Myford A1

I'm looking at a Myford A1 (serial number D1736) for sale at £250

Used to operate a Myford Super 7 and every kind of Colchester lathe and mills, borers, grinders when engineering. Now approaching retirement and doing a bit of woodwork believe it or not which is a surprise hobby for an apprentice served toolmaker.

Having seen this lathe for sale at £250, it would seem a bargain to me. It has a bed length of approx 26" apparently. Between centres and swing height not mentioned, so possibly not an engineering background. Comes with a 4 1//2" three jaw and a 7" faceplate. Not a gap bed and from photo I would guess a 4" swing going by the chuck described as a 4 1/2"

Am I wrong in thinking this is well worth £250 or am I looking at a money pit? I would eventually like to get a small mill as well and maybe build a beam engine or similar. Les

Hi Leslie welcome to the forum. I am not sure what model lathe you are looking at but a cast in A1 isn't a model I know. Have a look at lathes.co.uk web site they have lots of information. It could be worth that but it depends on condition as wear and misuse and could make it a big job to repair. Spares are very sparse and no longer made for the early lathes. I have an M Type Myford and it had little use although it was made around 1950 and is a good accurate lathe.

David

Hi there, Leslie,

I believe that the 'A1' cast into the bed is the identity of the bed casting, not of the complete lathe.

Nowhere on my ML7 is there any identity label with the legend 'ML7'.

Perhaps Neil could commission an article explaining engineering drawing systems?

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

Myford didn't put the model type on the machine, but stamped the serial-number in a rather odd place - on the back of the ways at the tail end.

They did have a habit of putting a number on the front of the bed below the headstock, and that has puzzled others here thinking it a type or serial number. It is instead, as Swarf Mostly says, a casting identifier.

With the serial number, it might be possible to trace its age via the list on Lathes.co, but I don't think the site carries the serial-number lists for all the Myford model ranges. Otherwise it should be at least possible to identify the type by the photos and dimensions.

Hi, looks like an ML2 looking at your photos.

Regards Nick.

Looks to have been freshly jet washed too!

Budget for maybe a new chuck due to wear and definitely a motor if it has

My Dad's ML4 which he bought in 1945 had the serial number D 2382 which may help track down the model number and year of manufacture for Leslie's find

Regards Brian

Thanks for the heads up on the 'A1' cast into the bed guys. I assumed it was a model number but the lathe would appear to be an ML2. Thanks for the the ML4 serial number Brian Wood. This might suggest that this is somewhat earlier than your dad's lathe. Indeed the stand for this lathe appears to have originally been made for treadle or electric motor operation. This is much older than I assumed and now takes on the appearance of a restoration project rather than something I can just plug in and start playing with. Maybe I should consider parting with some proper money and getting a more up to date Myford.

Not a bargain but about 'on value' if it is close to you for an old lathe given that it is complete with motor, though you might not get the extras with it - changewheels and 4 jaw, second set of jaws for the chuck. It will be worn and not perfect, so some people would whinge and whine but an experienced machinist should be able to live with it. That said some ex-pro turners don't seem to be able to comprehend that an old hobby lathe won't perform like the ten ton machine they used at work.

That looks like good value for £250. I've just sold my father's old ML4 for just under £200, and that didn't have a stand or changewheel guard, or a tumbler reverse which 'your' one has.

I suspect it is a ML4, which differs in detail from the ML2. There are numerous posts on this forum which give information to help identify which model you have - search for ML4 to start with.

There are some non-standard features on 'your' lathe, but they all look like improvements . In particular, the tailstock looks altogether more sturdy, as does the tool clamp. If it's a ML2 or ML4 the centre height is 3½". If you go for an ML7 you will gain some improved features, but part with a lot more cash.

George B.