New member and new (to me) Myford ML7

ProjectROTM · Mar 3, 2020

Hi, I have been lurking on this forum for a long time, but never really had anything worth contributing. Until now! At the end of last year I collected an early 50’s Myford ML7 for my workshop and have now finally got it set up. As I am doing a video on my Velocette project I thought I would extend it to include the new lathe.

I last used a lathe properly about 10 years ago when I did a short stint in a tool room at an engineering company, so I would welcome any basic “getting started” advice.

Cheers,

Christian

modelmakerblue · Mar 3, 2020

ProjectROTM said:
Hi, I have been lurking on this forum for a long time, but never really had anything worth contributing. Until now! At the end of last year I collected an early 50’s Myford ML7 for my workshop and have now finally got it set up. As I am doing a video on my Velocette project I thought I would extend it to include the new lathe.

I last used a lathe properly about 10 years ago when I did a short stint in a tool room at an engineering company, so I would welcome any basic “getting started” advice.

Cheers,

Christian

Before our American cousins wake up I should warn you this forum is more industry based, you would be better off looking at the 'Model Engineers Workshop' forum.
Tony

maynah · Mar 3, 2020

Welcome Christian. I have a Drummond M type and am interested in seeing your lathe.
I think you're OK with a Myford from the 50's in the antique section.

johnoder · Mar 3, 2020

Great generic info from long ago

http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/1617/5795.pdf

ph

Tyrone Shoelaces · Mar 3, 2020

Last place I worked I had one of those mounted on brackets on the wall in the toolroom/maintenance shop. The one I had was the " Tri-Leva " speed change though. It was OK for small jobs and polishing stuff etc.

I walked in the shop one Monday morning and the lathe had vanished over the weekend ! That's when I knew the place was on the way out.

Regards Tyrone.

PDW · Mar 3, 2020

Tyrone Shoelaces said:
Last place I worked I had one of those mounted on brackets on the wall in the toolroom/maintenance shop. The one I had was the " Tri-Leva " speed change though. It was OK for small jobs and polishing stuff etc.

Yeah - one would fit nicely on the top block of my Kearns OA HBM....

OK, they're pretty lightweight but I've seen some top shelf work turned out on them by people with more skill (and waaaay more patience) then me. Good luck to the OP with his new toy.

The Velocette is more interesting though.

PDW

Tyrone Shoelaces · Mar 4, 2020

PDW said:
Yeah - one would fit nicely on the top block of my Kearns OA HBM....

OK, they're pretty lightweight but I've seen some top shelf work turned out on them by people with more skill (and waaaay more patience) then me. Good luck to the OP with his new toy.

The Velocette is more interesting though.

PDW

Yes, some model engineers do great work on them. I can't say that I'd like to do anything too complicated on one. The " Tri-Leva " had a habit of letting the drive belts slip off the drive pulleys if you pushed them too hard. If I needed a real lathe there was an " Elliot Omnispeed " out in the shop that was set aside for fitters to use. Now that was a very nice little lathe. That was the one that got lifted off the ground when one of the other lads put a length of 1" bar in it with about a 3' stick out at the end of spindle and then switched it on without checking what speed it had been left in ! Even after that treatment it was still OK.

Regards Tyrone.

TedinNorfolk · Mar 4, 2020

Is that the one like the old Cardiff? I used one quite a bit-never had chatter,it also had the shortest bed I think a short part of the ways never saw light(another short lathe was an old Churchill-Redman). This Elliott was next to a 9ft Elliott Hydetsco planer,also a nice machine.

Tyrone Shoelaces · Mar 4, 2020

TedinNorfolk said:
Is that the one like the old Cardiff? I used one quite a bit-never had chatter,it also had the shortest bed I think a short part of the ways never saw light(another short lathe was an old Churchill-Redman). This Elliott was next to a 9ft Elliott Hydetsco planer,also a nice machine.

Yes Ted, it was an updated version of the old " Cardiff " lathe. I liked it, apart from the " straight on " on/off lever.

I was up in the overhead crane when I saw the lad put the bar in the lathe. I was shouting down to him " No, No ! " but he couldn't hear me above the noise of the shop. The bar bent at 90 degrees in a flash and started beating the ground until the fuses blew. The lad just ran away as fast as his legs could carry him without switching the lathe off !

Regards Tyrone.

PDW · Mar 4, 2020

Tyrone Shoelaces said:
Yes Ted, it was an updated version of the old " Cardiff " lathe. I liked it, apart from the " straight on " on/off lever.

I was up in the overhead crane when I saw the lad put the bar in the lathe. I was shouting down to him " No, No ! " but he couldn't hear me above the noise of the shop. The bar bent at 90 degrees in a flash and started beating the ground until the fuses blew. The lad just ran away as fast as his legs could carry him without switching the lathe off !

Probably heading for the gents and a change of underwear....

Couple of the reasons I like my Chipmaster is the short bed and deep castings. If you look at the centre distance and swing you'd think there wasn't all that much over a Myford really in terms of capacity. Until you actually had to remove some metal anyway.

I have a mint condition Emco Maximat 11 and still prefer the Chipmaster.

PDW

pressbrake1 · Mar 5, 2020

TedinNorfolk said:
Is that the one like the old Cardiff? I used one quite a bit-never had chatter,it also had the shortest bed I think a short part of the ways never saw light(another short lathe was an old Churchill-Redman). This Elliott was next to a 9ft Elliott Hydetsco planer,also a nice machine.

Ive got a omnispeed, not the most attractive of machines but its fully tooled turns dead bang and the 2500rpm makes it useful.
The one annoying flaw other than weak screw cutting box gears was the cross slide and traverse handles passed each other by less than a finger thickness, that could hurt!!
Only took several years for me to make another smaller handwheel.
Good luck to the op

Tyrone Shoelaces · Mar 5, 2020

pressbrake1 said:
Ive got a omnispeed, not the most attractive of machines but its fully tooled turns dead bang and the 2500rpm makes it useful.
The one annoying flaw other than weak screw cutting box gears was the cross slide and traverse handles passed each other by less than a finger thickness, that could hurt!!
Only took several years for me to make another smaller handwheel.
Good luck to the op

It was the 2,500 rpm that bent the bar. The side by side feed engagement levers on the apron could make the job interesting if you engaged the wrong lever.

Sorry to derail the Myford thread but people need to be aware of the dangers of long thin bars stuck out of the spindle.

Regards Tyrone.

Jersey John · Mar 5, 2020

Must say the Myford has always passed me by even when I was looking for a bigger lathe from the Pultra 1770 and 1590.

One BIG advantage for the Myford user is the amount of accessories, tooling and spares available while going more up market to industrial machines from the S&B to Schaublin or Hardinge has become over the recent years very hard to source some dedicated original accessories (Cost excluded too).

Only last week I got two Hardinge accessories that have taken me over 5 years to find!

... and before anyone states the obvious - yes I know S&B, Schaublin and Hardinge "IS" in a totally different class but the Myford can produce extremely good results in the right hands and there is a place for it. Also another plus for the Myford is it's a single phase machine suited to the garden shed.

Just my two pence worth

John :typing:

TedinNorfolk · Mar 5, 2020

....back on topic-before my Boxford came along,I'd walk to the other side of the village to see my parents and use Dads ML 7 for the small jobs my old plain bearing Holbrook didn't like! My brother has it now,for old times sake along with Dads centec mill.

Limy Sami · Mar 5, 2020

Folk knock the Myfords, and while I agree they have their limitations and funny little ways,(as all machine tools do) ……..I'm sure many of the knockers and naysayers have never used one.

I had a Taiwanese Myford clone (Whitecolt Myford Lathes: Clones and Copies ) that came to me 3rd or 4th hand, (at the time it was all I could afford) I worked that lathe hard for 4 years (with seldom a week passing that it didn't put some food on the table) …………...and sold it for more than I paid.

From memory, I think in those 4 years it had a set of belts, a shop made cross slide nut and a new starter and reversing switch.

J Grainger · Mar 22, 2020

I've missed the Myford step in lathe ownership or use. While I can't imagine wanting one, I am slightly envious of the availability of the accessories.. compare that to the Hardinge bench lathe accessories (of which quite a few must have been produced) - I'll finish up with a mixed selection including adapted Myford accessories.

Realistically, while only light-duty, a decent example is hardly the worst one could do. One of my friends has a really nice example with a different spindle, used for making some aftermarket gun parts. A stronger lathe would probably offer little improvement for his use.

For beginner knowledge, besides the old standards of information like books (sherline tool grinding page, machinery's handbook, tapping drill sizes in dormer books, some medel engineers books by authours with a Myford, etc), there are also some good videos on Youtube from a range of people, my favourite is "This Old Tony" for his humour. He's not a pro but pretty knowledgeable and will make something or mess with a machine and show every stage.

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