Myford Super 7 Struggle

Hi All, I'm after a Myford Super 7 lathe for my home workshop but it seems so difficult to get hold of a decent machine without having to spend silly money on a company refurbished one. There are numbers on eBay but descriptions are vague, I found what appeared to be a good one in London but it transpired it couldn't be seen running.

Hi Andy,

Why not consider a Boxford? There was a discussion here.

Thor

Whatever the reason is, you seek a Myford. Lots of others are also doing this, for their own reasons. So, demand is up, supply is down, and guess what, the prices rise. Its supposed to be the best system we have yet tried ...

Cheers, Tim

Thanks Tim, Thor, I have considered a Boxford, my friend who owns an engineering company 'Prestige' recommend that make as well. However my workshop is 10' x 8' external so I have to be a bit sensible and the size and feature of the Myford make it ideal.

For persons of limited means the combination of size, quality, features and cost made Myford the premier choice for decades. The design hit a sweet spot, which is why Myford have such as good reputation. Despite being even better Boxford made less impact in the hobby market because they were quite a lot more expensive; most people simply couldn't afford one, or any of the other 'quality' makers.

Time marches on. Myford no longer make lathes and there are alternatives, new and second-hand. Is there a particular reason why your lathe has to be a Myford? I ask because I had a bad experience trying to buy one once. The trauma put me off metalwork for years, and then I found an off-the-shelf Chinese would have been fine for my purposes!

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 24/09/2017 18:39:05

I'll be honest with you, I want a hobby lathe for airgun work, not on a great scale but I want something that'll last, my friend recommended a Myford or British made machine.

I've been looking at the Warco GH550 Gear Head Lathe as well which will of course be new.

I'm not totally fussed about the make or origin as long as it has capacity to turn 30mm centre, I'm nit snobby over it, I just want it to last.

I'll need to brush up on my skills with it too, it's been many years since metalwork at school!

 I to looked at a Myford but it had so much wear on the bed I left it alone. My Chinese lathe after some sorting out is very accurate, adjusting the head has made the machine .002mm over 200mm, actually I think its spot on, this has been done with out using a centre when using 30mm aluminium bar. I'm very pleased with the machine, I think Myford has some sort of must have with a new starter.

Edited By Alfie Peacock on 24/09/2017 19:02:12

Hi Andy,

Yes, you can't go wrong recommending Myford, except they are of course second-hand and - in my opinion - overpriced. Buyer beware.

I've not seen a GH550 in the flesh but its a potent beast. Bigger than a Myford, which is a 'good' thing if you can fit it in.

Lathes are good for turning round things. If you're into airguns, I guess a milling machine might be even more useful. (Perhaps someone into guns could comment?)

And owning both machines is really good fun.

Dave

Hi Andy Beckett. My workshop is around about 9 x 9. and I have a Boxford AUD lathe, 2 bench top mills a pillar drill, belt sander grinder etc in mine. OHHH plus mig welder & 1/2 size welding cylinders I have a 18" x 30" island unit on wheels that I can move around to what ever side of the shop I am not using. So don't think that a Boxford takes up any more space than a Myford. My Boxford AUD is 17" x 43" x 46" high.

regards

What a fantastic response from the forum members, I couldn't have asked for more seeing as my requirements are slightly off subject.

I'll be mainly machining Delrin rod up to 30mm, brass and steel and I might need to thread to 1/2 UNF.

Again your help is very much appreciated.

Hi Andy,

I'm guessing that your known as palmanda on an airgun forum? I am known as what barn door on the same forum. A good sized Chinese lathe will do everything your likely to need, I have a Chester DB 10 Super which works out pretty well. If I am honest I would have preferred something bigger, heavier and British but the price for such a lathe is pretty steep.

I will shortly be selling a ML7 which can be seen running and checked over before anyone commits to buying it, not for sale yet as one of the oil drip feed pots leaks slightly and I want to replace that and the oil nipples before offering it for sale, it has a 3 phase motor and a Lenze variable frequency controller, bernered 3 and 4 jaw and myford milling attachment, I will be asking £550 for it, but it's not a super and I live miles away from you. Try to check out a Warco if you can.

Hi Ian, PM'd you on AGF and sent a friends request.

Thanks

Andy

30mm through capacity will make your silencer/moderator related manufacturing a much more pleasant process, add a spider/cat-head for the back and things get even better,

- Nick

I just dropped lucky and purchased a super 7 from ebay that was only down the road from where i live

A new Myford is still available but you will need deep pockets. One of the things that made the Myford an attractive machine was the accessories available to do milling, taper turning, dividing and repetition tasks. These days many people will afford a milling machine to go with their lathe so the one machine workshop is a thing of the past for most people. The imported machine do not compete with Myford for accessories and quality of finish but they are accurate machines and fantastic value for money. For the price of a new Myford you can buy a lathe and a mill and tool them. I bought a Myford in good condition and for a while it was my only machine but I bought a VMC mill at my first opportunity and a Meddings drill. The Myford is a very lightly built lathe and it is a tribute that they have done many jobs that really are too big for them. I had a yen for a Myford from my mid teens but it took me thirty years to finally get one but that was because a very nice one came up at the right price, an import was also in the frame at the time and things could easily have gone the Warco way.

You will almost certainly pay a premium price for a good Myford and a good one is a pleasant machine to use. Money is the limits factor for most people but the thick end of £10,000 will buy a new Myford and a few hundred will buy one that will almost certainly need more money spent to make a decent machine.

Mike

Edited By Mike Poole on 29/09/2017 23:26:07

Whichever way you go regarding makes etc, consider Metric or Imperial and that it suits your needs. 1/2" UNF is 20 tpi . Most imperial lathes can cut 20 tpi, You may need some conversion gears to cut 20 tpi on a metric lathe.
BobH

If you need a 30mm throughway in the mandrel, (have I misread previous posts?)will a Myford, even a late 4MT one be capable?

My shop is 10'9" x 6'9" external on 50mm framing, and inside is a ETR BL12/24 (a lookalike of a Warco BH600 or Chester Craftsman. This has a 5MT mandrel giving a 38mm throughway.. No doubt later successors can provide similar facilities.) There are other things in there as well. Congested was one description!

The Bl12/24 with a VFD worked out at a quarter of the cost of a Myford Super Sigma with its 4MT mandrel, (which is what I originally envisaged) and is heavier, more rigid machine.

Howard

Nope! The 4MT Myford spindles (S7 big bore, and 254) are only bored 26mm