zyto lathe ?

I saw a very unloved barn find Tyzack Zyto lathe today, i can't tell you which model exactly, but it has the cast ally gearing guard.

are these good machines, are they the same quality as a Drummond which i plan on getting hold of, what would i look for to get an idea if it's worth restoring ?

Iv'e seen lathes.co.uk info but i find this site is a hard going and sterile read.

From reading old MEs the Zyto were mid-range machines for those who wanted a reasonable size lathe, but didn't have the deep pockets. A sort of 1940s mini-lathe.

> Iv'e seen lathes.co.uk info but i find this site is a hard going and sterile read.

Unfortunately for most of the rarer lathes only factual information is available, so it is a dry read. The Drummond and Myford sections have some interesting nuggets though.

Perhaps one day it will cover imported lathes too?

Neil

I had a Zyto. many years ago. It was fairly basic but it did what I expected of it until I could buy something better. It didn't have any graduations on the feed dials, but I made some cardboard ones "until I could make some posher ones" - but I sold it before I could get round to it. The flat leather belting was a bit of a nuisance, lacking in power transmission.

A great many excellent pieces of work have been turned out on similar equipment in days of yore, but I would say it would be hard work churning out anything that needed rapid metal removal or accuracy. There just isn't the metal around the headstock in them for rigidity - and check for cracks in the headstock casting!

Good luck whatever you end up buying.

Hi Nigel

My "starter" lathe was an old and much used Myford ML4. That had a flat belt drive and I agree about the power transmission. There was a distinct advantage for the newcomer however in that any heavy handedness or jam up caused the belt to come off the pulleys - thus avoiding disaster ! ( I was "saved" quite a few times). It also had the bonus that it taught me to" feel" the cut and listen to the machine.

( The belt was some previous owners old trousers belt - complete with holes for the buckle to fasten !- that had been scarfed then stuck and stitched together. I had the machine for some years but never needed to replace the belt.)

Regards

Norman

Hi Guys . I have a ZYTO LATHE .

Welcome to the forum.

Lots of fun to be had with old vintage lathes. Quite a few members on here have them, ranging from Super Adepts to Drummond M-Types and I am sure there must be a Zyto or two among the flock. Surprising the quality of work that can be done on such vintage machines with a bit of TLC.

Edited By Hopper on 12/03/2021 08:20:32

Hi Paul

Welcome to the asylum!

I have had the Zyto for some 35 years. I have a larger Warco lathe that is my usual workhorse, but the Zyto is still used for some smaller stuff, particularly when I am disinclined to change the chuck or other setup on the Warco. The Zyto + 3 jaw chuck certainly used to give better runout (centering accuracy) than the Warco, but it seems a bit more 'loose' now. I probably should readjust the bearings, but I am nervous about tightening them up too much - not sure about the degree of danger of cracking the cast iron if overtightened

Martin

Hello Martin,

The usual recommendation for setting the headstock bearings correctly is rather long winded but it does save the castings.

Adjust as normal to get a satisfactory running clearance on the spindle and measure the gap at the bolting point with feeler gauges. Make an spacer, aluminium is a good choice, slightly thicker than your gauged value, drill it for clearance on the bolt and lap it down, fine sand paper will do nicely, to close to gauge thickness. Fit it and test the spindle clearance when pulled down tight.

Repeat the lapping until that is correct and then do it all again for the second bearing.

I did mention it is a rather laborious business didn't I !

Regards Brian

Hello Brian

Thank you very much for this, I shall give it a go!

Regards Martin