Would I need a Super 7 if I had a Myford 254S

Hi,

A bit of a general question I know. I have a slightly worn Super 7 and have the opportunity to buy a Myford 254S in excellent order. If the 254S is my only lathe would I struggle with small stuff? I ask because at the moment most of my tasks have been reasonably sized.

If I need to start turning spraybars for IC model engines will the 254 be too clumsy? Thoughts anyone.

Thanks Alan

Depends on how small the spray bars are...

I have a WM290 clone and machine material down to 1/16 without issue...just find that that 12mm tooling a bit cumbersome....switching to 6mm tooling solves that..

I've always hankered after a Super 7 but could never afford the silly money, personally speaking I reckon the 254S is a better option, if you need to do small stuff use a Stevenson hexagonal collet block gripped in the 3 jaw chuck, I use one in my WM250V-F 3 jaw on a regular basis, no probs with accuracy, no doubt Myford aficionado's will differ...

http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Collets/ER-Collet-Fixtures/Stevensons-ER25-Collet-Blocks ... usual disclaimer.

or make a collet chuck to suit.

George.

The rule is really that you can do small things on a big lathe but not big things on a small lathe!

I had a retirement job in a workshop attached to a university research lab. The 'experts' ( not me I hasten to say!) had a Smart & Brown and a Chipmaster ( much bigger than your 254) on which they produced some very small things ( Think hypodermic needle size!) The bigger machines are, of course, more rigid.

Norman

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HSS tools ground to a smaller section where required solve the problem for me on a similar sized lathe to the 254 when needed. You can always also put packing under a 6mm tool and use those.

Smaller extra chucks fitted. I managed to fit an 80mm one to a D1 - 3 backplate which is the same mount as the 254 also help small parts not getting swamped by the chuck and an ER collet chuck is also handy for the same reason.

For one lathe in your shop I would go for the 254. Having said that a second lathe is always handy if you have the room.

Nick

Thanks Guys, it was the answer I was hoping for, I don't really want to clutter up unneccessarily, when the space saved will be then available for a different bit of kit entirely.

I will follow through with the purchase and move the Super 7 on, so someone else can benefit.

What I seem to have found is that I started with the things I thought I wanted, and very quickly discovered that in reality I wanted something else but have had to go through the learning cycle to understand that.

It's a process I am familiar with in other disciplines, photography, cycling, woodworking.

Alan

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Before you get too excited about the excellent 254 check what comes with it and be aware that compared to the ML series there was not anywhere near the number made.

As such things like change gears, fixed and traveling steadies etc. will be very difficult to find and when they are will command a very high price.

Nick

I changed from a 5" model a Boxford to a new Chester crusader de luxe. The change took some getting used to and I had to buy some D1-4 back plates to mount my smaller chucks on but I seem to be managing until This evening I wanted to turn some 10ba cheese head screws into countersunk ones and my chucks would not hold them this is the first time I have been stuck, I did not have a collet that was small enough to hold them either. I ended up counterbore ing the holes to take the cheese heads.

Looking back, I sold the Boxford for too little money and the chap who bought it must have though all his birthdays had come at once.

I do like the geared head though, it's a bit noisy and I will probably put thicker oil in the gearboxes when I change the oil.

All in all I like the machine and would recommend the change for you to a geared head. As a foot note I recently bought a small cowells type lathe for really small stuff. This is still being re wired and suitable guarding put on it so I can not say how it will perform.

Good luck with your decision.

Brian

Get the 254s, I changed10years ago from a ml7 and never looked back.

Use raising blocks for the steadies, gears are no problem, they are the same ones.

The 254 is a pleasure to use, you won't regret it.

Brian, could you have used a pin chuck to have held the 10ba in the normal chuck?

Ian

254 knocks spots off S7. As others have said you can adapt steadies, my fixed steady came off a Colchester or Harrison I think, but with a bit of ingenuity now fits. Travelling steady is ML7 with a raiser block. You can (but I've not tried it) fit S7 chucks by way of a #4 morse to myford thread adapter which came with mine. I've never felt the need and I've done some smallish stuff

254 Accessories don't have the 'magic S7 premium'.

Even on Myford's website a 254 travelling steady is £59 and a S7 fixed steady is £93.

Obviously travelling steadies are simpl;er and cheaper, but...

I had an ML7 for many years, and due to a bereavement I was able to buy a 254S which had been totally reconditioned by Myford. The 254S is a far superior machine in every respect, and it even cuts 26tpi threads without any need to mess about with change wheels. Mine has a D1-3 Camlock chuck and so a chuck change takes less that 30 seconds and no worries about the chuck unscrewing when running in reverse. The 254S will cope with small work with no problems at all. I have recently made jets and needles for a friends old motorbike carburettor. It is IMHO much more rigid than the ML7 and so parting off is a very straight forward affair even with stainless, which is a boon if you are of a nervous disposition, and many are apparently. Got a chance to buy one.....GRAB IT WITH BOTH HANDS.

Hi all,I bought a new 254S longbed with powered cross feed about 25 years ago when they were first available. Not cheap,but well worth the money & it has made me many parts for my classic bikes. Really well pleased with it.Back in the 1960 / 70's I used to spend a lot of time helping a person who was always making trailers & anything else that could be done in a home workshop. Uncle Jack was his name & if something needed to be fixed it was always, ask Uncle Jack. Anyway,his lathe was an amalgamation of two which came from a German bunker in 1945. I was given jobs to do on it,& learnt a lot at that time. Fast forward a lot of years,after most of the mortgage was paid I could save for my 254s. Final few words,if one becomes available & you are thinking of buying,just get it. A really good piece of kit. John.

I have a Myford 280EM (basically the same as 254S with a few extra gadgets and an 11 inch swing). I don't struggle at all with any small stuff. A D1-3 ER40 chuck makes it very easy to accurately grab anything under a 30mm down to 2.5mm (they say 2mm, but that's pushing it)

Spindle speeds on the Super 7, 254 and 280 all top out at 2000rpm so they're an even match there.

I know the 280 has Gamet super precision taper roller bearings, and I gather the 254 has "Precision Taper Roller Bearings" (I don't know the brand) - I'm not sure if either one of these would offer an advantage or disadvange over the bronze taper bush of the Super 7.

You get Myford build quality whichever way you go, it boils down to 'do you want a sixty year old design or a thirty year old design?'

neil