Member postings for Swarf, Mostly!

Hi there, again, SteamGeek,

I forgot to mention that the gear covers for the ML7 and the Super 7 are not the same. The gear back-plate, however, IS the same.

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

Hi there, SteamGeek,

As Robbo says, it's the same gear-box for both ML7 and Super 7.

I'll check for certain tomorrow but I'm fairly sure that the end section of the lead-screw that passes right through the gear-box to pick up the gear-box output on its left-hand side is 5/8" diameter for both ML7 and Super 7 lathes. So you won't need to sleeve for an ML7 fit.

The threaded part of the lead-screw is 5/8" diameter on the ML7 and 3/4" diameter on the Super 7 machines.

What you do need to do is check whether when you remove the gear quadrant and left-hand lead-screw bearing from your ML7, your lead-screw is revealed to have TWO positions for the Woodruff key, early versions only had one. The 'outer' key-slot will be removed when you shorten the lead-screw and the drive gear that picks up the gear-box output uses the 'inner' key-slot. You say that your ML7 dates from 1948 - I'd expect that a lead-screw that old will only have the one key-slot. So you will either need to machine a new key-slot or procure a more recent lead-screw.

The packing strip is not used on the ML7 fit - I think it is required on the Super 7 fit because the effect of the 3/4" diameter lead-screw is to displace the lead-screw axis further from the machine bed than it is on the ML7.

If you look on the web-site of the new proprietors of Myford, you will find the Illustrated Parts Lists (aka 'exploded diagrams' ) for the ML7, including the Quick Change Gear-Box.  Go into 'ML7 spares', select the assembly of the lathe you're interested in, scroll right to the bottom of the page and click on 'larger diagram'.  I haven't looked but I expect the parts lists for the Super 7 are there too.

The Beeston Myford fitting instructions for the gear-box require the lead-screw guard to be shortened to 3⅛". If the lead-screw you eventually fit is of the two-piece type with a collar at the left hand end of the threaded portion, I reckon 3⅛" is still too long by somewhere between ⅛" and ¼". At 3⅛" the end of the lead-screw guard fouls the collar before the carriage reaches the left-hand end of the lathe bed. When you refit the lead-screw guard after shortening, you may need to adjust the half-nut gib-strip - the adjustment studs double as the fixings for the guard! If you're careful, you might be able to remove the 2BA nuts to release the guard without moving the studs. The Beeston Myford fitting instructions don't warn you about that one!

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

Edited By Swarf, Mostly! on 06/04/2014 22:02:58

Edited By Swarf, Mostly! on 06/04/2014 22:03:43

Edited By Swarf, Mostly! on 06/04/2014 22:06:12

Hi there, all,

When I was in the Trainee Model-Shop as part of the first Factory Attachment of my sandwich course, we were taught that, unless otherwise stated, the tolerance for fractional dimensions was ±1/64" and for decimal dimensions was ±0.005".

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

Hi there, Harry,

I was going to come back on the size aspect but Nick has largely beaten me to it.

The thing is, as I understand it, that a 5/16" die-head isn't limited to cutting 5/16" threads - with the right chaser set it will cut any thread reasonably within its nominal capacity. But the chaser set has to be compatible with the particular model of die-head.

I suspect that the one I have may also be a 5/16 'CH', I'll have to dig it out and have a hard look at it! Without a positive identification of the model, it would be foolish of me to buy any chaser sets!

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

Hi there, Harry,

Your device looks like a Coventry Die-Head. I believe they were originated by the Alfred Herbert company.

You'll find lots of useful information via Google, for example here's one I just found:

**LINK** but there are lots more.

There's also an eBay seller who occasionally lists copies of a Coventry Die-Head manual though the copy I bought suffers from low contrast diagrams and the scan not encompassing the whole width of the page!

The Coventry Die-Head comes in lots of different sizes but I haven't yet succeeded in identifying the size of the one I have.

You'll also see lots of listings for sets of chasers for the Coventry Die-Head on eBay.

In your second photo, it looks as though the screw is damaged - is that a camera angle problem?

I hope this helps.

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

Not just hammers, it's the same with screwdrivers and spanners and .....

Years ago, I had a matrimonial crisis because my then spouse had, in my absence, given a bean-counter neighbour access to my tool-box!

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

Hi there, all,

A couple of years ago, I attended a meeting where a speaker gave us a lecture on 'The Forensic Use of the Microscope'.

One of the many interesting parts of the lecture concerned helping Trading Standards in the identification of forged honey, i.e. honey blended with some from sources other than those claimed in the label. This was (is?) achieved by identifying the species of pollen grains, using the microscope.

Could that be why the commercial honey manufacturers now filter out the pollen grains?

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

Hi there, Michael,

Who was the most helpful person you encountered during your working career?

Was it through a long-term association or through a single, short-term project?

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

Hi there, all,

While looking in my workshop for something else, I came across three part-machined castings. Here is a photo:

and here is the under-side view:

The thing is, I can't for the life of me remember what these are for! The name 'Dore' is no mystery but these are nothing to do with the Dore-Westbury mill. They must be for some item of workshop equipment but what? And why three?

I did make, and still have, a set of three fly-cutters designed by Mr. Throp of Dore Engineering and these must date from about the same era.

If any member can lighten my darkness, I shall be most grateful.

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

Hi there, Andrew,

Please explain? What do you have against the ubiquitous 555?

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

Hi there, Jon,

I've found that those Woodruf keys can be easily removed using a pair of side-cutters. The problem can be that once they start to come out, they can fly so I'd suggest that you sweep the workshop floor first!

As to repairing the stripped thread, using a Helicoil is going to be a bit expensive for just one hole unless you happen to already have a Helicoil kit for that size (or access to borrow one).

It's possibly worth mentioning here that the illustrated parts lists (aka 'exploded diagrams' ) for the ML7 are all available on the new Myford's web-site. (I wrote 'all' but I couldn't find one for the ML7 counter-shaft clutch.)

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

One of the minerals found in the Cornish mines was/is pitchblende, aka uranium ore. It was mined and supplied to glass manufacturers. Despite its black colour (hence the name) it colours the glass a dense yellow.

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

Hi there, Ian,

That sounds OK if you say it quickly. However, when you work out the required cross-sctional-area of copper required to distribute a low voltage supply any distance without excessive voltage drop, it gets less practicable. Copper is expensive and the second-best, aluminium, is tricky to work and to joint.

[I did once tease a Hi-Fi dealer (he was trying to sell me gold-plated loudspeaker cables) that I linked my loudspeakers to my amplifier via the flow and return pipes of the microbore central heating system.]

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

Hi there, Richard,

I think you'll be very lucky if anyone recognises your motor on looks alone - still, I may be underestimating the Group wisdom and experience.

How much do you know of your motor's history? Did it come to you as a declared 'worker' or is its provenance a complete mystery?

I'm guessing but the hole for the red plug in the terminal box is prpbably tapped with a conduit thread. If it's 3/4" by 16 tpi that suggests the motor is fairly old - not necessarily a show-stopper, the motor on my ML7 lathe was second-hand in 1970 and was OK when I last switched it on. The alternative is the more modern 20 mm metric conduit thread. There might not be very many threads in the thickness of the terminal box tapping so using a thread gauge might be a bit tricky. Probably better to visit your local electrical wholesaler (e.g. TLC or Wades) and buy a 20 mm male conduit fitting as a gauge. If you do eventually decide that the motor is usable, I recommend that you buy a length of flexible plastic conduit plus end-fittings to convey your wiring from the motor terminals to the associated starter & switch-gear. TLC sell an installer's kit but they also sell the conduit by the metre and the fittings by 'each'.

The D-shaped hole in the terminal box lid could be for the cable to a capacitor - is there any sign that a capacitor was ever fitted? If the motor is capacitor start or capacitor start & run, the capacitor is usually fitted within a shroud on the outside of the motor casing. Look for any vacant screw-holes that might have held a capacitor shroud. Of course, your motor might be 'induction start' or 'induction start & run' in which case it won't need a capacitor.

I see that someone has substituted a screw for the woodruff key in the motor shaft, I assume you'll clean that up?

I recommend that you buy one or both of the Workshop Series of books on electric motors in the workshop. They will potentially help you a lot, particularly when it comes to deciding which wires go to which motor terminals. There have also been threads on this forum addressing that subject, you might like to take a photo of the motor terminal panel in preparation for that puzzle.

I'll close with a caution - if you aren't electrically-savvy, ask a friend.

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

Hi there, Graham,

Once polished, try saxophone lacquer, from your local branch of Boosey & Squawks or any other good music shop!

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

Edited By Swarf, Mostly! on 11/01/2014 18:58:23

Hi there, Graham,

Well, you can imagine how much easier that was to deal with than if all that crud had got inside the motor and choked up the centrifugal switch and got into the bearings, to say nothing of blocking the motor's airways and causing overheating.

If your machine had been used for polishing, maybe the crud was bound with the polishing soap and that made it more tenacious. I'd suggest a wipe over with a rag moistened with white spirit or IPA before repainting and reassembly - you need to remove anything from the motor casing that might act as a thermal insulating coating.

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

Hi there, Graham,

I'm afraid I can't help you with the starter part of your question.

However, I can reassure you about the fan. It will cool the motor as long as you fit the shroud. The stator of the motor is assumed to be in good thermal contact with the casing. There may also be an internal fan that picks up the heat from the rotor and blows it to where it too can be shed to the casing. The fan in your photo then sucks air in through the pretty pattern of holes and blows it out around the motor casing to remove the heat.

I used to have a woodworking machine that had a Brook Gryphon 'totally enclosed fan-cooled motor', similar to yours except that the shroud was plastic. That type of motor is good where there's lots of light stuff like sawdust or grinding dust that wouldn't do any good if it could get into the innards of the motor.

The rating plate of your motor may even bear the description 'totally enclosed fan-cooled'.

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

Edited By Swarf, Mostly! on 07/01/2014 17:41:38

Edited By Swarf, Mostly! on 07/01/2014 17:42:03

Hi there,

This type of toolpost comes in several different sizes, each with its own designation letter/number identity.

J&L/MSC used to give a table of dimensions in their big paper catalogue, I think it was in the early pages of the 'tool-holding' section.

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

Hi there, Norman and Eric,

Norman, the devices shown in the TLC page to which you link are three-phase devices, not the single phase device to which I referred in my post. 'MEM' + 'DOL' isn't the same as 'MEMDOL' (maybe I should have spelt it 'Memdol'? ).

Eric, I think you've misunderstood my post. The starter I have IS a dedicated single phase device - strapping overload coils in series doesn't come into it.

I'll try to take a couple of photos of the device I have and add them to my albums sometime this coming week.

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

Edited By Swarf, Mostly! on 24/11/2013 19:19:32

Hi there, Mike,

On my ML7, I have a Dewhurst switch backed-up with a gizmo called a 'MEMDOL', the 'MEM'stands for 'Midland Electrical Manufacturing' while the 'DOL' stands for 'Direct-on-Line'.

When I was setting up my workshop in the early 1970s, the MEMDOL was the only single phase motor starter I could find. They were available in several flavours and mine combines the thermal overload protection with a zero-volt release. The common use of the three-phase starter on single phase with two channels of the overload connected in series struck me as inelegant and still does! The MEMDOL has served me well and definitely justified my small effort to seek it out.

I'm writing this without having done a Google search to see if the MEMDOL is still available, it does deserve to be!

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!