Member postings for Cai

Great to hear that there are plenty of classic motorcycle and engine work going on. Thanks for the heads up Nigel, yeah I think the ML7 will certainly limit some big projects I have in mind but it's a brilliant size and weight to fit into my garage. Hopefully, it won't lose much value when it comes time to upgrading to a larger lathe!

I'll have to do a quick google for a local Model Engineering Club to join, an excellent idea that I hadn't thought about.

I'm located in Loughborough for the time being

Thanks for all the replies. I removed the saddle earlier and adjusted the two hex bolts that control the gib strip. I gave the bolts a very, very small turn to tighten (Less than 1/16th of a rotation) whilst the carriage was closer to the chuck and it operated nicely i.e. not too stiff and not loose enough to move due to cutting pressure on the tool. It's like this for about two thirds the length of the bed. However the last third of the bed (on the tail stock side) is stiffer again.

The carriage is not engaged on the lead screw when I'm working on the lathe alot of the time, so I don't think that's the cause of the issue but may be worth checking anyway.

It's the wheel on the apron that I am using to move carriage along the bed.

I don't think the wear is bad enough to warrant regrinding the lathe bed just yet...so locking the saddle/carriage sounds like a reasonable solution to maintain a good level of precision.

Does anyone know whether the gip strip itself can cause wear to the underside of the lathe bed? My worry is that a regrind might create a nice flat surface for the top of the lathe bed but the underneath, where the gip strip sits could also wear?

Hi,

I've noticed that there is some variability in the carriage movement along my lathes bed (Myford ML7). I.e. the carriage is slightly stiffer towards the end of the bed and is slightly relaxed towards the chuck end of the bed.

I'm very new to lathes, so I may be completely wrong but thought that the carriage should be able to move uniformly across the entire bed. The issue is that I can feel the carriage move a little bit when working on a piece of metal. In my mind, the carriage should be totally steadfast all the time and should not move a milimeter unless the user moves the carriage intentionally. Could anyone shine any light on this issue? I was under the impression that the lathe had been exceptionally well restored.

Hi,

My names Cai and I bought a Myford ML7 lathe a few months ago to increase the types of work I can do when restoring old engines and classic motorcycles. I am avid amateur motorcycle mechanic with the ambition to one day fabricate my own single cylinder engine.

I've only used my ML7 for simple tasks so far and hoping to learn much and, in time, help others out along the way!

Diolch! / Thanks!