Myford or Atlas lathe ?

How does an Atlas 12 " 3000 series compare to a Myford 7 in quality, accuracy, spares ?

I've been offered the Atlas for about a 5th of the going price of the latter.

I trained on a Myford super 7 when I was an apprentice and they still seem to be selling for top dollar.

Hi Rich..

Although I only have the Atlas 10F and a Myford S7, after reading through Tony's Lathes website on the 12" Atlas I should imagine there is no appreciable difference apart from the Atlas has got a greater swing and what is of much greater importance is that it also has a bigger spindle bore, something I miss using the S7.

To even things up I am assuming the Atlas and Myford both have the gearbox fitted... rgds..Bob.

Forget 'quality', it's all about condition and what you need. Many of the best lathes money can buy were worked hard until they became worn out beyond repair: scrap. 'Quality' or not, old lathes have history: you want one that's been lovingly cosseted by a few careful owners, not the same that's been mistreated for decades, and then left in a damp cellar before being tarted up for a quick sale! Best to see second-hand lathes cutting metal before buying. And even in perfect nick, an old lathe with several accessories missing can be expensive and difficult to get back into service: you can't get the parts guv!

What you need the lathe is important too: note Bob's comment about spindle bore. Though it's not a showstopper, a metric workshop is better off with a metric lathe. Bigger the better unless doing lots of small precision work. Altas vs Myford is interesting because it was a modern Atlas lathe that inspired Myford to come out with their bombshell design. In the UK Myford spares are easier to find, but if the lathe is in good condition they may not be needed. How much accuracy do you need? Worn machines aren't as good as new! But it's amazing what a skilled operator can do with a wonky lathe. Most lathes can get to about a thou without too much bother. What the better machines provide is the ability to work hard for long stretches plus various goodies that speed up production: a full screw-cutting gearbox means time isn't wasted fiddling with change gears, but change gears just as well. The gear box pays off in a busy jobbing workshop cutting lots of different threads: nice to have but they go wrong and most amateurs don't need one.

Apart from Myford the lathes mentioned so far are ancient. I'm happy with my Far Eastern kit, but if I needed better I'd look for something more modern. Over the last 30 years education and industry have been dumping wonderful manual machines in good order because CNC made them redundant. Colchester, Boxford, Hardinge, and others expensively made for the industrial market, smooth, powerful, hold their settings and user-friendly. Tend to be on the large side though, so make sure it will fit in the workshop and the electrics are up to running one!

I regret dithering before buying a lathe. I eventually bought new Far Eastern, which solves a lot of problems, and haven't regretted it. Much depends on what the lathe is going to be used for. What's your interest? (I didn't have one!)

Dave

If the Atlas is in good condition, buy it and save yourself a bunch of money. Myfords are often a bit overpriced these days, especially the Super 7 models, and somewhat over-rated. I don't rate my ML7 as anything more than a good basic machine but not fantastic. I would swap it for an American South Bend or one of its clones in a heartbeat.

The Atlas I have little personal experience of other than using a mate's a few times in the US and it seemed a nice machine. Same flat bed as a Myford so prone to the same bed wear problems versus the more durable inverted V ways of the South Bend, Boxford etc. The Atlas is that big bigger and sturdier with the mentioned larger spindle, so that is always good. It's taper roller headstock bearings would be preferable over the Myford's plain bearings to me. Way less oil dripping mess everywhere.

But as SOD says above, it really all comes down to the condition of the individual machine when they are this old. A well preserved mediocre-quality machine is better than a top-quality machine that has been flogged to death in a commercial workshop all its life and left clapped out.

Personally, I would be giving the Atlas a good looking at and if in good condition would be my choice. Spares should be available from the US. A bit of shipping cost involved but not prohibitive. I get all my Myford parts shipped UK to Oz and costs are high but infrequent so I can live with that. But in the UK, you can get many more accessories and parts for Myford more easily and cheaply so that is something to consider I suppose.

Now you have the choice between a Portass Dreadnought, the Atlas and the Myford. The advice has all been the same, chose carefully!

Brian

Very much so. Playing the odds, though:

• Dreadnought is a pre-war lathe, bit old-fashioned, not that it matters, but sold for light-engineering work, too expensive for hobbyists. Light-engineering means the lathe is likely to have been worked hard for a living. Many, not all, finished up worn and weren't well maintained, especially as they approached end of commercial life. Except many of them went to the military for occasional repairs - lightly used, and well maintained, but likely to have been sold as surplus after WW2. Mostly went to industry because even surplus prices were too high for most hobbyists. So, could be in good or bad condition. Spares thin on the ground.
• Altas, depending on model, spans WW2. In their day, good machines, also targetted at light-industry, so subject to the same risks as the Dreadnaught. Spares, I don't know. Popular machines in the US, so likely to be easier than the Portass.
• Myford, post WW2, a well-balanced effective design, which hit the hobbyist bulls-eye. Not perfect, because they were made down to a price,but they tended to end up with hobbyists and light-industry for light duty work. Many led sheltered lives, which is good, but not all: a proportion have significant wear or damage. Over the decades I suspect a good many have been mistreated by enthusiastic beginners blissfully unaware lathes have their subtleties. Sort of chap who starts by stripping the machine down completely, loses the shims, and reassembles it incorrectly and maladjusted: half-nuts not meshing correctly; gibs upside down; grease in the oil nipples; giant motor fitted; everything polished with a wire-wheel; bull-gear broken trying to get the chuck off; incompetent rewiring etc. He might smack the tool-post hard into the chuck, have incorrectly gripped work spring out out of the chuck and ding the precious ways, or cause a serious wrenching stall due to not understanding which tool and how to align and use it. Perhaps ending up with the machine in a box of bits, which someone else gets back into working order - sort of, with a wonderful paint job, but who sells the accessories and change wheels separately on ebay. All part of the game except the Myford reputation forces prices up, even if the machine isn't in good order.  Spares: excellent, but the machines are out of production.

Bottom line, the maker's name or how good the machine was when new doesn't help much if the lathe has had a bad history. Much safer to buy a grubby lathe that can be demonstrated cutting metal than exactly the same model in shiny perfection where the owner is reluctant to switch it on... Of course condition matters less if you enjoy repairing machines rather than using them: refurbishing is a fascinating and rewarding hobby in itself. But it's probably not one a beginner wants to get into by accident!

Rather than get entangled in buying second-hand whilst inexperienced I decided to buy new Far Eastern from a reputable UK supplier. This makes a lot of problems go away - like delivery, electrical safety, and what to do if a lemon turns up. I intended to use the machines to gain experience and upgrade later to ex-industrial kit when I knew what to look for in a second-hand machine. As it turned out, my Far Eastern hobby lathe does all I need, and I'm unlikely to change it. But my needs are mine, not yours - if I spent a lot more time cutting metal, or was working against the clock, or the sort who enjoys using good tools or celebrates solid Western technology, then I'd probably move upmarket.

Horses for courses and condition rather than 'quality' and 'accuracy'. Unless of course you can specify exactly how accurate, and what measurable features constitute the quality needed. Otherwise they're technically meaningless synonyms for 'nice', a word banned in my school!

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 12/06/2022 11:44:31

OP says its an Atlas 3000 model -- so 1957 to 1981. A good machine if in good condition. As with used cars, it's all about condition, condition condition.

I bought the Atlas, should be collecting bit this week.

Welcome to the world of vintage lathists. You will have a lot of fun.

Lathists that’s do lathe-ing !!

good look with your lathe, but please do not be tempted to strip it and paint ….at least not yet

regards

derek

Good on yer!

Fymords are, IMO, over-priced for what they are, or these other ‘old iron’ machines are seriously under-valued. A good example should out-shine a similar ml-7.

As I see it, the myfords only have one single advantage over my Raglan - that of being easier to man-handle. The only model I would aspire to would be the 254 - but they are even more expensive. And few and far between!