Warco A1S miller

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BarryK
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:51 pm
Location: Essex UK

Warco A1S miller

Post by BarryK »

Hi all

I'm just in the process of purchasing a Warco vertical miller, model KF-VO-AIS.

I believe that this machine is from either Korea or Taiwan and was imported into the UK & the US by various machine tool suppliers, including Warco, Chester & possibly Denford in the UK and also by Grizzly & others in the US. ( I think that the Grizzly model number may have been 1004 or 1008)

If anyone has one of these machines I'd like any information you can give me - maybe there's a manual online somewhere?

Any assistance gratefully received........

Thanks & Best Regards to all.

Barry Kneller
in Darkest Basildon,
Essex, UK.

PS - tried to post a picture of the machine but I can't get it to work..........
crrmeyer
Posts: 72
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2007 9:34 pm
Location: Southern California

Post by crrmeyer »

BarryK
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:51 pm
Location: Essex UK

Post by BarryK »

That looks very, very similar.........

Comparing my photos with the image on the 1004/1008 manual the only difference I can see is that the base on mine doesn't have any louvres at the sides.

It also appears that mine has a cast iron base with no obvious signs that it's removable - i.e. it appears to me that the base & column are cast in one piece.

The head assembly & general configration looks identical.

Thanks for that...

Cheers
Barry
Matt
Posts: 59
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 11:12 am
Location: Chilliwack, BC, Canada

Post by Matt »

There is a mill at work that looks similar to the grizzly 1004/1008 but with the one piece base that you describe. At work the make model is a "Sharp Ind. VFS-1" I think. I will hunt around for a manual tonight and see if I can dig it up. I will try and take a couple snapshots for comparison too.

Matt
BarryK
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:51 pm
Location: Essex UK

Post by BarryK »

Matt wrote:There is a mill at work that looks similar to the grizzly 1004/1008 but with the one piece base that you describe. At work the make model is a "Sharp Ind. VFS-1" I think. I will hunt around for a manual tonight and see if I can dig it up. I will try and take a couple snapshots for comparison too.

Matt
Cheers Matt, that'd be good..............I'll try to add a picture of mine.


Well, 2 pics for the price of 1, sorry about that.............

:D
Attachments
Milling machine pics 8608 011.jpg
Here is a picture of the machine (minus swarf tray)
Here is a picture of the machine (minus swarf tray)
crrmeyer
Posts: 72
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2007 9:34 pm
Location: Southern California

Re: Warco A1S miller

Post by crrmeyer »

BarryK wrote:Hi all

I'm just in the process of purchasing a Warco vertical miller, model KF-VO-AIS.
Does is look like this? The photo is of one that a guy had up the street forsale a year back for around $1050. It was 20 years old with about almost no use.


Image
BarryK
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:51 pm
Location: Essex UK

Re: Warco A1S miller

Post by BarryK »

crrmeyer wrote:
BarryK wrote:Hi all

I'm just in the process of purchasing a Warco vertical miller, model KF-VO-AIS.
Does is look like this? The photo is of one that a guy had up the street forsale a year back for around $1050. It was 20 years old with about almost no use.


Image

Yeaah, that's the kiddy.............. :D

Some very slight cosmetic details are different, i.e. the handwheels do not have the web and have chromed (I'd guess) highly polished rims.
Mine also comes with an 'Align' table feed unit mounted on the lh side.

Mine also, although quite highly used is just like a new machine.

Unfortunately, there is very little tooling with the machine but I managed to negotiate a healthy discount on account of this.

There's plenty of R8 tooling on Ebay UK at the moment.

The previous owner obviously took very great care of his machines, a Warco 10X24 lathe of similar vintage and condition was sold at the same time.

I'd have bought that too but I don't have the space in my shop to get a bigger lathe in.

There was also a much older (60's) Myford Super7, in much better condition than mine, unfortuneately, I didn't hear about it until it was too late.

Anyway, did you buy the Lux mill? If so - how are you getting on with it?

Does anyone else have one of these, any info would be gladly received.

Thanks again.........

Cheers
Barry

PS - I'd guess that the knurled Knob on the lh side of the machine is to disengage the Quill fine feed mechanism :?:
Matt
Posts: 59
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 11:12 am
Location: Chilliwack, BC, Canada

Post by Matt »

Sorry, no manual to be found.
I managed to get a couple of pictures. Sorry for the quality, I used my camera-phone.
Attachments
Name Plate.jpg
Speed Plaque.jpg
Left Side.jpg
Right Side.jpg
BarryK
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:51 pm
Location: Essex UK

Post by BarryK »

Yepp, that's definitely the same machine - thanks for the photos Matt.

I was correct about the same Machine being imported to the Uk by Denford, Chester Machine Tools etc.

The Denford version was called the 'VIP' vertical milling machine.
With this, and other information I was able to locate a copy of the original manual.

I've downloaded and printed it out and it's certainly much better quality than the usual far Eastern manuals - probably totally re-written by one of the UK importers.

It's in jpg format, about ten A4 pages in length, and even contains proper, detailed drawings of the machine and a full parts list.

If anyone wants a copy pm me, I'll email a zip file.

Thanks for your help...

Cheers
Barry
in Darkest Basildon
Essex UK
Outinfriont
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2018 5:22 pm

Re:

Post by Outinfriont »

Matt wrote: Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:47 pm Sorry, no manual to be found.
I managed to get a couple of pictures. Sorry for the quality, I used my camera-phone.
HI Matt

Not sue if you are still on here but do you still work with that sharp mill?
what was that mill used for?

Thanks,
Adrian
BarryK
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:51 pm
Location: Essex UK

Re: Warco A1S miller

Post by BarryK »

Hi Adrian - yes, I still have the Warco A1S (Sharp) - it's the best machine tool I ever purchased, now sporting Variable Speed, digital rpm indicator and DRO's on Quill feed and table x-y, I'd like to fit DRO to the table rise and fall but I think it would be more trouble than it's worth.

It's not used for commercial items, just to machine whatever projects I happen to have going at the time - mostly Fishing related.

Cheers Barry (you can find me on facebook as Barry Kneller................)
Johnmax
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Dec 26, 2022 12:21 am

Re: Warco A1S miller

Post by Johnmax »

I'm new to the board and was searching for info on a mill I just purchased it's a Kao Fong KF-VO-AIS. The pictures on this thread look like the same mill. If anyone still has any info on them I would really like to get a copy.
Thanks all
Attachments
20221215_113608.jpg
20221215_124920.jpg
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