Myford cross slide dial

The Atlas cross slide is being redesigned and a new leadscrew and antibacklash nuts are being added. This leaves the dismal cross slide dial, which should be resettable, but I have not been able to get it working very well. The scale is 0-100 like many Myford lathes and I have noticed that Myford are selling an improved version on ebay. Has anyone got one who can comment on its quality and also tell me what diameter it is?

Can only point you to MEW 328 page 9 to 16 which should be of help.

This is the Myford advert on ebay:

**LINK**

Can't measure them because I sold the lathe a couple of years ago, but bought two of thesefrom Myford for a ML7-R and was pleased with them. Nicely engraved and finished, smooth to adjust the setting and they hold their setting in use without slipping. I'm actually looking at fitting one to the downfeed on my Acorntools/ Atlas shaper to replace the original Atlas sized ones, which are probably the same as the ones on your lathe and need superhuman sight to use. So I'd be interested in the o/d of these, from memory the bore is tapped 1/4 BSF. Used fairly intensely over about seven years they still looked new when the machine was sold.

I fitted one of those in place of the standard ML7 style Mazak dial on a Myford vertical slide & it works fine.

I probably bought it from the original Myford works spares counter, but the item pictured looks to be the same (or very similar) to the one I have.

I will have a look in the garage later on & post the diameter.

Nigel B.

The ground, graduated, section of the dial on mine is 37.0 mm diameter, the knurled section is 38.35 diameter.

Overall height (excluding the small boss ) is 13.6 mm, with the ground, graduated, section being 11 mm wide. I can't get in to measure the boss height without removing the handle - IIRC the dial is screwed down to set the leadscrew end float & is locked in position with the handle. As luck would have it, the two flats on the small boss have fallen either side of the handle, so the measurable part of the boss is inaccessible. I could get this dimension later if you really wanted it.

HTH

Nigel B.

Thanks everyone, it looks exactly what I want, the Atlas has poor controls, but the Smart & Brown model A has a tendency to make me fussy.

And an excellent article it is too, if I say so myself .

I made the graduated part of the dial 1.500" diameter. The knurled part was 1.580" diam. This matches the diameter of the original Myford rubbish dial and the fiducial mark it has to line up with. Thread in the hub is 1/4 BSF.

Very simple design of two parts, with simple wave washer in between to provide friction, and a circlip to hold it together. Full drawings are included in the article, along with "words and music" in the latest MEW issue, 328. The same dial fits ML7 cross slide, top slide and vertical milling slide and is easily adapted to any other lathe by varying the thread size in hub or perhaps the OD of the dial to suit your fiducial mark location.

Edited By Hopper on 23/05/2023 11:39:47

Thanks Hopper

Thats excellent I can adapt the idea for the cross travel and also fit one on the clapper down feed, you've made an excellent job of the graduation and stamping, have to up my game a bit!

Dave

Did people have better eyesight years ago when they made all those tiny dials with faint markings, perhaps it made up for them being smaller in height!!

Edited By Dave Wootton on 23/05/2023 12:33:50

Should point out that my post above refers to putting the dials on a shaping machine rather than a lathe!

Dave

Thanks Dave. Yes, being blind in one eye and unable to see out of the other, the clearer graduations and numbers are a great bonus for me too.

The MEW article includes details of how I made a spring-loaded indexing detent from a piece of hacksaw blade to engage with the change gears for rapid indexing. And a holder for the number punches that attaches to the vertical slide so it is all lined up and consistent.

Only problem was the el cheapo number punches do not always have the digit evenly or straightly aligned with the square shank of the punch so the zeros came out a little cock-eyed. But you don't notice it in use in the heat of battle. But it might pay to check with a light stamp on a piece of masking tape wrapped around the job before committing to a full hammer blow.

The 3/32" (2.5mm) numbers are much easier to read than Myfords tiny and not "crisp" ones on the old diecast dials.

I am sure you can adapt the simple design to your shaper with no problems. Post some pics when its done.

The Myford resettable dial arrived today and is very good. I might take it to bits and put a bigger thread in it if needed, but the 1/4 BSF will probably be ok. The extended cross slide has to wait for a 60 degree dovetail cutter, I could only partially mill with the 55 degree one that I already have. That is enough to fit the slide in place and decide further plans. Mike made the gib today out of 1/8" brass, difficult to hold when milling the edges at 30 degrees, so it sits in place nicely. There will be 6 gib screws instead of the original 4.

Just read the article in MEW, it is indeed an excellent article, well done Hopper. I'm inspired to make some for the shaper, which is undergoing reassembly at the moment. may have to adjust the sizes for the cross feed but will keep the same construction. Looking forward to making these and will post a picture of the results, if the stamping doesn't come out too well , pics will be taken from a distance!

Thanks for a really good practical article.

Dave

I did increase the thread size in the dial tp 3/8 UNF to make it easier to incorporate and will be using a pair of shielded ball races for axial control. The ball races have 0.005" axial displacement from flat, so I found a 0.010" thick shim which was modified to sit between the outer races. The inner size of the ball races is 9.95mm which is perfect with the 3/8" threaded end. I worked out why the leadscrew threads are short both ends in the Atlas 12 x 24, the leadscrew nut runs off the end of the leadscrew before the power crossfeed crashes in either direction at the end of its travel. I will be having the complete travel and doing away with the power cross slide, it won't be missed.