Member postings for Brian Wood

Becky,

I don't want to interfere, but the Myford ML4 threading table I sent you by email gave you all the information you need for screwcutting in both Imperial and Metric. The gear set would have been 20x2, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75 and one at 38 to give you 19TPI cutting for gas threads.

All these would be 14.5 degree Pressure Angle and 20DP. RDG sell suitable gears in their Myford shop

I don't have the booklet for ML2 but I'm willing to bet there was no change to those details with the later ML4.

It seems to me that you are short of most of those gears and just have the ones that give you a fine feed. Some more expense I'm afraid.

Brian

Hello Ian,

out of intertest I've just looked at ebay for hard felt fabrics, there seem to be plenty of choices in weight, colour and price to select from. You can also buy my the metre from anothe site [Anglo felt] but that is a more expensive route. They do offer different grades though.

I think you will find all you need on ebay

Regards Brian

Hello Alex,

Thank you for the update, it is always heartening to have an explanation for puzzle like that.

I can see no reason now why negligible run out should not be possible. Stub Mandrel's advice above should show the way. If the register and shoulder are all as they should be, then the final move is to look again at the chuck and faceplate registers which might also be revealing after your 'rethreading', I would try marking surfaces with felt tip markers and run them together to see where any high spots exist..

Remember it is the register and shoulder together that does the location, the thread merely holds things together.

Regards

Brian

Hello Alex,

Another possibility might be a shallow bruise on the chamfered mouth ot the chuck register if this trouble was confined to only one item. But as it appears to be across the board then I go with the others on the thinking of fine embedded swarf now incorporated with the spindle thread.

A suede brush with brass wires might shift it, a little kinder to use than a standard wire brush. I would use taps on chucks only with reservation, a threading nut on the spindle would be best avoided I think.

As Chris says, don't force it on, big mistake. A little moly grease on the spindle thread might help ease things a trifle but look out for it breaking down and allowing 'pick up' in metal to metal contact, leading to a seize.. It it feels tight with moly grease, undo it pronto. The grip on the thread should NOT be that tight, the register does the alignment.

I hope you get it sorted out satifactorily

Brian.

Hello Liam,

I endorse all that Robbo says, it is word for word the Myford procedure.

The bearing rings are supposed to be tight making up a 'solid' block of the two angular contact bearings held between them. The grip there is on the outer races. There is an oiling spacer ring between them that should have its gap in line with the oiling hipple above, but without opening up you won't know whether it is correctly aligned..

Check it again after some running and feel the front conical bearing housing in use to be sure it is not running overly warm and keep the oil cup serving the bearing well topped up. It may need adjustment after that.The spindle should be almost stiff to turn gripping the nose thread in your hand.

Regards Brian

Hello Liam,

I think I can still find the Myford instructions booklet on setting up the Mk 1 clutch if you need them, they came with the usual Myford drawings of the parts making it up

I also have few pieces from a dismantled Mk1 clutch which I can look out for you if that is helpful. Send me a PM if you want to follow that up. They were notoriously difficult to keep operational without constant adjustment and noted for rattling in use. the Mk2 is a far better job in every respect.

Take note of Robbo's warning about the spring, it is VERY strong and capable of real damage if released

Regards Brian.

Hello Becky,

Just harking back to our earlier exchange on these older Myford lathes, it looks as though yours comes with the non offsetting tailstock. I really would advise against setting it over for cutting tapers, the realignment hassle later on is a real pain.

If it is aligned correctly now then use a boring head with a dummy centre for any such work, it will of course need to be on a 1MT fitting.

Myford offered replacements with a built in cross bar for similarly built tailstocks on the ML4 models that followed but not until well after 1945 when my Dad acquired his; I remember well the frustrations involved.

I think you will have endless enjoyment in your new toy, far better than the C3. I built my DW vertical mill using Dad's

Regards Brian

Hello Becky,

That is a nice looking lathe, did it look that that when you bought it? Was backgear an ML4 addition?

Brian

Hello Becky,

I inherited my father's ML4 which superceded the ML2 and did a lot of work with it. If you can find a nice one at a reasonable price and complete, there is no reason why you shouldn't be completely happy with it.

One modification I would recommend would be to make and loctite on a close fitting collar for a chuck register of ML7 Myford size [ie 1.250 inch diameter] Complete the turning with it installed to keep things absolutely true and concentric. You may have to use a little ingenuity to get turning tools to reach that close to the headstock.

You will then be able to fit readily available Myford fitting chucks and faceplates without searching for the smaller and scarcer 1.125 inch versions that the spindle was made for

I found that very worthwhile on Dad's lathe and altered the chucks that came with it to fit the new size

Happy turning

Brian

Now the question arises, is it the boss they screw to or the plates that are wrong?.

I would return it , no argument.

Brian

Hello Roger,

As Clive says, taper lock fittings are very forgiving and I have used such fittings on agricultural drives many years ago with success.Certainly worth looking at

I am always saddened to hear of grotty workmanship like this waiting for a new owner to discover and put right, very unfair. I can't help you directly either with living in North Yorkshire and would want the ice cream factory as well travelling from there!

Regards Brian

Security is of course an obvious requirement and it has to work both ways in the modern world we inhabit. You might find yourself quite innocently taking a stolen model along for exhibition. Then there is the thorny problem of insurance to be considered

I think the idea is a good one which could only work properly, to start with at least, between a group of individuals who know and trust each other implicitly. Each could act as 'collectives' locally to the various sites of demonstration.

It would expand as necessary by organic growth as the old timers fade away. This forum may be too open for it to flourish satisfactorily and safeguards to protect the participants from each other might become unwieldy.

For what it's worth, those are my views.

Brian

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Edited By Brian Wood on 11/05/2013 09:24:28

Hello Mike,

I've lost patience trying to download picture and sketch here, look in my photos for Tom Senior Drive pin, I have sketched the dimensions from my 'Junior' and taken a photo of how they are arranged, pin to spring, on the machine.

Release by pushing the spring away to engagethe pin in the two postions

I hope that helps you. the pin is soft by the way, easy to make and the spring clip would not be difficult to make up either

Good luck Brian

Hello Colin,

That sounds like a mistake, ALL the collets I've seen are bore size right to the mouth.

I would ask them to replace it

Brian

Hello John,

My two penn'orth would be to paint the upper cupboard doors in blackboard paint, they make top class notice boards etc. I used old kitchen units, they are remarkably strong when a plywood back is screwed to them.

My bench vise sits at a 45 degree angle on the end corner of the workbench, long lenrths stick out of the door.

Clip frequently used tools on a rack under the wall cupboards. Reference charts under perspex up on the ceiling

Brian

And there speaks a wise man!!!

Brian

Hello Mark

They do seem to be a strange size, but since Simat lathes were made as 'el-cheapos' in Sheffield in the late 1940's for a while, I hardly think they would have used their own thread pattern. Common sized grub screws from that era were the BA series, 4BA seems to be the closest to the size you quote. UNF and UNC were still to be adopted in the UK while BSF and BSW still held sway.

I don't think they would have beem Metric either; M3.5 is closest but doesn't match 32 TPI being 0,6mm pitch. Don't forget BA threads have a thread angle of 47.5 degrees which would feel tight on broader angles like UNC

visit www.lathes.co.uk a most useful mine of information on all manner of machine tools, the Simat is listed in the lathes section

If all else fails I would be inclined to retap the holes and fit hexagon wrench size grub screws as replacements, hardly likely to detract from the rarity value I wouldn't think.

Regards Brian

John Mcnamara.

I suggest facing the disc on BOTH sides in one holding if you can BEFORE you remove the hub, that way you have a sporting chance of getting them parallel.

If you have a fine diamond plate run that over the turned surfaces as well to leave a nice smooth finish that is kind to the tip of a DTI.

Regards

Brian

Hello again Mick,

I agree with Tony in his advice over tramming heads, I don't use one believing one DTI swung round from the spindle is much better. It saves you money and who can guarantee the two clocks on a trapping heads respond identically? An expensive gimmick in my opinion

Regards Brian

Hello Mick,

I don't know the machine in any detail, but if you are happy to do so, once it is set truly correct, I would drill, ream and dowel the head and column together to lock them in postion. Do it in two positions to avoid any risk of jacking out from vibration in subsequence use. Headed dowels will also prevent them from 'walking' in as well, rather on the lines of a gib headed taper key.

It might also be a prudent precaution to provide a threaded socket end on the dowels, before fitting, to enable a subsequent owner something to extract them with if they wish.

Regards

Brian