Member postings for Jeff Allan

Just to close on this post. ML10's seemed to suddenly go up in price on the various 2nd hand markets. Looking back on eBay prices, hard to really tell, but prices seemed to spike during July/August. I also got slightly put off by the cost and availability of accessories and spares. For example, as somebody pointed out, the price of steadies about four times the price for ML7's.

In the end I bough an ML7 local to me in Sheffield. A Dad's machine that needed some tlc but which had a lot of accessories and which was one of the later machines with all the various Myford improvements. Reasonable price, no long travel to pick-up, and a nice provenance, so happy chap.

The purchase didn't have stand but I wanted to be compact on space and have found a sturdy welded frame. It did have a tray, but unfortunately no Riser Blocks and these seem like hen's teeth. I can make something up for bed adjustment, but nicer to have the original versions, so I'm on the hunt.

Also doesn't have a reverse switch, but I'm trying not to buy anything else until I've confirmed the need and found I can't do without it.

It's going to take a few weeks to set up and get going with it, but aesthetically I find the machine really pleasing. When I saw the prices of ML10's going up I looked again at all the other import versions of small lathes, but the Myford romance held out. Let's see in practice if this works out.

Thanks to everybody for their previous input.

Larry thank you, and in general a thanks to everyone who has responded. I've never felt the need to join any forum or group before, and definitely never had Facebook urges. I'm knocked-out by the quality of the posts and support, and the general air of positive support with friendliness. It's a really lovely surprise.

Agree to violently agree!

I've always felt that this separation of rational and emotional is easy but not in my/our long-term best interests. I agree completely that accidental sentimentality is at best blinding and often dangerous. The American Philosopher Edgar Arthur Singer, and people after him like C W Churchman recognised the difficulty of reconciling these worlds, and they established processes recognising the need to make conscious our less logical choices. In practical terms I find that I can be rational analysing the engineering merits and demerits of a situation and appreciate the clarity, for example, of your points, but I also believe that in all human endeavour there is emotion, spirit, soul, whatever we want to call it, for if not then we would not be human. So, it also matters to me that I like the machine, and it can be high-tech or low-tech, as I appreciate good design. I also appreciate the stories where a lathe has been part of somebody's life and they describe why and how it was part of their life. Other people's sentimentality helps inform my choice, just as much as knowing and comparing specifications and functional realities.

On the definition of "Engineering" I would say it's wider and more encompassing, but I'm also happy to accept yours, particularly in a Model Engineering group, where I am being made to feel most welcome.

That's lovely, thank you.

The only real downside with the ML10, as I currently see it, and as others are pointing out, is that spares and accessories are more expensive and seem harder to come by - than for the ML7 series. But the initial price of ML10's is lower, and it seems easier to find a decent one. Also you seem to be pointing out a low footprint, no fuss, ubiquity, that's very appealing. At the same time I have to recognise that there are other makes of machines, new and cheaper, that would have the same qualities, or better, and some have already been mentioned. Also those other cherished stories on these machines are probably in the making. It's just that I've had to jump and start somewhere, and those other choices were less obvious. I've still not made the purchase yet but in negotiation and your post makes me feel excited.

I've got a few leads running on Myfords, if they don't come off, I'm going to go this route. Thanks.

The "1326 belt head" didn't immediately jump out of a Google search. I'd like to look it up. Do you have the model and make?

Andrew, you're making a great point which has made me think....

Do we go too far in rejecting the new for the old, or do we go to far in rejecting what’s old for the new? Are we in leisure/hobby time, are we craftspeople, or are we at work?

I love and appreciate good design, modern materials and processes, and so where to draw the line? I want to avoid drudgery while remaining aware that my human involvement in the process is essential to enjoyment and a sense of personal satisfaction. I find it completely mind blowing when I look at what people are managing to achieve in small sheds, and workshops, with old and new machinery. It’s beautifully subversive, and gives me hope, when we're all being encouraged to give up and consume. I’m not that bothered about how people achieve these things, but equally love to hear about the choices made.

Where I’m coming from, is that I've been at a desk for too long. To have an old 1962 yacht and be doing everything for myself, with my hands, is my current idea of happiness. It's like communing with a piece of living sculpture, appreciating first hand another age, different skills, and all so much better than lunch at a laptop. The Myford lathes are/were, whatever else we can say, great pieces of design and engineering, for that time. It doesn't mean I can't enjoy say a modern Warco, which will be an equally wonderful and unique combination of materials, and design compromises. It's just that I'm trying to figure the balance between drudgery and personal involvement. It makes me happy when I look at a Myford 7. It's the curves. It’s the interaction. I don’t find the ML10 as pretty, but still it’s got some kind of spirit about it. Clearly, when it comes to actually doing stuff, the dreaming wears off. I've got all Festool gear for woodworking and a lot of my Dad's beautiful tools sit in their box. Festool have revolutionised dust extraction and I don’t want wood on my lungs. But then sometimes it’s easier to pull out the roughing plane and get a plank to size. So much quicker and more satisfying than getting the power cable out etc. When I get my deck winch operational again, I’ll be cranking up the anchor and thinking of the bushes that I machined, the shaft I cleaned up, the screw threads re-done, and I’m going to feel good…..Is the theory!

Yes, got to the realisation on ML10 steadies at about 1am this morning. Which I guess is why the ML7 and S7's are popular, with better spares and extras. I'm still on the ML10 route, but more aware of the choice being made and at the same time other options are becoming clearer, thanks to feedback here. I still wouldn't go for a ML7 or S7 unless sure of the provenance, and that's probably on a par with "sniping" for gold nuggets in a Scottish river.

Thank you yes, very useful.

Dave, I'm open to ideas and suggestions. What would you buy?

I'd also like to be able to cut threads. I'm led to believe, rightly or wrongly, that slow speeds would be an advantage. One of the Myford selling points is that they seem to provide this.

Looks like I could get a fairly reasonable Speed 10 for about £600, but I agree on buying new and de-risking that way, and I'd be willing to pay more, but it feels like going to the Supermarket to buy washing machine powder. I get overwhelmed and can't see what's honest, or real, or good value. Hence why, i guess the Myford craze exists. If there was a clear alternative it would probably be taken.

I came across a YouTube video of a German University showing what could be done on a long bed ML7. Then I see myself dithering at the Axminster checkout with their C6 or whatever is around my price bracket.

I just don't know what's best, so what I have decide today is to start somewhere and an ML10 seems to be the decision. It's sure to be a mistake, or to put it another way, there is no perfect choice, but the important thing is to start somewhere.

The 5" was a model I looked at and saw what looked like a decent one for sale. Definitely one to consider and I agree on the pricing. However as pretty much a beginner, the seduction of the Myfords is that every aspect of their maintenance and use seems to be covered somewhere. I feel that I lack the experience to take on the Raglan as all old machines will need tweaking of some sort and much easier, for now, to have some readily available support.

Thank you for the thoughtful responses. The rational approach of matching requirements to functionality would in an ideal world definitely be the process to follow, but then there’s cost, knowledge base, spares, machines actually available in the market, and also of accepting that there’s a learning process. It doesn’t seem like anybody is ready to write-off the ML10 - there don’t seem to be alarm bells sounding (apart from bed machining) and in fact I’m hearing rather fond memories, although everybody also moved on to other machines.

Another factor for me is that there seem more decent versions of ML10’s around, with it being orders of magnitude harder to sift through all the various offerings to find a good ML7 or Super. May as well get started at the beginning, learn what I need to know, maybe a different machine in the future, but just get started in a low risk entry. At least it’s not a blind alley and if I exceed the limitations of the ML10, I’ll be in a better position to judge the next purchase.

I didn’t realise any of the ML10’s were fitted with roller bearings. Any ideas from which serial number or model? Is that the Diamond 10?

Thank you, that's a very fine welcome. Just didn't want to be diluting the central theme or focus of the group. After posting I noticed car and motorbike restoration themes.

On web searches for any of the metal working issues I'm looking at, I seemed to end up in an ME forum. Of course if i had any sense I'd just take the jobs to others and get them done, but there's no fun in that is there!

And so to work...

It's a 1962 Laurent Giles design, wooden, 28' 6", sailing yacht. All pretty sound but needing repairs. Current project - I have a lovely old manual two-speed Simpson Lawrence deck winch for the anchor. Some of it is bronze, quite a lot of it is a galvanised casting. Unfortunately it had seized. I'll post some photos in a specific thread, but it has a clever set of gears and is beautifully functional. It took a long day of bashing with heat to break it down into it's basic parts. It's then needed some re-threading of shafts and fittings. It still needs new bushes and some bronze pins. So not too complicated but good enough excuse to hunt around for a small lathe. I've also been forging my own bronze bolts from rod, for keel repairs, and would like to tidy the heads. There are plenty of other simple and not so simple metal working projects ahead. Inevitably at some stage, I will have to tackle some stainless 316, but for now bronze or mild steel.

All this on top of the basic carpentry, laminating frames, paint systems, etc.. Great fun!

Outside of the obvious size constraints, is there anything, with a bit of time, patience and skill, a Myford ML10 can't do that a ML7, or Super 7 could? Why is paying three, four or many time times more for a Super, worth it? I can see the benefits of speed-up with gear boxes and cutting depths etc, but as a hobby engineer, do I really need to pay for that? How much is fad and fashion, and how much is real useable functionality?

I'm restoring an old wooden yacht and I'm finding many parts that need machining, for which I plan a Myford lathe of some flavour in my home workshop. The problem I'm having is in finding a support forum. I'm a hobby engineer, working from home, and every time I search an issue, seem to end up at ME.

I've subscribed, but I guess the question is do you want me here? I can see a wealth of Myford and machining issues, to which i can benefit, and contribute, but I'm not building a Model.