Which angle plate for Myford?

Gents,

I am looking to purchase an angle plate for my ML7, for face plate use.
Wondering, what would be the most useful size to have? I see they are available from small to six inches long.

Also wondering about lathe dogs. I don’t have any of these either.
Original Myford or will import copies suffice?

Not wanting to buy and own junk, but no need to have gold plated ones either.

Thanks for your thots.

Import drive dogs should be ok. They are not a critical part.

Size of angle plate depends on job size. If its too short it might not reach the faceplate slots where they end before the centre of the faceplate. But you can then use a clamp on it. Myford make a nice longer one that has a curved edge to match the faceplate. My own is homemade and about 4 inches long i think. I can measure it later today. It's very useful.

I too use a home made angle plate on the lathe faceplate, I made my angle plate to suit my lathe faceplate and I made a curved edge to match the faceplate. It gets used quite often. I have also made my own lathe dogs, not difficult if you have access to a milling machine, could also be filed to shape.

Thor

Edited By Thor 🇳🇴 on 23/03/2022 04:58:29

I have made my own lathe dogs too from bits of aluminium from the scrap box, screwed together. I use the chuck rather than a catch plate on a gap bed lathe like a Myford or this Drummond. It moves the job to the right so the carriage is not half off the bed in the gap when machining the left hand end of the job.

The piece of aluminium flat bar that forms the "tail" of the dog has a slot cut in it to just fit nicely over the jaw so it does not flap about. No need to tie it with wire when screwcutting etc.

Edited By Hopper on 23/03/2022 07:09:24

Nice lathe dogs Hopper, I guess you don't mind if I copy them.

Thor

Please go ahead. I have not applied for a patent on them.

felis

Angle plates to use on a faceplate are a classic "wait until you have a job for one then buy the size that suits" item.

In this game its awfully easy to spend too much money on things that you expect to need but in fact never do.

I've got lots like that.

Mostly purchased in my early days, usually because they could be got "right now" at a bargain price. Fortunately I always operated under strict pocket money rules so, objectively, not stupidly wasteful. Helped by the things that did get used coming in at much below the normal commercial price compensating for cupboard queens.

Back in those days (1970's) things were much more expensive new and harder to get so bargain hunting just in case made sense. These days adequate quality at affordable prices is common so the "buy it now before its gone" strategy isn't the best.

When there are 35 or more years between purchase and first use its possible that the purchasing departmental strategy was less than ideal! Some kit has been waiting longer. Like my Keats angle plate, 40 years and counting! Wonderful device but never had the need. £2.50 I'll never see again!

If you are still certain you will need an angle plate you ideally need two. One about full face-plate diameter for larger things and one about half diameter. Smaller plate will be lighter and easier to balance. Fastening work is an issue.

I don't have one, apart from the afore-mentioned Keats. I make up a suitable carrier using whatever is to hand, either heavy angle, weld up scrap or just a lump of alloy bar. Drill and tap holes for mounting bolts and trim down to minimum size for lightness. Bin, either scrap or useful waste for next time, when job done.

Its a pity that the modern faceplate only has radial slots. The old type having radial ones in one half and parallel ones in the other are far more versatile when mounting things.

I've never used a lathe dog either!

Clive

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Clive

I nominate that as “thought for the day”

MichaelG.

Myford,I have the standard face plate and the larger 9 inch face plate plus the largest Myford angle plate,which has one face with a rad to suit the angle plate,its about 6 ins long.Very useful,used lots of times,over the last 55 years, learnt to bore components with faceplate and angleplate during my apprenticeship. I also have a Colchester master with both sizes of faceplate plus a selection of angleplates,.the reduction in use of the combination of angle plate /faceplate is possibly due to milling machines now being more common,though when machining boiler fittings for a full size Marshall s/roller this method was ideal where there are bores and faces at right angles and large threads that needed screwcutting ,not easy to cut threads on a hobby mill,or swing a casting on a dividing head for thread milling.A genuine Keats plate which has more features than some of the copies have ,can be very usefull on some jobs,mine only cost a pound at an autojumble,though I did have to make the clamp and u bolt. Its interesting to note that the cast iron Keats plate was entirely machined on lathe and shaper.

That is exactly what I made that small 4" long angle plate in my pic above for. It is undersized on the large Myford faceplate with its not so useful radial slots. But is perfect on the small Drummond faceplate with straight slots as shown in the pics. You can slide the angle bracket in from dead centre out to the full perimeter without changing bolts and slots etc. Very quick and handy to set up. Seems to be a thing of the past though as radial slots are all you see on post-WW2 machines.