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