Myford 254 faceplate options

After spending a few months viewing knackered Bantams and waiting for Warco to restock, I finally bit the bullet and am now the proud owner of a Myford 254s lathe!

The spindle accepts a BS4442/A3 backplate, which is basically a D1-3 mount with threaded studs instead of camlocks. I have a D1-3 backplate from Warco, which I intend to make a catchplate from, but I also want a faceplate and am pondering my options. Myford/Rdg don't stock them any more.

Bantam faceplates turn up from time to time on a famous auction site, but they are 270mm, so too big for my 254mm capacity. If I could find a flat faceplate, I could mount it to a backplate. The other option I'm considering is making some adapter to make my spindle accept S7 chucks, as it looks like BS4442/A3 has gone the way of the dodo.

So I'd be grateful for any ideas!

Edited By Diy Addict on 23/08/2020 17:50:58

Get another D1-3 backplate, modify it to fit your spindle, face it off and get hold of a 9" faceplate. Drill and tap the backplate so the faceplate can be bolted on backwards and machine the central part to fit when it is turned round. You will have to allow for reducing the backplate diameter to as small as possible when machining the back of the backplate, or you will loose access to the mounting slots towards the centre of the faceplate.

I have just performed a similar but simpler thing to an Atlas screw thread backplate, which is 1 1/2" thread and a 9" faceplate with a smaller threaded spindle fitting. I managed to get the backplate down to 3" diameter and use 8 x 6mm SHCS to hold them together. You won't be able to make such a compact boss for your faceplate. A tee slotted faceplate might be a viable option.

+1 for old Mart's solution except the faceplate on my 254 is 10 15/16 diameter

At that diameter it must be quite close to the ways, Duncan?

Did you manage to turn that diameter on the 254?

Unless Duncan has one with the optional gap.

I think Duncan must have a 254+. I've just measured the swing on my 254s and it's exactly 5".

Thanks old Mart (and Duncan for the +1). Looks like a good solution and I'll give it a try.

Edited By Diy Addict on 24/08/2020 10:07:04

I mentioned 9" plates as they are common in various configurations wheras 10" are like hens teeth. Keep looking on that website that must not be mentioned.

My 264s faceplate is 10 inches diameter.

Plenty of 10" faceplates available from the suppliers of far eastern machines that don't include them with the basic lathe at reasonable cost

Yup it's a 254 plus, good job someone spotted that!

What would you advise on face plate size, assuming availability? 10" would only leave a gnat's clearance, whereas I suppose 9" would have larger clearance but potentially cause more damage if something fleshy got caught between it and the bed?

With regard to faceplate size, the Myford (Nottingham) Accessories Catalogue lists 254 mm Faceplates for the 254 R and 254 S lathes

When I bought my 254 plus in 2010, it did not have a 4 jaw chuck. Researching the BS4442 spindle of my lathe, I found that a D1-3 backplate could be used if the camlock pins were replaced by suitable studs. Myford ( Nottingham ) sold these studs, part number 12220/1, I do not know if these are stocked by the new Myford.

The studs shown have the an M10 x 1 mm thread for the backplate and a 3/8 Whitworth thread for the spindle nuts. The major diameter of the camlock pin removed was 9.925 mm. Measurement of the stud diameters are shown below.

Backplate       Collar             Spindle

9.722 mm     9.975 mm      9.945 mm

If the studs are no longer available I would try cutting down M10 x 1 mm bolts or threaded rod. These and matching nuts are available on the internet.

Gordon

Edited By GordonH on 25/08/2020 01:31:25

Edited By GordonH on 25/08/2020 01:33:59

Gordon that's really useful, thank you. The new Myford doesn't stock the studs (or the faceplate) so I'd already ordered some M10 x 1 part threaded bolts to adapt. It's great to have the original dimensions here.

Paul

As an alternative to buying a normal style faceplate casting and adapting it to fit a backplate consider making your own plate in "grid of tapped holes" style and fixing it to whatever backplate you manage to obtain.

As regular forumites will know I'm no great fan of T slot and clamp work piece mounts for our sizes of work as they are all too often cumbersome and difficult to install. Quite modest clamp forces are sufficient for small jobs. Especially as you can often fit more, small, lighter clamps in.

Some years ago I made a grid of holes faceplate in that style for a man with a Smart & Brown model L lathe. I sliced about 3/4" off a length 7" diameter alloy bar that I happened to have in the workshop. Faced both sides and applied a 5 spot dice pattern of M6 holes on 1" or 25 mm centres. I made a plain bore, possibly around 1" diameter in the centre which he finish bored true on his machine. Very useful when shifting work held in fixtures between machines. The finished plate was bolted to a small chuck backplate that I re-machined to fit the Smart & Brown spindle. I was subsequently told that it worked very well indeed for his work.

One potential issue with this style of alloy plate is marking where clamp stand-offs and the like sit. There are various ways of carrying the load. I suspect on small jobs screwing a stud into one of the other holes as a fulcrum for a simple bar clamp would work as well as any. The plate is easily skimmed if it does get damaged.

If you expect to be doing a lot of face plate work on tricky stuff consider making a second, plain, front plate for sacrificial use. Bolt it on and machine pockets, grooves threaded holes in odd places or whatever you need to hold that impossiblium job in the right place.

Model engineers as a breed tend to be excessively chary of sacrificial, machined for the job, holders. I'm as bad as any but find that when I do weaken the actual cost of consumed material is small and time saved great.

Clive

My Myford 254S doesn't have a catch plate. It has a pin which goes in one of the chuck retaining bolt holes. I think I purchased it from RDG several years ago.

Reg

Clive, Reg, thank you - I love these innovative solutions. I think I may try them all, in order of difficulty.

Edited By Diy Addict on 25/08/2020 20:44:09