Buget Warco Major 5 axis conversion

[Robin Hewitt]

Hi Tweaky

Looking good but no pics of the Z, have you done that one yet? A honking plate? :naughty:

On mine the pin that stops the quill turning had raised a burr down one edge of the groove it runs in. You can't see it, you can't even feel it, but when you do the Z you may lock the quill orientation and move the burr out of the groove it has cut for itself. If you have the quill out, easy job, look for a groove on the inside of the housing by the guide pin. If there, assume a burr and stone it off.

Also, are you sure the spindle bearings are shot? l had a lot of clatter on the splined shaft and tried to fix it by liberal application of heavy grease, maybe a previous owner did the same to yours, it is an obvious fix :whistling:

The grease eventually found it's way down in to the spindle bearings causing them to run hot at top revs, same as you've got.

Might be worth running oil in at the top, with the spindle running, until it comes out oil coloured at the bottom. Changing that God awful original motor fixed most of the clatter for me, flushing the spindle bearings stopped the bearings running hot.

best regards

Robin

[Tweaky]

Hi Robin,

Z is next, have a smaller honking plate than yours, only 25mm thick. It is a disk 150mm dia., with the quill bore offset.
I have seen thinner ones, but when I saw your plate, I suddenly felt inadequate!. Do you think 25mm will flex?

Thanks for your help with the quill (does this mean I owe you a Hobgoblin?), I did find burrs on the quill groove and the pin when I stripped it. The pin is quite worn.
The bearings are marked on the rollers and the race, although once cleaned, it did tighten nicely ( no soft area), however, like you I would like more, 5-7000 rpm area. I have found some angular contact bearing that will fit, and they are rated at 14k rpm, dinamic load of 24Kn, do you think they would do the trick?

Last question, for the mo' , as you can see my finish on ally is poor, I have not yet aligned the column, but have read much which suggests that finish is related to vibration. I still get some vibration at almost all speeds, feels to me like column flex. Does your do it?, have you filled the column with Epoxy Granite or balanced you pulleys (mine has 2 inters .....pain)?

Thanks again.

Regards
Mark

[Robin Hewitt]

I have seen thinner ones, but when I saw your plate, I suddenly felt inadequate!. Do you think 25mm will flex?

Hi Mark

I don't know if mine is thick enough, won't find out until I run it in to an immovable object. (3Nm*pi)/0.005m pitch = 1885N driving force :whistling:

I'll do my best to answer your questions but I've only been doing this for about 20 years so I'm still learning.

does this mean I owe you a Hobgoblin?

Indubitably, if we ever meet I will expect beer

I have found some angular contact bearing that will fit, and they are rated at 14k rpm, dinamic load of 24Kn, do you think they would do the trick?

Probably be fine, you're going to find out for us. Probably when a fat tool gets lost in a lump of iron and starts trying to cut triangular shaped holes with a sort of hammer action. :naughty:

Last question, for the mo' , as you can see my finish on ally is poor, I have not yet aligned the column, but have read much which suggests that finish is related to vibration. I still get some vibration at alost all speeds, feels to me like column flex. Does your do it?, have you filled the column with Epoxy Granite or balanced you pulleys (mine has 2 inters .....pain)?

What's 2 inters mean?

Obviously you want to avoid vibration but cut quality depends on a lot of variables. I still get a crap finish at times so I have yet to sort it. My biggest problem is aluminium chattering when I change direction into a radius.

If I was asked to list the variables that result in a good finish in descending order of importance, I'd guess...

A machine that is much too big for the job in hand.
Minimise overhangs.
The right tool for the job.
The right lube
The right feed rate and rpm
Cutting downhill

My mill is somewhat different to yours. I have a cast iron box section plinth at the back below the round column, often as not the head is wound down until it rests on the plinth. If I lean on the spindle nose I can bend it about a thou, maybe two if it isn't hard down. Perhaps they changed the design because it was too flexible?

Bestest

Robin

[Tweaky]

Hi Robin,
I'll try the bearings and let you know.

By "inters" I meant two intermediate pulleys, so four in all. Every other Warco Major I have seen, had one intermediate pulley.
From my perspective, it is just another component to add errors to the setup. I guess I could dump one pulley, and get longer belts.

Thanks for the short list, by overhangs, do you mean the machine itself, or mounting of the workpiece?

The right tool for the job.
The right lube
The right feed rate and rpm

These are things I know almost nothing about yet. My experience with machine tools is confined to 1 year spent at a broad base engineering school, as part of an electronic apprenticeship, and that was 32 years ago. I have read much over the last few years, but there is no knowledge like experience, so I Know very little at the mo'.

I did not notice the difference in your mill until I read your message. It does seem then that the column is the problem, that you can remove it from the equation by lowering the head to the support, it's case solved then.
I have had a few ideas for improving things here, one was to mill square a large cast-iron wieght, and then mount the column support onto it, with the column through it.
I have enquired about a solid steel column, which could be cut with a groove to locate it radially, a la' Arborga mills.
A square column is the ideal I guess, but not a good use of time for me (silk purse and sow's ear etc. ) better to buy another machine.
So maybe i will have to be satified with small cuts.....?

A Fursty Ferret is calling me, so time to go.

Many thanks

Mark