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Myford advice needed!

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nic15/04/2011 13:06:14
42 forum posts
1 photos
Hi there, i am going to look at this myford tomorrow:
 
http://www.model-engineer.co.uk/classifieds/view_ad.asp?ad=3353
 
And potentially buy it.
 
I'm just after some advice as i have never owned a Myford before,
 
Firstly the price?
 
And anything in particular i need to look out for?
 
Many thanks in advance for your help!
 
Cheers
 
Nic
Roderick Jenkins15/04/2011 13:57:58
avatar
2376 forum posts
800 photos
Nic,
 
It looks very nice in the picture. Having followed the prices of Myfords on E-Bay recently I would suggest that the price is pretty good. The fact that there are a couple of user made modifications suggest to me that the it has been cherished by a previous owner. I guess the 2 most important areas of potential trouble are play in the spindle and wear on the bed. I can't really advise on the former but with the bed, as a guide, I recently measured the width of the front shear on my S7 and it was 1.5 thou narrower at the headstock end than the tailstock end - and this does not cause me any trouble.
 
I hope it is as good as it looks, the quality of the paint job may give you a guide.
 
good luck,
 
Rod
methusala15/04/2011 16:35:46
32 forum posts
Nic,
I agree with all that rod has said, to check for wear in the spindle place a bar of metal
in the chuck, minimum diameter approx one inch. then place an dial indicator on top of
the chuck, and then get a piece of timber about 2' 6 long and use it to gently lever
the bar of metal in the chuck upwards, noting any movement on the dial indicator.
if there is substantial movement on the indicator, the spindle bearings will probably
be worn. Maybe one of the experts on this forum could advise on this further,
regarding permisable play in the bearings, along with any other pitfalls to look for.
 
hope this helps.
 
Colin.

Ian Wolfe15/04/2011 17:21:13
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1 forum posts
Nic,
 
The ML7 as shown looks cosmetically good, yet since the last ML7 manufactured was in 1978, I guess this machine should have changed hands a few times and therefore well used to some extent.
 
On top of checking the spindle loose, how worn are the mating surfaces (white metal split bearing and the mild steel spindle contact area) can be crucial to future usage.
 
As regard the slideway wear and tear, since ML7 saddle arrangement is based on narrow guide principle, the inner vertical slide of the outer shear is paticularly prome to wearing out. If you have a micrometer size 2" to 3" and measure the width of the outer shear, say 3 inches from the chuck end and then 3 inches from the tailstock end, the difference will tell you how worn the lathe is.
 
More than 20 years ago I restored a Super 7 bedway on a CNC mill, and got back the slideway precision as new, but you need complete lathe stripping and a really big mill to do that.
 
Super 7 is really superior to ML7 in that the spindle is hardened steel, but ML7 is NOT! Also, contrary to the white metal bushing in ML7, the bronze bushing at the S7 spindle housing was there to last, even after prolonged industrial use.
 
A brief check on the tightness of dove-tailed slides and their degree of backlash would tell you more about how precision is the lathe.
 
Note - the 'quick change gear box' attached to this ML7 is NOT a MYFORD parts, but it was ingeniously designed by a famous model maker and I remember there was an article about how to make it in the Model Engineer magazine decades ago.
 
Regards,
 
Ian
Gordon A15/04/2011 17:58:18
157 forum posts
4 photos
Greetings Nic,
 
You may find this article useful.

http://www.myford.com/pdf_files/Inspection-Guide-01.pdf
 
Regards,
Gordon A

blowlamp15/04/2011 18:06:07
avatar
1885 forum posts
111 photos
You could have a look here http://www.lathes.co.uk/myfordrebuild/www.onepoint6.co.uk/Myford/Myford%20ML7%20Page%202.htm for information about rebuilding an ML7 and here http://www.lathes.co.uk/myford/index.html for more general ML7 info.
 
Martin.
_Paul_15/04/2011 18:15:14
avatar
543 forum posts
31 photos
Hi Nic,
 
If that’s its original (hollow) tailstock the machine is an earlier model and may well have white metal headstock bearings, these aren’t a problem unless you intend to run high speed a lot (beyond the machines original design speeds) which is easy to do with an Inverter setup like mine.

Later ML7 versions had a hardened spindle and phosphor bronze bearings high rpm is not a problem with these.

The long cross slide is a boon as you can mount a rear (parting off) toolpost and leave it on there.

Another extra it has is the handwheel on the leadscrew again very useful.

The raising blocks aren’t Myford ones but as long as they are rigid.

Zero able dials are a nice feature I still have the old Mazak ones on mine

I have seen some belt drive clutches but can’t comment on how good they are here’s a link I found some time ago http://www.homepages.mcb.net/howe/workshop%20lathe%20%20tools.htm

Run the carriage up and down the bed feeling for any slop/tightness, you would expect some wear with a machine of that apparent age but not so much its really slack at the headstock then jams halfway back up the bed.

Check the back gear for broken teeth a replacement (used) set will cost you about £80, teeth can be easily be broken by forcibly removing stuck chucks using the backgear to stop the spindle moving.

Check the 4 jaw operating screws for damage as the allen type are prone to cracking/breakage and replacements are no longer available.

The gearbox may well have been constructed by someone like you or I I have seen similar designs.

Regards


Paul
nic16/04/2011 06:55:51
42 forum posts
1 photos
Thankyou sooo much for all your advice, i now have a lot to think about,
 
Going to go and have a look today and will see how it goes,
 
 
Thanks again everybody!!!!!!!
John Olsen16/04/2011 07:34:11
1294 forum posts
108 photos
1 articles
You don't need to lever with a piece of wood to establish if the bearings are worn. I was able to tell with mine (which Dad bought new in 1953) by just pulling up and down on the chuck with the dial gauge in place. It was still working well at that point, apart from some difficulty parting, which is why checked.
 
If it seems generally sound I wouldn't worry about a bit of wear here and there, apart from using it to bring the price down. Machine tools are like car engines, you can usually recondition them if they are not actually broken. Unlike say car bodywork, where once there is rust it just becomes a pain. (Or even worse, old boats with dodgy wood in them...)
 
regards
John
Geoff Sheppard16/04/2011 11:53:38
80 forum posts
1 photos
Nic,
 
Were you aware that Myfords have produced a leaflet "A guide to inspecting pre-owned lathes before you buy". Its available free, either as a hard copy or can be downloaded from www.myford.com/pdf_files/Inspection-Guide-01.pdf
 
Hope this helps.
 
Geoff
 
 

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