ML7 cabinet , bolt to floor or rubber feet?

Hello gents, new here, just retired from a power staiton and missed the lathe badly, I have snagged a decent ML7 and stand off gum tree. My shed has a reasonable concrete floor. should I bolt the cab straight down with 10 mm rawl bolts or use adjustable rubber feet. pros/ cons?

I have an old BSA A65 and want to make odds and ends for it.

Thanks in advance. Great site so far, I have picked up a good bit from looking around.

Bolt it to the floor. Put shims under any pad that has a gap between it and the floor before tightening bolts to avoid distorting the stand and pulling the lathe out of "level". Much harder to tip a lathe over that is bolted down. And it dampens vibration.

I had an A65 T'bolt, 1969 model, when I was about 17. Great machines. Smoothest running of the Brit twins I reckon.

Before you bolt is to the floor, do check if the lathe height is comfortable, I with 1.86 m find the original cabinet to low and raised it by 13 cm. Niko.

Mind's on adjustable feet with it's back to a wall. I can shift it with the aid of a crow bar if I need to get to the motor but no hint of it wanting to fall over.

Rod

I bolted my old Myford Super 7 to the floor. When I exchanged it for a new Myford they persuaded me to use adjustable feet. I have not had any problems with either but given the choice I would use the adjustable feet, you don't have to go drilling holes in a concrete floor.

JA

Sooo, it depends on whether it might need to be moved occasionally, whether it is on a stable base or one such that tipping is a risk. I know I could not overturn my lathe, however I tried, without some serious mechanichal advantage. It is a 5'' lathe on a stand, but not a myford.

Bolting down is just one alternarive to consider for your particular installation. Rubber feet is not the only alternative, either. The requirement is a stable, level installation - however that may be attained. Is thd stand a factory item or aftermarket? It could make a difference.

Like Niko, I found my Myford too low, so screwed it to 3 x 3" hardwood running front-to-back. It's been like that for many a year and there's never been any hint of stability problems. Another advantage is that anything that falls, or more likely rolls, under the cabinet is easily seen and retrieved. + as others have said, it can be moved.

Dave
The Emerald Isle

As others have said now is the time to consider a comfortable working height , as you have a concrete floor a duckboard or anti-fatigue mat could alter the working height, also gives the swarf somewhere to go so you stop kicking it around.

Mike

I made the stand for mine from 40*40 box, but copied the standard Myford height. Had back ache for years when using it until I raised it by 6". I reckon the cross slide hand wheel should be level with your navel.

The lathe is a 1950 model and the stand/cab is from this period I think, looks like a Myford stand to me, it has a Santon reversing switch mounted central in a screw cutting tables. The stand has four substantial tabs , one at each corner drilled approx 1/2" .A previous owner had fitted a 6" wooden extension round the suds tray.

Good point about checking the working height, the old Colchester student i used at work was a good bit higher.

i have some 4" x2" African teak battens which I could use for packers, or maybe a trip to the local smiddy for a couple of RSJs. Cross slide at navel is a good point to shoot for,cheers for that.

Clean slate at the moment so all tips considered, the local recycling place had some decent floor tiles in, i may smarten up the plinth with them to make sweeping up easier.

The lathe and stand came without raising blocks, I have obtained a pair, but they are tapped 5/16 BSF where the lathe bed mounts, no adjusters so it will need shimms to level, I have some brass shim stock to hand for this.

Thanks to all.

When I first got my Myford, it was loose mounted on a large steel plate on 3/4" chipboard. A bit prone to rock on occasion. Second installation was on 2" x 4" bearers about 3' long loose mounted front to back again - similar result but improved with installing a 3 phase motor. The latest will be on the Lidl castor boards (as mentioned elsewhere) which makes for very easy movement and (needed) extra height. One notable point re. the Myford cabinet - the mounting lugs are VERY tight to the cabinet sides, such that drilling pilot holes for hold-downs is very difficult!! I found that it was considerably simpler using a heavy duty flex shaft off the drill.

rgds

Bill

I have just obtained a Super 7. The stand is not a Myford one but it has lugs on to bolt it down. For present I have fitted it with upturned M14 Coach Bolts. The dome makes it a bit easier to slide on the concrete floor but the bolt also gives me the ability to alter the height quite easily. Longer term I may fit some angle iron brackets with heavy duty lockable castors to enable me to be able to move it around.

Colin

Colin

I'm not sure that the lugs are specifically to bolt it down . In my case, using the Myford stand, I have fitted the anti- vibration feet to these as I think was intended and the stand is levelled using the adjustment nuts.

I have not found any tendency for the machine to move in use. There may be a few pics in my album.

Norman

Just to confuse matters I have never bolted my Myford stand to the concrete floor, I just shimmed the corners until there was no rocking that I could detect.

I then set up the lathe to cut parallel as per the manual.

Tony

Ive taken a few measurements, the cabinet is approx 35 " tall , putting the cross slide at approx 42" which is about right for me , a little higher would do no harm, The bottom mount holes are indeed tight to the cabinet, if I do bolt it , I will use 10 mm rawl bolts to have some waggle room at the corners. The floor is pretty decent, but "Tico" pads would be handy. Will see if the local smiddy has anything handy ,2" square box would be good for putting stock in.

I dont plan on moving it once installed, but it would be a handy option.

My Sieg C6 and its supplied cabinet are mounted on four lengths of 76x76 SHS running front to back to raise it to a more comfortable height, and then there are 10mm thick rubber pads glued to the underside on both ends of each SHS. Doesn't move a bit no matter how hard i lean on it. Concrete floor was already pretty level and the multiple rubber pads take up any minor irregularities.

Raking about in the shed , I found two strips of "Tico" about 80 x 15 thick and a couple of feet long, will fit this to the bottom of two 4x2 african teak battens and fix the lathe cab to these. I can run them either way, across the bed , seems like the least material, least violence, with the possibility of stashing/ losing stuff beneath and maybe moving it if needs be, although the Tico site offers adhesive for more permanent mounting.. I looked at old catalogue pics, the cabinet is a 1950 Myford octagonal style with two internal shelves, and an open front, with screw cutting charts and a central Santon reversing switch ( reverse contact was found gone). It has a pretty good SS drip dray and a lipped wooden shelf extension beyond this , also came with a period Angle poise lamp. Not found with raising blocks, I got a pair from a web site, but they dont have adjusters , tapped 5/16 BSF top and bottom, they seem pukka and have the O ring recess for sealing the bases. The lathe motor is a sturdy and clean GEC single phase 1/2 HP, all good but not on a resilient mount, may save some of the pad stuff for this as well.