# Myford ML7 refurbisment and upgrade



## Metal Mickey

I have at last started on the refurbishment of my speculative purchase of a Myford ML7 lathe on eBay last February. With the recent sale of my Myford ML10 I had the space for the lathe to go into and the funds to carry out the refurbishment and upgrade.

My intention is to have a Myford with variable speed motor and digital readouts that will outlast me. Time will tell.

Today it was back to the paint brush and a bit of a surprise. The high quality paint brush I had been using did ok, but I thought the paint lay on a little thick at times. Today, because of the smaller mature of the items to paint, I got out a smaller artist type brush from a cheap set bought on the internet. The surprise was in the quality of finish. The cheap artist brush was gave a far better finish!

Yesterday I ordered the new electric motor, inverter and remote control and today it arrived! Good service so far. The package 
also included three electric cables and some end fittings so a little study will be needed before it all goes together. I will let you 
know how it goes. 

The latest edition of Model Engineering Workshop arrived yesterday and included an article of a rev counter that seems a 
possibility for the ML7. Again if I go ahead with making one I will let you know how I get on.

After the excitement of unpacking the new motor I then hunted around for the pulley that fitted the old motor. Needless to say 
the bore of the pulley didn't match the new motor but fortunately the shaft is larger than the bore so its just a case of boring out the pulley and cut a keyway. Something I have yet to do.

With so many parts laid out around the workshop drying and the new motor unpacked, I thought it was time for a cup of tea, and a new list of action points. So the following list is the next phase of the refurbishment. I will let you know how I get on.

I am now waiting for some handles from RDG Tools online and various items for Myford themselves.

I must be honest I am really enjoying this refurbishment project, surprisingly so. I am treating the ML7 as a big set of castings and it's a good way to look ait I think. More to follow..

List of actions for Myford ML7 refurbishment 20th January 2009

1. Machine up an new counter shaft
2. Machine up a new leadscrew front shaft
3. Machine new phosphor bushes for leadscrew 
4. Make new drawers for lathe bench
5. Make a sheet steel back and side plate for lathe bench
6. Make two raised blocks for lathe to stand on
7. Paint remaining front part of lathe bench with black hammerite
8. Make and fit front door to bench (either wood or sheet metal)
9. Make and fit shelves for lathe bench
10. Bore out and cut a keyway for new lathe motor
11. Make the rollers for the bench drawers to fit on
12. Fly cut top slide tool post area
13. Clean up and paint the leadscrew right hand side handle
14. Wire up and fit new electric motor
15. Wire up and fit new inverter
16. Wire up and fit remote (after giving some thought to position)
17. Check eBay for the following (new or good secondhand):-
a. Rear tailstock handle
b. Long cross slide

I will let you know how I get on.......and here are some pictures of the 'before' bit.....







The variable speed package........ 






I need to bore out the pulley...................


----------



## Maryak

Mike,

This is a pretty big project you have embarked on. :bow:

I am sure you will achieve both success and many warm fuzzies when it's finished.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Metal Mickey

Life is never dull Bob! Its not until you pull a lathe apart that you realise how many bots there are! One advantage with digital camera's is the photo's you can take BEFORE you unscrew something.........just hope I don't loose the laptop!


----------



## Metal Mickey

The first major task today was to have a go at welding Aluminum for the very first time. I used the Durafix system which is advertised as being simple to use. 

Well we have all heard that before and I must admit to some skepticism as I prepared to have a practice on a couple of scrap aluminum pieces. I decided to make one edge of each have a chamfer so giving me a v to fill. The process involves cleaning up the part to be welded with the supplied stainless steel wire brush. Then the parts need to be brought to the temperature at which the welding rods will melt when in contact with the metal, and not the flame of the propane.

Here is where I learnt an important (and obvious now) fact that there is a considerable amount of heat required to get the metal to the 700 °plus needed. The great amount of heat is made worse by holding the parts to be welded together in the vice. As we know aluminum is a great conductor of heat so you end up heating the parts plus the iron vice!

Well when the heat was eventually reached the welding rod was rigorously rubbed in the indented V between the two parts and the rod flowed easily enough into the space. After letting the whole area (!) cool down the two pieces were inspected and there seemed to be a good weld considering the small run or weld.

Armed with this experience I moved out into the garage and decided to hold the casting to be welded in my old B&D work bench. At least the heat transfer problem from the trial wouldnt occur although the piece to be heated up was much bigger than the practice piece. At least I knew it would take some heating up and I was now prepared for that.

After grinding out a V shape in each side of the crack the casting was held in the workmate bench and heating started. When I thought it was getting close to temperature the flames fierceness was dropping off..yes the gas was running out. Quickly I got my spare cylinder out only to find it also was empty. How I dont know but it was. So I had to go and find a supplier, needless to say the first one only had empties himself! Eventually I returned home with a full cylinder but a cold casting! SO the process started again with cleaning the area to be welded being brushed hard with the supplied stainless steel brush, the heating supplied and after several minutes the rod was applied away form the flame and it ran into the V nicely. It was here that I learnt my second and important lesson, if I turned the casting over, would the weld already made drop through? Well it was too late to worry about that now and heat was again applied to get the casting up to temperature and the weld done as for the first one. When looking, the work done before was undone. 






I decided that the crack, which opened slightly when heated the first time, allowed the welding rod to flow through so that was a positive but I would redo the outside edge and accept that the inside joint would have to be held the best I could. When allowed to cool the outside weld was done and the inside had also a good depth of weld but it had been about to drip. So the next time I try a repair similar to this one I will place some material over the first repair so it has no where to go, before doing the second side. I am sure that will make a neater and therefore stronger weld.

So what were my overall impressions? 

1.	You need a significant source of heating if you are repairing a large part.
2.	The three steps are easy enough to remember and the kit does come with everything you need.
3.	I was considering ordering a larger amount of rods (I got 20) but they should last for a long time, as there didnt seem to be a lot of wastage.
4.	I am happy that the casting repair was done to the instructions i.e. the rod being melted by the casting and not the flame. Therefore it should be a strong weld, as they say it is stronger than the surrounding metal.
5.	It takes longer than you think to heat the material.

Will I use it again? You bet. I think this is a serious solution to welding aluminum and I will experiment with other repairs to learn better techniques. So I think it was a success. Makes a change to find something that in the end does what it says! 

After recovering from the welding experience, I decided to clean up then paint the casting with the Myford paint before making the raised blocks for the lathe to stand on. For the blocks I started by cutting some aluminum stock to the approximate size in the band saw, before cleaning up the edges with a fly cutter in the milling machine. I must admit to only setting up the vice on the milling table and taking the first couple of cuts, but some progress has been made and another couple of items can be crossed off the list of to dos.

The next session should see the raised blocks completed and then the rebuild can start. Most, if not all of the parts have been painted and I am just waiting now for the parts ordered from Myford to arrive. Come back and see how its going.

So far there


----------



## Maryak

Good one Mike, :bow:

Thanks for the writeup.

I've never had much success welding aliuminium so durafix is in my come in handy list.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## rleete

I'm not sure of the brand, but I've used the aluminum "welding" (actuually brazing) rods, too. One hint: after heating, when you first apply the rod, don't fill the joint. Just get a little on there. Then, use the brush, and scrub the puddle into the joint and on both sides. Be careful of splatters.

This wets the joint surface, and insures a good bond. You'll probably be heating the area around the joint when you do this to keep the material liquid. Makes for a good joint, and I can confirm that it is as easily as strong as the rest of the material. Used it to repair a 18HP Kohler 2 cylinder engine head, and it has held up since.

Oh, and if you use this wetting technique, you only have to make a v-groove on one side. The two wetted surfaces on either side of the groove stick together well enough, and you just fill in the v.


----------



## rake60

I'm a big fan of the Durafix rods myself.
For thicker materials you might find a mapp gas torch works better.
It's not limited to aluminum. It works well in any non-ferrous metal. 

Rick


----------



## John S

Why have you got a two step motor pulley but just the standard countershaft pulley ?

Don't know if it's too late for spares but there is a guy in Linconshire, Jim Marshall who does nothing but strip old Myfords for spares.
i have dealt with him in the past and he's very reasonable and has a good stock.
Trades as New and used Lathe Spares.
Jim Marshall

01205 480 666 mon-fri 9-5pm

JS


----------



## stevehuckss396

Looks like a bunch of work there. Are you dead in the water now or do you have a backup lathe?


----------



## Metal Mickey

This is the finished casting and I haven't cleaned up the weld, it finished level at then end of the process.








			
				rleete  said:
			
		

> One hint: after heating, when you first apply the rod, don't fill the joint. Just get a little on there. Then, use the brush, and scrub the puddle into the joint and on both sides. Be careful of splatters.
> 
> This wets the joint surface, and insures a good bond. You'll probably be heating the area around the joint when you do this to keep the material liquid. Makes for a good joint, and I can confirm that it is as easily as strong as the rest of the material. Used it to repair a 18HP Kohler 2 cylinder engine head, and it has held up since.
> 
> Oh, and if you use this wetting technique, you only have to make a v-groove on one side. The two wetted surfaces on either side of the groove stick together well enough, and you just fill in the v.



Thanks rleete. The instructions that came with the rods did say the same thing and I did in fact use the tinning method. Where I could have improved upon my work is your suggestion of a deep V only on one side. That's sounds a good idea in the task I had to do. Good point.



			
				rake60  said:
			
		

> I'm a big fan of the Durafix rods myself.
> For thicker materials you might find a mapp gas torch works better.
> It's not limited to aluminum. It works well in any non-ferrous metal.
> 
> Rick



Thanks Rick, As you say it can be used on other materials as well. But for me the ability to weld Aluminium is a major step forward in my arsenal. I am looking for anything I can have a go at now! I am really impressed with the product.



			
				John Stevenson  said:
			
		

> Why have you got a two step motor pulley but just the standard countershaft pulley ?
> 
> Don't know if it's too late for spares but there is a guy in Linconshire, Jim Marshall who does nothing but strip old Myfords for spares.
> i have dealt with him in the past and he's very reasonable and has a good stock.
> Trades as New and used Lathe Spares.
> Jim Marshall
> 
> 01205 480 666 mon-fri 9-5pm
> 
> JS



Thanks for that John I will make a note of the contact name. I want to get a long carriage slide if I can so I'll give him a ring. As to your question about a two step motor pulley the answer is I don't know. It came like that when I bought the lathe last year (put a silly bid in on eBay and won it! Doh). I have had it apart when cleaning everything up. Since I am fitting a variable speed motor system I am considering just fitting one part, although I haven't made my mind up yet.



			
				stevehuckss396  said:
			
		

> Looks like a bunch of work there. Are you dead in the water now or do you have a backup lathe?



Hello Steve, just received my Model Engineer issue 4344 and your article looks great. Well done. Both sides of the Atlantic eh. :bow: :bow:

My own article on the chess set made last year, will be in the next issue (spread over two, possible three issues) of Model Engineer so do we change our passports to journalist/writer now? :big: 

Back to the Myford refurbishment..... the bench is now completed sufficient to allow the lathe to be bolted down so today I spent time machining a couple of raised blocks and drilling the holes through the reinforcing plates underneath the top tray. 

The spares I requested from Myford arrived today so I have most of the items to start the reassembly. All the parts have been cleaned and painted with Myford Green paint. A couple more images for your delectation.......

The raised blocks....... 






Sheet metal work for back splash plate.


----------



## Metal Mickey

Sorry Steve, forgot to answer your question re another lathe. I have a variable speed Chinese import lathe which I bought new last year. Its a good machine with DRO's fitted but I must admit the build quality of a Myford is far superior. I enjoyed using my ML10 and intend to use both the Myford and the Chinese (labelled a Turner) lathes for the foreseeable future.


----------



## baldrocker

MM
If you don't know already worth keeping an eye on
as their stock changes frequently.
http://www.lathespares.co.uk
BR


----------



## Metal Mickey

Hello BR, many thanks a usefull link. Thanks. MM


----------



## Bluechip

Hi MM

I may have a ML7 Cross slide about the place. Can you tell me how many slots it should have?

I know it's not S7 'cos when I got my S7 I checked.

From memory it's in good nick, with screw & gib strip, but no nuts. [ Ah, poor sod, I hear you cry  ]

Dave


----------



## Metal Mickey

Hello Dave, I'll check tomorrow but from memory I think its four, although I was hoping to find a long cross slide. Mike


----------



## Bluechip

Hi MM

Pic Att






Not so good as I thought
Not rusty .. congealed greasy stuff
OK if you cant find any better .. Been here for ages, will keep for a bit longer.
Cannot find feedscrew 

Dave


----------



## Metal Mickey

Today I started by looking at the leadscrew and how I would make the bushes. I am still undecided as to what to do at the tailstock end but the headstock end requires a new shaft made and the bearings fitted to the aluminum housing are quite thick. Far more so than those supplied by Myford for the countershaft. Those are oilite bushes and I am not sure what those in the leadscrew are. I could ream them to a convenient size and make the shaft to fit or I could make new bushes and bore them to the correct shaft size. I must admit that I am leaning towards new bushes and the correct size shaft.

Putting this to one side I carried on wiring up the motor, inverter and remote control box to Daves directions. I managed to get to just one query when reading my scribble. So a call was put in to Direct drives Nottingham to check the wiring was correct before switching on and dealing with the programming of the Inverter. I must compliment Dave on both his knowledge and ability to get the information across.

After clearing up the wire I couldnt read on my scribble pad the motor was switched on and whilst nothing happened I was told by Dave that that in fact was a good sign! After step by step directions by Dave the motor was not only running silently, but the variable control was great.

I am very pleased with the set up I have got even if I spent a little more than I planned for. The control and engine of this lathe will certainly not be its weak point. Dave was extremely busy at the time of my wiring up, giving help to other customers BUT they never failed to call back, ever. Many other firms could benefit from there example. So a public thank you Dave.

The next task was to plan where the inverter and remote control box would be positioned. The inverter was quickly sorted out and screwed the the wall by the power socket outlet.  






The control box is a little more complicated as until the lathe is working properly its a little difficult to decide on its final position so I placed a clamp on the bench in the place I think will be ok, but I shall make a fixture to hold it and finally fix after a little practical experience shows me the best operating place.






The next task I have started is to make the pulley fit the shaft and cut the keyway so hopefully tomorrow the pulley will be ready to be fitted to the new motors shaft.


----------



## Metal Mickey

Bluechip  said:
			
		

> Hi MM
> 
> Pic Att
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not so good as I thought
> Not rusty .. congealed greasy stuff
> OK if you cant find any better .. Been here for ages, will keep for a bit longer.
> Cannot find feedscrew
> 
> Dave
> 
> Hello Dave could you email me direct so we can have a chat? Mike


----------



## Peter Neill

Metal Mickey  said:
			
		

> Today I started by looking at the leadscrew and how I would make the bushes. I am still undecided as to what to do at the tailstock end but the headstock end requires a new shaft made and the bearings fitted to the aluminum housing are quite thick. Far more so than those supplied by Myford for the countershaft. Those are oilite bushes and I am not sure what those in the leadscrew are. I could ream them to a convenient size and make the shaft to fit or I could make new bushes and bore them to the correct shaft size. I must admit that I am leaning towards new bushes and the correct size shaft.



Mike, I had to do this a few years ago when I completely rebuilt my ML7, including making a new leadscrew.
The front drive shaft for the leadscrew was unhardened EN8 as supplied from Myford. The easiest replacement - with a ground finish - is a piece of 5/8" silver steel, and will probably last another lifetime. 
You do need a woodruff key cutter though, to fit the drive gear on the end.
The original bearings in that end (there are 2, with an oil gap in the middle) are Oilite. I ordered a pair from Myfords and found they were around 2mm too small on diameter, but they insisted that these were the correct part number, and were all they would supply. Boring and reaming can 'smear' and block the pores on Oilites, so I turned up a pair of bushes from LB4 leaded bronze instead. Don't be tempted to use Phosphor Bronze with an unhardened shaft though. Also turned up another leaded bronze bush for the other end of the leadscrew.

If your leadscrew is badly worn, as mine was, the tailstock end will give you a problem as the shaft will have worn undersize, but the thread on the end (7/16"?) is the same size as the shaft, so you cant really turn the shaft down and use a smaller bush, unless you downsize the threaded part at the same time.

For me, the easiest solution was to buy a bit of leadscrew stock from Kingston Engineering http://www.kingston-engineering.co.uk/ and make a new one.
Much cheaper than Myfords too.

Good luck with the rebuild and keep us posted.


Peter


----------



## Metal Mickey

Peter Neill  said:
			
		

> The original bearings in that end (there are 2, with an oil gap in the middle) are Oilite. I ordered a pair from Myfords and found they were around 2mm too small on diameter, but they insisted that these were the correct part number, and were all they would supply. Boring and reaming can 'smear' and block the pores on Oilites, so I turned up a pair of bushes from LB4 leaded bronze instead. Don't be tempted to use Phosphor Bronze with an unhardened shaft though. Also turned up another leaded bronze bush for the other end of the leadscrew.
> 
> If your leadscrew is badly worn, as mine was, the tailstock end will give you a problem as the shaft will have worn undersize, but the thread on the end (7/16"?) is the same size as the shaft, so you cant really turn the shaft down and use a smaller bush, unless you downsize the threaded part at the same time.
> 
> For me, the easiest solution was to buy a bit of leadscrew stock from Kingston Engineering http://www.kingston-engineering.co.uk/ and make a new one.
> Much cheaper than Myfords too.
> 
> 
> Peter



Peter, many many thanks and your post could not have been more timely! Would you mind if I put your reply on my website www.mikes-models.com as I am covering the refurbishment on that site as well?

I will act on the bushes and check out the lead screw. Good advice which I wasn't aware of regarding the material for bushes and the type of shafts.....I do have a woodruff cutter so I should be ok with that.

Once again many thanks. Good advice.


----------



## Metal Mickey

The main target to day was to complete the machining of the motor pulley and start rebuilding the Myford ML7 lathe. Boring of the 0.750 diameter hole proceeded with little drama if a little slowly. Once done to a nice snug fit, the next task was to cut the key way. Now I must admit that whilst I have read about the procedure in the past I have not had cause to cut one.

My starting point was to finds some tool steel of the same width as the key on the motor shaft, then grind the end of the tool steel to my own cutting profile. When done, I started by isolating the lathe from the power supply, to make sure I didnt do anything silly! I placed the tools steel in the same position on the tool post as a boring bar but the cutting face on its side facing me. 

I thought it would be useful to make a mark on the pulley of where the key way was to be made and proceeded to make the first cut using the top slide. By only moving the cross slide out by 1 thou (0.001)of an inch made another cut.

After a short time a nice keyway started to be formed but I was concerned as the amount of pressure being placed on the top slide. So I decided to use the cross slides main hand wheel instead, and keep the top slide closed. This certainly helped to speed up the process and felt a more comfortable a solution. 







I will make a fixture for future use (add it to the ever growing list of tools to make!) which isolates the need to cross or top slide to be used. There are various examples in books and magazines and no doubt there will be many more keyways out there waiting to be made

One silly mistake I made was to just cut the keyway where the pulley ended up when secured in the 3 jaw chuck. When trying the fit I was pleased, only then to find that the keyway position meant the grub screw used to secure the pulley was now partly over the pulley key! All I had to do was to take note BEFORE I made the keyway of where the tapped hole was. Not a great problem, but now I needed to drill and tap for a new grub screw.






After the pulley was cleaned up a little it was provisionally fitted to the motor on its bracket. What next I asked myself? Well there were several boxes holding various screws, bolts and other fixtures so I though a general reorganization of parts would be useful. So I set up a table and sorted out all the parts of the great mechanical puzzle so I could see what was what to re-assemble the lathe.

When the parts were sorted I thought the best way forward now was to put together as much as I could even if it had to come apart again when the parts from Myford arrive. A start was made by putting the tailstock back onto the lathe and its a part I think I will have to have another look at as it could be better. The next item assembled was the cross slide and saddle. The lead screw lock nuts were oiled up and the gib strip fitted. When looking at the cross slide I decided that since the fixings are metric (!) I would treat the lathe to new bolts. A new handle was fitted (not impressed with the handles sourced from a non Myford source) and I may have to make a small sleeve to match the difference between the handle bore and the saddle pin. Not a great difference and the handle tightens with the grub screw, but not really satisfactory. Another add it to the list item.

I have thought several times that the lathe has had work done on her before, and now I am certain. When I took the lathe apart I religiously kept everything in different small containers. Now putting the cross slide back together I couldnt find any laminate shims that fit between the cross slide and two plates that fit under the top of the lathe bed and the base of the cross slide. There must have been something because the cross slide will not move if the securing bolts are fully tightened, and I remember it moving when the lathe arrived (or at least I think it did) 

So they will need to be purchased (that will be the third order!) and because of this omission I have decided that the lathe will be completely re-assembled and only then will I make the 3rd order from Myford. When the parts arrive the relevant parts will be disassembled and new ones fitted. So thats what I will do.

So far the tailstock has been fitted along with the motor bracket and cross slide and saddle. The lead screw has also be partly fitted.

All in all not too bad a day for a change.


----------



## kvom

On the subject of the aluminum weld: If your vise was wide enough I'd think mounting the Al part between two pieces of brick would help with overheating the vise.


----------



## Peter Neill

Mike, you're more than welcome to use it on your website so please go ahead.

Keep up the good work!

Peter


----------



## Metal Mickey

Many thanks Peter, will let you know how I get on.


----------



## Metal Mickey

Took Peters advice and today I ordered a 1/2 length of the correct dimensioned threaded rod or 'leadscrew' form Kingston Engineering. I am now trying to track down some LB4 leaded bronze for the bushes so will let you know how I get on when it all arrives.....

Once again thanks Peter for the contact and I have quoted your response on my website. http://www.mikes-models.com/ccmyfordrefurb.html if you want to check an make sure its ok.

Mike


----------



## Metal Mickey

This morning started with a little apprehension and some careful machining. The countershaft was close to the outside diameter to fit the newly arrived last pair of oilite bushes. I was so close to the finish that a mistake would write off all the work done to date and the only steel bar I had of suitable size.

Well things went well and I managed to get a very nice fit when testing them on the countershaft casting. So I faced the ends to finished overall size.

Removing the shaft and feeling a little smug moved over to the bench to have a trial assembly. Imagine my disappointment then that whilst the shaft was a nice snug fit when put into one end only, it would not go through both.

Not wanting to damage the shaft I had a close look at the casting and was surprised that when looking at the set of bushes that the shaft was about to enter, there was about an 1/8th of an inch gap on one side! Removing the shaft I looked at the casting end on and one of the forks, or legs of the casting, was out by this 1/8th of an inch.
What to do? Well the first thought was to find a second hand replacement. Boring through both was quickly dismissed as not viable, so I thought since it would need replacing there would be no danger in trying to get them back in line.

Putting one leg securely in the vice, I gave the leg a gentle couple of taps with a heavy peen hammer. Imagine my surprise when removing the casting to check it I found that both legs now seemed in line. A tentative trial of putting the new shaft through found that not only was it a good fit, it was a great fit! Using the correct Myford oil (bought on eBay) a few turns were made where no perceivable movement could be discerned and no tight spots felt. It was with even more apprehension that I then moved the bar back to the lathe to cut the groove using the parting tool. It was then over to the milling machine to cut the two shallow slots at each end.

My lathe seems to be of a different design to those that came later (mine was made in 1953) and the woodruff keys didnt exist on my shaft. This was reinforced by the fact that no keyways were cut in the pulley or other fittings. So the new shaft replicated everything the old shaft had. This meant drilling a hole in the centre of the turned slot. You can see the comparison of new and old shafts in the photo depicting both old, and finished new shaft.






With the new shaft now finished and fitting well within the new bushes and countershaft casting, I decided to complete the counter shaft assembly. A start was made by trial fitting each component. The three pulley group was inspected and whilst a slacker fit on the shaft I decided to trial fit it to see how secure it would be. The two grub screws were removed and cleaned up and remembering to firstly fit the new rubber bushes, the shaft was put through the countershaft casting, through the pulley and out the other side. The hole on the slot was put uppermost and the smaller of the two grub screws (checked that it fitted earlier) was tightened. Then the larger screw was screwed in and the shaft seemed to be secured very well.






The only two remaining items to fit were the new 2BA oilers, but first I cleaned the threads out with a 2BA tap. That completed the bench based work and the whole assembly was taken over to the lathe and temporarily secured.

The next item to fit was the large pulley on the outside of the countershaft bracket, but first the new thrust washer was placed on the shaft between the pulley and the main casting. All that was left to do now was to secure the opposite end. This required a spacer to be made. I couldnt find one so checked the photos of when it was taken apart and was surprised to find it didnt have one. I could have removed the shaft and cut a further slot for the screw to bed down on, but thought it would be better to make a spacer. 






When checking my bar stock I didnt have any steel of the correct outside dimension. So I decided to make a temporary spacer from aluminum and order some steel to make a permanent one from. I dont thing the aluminum is a long term solution. So having turned up the spacer, the end shaft stop was secured after setting the end float to 0.005 using feeler gauges (see photo).






Now the countershaft was in place I could see that the motor and its bracket will need some adjustment. A view further reinforced when trial fitting the new belt which seems awfully small to me (but the countershaft to headstock seems minute!) but it has yet to be set up.

Overall one of the better days work, certainly better than the last week or so! 

You never know I may even get her breathing tomorrow, using her new variable speed motor, and I am now much nearer the end than the beginning.


----------



## Maryak

Mike,

Very nice :bow: looking forward to seeing it run.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Metal Mickey

Thanks Bob, it ran today.....sort off!

Today there was some success, some close calls regarding decision making and a little frustration at leaving the workshop before I wanted too.

First the close calls. When trial fitting the engine there didnt seem to be much allowance on the travel the motor could make to allow the new drive belt to be fitted. On closer inspection the problem was the top electrical box on the new three phase electrical motor, which came into contact with the countershaft main bracket bolted to the back of the lathe.

To get the motor to fit in the required position my thoughts went from drilling new mounting holes in the motor base bracket, to making a new engine mounting system altogether. However when striping the whole system down and inspecting the new electric motor, there seemed to be tapings all around it. Since I thought I had been smart earlier when I turned the electrical connections box around, then why not move the position of the box again. There was the difficulty that the wires from the motor would have to be moved as well so that idea went straight out of the window!

Turning the motor around, the feet were only secured by two screws, and yes the positions of the other tapped holes all around the motor meant that the engine designers had built a very flexible mounting system. So in the end it was a simple case of unbolting the two feet and position them on another side, allowing the wiring box to be away from the back of the lathe.






Just imagine the difficulties I could have produced for myself if I had continued on one of the paths earlier! Now bolting the motor to the Myford motor base was simple and also in exactly the right position. Not only had that but the drive belt from the motor shaft to the countershaft fit perfectly. Reading the Myford manual the previous evening, one of the important set up items was to position the two connecting pulleys in line. To do this task a straight edge is all that is required.






The same procedure should be used to align the counter shaft pulleys with those on the headstock. And here I came across another supposed problem which yesterday I actually thought I had been clever and cured. The spacer I made for the right hand outside of the counter shaft wasnt there when I dismantled the lathe for one simple reason, its not needed! To line up the two pulleys the spacer had to be moved because the countershaft pulley had to be moved over to the left (funny it was the same amount as the spacer eh!) and the outside large belt wheel takes up the movement required! 

So after the necessary adjustments were made, and with the power off, I moved the motor pulley and since there didnt seem to be any restrictions or tight spots, I threw the power switch and everything burst into life. I thought it would be useful to run the new bearings in a little and after using the Myford oiler via the two new oil nipples, the countershaft was allowed to run at varying speeds and change of direction. All seemed to be running smoothly and I cant wait to turn some metal. The variable speed motor system is really excellent and I would say its nicer in its variation than the large Turner far Eastern lathe I have.






The next item to be made was the shaft that lies under the countershaft (see picture below) and I tried to remove the cotter that runs through the large part which holds the handle, with little success. SO I decided it would be quicker to make the complete assembly. After finding the BMS bar and cutting it to size I thought I would turn the whole shaft and handle, from one piece, but this would be a lot of lathe work. So the plan changed and the part will be made from three items, the main shaft, the handle and the boss that holds both the handle and shaft. The first part has been turned and the hole drilled to accept the shaft which only needs cutting to length, face the end and then mill the two slots. 






All of which should be completed tomorrow.


----------



## Metal Mickey

Today I only managed to complete the lever that releases tension on the countershaft/headstock belt. It is surprising to me still on how much I underestimate time required for each task.

No real problems were encountered and I had a chance to use my tailstock die holder for the first time, and it was great. One problem I did encounter however was the size of the aluminum ball for the end of the shaft. My ball turning tool I built to make the chess set was too small for the size of ball I wanted to turn so a compromise size had to be made. However it will do the job and I can make a larger one if I want to later on when I make a Mk2 version.







When fitting the shaft everything fitted nicely so it was a job worth doing. The next stage will be to carry on with the rebuild.






Stop press: The leadscrew has just been delivered so tomorrow I will start on making the new leadscrew.


----------



## Metal Mickey

Not been to well this week, so the last couple of days have been sorting out some odds and ends but surprisingly those odds and sods have seen quite a bit of the lathe come together and the long list of to do jobs, disappear. 
The only large scale job left is the leadscrew and I am waiting for some reamers and other tooling to arrive before I can tackle that job.

The photo below shows the current state of play. 






I did waste some time cursing a previous owner for the bracket made to hold the belt guard for the motor to countershaft. When fitted, the belt was off centre to the cover, but it was a simple case of the belt tensioning shaft being off and it should have been off centre! I only saw this after making a new bracket, then a spacer to put it exactly where the original bracket positioned it! Double Doh is an understatement.

Another silly waste of time was hunting down the bracing bracket between the motor base and countershaft casting. Where was it? Secured to the countershaft casting and just hanging loose! When putting the bracket to its position there was an obvious need to a spacer so I turned up a new one only to find the original on the table of spares later on! But thats only to be expected when I am as dopey as I am at the moment.

Today I cleaned up and assembled the cross slide thread assembly and made a sheet steel shelf to attach to the splash back of the lathe stand. I wanted to bash a bit of metal and so I did, only making me worse that I was to start with..so a week of unenforced errors really, no great dramas just poor concentration and the little time I spent in the workshop, squandered. So it comes as a great surprise to see how much of the lathe has been completed.

Next week the reamers and other goodies will arrive and whilst I have had the cleaned (but hard used!)3 jaw chuck moving I may get to turn some bar on it by the end of the week! We will see as they say..


----------



## Maryak

Mike,

I hope your feeling better. It's amazing how you can't see the wood for the trees sometimes isn't it ???

Nice paint job. :bow:

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Metal Mickey

Thanks for your support and interest Bob.

Todays progress update:-






I have worked out why the last few days havent gone well .

Because I couldnt progress the Myford refurbishment I thought I would return the Seal engine project. Since I needed to make a new inline boring bar to bore through the cylinder block casting that was the first job started today.

I thought it would be nice to use a part from the Myford for the boring bar. So the kn^&ck%d countershaft will be turned into an inline boring bar, so every time I use it I will remember the refurbishment. After turning the shaft down sufficiently to get rid of the wear and scoring, I removed it and took it over to the milling machine. I was about to drill two different diameter holes for tool steel, followed by two 5mm tapped hole for grub screws at 90° to them when SWMBO arrived with a large parcel.

So after unpacking the heavy parcel containing a new 4 jaw chuck for the Myford, and the necessary reamers for the bushes for the leadscrew, I could at last start on the only major part left to make for the Myford ML7, the leadscrew. 

I put the boring bar idea to one side and removed the two leadscrew bearing castings from the lathe. Then I pressed out the old bushes using the old 2 socket method (see photo below). 






Both sets of old bearings came out easily, so the Colphos 90 was brought out of the stock room (aka the en-suite) so the 4 bushes required could be made. It became obvious quite early on however that I had made another error when buying the metal. My leaded bronze was big enough for the right hand side bearings, but was too small for the left hand, or gear side! I had assumed (wrongly) that the housings would have the same internal diameter, and of course they didnt.

I then spent a horrendous amount of money ordering just 6 of 1 diameter Colphos, and will now have to wait until it arrives before I can complete the lathe work. Double Doh! It was one step forward and 1 and a ½ steps back! 

Its a good job I dont employ myself, for if I did, I would have sacked myself!

After muttering under my breath for a while, I decide that I could at least go back to the inline boring bar, but then I thought that because the leadscrew project contains 5 or 6 different tasks, I could at least make a start on the right hand side of the leadscrew.

Decision made, the bronze bar was chucked and faced off. The keeping the minimum amount of bar out of the chuck I turned down the outside diameter of the new bushes using the half method and got the finished size to half a thou larger than the existing oilite bushes. The next task was to drill out and then ream the internal diameter. I used three progressively larger sizes of drills (after the centre drill) giving a hole slightly undersized, before using one of the new reamers to clean up the bush to the finished internal diameter.

When checking the dimensions of the old bushes I was surprised that the length of the two removed to find that they were different. So just in case I parted off both new bushes to the same length as the old ones.
Once they were cleaned up I pressed them back into the bracket casting before running the reamer through both just to make sure they went in square( which happily they did).






And that was enough for today. Tomorrow I will take my life in my hands and turn down the left hand side of the new leadscrew to match the bearings and threaded end for the handle. After that I will be able to drill through the joining piece and ream to size before turning down the other end of the leadscrew.

Hopefully by the time I have finished all the tasks I can still do, the 1 diameter Colphos bronze will have arrived so in the end little time, if any will have been lost. Perhaps I will take myself back on againyou never knowwatch this space.

So the answer to why things havent gone well in the past few days is simply really. I must have been frustrated more than I thought by waiting for the parts to arrive.


----------



## Bluechip

Hi Mike

Looking very nice indeed. Was the 4-jaw from RDG 6" Independant ??
Was looking to get one myself, non in stock Dec. last year, noted they're in now.

By the way, took the cracked cross slide to my mates the other night, shoo-ed the Yetis from his workshop.( I took him the cross slide to see if he could weld it, he wants one for a tool grinder he's making. NBG. )
So .. we attached a torque wrench to it via a 1" hex Allen key thing and gave a heave... it let go at about 38 ft/lbs.

There's not a lot of meat between the bottom of the tee-slots and the underside. He reckons someone has had something irregular bolted to it. Usually the slots let go first.

Anyway, he's got a bit of scrap cast to play with now 

Dave


----------



## Metal Mickey

Hello Dave,

The chuck is a 150mm slim 4 Jaw with Myford thread and was from RDG £73.91 (+vat). It looks quite good so I'll let you know how I get on. I'll use the 4 jaw more than the 3 that came with it I expect.

That 38 ft/lbs doesn't seem much does it. (from my torque wrench days).

MM


----------



## baldrocker

MM
Following your posts with interest for I am doing a refurb on my ML7
although starting from the other end. So far I have fitted a new rack,
hand wheel pinion, saddle pinion and saddle bushes. Also modified all
gib adjuster screws to metric socket head makes adjusting much much
easier although the purists will frown.





> My lathe seems to be of a
> different design to those that came later (mine was made in 1953) and
> the woodruff keys didnt exist on my shaft


mine was made in the same year and is the same as yours.
Hope your health improves keep the posts coming they are of great interest.
BR


----------



## lathe nut

Metal Mickey, love the color and the job, looking forward to my next restore, don't know which one next, Atlas Shaper, SB lathe or drill press, this is what my mill looked like, we sure got away from gray by a long way, even had the handles chromed, I bet that is a sweet lathe to run, nice, Lathe Nut


----------



## Metal Mickey

baldrocker  said:
			
		

> MM
> Following your posts with interest for I am doing a refurb on my ML7
> although starting from the other end. So far I have fitted a new rack,
> hand wheel pinion, saddle pinion and saddle bushes. Also modified all
> gib adjuster screws to metric socket head makes adjusting much much
> easier although the purists will frown.
> mine was made in the same year and is the same as yours.
> Hope your health improves keep the posts coming they are of great interest.
> BR



Hello BR, I think that if it works then that's the most important thing. I didn't think I would enjoy the refurbishment as much as I am doing. How about you?



			
				lathe nut  said:
			
		

> Metal Mickey, love the color and the job, looking forward to my next restore, don't know which one next, Atlas Shaper, SB lathe or drill press, this is what my mill looked like, we sure got away from gray by a long way, even had the handles chromed, I bet that is a sweet lathe to run, nice, Lathe Nut



Hello Lathe nut (great name!) I do like the green colour as well. I am not sure about their bright orange colour, have you seen that? Need sunglasses just to out into the workshop! You've done a nice job there. If your in the UK where did you get the chroming done and how much did it cost (if its not a rude question)?


----------



## Metal Mickey

I managed to get out into the workshop today, and spend the morning there. The two bushes for the left hand or gear end of the leadscrew were turned, bored and parted off to size with little drama. 






When looking for material to make the shaft that fits the left hand side of the leadscrew, I could only find a piece that I had set aside for my boring bar! I will have to order some more stock for the boring bar as finishing the Myford refurbishment is my highest priority at the moment.

After setting the bar to run true in the four jaw chuck, with just enough showing to allow the DTI to sit on, it was faced off then centre drilled to allow the revolving centre to be used for turning. The 4 jaw was then opened enough to take the bar far enough out to turn the outside diameter to size over its length. With the live centre in place, the 4 jaw chuck was then tightened and set to run true again with the DTI.





(just double checking before cutting)

Once the shaft was running true I started to make the first cut but couldn't get the speed and feed to run without chatter. So I did the same as when turning the contra shaft, and ran the lathe very slowly at 90 rpm and the leadscrew at its finest setting. The length to be cut means that this is a slow job. Fortunately there isn't a lot to take off and I do get a good finish using this method.

Whilst the Turner lathe was doing its bit I spent some time tidying up some of the outstanding jobs on the Myford, such as replacing oil nipples and removing the belt tensioning shaft, so it can be drilled and a new roller pin fitted. I did take the opportunity to also clean the parts and then apply metal adhesive, so it wont need to rely on the roller pin to take the strain.


The gears that came with the lathe were checked against the sizes for turning the leadscrew at its finest feed (0.0018 from memory) and sorted the gears out ready to attach when the leadscrew is complete. I seem to have some additional sizes, 2 x 80 teeth and a 127 tooth gear! I am however missing a 75 tooth gear so will have to seek one out.

The gear guide was placed into the gear cover and secured and one or two other small jobs done reducing the work left after the leadscrew shaft is completed. I am hoping to complete the complete refurbishment by the end of next week subject as always to health issues. It will be nice to get back to building the seal engine and I am looking forward to making the camshaft using Steve Hucks method and cutting chart.


----------



## baldrocker

MM
Strange how the emphasis moves from making chuff chuffs to making tooling and
refurbishing machinery.
Having great fun working on the beast (just think how dull it would be to just
go out and buy a new one) although as I go further 
more and more becomes apparent. Latest is a wobble in the countershaft pulley
makes the motor bounce up and down about 3/16" which in turn shakes
the whole lathe. Sourced a new pulley that needs to be bored to fit shaft,
difficult to do if some dodo has removed the original one. Must go back
and read your post from the start. Hows the health?
Regards
BR


----------



## lathe nut

Metal Mickey, Lathe Nut came easy when my wife called me that because I have several lathes, but I don't spend my money or time anywhere but work and home, after I get want she wants done and the yard work its in the shop I go, I live in the USA and got all the chrome on the machine done for one hundred dollars, it is a German built machine, great quality in it, its a Steniel, you machine is coming along nice, sure is a lot of fun getting them in shape to get the dirty, have fun, Lathe Nut


----------



## steamer

Much too clean! ;D

You have to finish it now so it can get dirty like the rest of our lathes... :big:


Seriously , nice work! I am sure it will be a lathe to envy when your done!

Dave


----------



## Metal Mickey

baldrocker  said:
			
		

> MM
> Strange how the emphasis moves from making chuff chuffs to making tooling and
> refurbishing machinery.
> Having great fun working on the beast (just think how dull it would be to just
> go out and buy a new one) although as I go further
> more and more becomes apparent. Latest is a wobble in the countershaft pulley
> makes the motor bounce up and down about 3/16" which in turn shakes
> the whole lathe. Sourced a new pulley that needs to be bored to fit shaft,
> difficult to do if some dodo has removed the original one. Must go back
> and read your post from the start. Hows the health?
> Regards
> BR


BR, I was amazed at the amount of wear in the counter shaft itself! In fact I thought that the shaft was shaped with the inserts! It was easier than I thought to turn a new shaft and with new oilite bearings (at about £6 a piece cheaper to but than make -unless you already have the stock of course) and gave the the confidence to renew the other shafts (incluging the leadscrew!). I may be tempted to check your countershaft and maybe turn a new one which will help with your pulley problem..... Thanks for the health equiry, can get out for a nother couple of days but there are many, many worse off than I am, but thanks for asking.



			
				lathe nut  said:
			
		

> Metal Mickey, Lathe Nut came easy when my wife called me that because I have several lathes, but I don't spend my money or time anywhere but work and home, after I get want she wants done and the yard work its in the shop I go, I live in the USA and got all the chrome on the machine done for one hundred dollars, it is a German built machine, great quality in it, its a Steniel, you machine is coming along nice, sure is a lot of fun getting them in shape to get the dirty, have fun, Lathe Nut



Lathe nut (still love that name!) and Dave, unfortunately I was born without the tidy gene so don't worry, it will soon look 'normal' for me, although I will try and do better (New Years resolution!) but don't hold out too much hope.

Thanks for the interest, really appreciate it. MM


----------



## Metal Mickey

Today I managed to finish turning the last shaft, which fits between the leadscrew and the gear to turn the leadscrew itself. The joining adaptor was also bored and reamed to fit the new shaft. All that now remains to do on the leadscrew assembly is to mill the long slot on the recently completed shaft, and drill a couple of holes for roller pins and glue the joints.

The last few items to be assembled showed up more items that really should be replaced. The two under saddle plates in particular. Also no shims existed and these would definitely need to be installed. I could not locate the leadscrew nut for the cross slide and am not sure it was even there when the lathe arrived. So it was a case of phoning Malcolm at Myfords and make my third and hopefully final order. which means that whilst I should definitely 
complete the refurbishment in the sense of making new parts, the final assembly will have to wait upon the delivery from Myford.

It seems that it was a good job I phoned Malcolm as he very kindly explained the method of shimming the saddle. There are 5 shims needed and at just under £5 a piece they are not cheap at first sight. However they are made up of various layers and they can be stripped off to get the right size. I will do a write up of the procedure on my main website with photo's (fingers crossed!) next week and it is not simply a case of putting them between the 
plates and the saddle (I also took the opportunity of buying two new plates as well).

I did however use the Myford lathe for the very first time today! It may only have been to clean up the end of the new shaft from burr's but it was used! 

When the project is complete I will list the costs incurred and an approximation of the time taken. It may make 'interesting' reading.


----------



## Maryak

Mike,

Great progress. :bow:

It never ceases to amaze me how, just when you think your there, up pops another small but very annoying problem, which leads ever onward.

I am sure Dave is right, your lathe will be envied by many of us when it is completed.
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





Oh, congratulations on making your first swarf with it. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Metal Mickey

Many thanks Bob, that is a great compliment and much appreciated. :bow:


----------



## Metal Mickey

Today I have almost completed the Myford leadscrew. All that is left is to drill the two holes at 90° to each other to locate the two spring roller pins. 

The first task this morning was to mill the small 1/8 slot to for the gear drive pin to locate in. I got into a mental mess with including, excluding, dividing the end mill in half to measure the length of the cut. However it must be because I am finally learning that a light first cut showed me the way although there is a slight overcut on the top cut. The rest of the milling job went well and the pin fitted just right, allowing a gear to fit snugly in place (see photo).











The next job was to set up the whole leadscrew and work out the position of the joint so the length would be correct. In fact it didnt need sorting and I suppose I can thank Myford for that. Since I made the constituent parts to the same dimensions as the original, all the parts fitted as they should. 

One headache less, I decided that the best way forward would be to clean the end of the leadscrew, the right hand shaft and the joint piece. I then used Delta 55 high strength retainer adhesive to hold the three pieces together and tomorrow that should help when I pin them.






 I must admit I dont have a great deal of confidence when gluing metal. It doesnt seem right, although I know industry relies on adhesive in a great many situations. Its only time and experience I suspect before I gain that confidence as I have read many articles where model engineers rely on such adhesives.

The post lady then turned up with a nut for the cross slide only ordered yesterday! Many thanks Malcolm. So as soon as the other outstanding items arrive, the lathe refurbishment will be complete. I have enjoyed the rebuild far more than I ever thought. 

I shall have to be very careful I dont buy another.. (no, no!!!!!!!!!)


----------



## John S

Metal Mickey  said:
			
		

> Today I have almost completed the Myford leadscrew. All that is left is to drill the two holes at 90° to each other to locate the two spring roller pins.



What two spring roller pins. ??

JS


----------



## DickDastardly40

Metal Mickey  said:
			
		

>



Micky,

Please take this in the spirit intended as I think you've done a marvelous job........The holding down bolt isn't long enough as the nyloc nut in the picture above hasn't engaged the nyloc portion so It 'could' vibrate undone. I'd use a washer too.

If you have this covered or have mentioned it elsewhere, then I apologise, just thought it best to mention it.

I like the green, better than mine's battleship grey.

Al


----------



## Metal Mickey

John Stevenson  said:
			
		

> What two spring roller pins. ??
> 
> JS



John, it may be the age of the machine (many things do not line up with the manual) built 1953, or a previous update (several items looked if they have been bodged(sorry refurbished) before) but when it arrived it had the leadscrew as shown earlier. That had a connecting piece as per my replacement and both the leadscrew and right hand shaft were held in position by roll pins. 

I have just remade the parts to the same pattern as found (know no different as this is my first ML7) None of old parts had woodruff keys (which I had bought from Myford prior to taking it all apart) which may be a way they were made later. The manual shows a completely different leadscrew right hand side to mine............

---------------------------------------------------------

Al,

Re:

_Micky,

Please take this in the spirit intended as I think you've done a marvelous job........The holding down bolt isn't long enough as the nyloc nut in the picture above hasn't engaged the nyloc portion so It 'could' vibrate undone. I'd use a washer too.

If you have this covered or have mentioned it elsewhere, then I apologise, just thought it best to mention it.

I like the green, better than mine's battleship grey.

Al_

No problem and know offence taken. The hold down bolts have yet to be secured. All I have done so far is drill the holes in the raised blocks and bench tray. When the lathe has been completed (very soon....) they will have the washer (an a spring washer underneath) and be secured subject to the turning test to make sure the bed doesn't twist. I didn't want to secure it yet until all the parts had been replaced without any strain on the lathe at all. What you can't see is about 6" of rod underneath as they have yet to be trimmed to size. They will need this as there are other fittings to be done underneath.

If you hadn't have pointed the issue out Al, someone may have thought this was correct so giving me the opportunity to explain may help someone in the future........MM


----------



## John S

I guessed as much as where they went.
This early design was the best one they did, later designs had a one piece leadscrew and if you had a snarl up they stripped something and did some serious damage.

Later Super 7's had tufnol tumbler gears fitted for quietness and as a fuse, these struipped if you crashed [ and made Myfords more money for replacements.

If you replace the roll pins with parallel brass pins they will do the same job and also shear in the case of a fowl up.

One or even two replacement brass pins will only set you back minutes but save a lot of money and hassle.

JS.


----------



## Metal Mickey

John, many thanks for the history and also the brass pin idea. Excellent timing as I planed to do the pin job tomorrow if I am up to it (supposed to do it today!). I just hope the adhesive I put in doesn't do its job now! I'll bet its the only time it will work!

Anyway I will definitely put brass pins in. I was thinking about 1/8th (0.125") diameter, I don't want to go to big, or small. What do you think?

MM


----------



## Peter Neill

That's exactly what I did on my leadscrew.
IIRC the pins I made were around 4mm diameter, but I 'waisted' them down in the middle.

Here's a picture of the old and new leadscrews, and you can just make out the brass pins.

http://tinyurl.com/cqvuub

Peter


----------



## Metal Mickey

Peter Neill  said:
			
		

> That's exactly what I did on my leadscrew.
> IIRC the pins I made were around 4mm diameter, but I 'waisted' them down in the middle.
> 
> Here's a picture of the old and new leadscrews, and you can just make out the brass pins.
> 
> http://tinyurl.com/cqvuub
> 
> Peter



You beat me to it Peter, I was going to email you to say many thanks for the tip and contact for suitable replacement leadscrew. So thanks. MM


----------



## Metal Mickey

For the second day running I didnt manage to stay out in the workshop for as long as I would have liked. However I did manage to pin the leadscrew and fit it permanently to the lathe so that was a positive. Even better was the smooth and free turning nature of the leadscrew after final fitting.






I decided that to cheer myself up, I would connect up the gear train and run the lathe at various speeds to run in the new bearings of the counter shaft and leadscrew. However I was soon to discover that the gear wheel changing on this 1953 version of the ML7 had a really frustrating gear change set up! On my much loved ML10 (and the same for the ML7 according to the later manual I have) you simply unscrewed the retaining screw on the end of the pillar on which the gears seat. Not so my lathe! The screws on the end are in fact bolts on mine. They fit into two bolts with indents that fit into the rear of the gear casting. The hollow pillar through which the bolt goes then has another keyed bush that fits inside the keyway cut gear. The length of the pillar is more than the width of two gears and the screw is the same outside diameter as the inner pillar. So if you want to change gears you have to take the whole bolt, pillar and special nut off the casting. Since there isnt a lot of room between the casting and the lathe body this is a fiddly (bl*&^^y frustrating!!!!) job.

I now understand why many owners either bought or built gearboxes! I will have to sort the problem out, but for now I have packed the gap with two large washers to fill the gap (about 3/16) and a smaller washer for the bolt head to seat against. This works fine but it isnt an engineered solution (see I am getting posh now). It may be a simple case of reducing the overall diameter of the pillars (cant see that Myford would have allowed this situation so there must be something wrong let me know) or buying a pair of modern replacement fittings from Myford. 
It may be just a bodge from a previous owner which I suspect is the true reason for the discrepancy. However the gears were eventually fitted after discovering my driver gear may be an accessory rather than the standard gear. After much head scratching I found a set of gears that I had and would give a fine feed. I need another gear to get the finest feed, but I just wanted to get the leadscrew to turn over for now. 

And turnover it did, after all the oil nipples were given a generous amount of Myford recommended oil I rand the motor on a slow speed at first, in both forward and reverse directions, before speeding up, then varying the speed. The whole gear end of the lathe (I believe the tumbler gears are known for there noise) is a lot noisier than my ML10. However that may change with the gear cover on. 

The leadscrew seemed to run as true as it should with the naked eye. So I would consider the whole exercise a success in regard to making the new shafts and leadscrew. My thanks go to members of the HMEM forum for their ideas and support during this project and in particular to Peter who told me about a supplier for the leadscrew threaded rod. Whilst it is not finished, all the large engineering tasks have been done leaving just a few items outstanding waiting for parts from Myford. I would say it is 90% finished and less than a days work left.


----------



## John S

This is what the stub should be like.






RDG sells these as well as Myford, don't know what the quality is.
if the keyed sleeve is Ok and that's the hardest part the rest can be made easily.

What about Jim Marshall who sells the Myford gear on Ebay, he's OK to deal with.

JS.


----------



## Metal Mickey

Thanks again for the info Steve. Those you show are the same as on my ML10. I didn't know that RDG did them or the eBay contact. I have been thinking since I made the post that I would go the replacement route but it shouldn't be beyond the wit of man so to speak to make them. Its down to time I think, if they are not to dear. I have so many thing I want to do and limited time so perhaps that is the best route.

Thanks Steve.

Just checked eBay and there is a set from Lathe parts but with postage they are £26. May reconsider the build/modify route!


----------



## John S

£28 from Myfords each plus VAT.

JS


----------



## Metal Mickey

Lota of money! A piece of stainless steel bar looks inviting in the morning! It shouldn't take too much to make...


----------



## Metal Mickey

Well I am pleased to say the Myford ML7 lathe refurbishment and rebuild has been completed! My first piece of metal bar has been turned (see photo) successfully if nervously. 






There are a few items still to be done but other than bolting the lathe down, they are just adjustments. Such as the main motor belt guard is catching the large pulley somewhere and the gear guard wont go on because of the top filling/storage cabinet doesnt give enough clearance when the gears are fitted.

I also have decided to make a new steel tool post and holder system as I have on my other lathe and two new gear studs as fitted to my ML10 and later ML7 lathes. Then there are the drawers and front door for the bench below and that should be about it. None of which stops me from using the lathe however the next job will be to bolt the lathe down and use the test procedure to make sure the lathe turns true before any serious work is started or done. However I must admit to a little smile at the smooth cutting of the aluminum. 

Today started with the fitting of the parts recently arrived from Myford (although some will have to go back as they are not correct). Starting with the fitting of the saddle and using the clever shims that cost around £5 each! Malcolm, from Myford told me when I ordered the parts that the shims come apart at around 0.015 a layer. They are separated by flicking the edge of the shim and then the layer pulled off.











To shim the saddle you start at the back right hand side and using a dial indicator measure how much movement you get if trying to lift the saddle. The aim is to get under 0.0015 movement all around. The first attempt saw the saddle fit within the tolerance level set, however when trying to move the saddle the length of the available lathe bed, it became stiff when moving toward the tailstock. My immediate thought was the bed being worn more than I thought. Before making any further adjustments I remembered that I had only adjusted the saddle gib strip approximately and after a proper adjustment the saddle moved freely across its range with only about 0.001 movement of the saddle on the right hand front side.

With the saddle adjustment made the next job was to adjust the top slide and cross slide and then with a little trepidation I chucked some bar and made the cuts. I have enjoyed the refurbishment although I will be glad to get back to making the Seal 4 cylinder engine but that may have to wait for a few days since I will be helping my brother, Steve, with sorting our fishing boat out after all the smoke and oil that escaped from the engine after our last trip! If you want to know more follow this link to our Dartmouth fishing site http://www.dartmouthfishing.co.uk

If you are considering refurbishing your Myford then all I would say is go for it! Malcolm and Sarah at Myfords are a great help.


----------



## Maryak

Mike,

Congratulations 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	










Best Regards
Bob


----------



## Metal Mickey

Thanks Bob, 

Well this post should end my contributions to the refurb/rebuild. Today I actually started to do work on the lathe after setting her up to run as true as possible. I added a little packing under the tailstock end and got to within a thou" so that will do me!








I have decided to make the two studs for gears to sit on, and this is the first work to be done on her. It was quite interesting really since this is the first ML7 I have used. I keep making comparisons to the ML10 I had and have to admit that some of the ML10 features are better than the ML7. For instance the noise from the tumbler gears on the ML7 means I now know why they offer non metal gears. Also the method of holding the top slide seems poor to me especially when trying to set up the top slide to run parallel to the work. On the ML10 the tool post itself was part of the cross slide and it truly pivoted around its centre. I am thinking of trying to replicate this sort of feature on the ML7, will let you know how I get on (or when!). 






And here is the last picture.............shes been put to bed...................






Or is that where I left the wife!!! :big:


----------



## cfellows

Aren't you going to hate to get it dirty? :bow:

Chuck


----------



## baldrocker

Congratulations MM
May your marriage be a fruitful one. :big:
BR


----------



## Metal Mickey

Many thanks Chuck and BR. I managed to get out in the workshop this morning and decided that I would make a couple of gear studs to replace the silly design of my originals, along the style of my Myford ML10. 






Anyway I was very pleased with the performance of the lathe and turning true when on the leadscrew. I checked the shaft castings to see if any bearing was running hot, but all were cool enough and everything stayed where it should so came away very pleased. No doubt theres a ton of bricks ready to land on my head somewhere.......

I am not impressed with the tailstock although it seems to be correct when centre drilling and drilling. Very coarse feeling when turning the thread and its something I will have to address. I may even have a go at making a new threaded part.......but not quite now. I want to get back to building the Seal 4 cylinder petrol engine. But thanks for all your support.


----------



## rake60

Mike I built this forum as a learning place for home model engine building 
machinists. A step by step refurbishing of a machine to do that is a bonus
I never dreamed of! 

Thank you for the thread! :bow:
No machine will ever be perfect. If it were the kid flipping burgers at
McDonald's could run it with a 10 minute training session.

Congratulations of the results of your efforts.
Beautiful work on the refurbishment!
Now it's time to grease her up, get er dirty and put er to work! 

Thanks again for the walk through thread!

Rick


----------



## Metal Mickey

Wow Rake, your too kind. I getfar more from your forum than I ever give back! Thanks though. Mike :-[


----------



## Metal Mickey

I managed to save myself around £30 by making the two studs on which the gears sit. The bonus is I made them on the refurbished lathe. Which I think is neat. Sort of self healing......

The studs didn't take too long to make and very little drama occurred with the benefits of the variable speed motor showing through. Once the turning was completed it was over to the milling machine and the two flats milled. Then back to the lathe and fit them. For the first time for me, there wasn't any mistakes (well none that show!) and all worked well. The photo below shows the old type at the top and the two new studs underneath.






Now I will be able to change gears without removing the whole fittings. As a thank you for giving me no problems I thought I would make the lathe a small piece of 'bling' and made a new knurled keep nut for the gear casing.


----------



## malcolmt

Hi Mike

 :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: 

I have read with great enthusiasm the whole of your thread on rebuilding process, as rick says, " to have a complete rebuild on here is a great bonus" I like the way you have done the idler gear studs, I have a perfecto (ML2/4 copy) and you have given me the encouragement to make new ones for mine. Thanks for that. But most of all for the whole documentation process.

Kind regards

Malcolm


----------



## Metal Mickey

Thank you Malcolm your too kind. 

If the project has done one thing for me then its to take away the 'mystery' I have had over lathes. When you come to think of it its just a very large set of castings! Once I got my head around that I enjoyed the whole project and certainly would consider doing it again (although not for a while!).


----------



## 4-6-4

Greetings Old fruit. I find your refubishment project of great Interest. I would severly recomend you try for or make an extended cross slide. I used to make extended cross slides for Hercus lathes total about 15 off. I never had a Hercus always wanting bigger capacity. But there was always a demand for same. Very handy to bolt things to ie milling attachment, rear parting tool holder, taper turning attachment. Most shops now run to a Mill of some sort but if I can find it a Taper Turning Attachment that does not require the attaching of the cross slide screw. The is from th MSM&EE here in Melbourne. Invented by a bod by the name of Kirby.
Keep up the good work. 4-6-4


----------



## John S

Use a cheap import Chinese boring head.






This way the taper turning attachment isn't related to one lathe, it can be moved about from machine to machine and even serve duty as a boring head 

Or even as a ball turner 8)

JS.


----------



## Metal Mickey

Hello 4-6-4 thanks for your post. An extended cross slide is on my list if things to do/find. I have 'feelers' out in several places to find a GOOD one. I have used one chap who sells used Myford parts but he doesn't commit himself to their quality. One item sent was not much better than the one it replaced. I suppose if you go the 'second' hand route then this is going to be the norm.

John, your taper turning only goes to show you are an engineer with much experience. I would have been worried to death just seeing that cone go around! When I machined the leadscrew I found it ever so off putting seeing the threads speed towards the chuck!

Only years spent doing the job would relieve that apprehension for sure. Its photo's like yours that really make me think 'outside the box' as it were. Thanks for that.


----------

