Advice for novice early ML7 owner please

This is my first post and I really hope someone can help me please.

I suppose I'm a woodturner really but I have just bought myself an early ML7 (1950) off evil-bay just for fun. It's had some use and there is some wear on the bed near to the headstock (the sadlle begins to bid as it traverses towards the tailstock end) but it still runs well enough and is nice and quiet.

My machine has the early flat oiling points.

I haven't got a Myford pressurised oiler, yet, but seem to be able to get some oil (HLP 32 from ArcEuroTrade which I think is almost identical to Nuto H32) into the oiling points with a can pushing the ball aside.

My main problem is that I don't know how to oil the three way pulley when in back-gears - there is no oiling point on the right hand side of the pulley cluster as indicated in the later manual. I've cleaned the inside of the pulley several times and searched in vain. I've also looked elsewhere on the pulley cluster and I can't see an oiler anywhere. There is also no oil point on the back gear shaft below the spindle either which the later manual shows too.

Now, it'd be very nice if it didn't need oil but I doubt that of course

Any suggestions of what I should/could do please? Is this just an improvement on later machines? Is there anything I can do to stop wear/seizure etc?

There seems to be plenty of oil "swimming around" from the main headstock bearing oilers so perhaps it'll get there anyway?

Any thoughts and suggestions gratefully received

Many thanks

Jon

Hello Jon,

Welcome to the forum and sorry for the wait for a reply.

I haven't got an ML7 but I recall someone mentioning a screw plug that has to be removed from the bottom of one of the pulley grooves.

There are plenty of ML7 owners on the forum, so hopefully one will be along to correct me in a moment...

Neil

Go onto Amazon, and in the books section just type Myford lathe. There are a number of books that cover maintenance and repair as well as how to use it. Mr Sparey wrote a brilliant book simple called "The Amateur's Lathe" To be honest the only book you need to buy for it. Also the manual for the ML7 is still available and that is a must have really. I've had an ML7 for 25 years or so, wouldn't swap it for the world. With a little care it should give you much pleasure for years to come.

Just had a look for you and right at the top of the list is the manual written by Ian Bradley, £5.46 and free p&p. Buy that and most of your questions will be answered.

Edited By mickypee on 09/02/2014 17:23:42

Hi Jon

I have an early ML7 and there is no oil nipple on the pulley. There is a flat for the oil nipple, and there is a machined cone shaped indent on the flat, but no hole at all. I have been trying to find an early ML7 manual that discusses the lubrication for this set up, because all the later manuals discuss it showing the oil nipple.

There is a tapped hole in the middle pulley. I removed the grub screw from this and dripped some clean oil in. The oil disappears down the hole, but whether it lubricates the correct parts I do not know. It seems to be going into the right area?

If I recall correctly, when I got the machine the previous owner mentioned something above some problems they were having with the pulley. I found that they had jammed in the grub screw in an attemp to prevent movement and figured out that they misunderstood how it worked in relation to the backgear? I'm under the impression that the grub screw in the centre pulley is just to prevent dirt getting in there (or does it bear down and locate a key?).

Steve

No it doesn't locate a key! Otherwise the pulley could not rotate on the spindle when back gear is engaged! Don't attempt to tighten the grub screw onto the spindle. It's there to cover the lubrication hole on the early type of cone pulley.

Rick

Ah, thanks Rick. It is very reassuring to get that confirmation. I had loosened it and have left it like that.

Steve

My 1949 ML7 also has the same grubscrew assembly you remove that to oil the spindle when using the backgear.

If the machine has had a lot of use in backgear the pulleys wear internally they then make a rattling noise on the spindle that then leads to people tightening the screw all the way in so it contacts the shaft and locks the pulleys to the spindle eliminating the vibration & noise but rendering the backgear inoperative.

Paul

Thanks very much to everyone for your responses and the pointers to the grub screw in the centre pulley. That's brilliant and what's so great about forums such as this.

I must admit that I saw the set screw in the well of the middle pulley and thought that it couldn't be there because it would result in a slipping belt if the oil missed its target... but then perhaps that's why they eventually moved the olier

I have Ian Bradley's Myford Series 7 Manual and the more recent official Myford manual but neither of these mentioned this at all.

I can now use backgears without worrying - phew!

Many thanks again

Jon

maybe a late reply but i would just like to add that the grubscrew also seems to have the function of keying the pulley cluster to the backgear.

the small upper backgear is made of bronze and runs through the centre of the pulley cluster forming a bearing/bushing for the pully and backgear to rotate on the mainshaft.

it has a hole through it presumably to allow for oiling but possibly also for the grubscrew to key the pully and bushing together. if the grubscrew is over-tightened it tends to lock the backgear to the mainshaft rendering backgear useless but if grubscrew is too loose (on my lathe) the pully rotates freely on the bushing.

either this is the normal setup or i may be missing a key between the pulley and bushing, or perhaps the hole in the pulley and bushing are meant to line up only for oiling and during service they are meant to be out of allignment but if this were the intended arrangement i would expect to see a flat somewhere on the bushing at 180 degrees to the oilhole for a more positive location..

a lot of my reply here is conjecture as i have no early manual and have not dismantled the pulley and backgear yet to determine its design.

if anybody out there has access to a manual for the early models i would love to know what it reads on the matter.

simon

IIRC Sparey also recommends using a regular oil can with a fine point on the end of the spout, then put a small cross nick across it with a mini-hacksaw or the edge of a thin file. This lets the oil flow out when the end of the spout is pushing on the ball in the flat type oilers you mention.

Hi Hopper - thanks for the thought.

I've had some good experience with a piece of rag stretched over the end of the oil can spout.

I'm not sure where I read the tip but it seems that the pressure of the oil behind the rag seems to force it into a bulge to push the ball in while allowing the oil to pass through at the same time. It also does a good job at sealing things and preventing oil being wasted.

Jon