which of these two mills should I go for please - advice sought?

[AlfJones]

Hello all.

I am in the market for a decent sized knee mill. I was just about to buy the Chester 836, after a great write-up by John BogStandard, and then noticed that Warco have a very similar machine at about £1000 difference in price - the Chester being more expensive, so now I am procrastinating again.

Chester machine:

http://www.chesteruk.net/products/Product.aspx?productID=73

Having spoken to Chester, the machine actually has a 2HP motor on it. It also comes with an X-Axis power feed.

Warco machine:
http://www.warco.co.uk/milling-machines/41-wm-20-milling-machine.html

This doesn't have the x-axis powerfeed, and "Only" a 1.5HP motor.

From the pictures, the machines look almost identical, so I thought the difference was essentially the powerfeed and the larger motor, which shake out at around the £1000 mark but I noticed that the Warco is over 100Kg heavier. If thats the case, then it might suggest a sturdier build, which makes me wonder, if that IS the case, if it's a better chassis to start with, and fit an upgraded motor and a powerfeed over time?

Any thoughts and comments gratefully recieved, so I can crack on and get a new toy!

 

[Tin Falcon]

Hm both are nice machines I have a little table top mill

This doesn't have the x-axis power feed, and "Only" a 1.5HP motor.

Well I see the motor on the warco as 1500w so 746 watts /HP = 2 hp on that one as well.

I suggest you print out the specs on both and compare line by line. Also do both prices include VAT How much would warco charge for a power feed? Do both include a vice holding clamps etc .
Tin

 

[Noitoen]

I think the Chester has an option for single/three phase motor with continuous variable pulley speed control and the Warco has a VFD 240V drive.

That type of power feed is cheap nowadays.
http://www.warco.co.uk/search.php?orderby=position&orderway=desc&search_query=power+feed&submit_search=

 

[vidio1]

The Warco has a 800 rpm higher top speed too, might come in handy for smallish cutters or soft material.......

 

[Blogwitch]

Alf,

If I had the same decision to make nowadays, it would be the Warco.

I was very lucky with mine, because I was buying two machines at the same time (lathe & mill), and went in with soggy pound notes in my grubby claws, I managed to get the mill for 4 grand all in. They threw in a load of tooling, an upgraded vice and Y & Z power feeds (fitted for me) free of charge. So basically a very good 'deal'. Cash waved under a salesman's nose causes them to go into a cost reducing trance.

All I had to buy was a 110volt 'yellow box' site power supply for the extra table feeds, at a cost of about 40 pounds.

Another major thing to take into account is the delivery charge, I paid a specialist to pick my machines up and install them for me, the Warco has free delivery, Chester doesn't, so that is worth maybe another 400 - 500 UK pounds. Unless you have a straight run in to your shop, don't expect Warco to take it in there for you, they just might drop it outside your front door, the delivery drivers only usually have a pallet truck to move the box about.

On the other hand, basically, the machine has only cost me just over two pounds in repair charges since I have had it, the build quality and setting up straight out of the box was/is superb, I can't comment on the Warco offerings.


John

 

[fcheslop]

Hi,The only thing i can add to the decision is that Warco recently bent over backwards to supply spare parts for my very old RF25 the gentleman in the spares dept was really helpfull .All of the other companies just did not want to know I know who is getting my money when I replace the mill.
best wishes Frazer

 

[Omnimill]

I bought a VMC recently and Warco were very helpful. The delivery guy Dave wheeled it straight into place in the garage for me. If it makes a difference Warco deliver free unlike most other suppliers.

Vic.

 

[Blogwitch]

Just to verify about repairs, this first link shows the only thing needed to be done in over 3 years

http://madmodder.net/index.php?topic=2173.msg22633#msg22633


These show a bit of kit that can be obtained to give you a bit more versatility to your machine.

http://madmodder.net/index.php?topic=2058.msg21458#msg21458


http://madmodder.net/index.php?topic=2083.0


John

 

[AlfJones]

John,

Having access to a horizontal mill would be very useful at times, if I can ever get up the courage to spend the money on some cutters!

Can you supply details about which arbor you purchased - which mill it was designed for etc., and perhaps a wide angle shot showing it on the mill so I can get an idea of how much clearance you have I just noticed you have a wide angle shot in your first post - lots of room.


Also thanks to everyone else for there comments, it has been very useful indeed.

I know it's a little rude, but I wonder if I could ask again what people think about the weight difference, and if that suggested a more robust construction? Certainly in the lathe world, 100kg's would be considered a benefit I think?

 

[Blogwitch]

Alf,

If you have a look here, about half way down the page. You can buy just the right angled head or the full Monty.

http://www.chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/milling_misc.html

I got mine from Chester UK, at a 'very special' price. It's such a shame my favourite salesman has left to go to university, no more big discounts.

What you have to realise is that these are made for the Bridgeport, which have the same diameter quill, but I think a wider dovetail. So to get everything sitting nice and central, the block mod I did to mine puts it nice and central again, but it could be used without doing it.

I have used the right angle head by itself, and it is great for stacked slitting saws for finning and for deep horizontal boring in the mill, I've never had to do it yet, but it could get you out of a sticky situation if doing long drilling, when you don't have enough throat depth to do it by normal methods.

You can see from this picture that there is still plenty of throat to play about with, even though the vice is in there, and the table isn't at the bottom of it's stroke.

BTW, I got all my 1" bore cutters off ebay. I don't think I paid any more than a couple of squid each for them, and most were brand new.


John

 

[AlfJones]

Thanks very much for the time taken in the responses everybody, and thank you t John for the images.

Hmmm...... I think I am going to go and do something very expensive now....