Myford ML7 questions

Hi all

I've finally got my ML7 running (yet to set the motor reversing but that can wait).

A coup,e of questions...

1- The sight glasses on the drip feed oilers each have a small hole in them. If I leave the the needle valve open, the reservoir empties, the oil having leaked out of the sight glass through the holes. At present I'm closing the needle valves when not using the lathe, but wondered if the sight glasses are meant to be o have holes. Seems a little odd, and I know at some point I'll forget to close needle valves when I've finished working (or forget to open them when I start).

2- Back Gear; I've read through some old threads and solved the problem I had with the back gear locking the spindle (discovered I need to loosen the Allen head bolt on the bull gear). My question is - how much do I losses it, do I remove it, or will it fall out if it's just loose?

Thanks!

Sorted the back gear question, I didn't realise how it worked until I had a go.

Buy a handbook!

I have the original handbook which came with it "Operation, installation, maintenance also pictorial parts" but it's not very detailed (no mention of the Allen head bolt in the bull gear needing to be loosened to operate the back gear).

I have a few books on lathes but they are all general rather than Myford specific.

I've seen one by Ian Bradley "Myford Series 7 Manual" - is this any good, or can you recommend a decent one?

Thanks

Grotto The book by Ian Bradley is excelent Quite a few lathe projects in it as well

Roy

Grotto,

I am glad you have the original handbook.

Yes the Ian Bradley book is worth having as it often clarifies issues not too well covered in the Myford handbook. For example it clearly explains the bull wheel locking system complete with a very clear drawing. It is also very reasonably priced.

Another useful little book on the ML7 is A Man And His Lathe by L H Sparey as it contains details of lots of simple accessories that can be made to enhance the lathe's capability. Modern reprints are available from TEE Publishing but the original photographs are not very well reproduced.

There are holes in the sight glases? Where abouts?

If you leave the levers in the "ON" position, the oil will continue to drip feed just as it does when you are using the lathe, Turn them to the "OFF" postion after use. If you forget you are just wasting the oil and getting an extra mess to clear up.

Note that original "Myford" drip feed oilers didn't have levers on top to turn them on and off, and the screw had to be used to start/stop/regulate the oil flow. So the rate of flow had to be set every time they were turned on - PIA!

Later ones had levers so you could flip them on and off without disturbing the drip feed setting.

There is a 1.5mm diameter hole in each of the sight glasses...

Should these holes not be there? (I've never looked for them on other Myfords, and didn't notice them on mine until the oil started leaking out).

I could block the holes easily.

My drip feeders don't have a lever, just a knurled screw which controls the needle valve. If I screw it up the drips stop.

The hassle is when I forget, the reservoir empties through the hole in the sight glass (happened again today when I ran to answer the phone).

Put less oil in so even if you forget less is wasted. those holes do seem odd but not a Myford user. Perhaps the inner sleeve is supposed to be rotated 90 degrees.

After all these years surely there has been a modification article in ME or MEW.

Old copies of ME are also good for instruction 0- even reading articles on something you aren't building will give information on lathe uses.

The amateurs lathe by sparey

The book was first published to help promote the new ml7 after the war

I removed my drip-feed oilers and fit little brass flip-cap oilers instead. Just give them a squirt when I start work and forget them till the next time.

My sight-glass oilers had the flip lever but it never worked well for me. I spent more time adjusting the flow than actually using the lathe and still the sight-glass would empty overnight .... which all goes into the swarf tray of course. (Anything remaining in the current brass flip-cap oilers also leaks through overnight but the volume is tiny).

Thanks!

For now I'll just half fill the reservoirs, and Cleese the drip feed when not using (if I can remember).

If I forget, it's only a few mls of oil ending up in the drip tray.

If the sight glass fills up you are either dripping to much oil or the oilway is blocked. It should not have a hole in it.

Dave

Having a hole in the sight glass should not affect its use, the glass is only there so you can see (ie sight) the drop size, that part should never have a significant amount of oil in there.

I'd guess that the hole is there to let the oil drip and also so that the drip rate can be seen.

I found the original myford ones a pain/impossible to set so used them as manual oilers before using the lathe and from time to time if I used it for a long time. Say a bit every hour or so.

Wick feeds sound great but deliver oil all of the time even when the lathe isn't in use.

John

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