chester vs Myford

Hi all any advice appreciated

choice of new chester db7v or Myford speed 10 metric with variable speed

the myford is £400 more expensive but will it be worth it ..

If using will i notice the difference ...

Thanks in advance

£400 would buy lots of tooling......paying for a name?

What do want to do with the lathe?

" if using would I notice the difference?"

A bad workman always blames his tools...

The ML10 and Speed 10 are decent lathes, but less sophisticated than the 7-series. Later versions have roller bearing spindles which is a blessing compared to having to continually ensure the bearings are being oiled.

In all honesty the Speed 10 will have Myford finish and the DB7V may be more economically, but in practice I doubt there's anything you could do on the Speed10 you couldn't do equally well on the DB7V. The latter will also has more modern controls and the advantage of variable speed.

Neil

myford 1990 also has inverter and variable speed fiitted

ps what can a 7 do that a 10 cant ?

Edited By rik arry on 28/11/2016 19:19:39

7 has a gap bed and more Kudos.

So the only difference is a Gap , as you cant turn Kudos

People are being confusing. OP said Chester DB7 not myford 7 so no gap but does have MT3 spindle. Does not have back gear (not sure about Speed 10) and a variable speed control that will probably only last a few years. Does have steadies and chucks and a 'tool set' that is likely to be crap. Chester £768 so Myford is £1168 apparently.

For 1168 you can get an imperial Boxford AUD with back gear and a QCGB. Not perfect as new but very hard to beat capabilities.

Want Metric , was never taught inches at school so metric has always stuck , i can do imperial but brain works faster in mm

.

I think a Myford "Speed 10" would need to be in very good condition to be worth £1168

MichaelG.

rik arry: I've just bought an ML10 having previously owned a Clarke CL30 mini-lathe. I was considering a metric Amadeal or Warco variable speed lathe when I was tempted by the dark side of British engineering, maybe my findings will help you decide:

The ML10 is much more solid and accurate despite having 40+ years of use.

My ML10 is imperial which I thought would be a pain after using metric but it's no big deal as you work in decimals anyway - I keep a calculator beside it so something like 7/32 comes out as a sensible number!

I thought manually moving the belt would be a grind but once you get the knack it takes seconds and probably gives you a better understanding of what you should be doing speed wise regarding the material/diameter (unless you have a digital display showing speed which my mini-lathe didn't). The top speed might be a bit slow if you're turning tiddly little parts.

Yes you have to keep the relevant bits oiled but it takes a few seconds before you begin (and every 4 hours afterwards)

A screw-on chuck seemed great compared to the slow and fiddly nuts on the mini-lathe... until the chuck gets stuck! Turns out there's a simple way to unstick it, so changing chucks is still miles quicker than on the mini-lathe.

The ML10 is much less cramped IMHO and you won't have to, ahem, removed any guards to make it work.

Not sure if the Chester has a camlock on the tailstock but it's a godsend after the annoying nut on the mini-lathe.

If you do any screw-cutting you'll be using metal gears not plastic ones.Probably better.

My ML10 has no scale on the tailstock which is annoying when you need to drill/ream or whatever to a known depth.

On the Speed 10 I think you need to do some dismantling if your belt goes kerthwack, unless you use a link belt.

Parts might be harder to find for the Speed 10 if it has been misused or overworked and needs them.

Hope that helps, I know I won't be going back to a variable speed Far East lathe any time soon.

Paul

EDIT:

PS My machine was £640 and included a lot of tooling. There are some over-inflated prices on eBay... caveat emptor.

Edited By PaulR on 28/11/2016 22:00:44

Neil

I think that to say that all the ML7 has over the ML 10 is a gap bed and kudos is misleading. I had an ML10 for some time ( it was an improvement on the ML 2 (4?) that I had before ) but not as good as the Super7B that I have now.

So Rik - If I was starting out now and the choice was a used ML10 at £1168 or the Chester at £768 I would look very carefully at the new Chester. (and other makes eg Warco in the same size. - I have a Warco drill & Warco Mill/Drill both are OK)

Norman

At the over-inflated price of £1168 I'd strongly agree but it should be possible to find one for much less.

My tongue was in my cheek

The OP did ask the difference between ML10 and ML7, even if my reply wasn't 100% serious.

Don't underestimate the DB7, variable speed, taper roller bearings and a heavy inverted v bed. It's like a heavy duty version of a mini lathe, only let down by the relatively short distance between centres (12" . The larger DB8VS with 400mm /16" between centres is a nice bit of kit.

One thing not mentioned is that with a belt drive lathe as you slow down you gain torque, with a variable speed lathe you lose it. The back gear in an ML10 will have vastly more torque than the variable speed ones and can still be fitted with a three phase motor and VFD. I do wish the far Eastern machines would fit proper back gear.

David.

Do check but I think that the ML10 has a greater distance between centres. The DB7's 300mm is a bit limiting when it comes to drilling holes. It's more the size for a clock makers lathe. Depends what you want to make but something up to circa 450mm is a far better option. Even 400mm.

If the ML10 doesn't have taper roller bearings in the headtsock I would forget it unless you are capable of checking a lathe for problems in that area very carefully. Lathes.co.uk show pictures of how the 2 versions differ, The later ML10 is the same as the Speed 10 but lacks the Speed 10's higher top speed - pity that really,

If this is your first lathe it's not that uncommon for people to buy too small, worry about weight and etc.

In terms of size and flexibility one of the models like this one is a far better option

**LINK**

I would probably buy one of those over an ML10 and weight wise the ML10 is a bit of a handful for most people so not much difference really.

The price you mention is a very high one for an ML10. It might be reasonable if it comes with a lot of it's associated accessories - particularly steadies and a 3 and 4 jaw chuck and also is in excellent condition. Many don't and the steadies can be rather hard to find. One aspect in their favour is that it is possible to find ones that have had very little use with little or no wear - unlike other Myford models.

John

-

Edited By Ajohnw on 29/11/2016 09:11:27

One benefit of a Myford, especially a 7 series, is the wide range of accessories available.

Roller bearing headstock can be overrated. My new-series S7, big bore, has a plain bronze tapered front bearing and ball bearing at the rear. On the other hand at one stage I had a "220" lathe with tapered roller bearings each end and it was a dog until the supplier sent replacement bearings.

Given the many tales of woe from people whose DC speed controllers have failed, IMHO a 3-phase induction motor and VFD is much to be preferred. Depending on the type of VFD the torque reduction at lower speed may not be so great.

As others have said, 300mm between centres isn't good. The chuck will take quite a lot of that, by the time you put a drill chuck and a longish drill in the tailstock it's going to be off the end of the bed!

Many might fit a 13mm drill chuck to a lathe like DB7. Not a good idea unless some very short drills can be found.

John

-

........"My tongue was in my cheek"

Aha! DB7VS....VS = Very Short?