoning may be acceptable to remove burs. Files should be kept well away from machined surfaces such as this (unless the bed is harder than the file).

If the machine is new and under warranty, consult the supplier, not start making potentially damaging bodges. If it is a second hand purchase, I would suspect the pinion shaft has been bent, especially if those tight spots are evenly distanced along the bed.

Clearly more detailed info from the OP might have helped provide more accurate/precise responses.

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

Posted by Steve Neighbour on 29/06/2020 05:08:47:

Posted by Martin Laycock 1 on 28/06/2020 23:38:24:

"I have a new Warco 250V Lathe"

You were lucky to get one !

I've had one on order since 1st week of May, still no luck

Edited By Steve Neighbour on 29/06/2020 05:09:24

I suspect Warco are awaiting quite a large shipment from the Far East, as they are "out of stock" of quite a lot of products. I'm waiting for a WM240 and some tooling.

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

One possibility is that someone in testing has run the power feed against a locked carriage, and bent the carriage pinion shank.

That's what I did within a week of receiving my WM250V.

You can fix it with a crowbar, thus:-

Use the toe-end of the crowbar, and wind the carriage as far as you can toward the tailstock, and stop at the stiffest sticking-point.

Set the toe of the crowbar against the top of the pinion shank, and lever upwards to bend the pinion downwards, out of tight mesh. Use moderate force.

Of course your lathe is new and you mayn't want to try that – but my WM250 hasn't shown any problems – other than of my own making – since I did that, and it cured the sticking carriage completely and with no side-effects.

So you might save yourself a good deal of hassle with a few minutes' experimentation.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

If it is a new machine, having oiled the bedways, and checked that the Saddle lock is free, I would talk to Warco, rather than do anything that would void the warranty.

If the pinion is off centre on its shaft, or the shaft is bent, that is for the supplier to correct, if only as an absolute minimum, by supplying a new shaft, for you to fit.

If it is like my older larger Chinese lathe, the pinion is integral, with teeth being cut into the shaft.

Howard .

Edited By Howard Lewis on 29/06/2020 09:05:22

[Martin Laycock 1Participant @martinlaycock1]

Many thanks for your suggestions; the carriage lock is fully undone and the hand wheel is not binding. I was hoping for a quick fix, though it seems to be not the case; I thought I would try the forum before contacting Warco. I've had the lathe for a couple of weeks, but only placed it into position in the last few days, it's now cleaned, oiled up and ready to go. I cannot understand why I received one before Bo'sun though! Thanks once again for your help.

Whoops . .  Neighbour not Bo'sun.

Edited By Martin Laycock 1 on 29/06/2020 09:18:48

[JourneymanParticipant @journeyman]

Might be worth checking the rear gib strip that runs along the rear of the saddle and hooks under the bed to prevent saddle lift. Mine was loose perhaps yours is too tight. Held in place by 5 allen screws as I recall.

John

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