Help with Myford lathe

[oldengineguy]

I recently got a Myford 7inch Don't know which model . Has 3 speed Vbelt with motor mounted behind. Came with chucks, faceplate all the usual stuff and a milling attachment. It has manual change gears but no chart. I don't know where to look for a serial # to properly begin a search. This machine has Imperial markings on the saddle and compound collars yet one full rotation (100 scribe lines) only advances the tool by approx. .080 in. Is this normal? Are they perhaps metric? The leadscrew is 8TPI. I believe the lathe was made in 1952 or 3. The lathe is in almost new condition and I would like to use it more but mental gymnastics re. tool advance etc. are not my strong point. Can you chaps on the east side of the pond help?

 

[goldstar31]

Have a look at Lathes.co. uk but I would guess that it is A ML7 if it hasn't a double pulley which is a Super 7.

There is a book by Ian Bradley but it is rather dated-- and not terribly exciting though it gives screwcutting gear stuff.

If you really want to delve in to ML7's there is the 2 Geo Thomas ones mentioned a few posts ago or if you want to drift into yesteryear try "One man and his Lathe' by Leonard Sparey who also wrote the Amateurs Lathe. I bought my copy as young corporal in RAF31 Squadron way back in 1949-50

My thoughts are - Lucky You especially if it is, as you say, little used

Norman

NB. There is a free PDF if you look and the NUTO32 oil that is recommended for the spindle etc is nothing more that ISO32 Hydraulic oil which is the same but much cheaper

 

[Cogsy]

You could set up an indicator to check the precise movement of the tool per rotation then make new dials with better graduations, as long as you have access to something to index the dials properly. I replaced the compound dial on one of my lathes in a similar fashion just to double the precision of the dial as I felt the graduations were too far apart. It wasn't an overly difficult job.

 

[goldstar31]

you can go your own way with fitting a Myford ML7 and Super7 are well catered for for improvements. The ML7 has these miserable zinc alloy fixed dials whereas if you acquire George Thomas's book, you will find that he drew up designs for very sophisticated adjustable dials for both machines and, of course the Myford vertical slides. On the even cheaper ML10, I have scrapped the 'Chinese metal' dials and have adjustable dials. Thomas or should I say, Dr Bill Bennett who edited both books is worth the £30 or so. There's a lot of meat in 'Thomas'

With regard to the longitudinal measurements, Martin Cleeve made a simple stop utilising the provided holes for fitting the gear box. There is also a standard Myford turret or you can improve things with a cannibalised old micrometer- or dial gauge.

I've a Boxford one from their grinder which measures in tenths.

If you really want to go to more erratic cheap Chino bits, the choice is yours. What has to be said is modifications to Myford lathes has been written about-- for more than half a decade. Thomas in his inimitable and rather pedantic way sorted out the Dividing and Graduating problems because of the somewhat limited bull wheel that was improved with a 60 tooth one on the Super Model. 'Workshop Techniques' has it all in - blow for blow. Hemingwaykits are still flogging kits for those who want such things. One thing that I would go for is their rear parting tool kit- ex Volume 142 in Model Engineer or MEWM. I've had one for almost a million years.

Hope this helps

Norman

 

[Hopper]

If one turn of the cross slide screw advances the tool by .080 that is as close as dammit to 2mm.
It may be that your lathe has had a metric cross slide screw and nut fitted but kept the old imperial dial for some reason? (Myford supplied both imperial and metric screws and nuts and dials, so who knows what a previous owner did.)

New imperial cross slide screw and nut are avialable from Myford in the UK at www.myford.co.uk or their eBay UK store. From memory, they are a 10tpi screw so your 100 graduation dial will give 1 thou per graduation with this screw.

Change gear charts for screwcutting are readily available online or in the books Norman Goldstar mentioned above. Also www.lathes.co.uk/myford-ml7/index.html has all the history on them.

They are a nice little lathe and worth setting up how you like it with imperial screw etc if it's in good condition as you say.

Does it have the screwcutting gearbox or a set of change gears? The numbers of teeth on the change gears may give a clue as to whether this was originally supplied as a metric lathe -- for which Myford may have used the 8tpi main leadscrew with a combination of "translation" gears such as a 127 tooth or a 63 tooth. Easy job to convert the whole shebang back to "proper" imperial with a few standard imperial gears.

 

[goldstar31]

As usual, I;m indebted to Hopper. This time he has prompted by very aging memory into some semblance of use.

So Myford( the old factory in Nottingham) also made a Metric 'banjo' to run the lathe into Metric gear cutting. I'd forgotten but I have one to go on either my present Super7 with a gearbox or my little ML10- without.
However the transposing gear of 127 teeth and 10DP will not fit the Myfords because of the size of the gear. What is standard is 63 DP but 21's will also suffice. In fact I have all of these as well but with increasing metrication, I have a Sieg C4 with a powered vertical attachment- which also 'does Imperial' but I have gone further because I have adapters to take my Myford tooling. The Sieg was only £350 which is peanuts compared to a new/reconditioned Super7 with no 'goodies' whatsoever.

So in a less equipped workshop, I would suggest the purchase of Martin Cleeve's Screwcutting in the Lathe which -amongst other things, deals with a myriad of information on both metric and Imperial gears and gear cutting - using his Myford ML7-which is really where we came in. Oh, and Cleeve had a Metric leadscrew in addition to his 'normal' Myford one. This guy was a bit of genius because he made all his micrometers on the much modified machine. Made redundant, he made a successful income making bespoke nuts and bolts for industry.

Oh, and a 'bare; Super 7 now clocks in at a cool £3000 RDG/Myford

Norm

 

[skyline1]

I have an elderly ML7 Myself and they are well known and well respected.

There are all manner of mods and bits an pieces you can build for them in fact at one time they were considered "the" model engineers lathe.

However the one problem is that Myford has gone out of business and the Name and all spares stock has been bought by a company called RDG.

Their prices for any new and reconditioned machines are very high and spares prices (if you can get them at all) are simply astronomical.

Rest Regards Mark

 

[goldstar31]

Thanks John B!

As far as I can deduce the obvious test is nothing more than a cheap thread gauge which will tell whether the saddle and the top slide are 10TPI or not.
As far as I am aware, RDG sells BOTH versions.

However, HOWEVER, the feed nuts are made from Zinc alloy and the life of Chinese metal in this application is limited. Avoiding 'backlash' is necessary and the steel screws are what should be measured- not what might come from 'pushing and shoving' the slides.

The solution to worn Myford feedscrews is many and various. At one end of the choices is 'buy' new ones to buying taps and using phosphor bronze with or without slots and little tighten screws which-- wait for it-is what Sieg did on their C4 which can compete with the Myford.

So far, I have carefully nipped up offending Myford feed screws but you do it at your own peril.

Of course someone will have reciprocating balls -- giggle , giggle!

Norm

 

[DanP]

On earlier machines (up to serial number K111727), the serial number can be found on the rear shear of the lathe bed, at the tailstock end of the machine. On later machines (after K111727) this will be found on the front of the lathe bed, to the left hand side of the rack. If you go to the Myford home page https://www.myford.co.uk/ then go to https://www.myford.co.uk/acatalog/Serial_Numbers.html you will find when your ML 7 was built. I'm on the West Coast of Canada and have found the people at Myford very helpful as are the people at the new company who bought the original company. If you E-mail me I can send you a page on change gears for threading. pantages at telus.net

 

[RonW]

I have a Myford ML 7 which like oldenginguy's was "almost new" but in terrible condition when I purchased it about 9 years ago. I stripped it completely and washed out everything, measured the ways which show no wear and in fact you can still see the original machine marks in most places. I purchased a Taiwanese lathe cabinet from Busy Bee tools in London, Canada and re-enforced the top with a 1/4" steel plate and bolted the cabinet to the concrete floor in my shop. I have since acquired a copy of the manual from Lathes UK (address supplied by others) and dated mine to circa 1949. I replaced the spindle pulleys to a set from a used vendor in UK as my original set had no means of lubricating the pulley bearings which are only used when in back gear. The main bearings are perfect and the only sign of lack of lube shows on the pulley counter shaft between the head-stock and motor drive. I also acquired, over the years, a swiveling vertical slide and a longer cross slide from a Super 7 and the re-settable dials that went with that and the newer style of top slide. A number of change gears have also been purchased from RDG and others.
All the used parts I have acquired came via visits to UK and Ebay.uk. Just plug in Myford parts and you will see many jobbers who "wreck" used machines and sell the bits. The main guy I've dealt with is Christopher Dooley, 12 Linton Trading Estate, Bromyard, Hr7 4QT. UK email [email protected] but there are others. RDG Tools make gears and other bits for Myfords and there is now a Myford store from whom you can obtain various new lead-screws, nuts, etc. All you need is to be prepared for the costs of transport if you don't live in UK or, like I do visit there once a year.

RonW

 

[oldengineguy]

Well where to begin ?. Thanks to all for your help. Thanks DanP The serial # is K28744, I,ll go on the sites you mention for more info. I really want to get this machine to Imperial specs as it is so much like new . The saddle /crosslide and compound feed screws are 13 TPI. I've never heard of that but that's what it is . The previous owner may have replaced them for whatever reason. I'm interested in getting 10TPI screws and those re settable collars that RonW mentioned. By the way Ron I'm in Woodstock On. and shop at Busy Bee also. DanP I'll E mail to get that change gear chart. Goldstar31 ,that's a lot of money (3000: even if it were $) This lathe is on permanent "loan" from the previous owners son if I promise to look after it and use it often. I will. Full night ahead checking all those web sites . This is a very helpful forum. Hope someday I can help someone too.

 

[oldengineguy]

Just Found out it is an ML7 circa 1953 -1954

 

[DJP]

Perhaps we need a Canadian network. I have A Myford Super 7 with change gear box and I live in Markham ON. If anyone is passing by call 905-294-3042 and we'll have coffee together.