Original maching marks on Myford lathe bed

Occasionally I have read that a Myford lathe offered for sale is in such little used condition that the seller boasts one "can still see the original machining marks on the bedways" - evidence that it has not had enough use to warrant a regrind over the last 50 odd years. Could anyone enlighten me by describing in detail what original marks exactly one is suppose to see?? Thanks , Adam

Hi Adam,

I think they refer to the original hand scrape marks on the bed, usually only see at the tail stock end on a well used lathe.

Matthew

Hi Matthew, thanks, but what do those look like?

Hello Adam,

The best description is 'frosting' where the scaper marks cross each other at angles, once seen it is a characteristic pattern to look out for on other machinery. The best versions are crescent shaped, but because it is a hand operation such variations are just the particular hallmark of the man who did the job in the first place.

Just occassionally the finish is used purely for decoration and not the original purpose of finishing a flat surface to provide minutely shallow oil retaining scallops. I'm sorry I don't have a picture to show you, maybe someone else can produce one.

Regards Brian

**LINK**

just googled 'lathe frosting'

Most wear takes place on the vertical shears and I think the machine marks usually referred to are the milling marks on those. For some reason Myford ground the top but not the shears.  After about a thou of wear, the milling marks disappear.  Compare the appearance of the untouched front shear on the right hand side (in front of the tailstock) with that near the gap.

Andrew M

Edited By Andrew Moyes 1 on 22/04/2014 13:37:15

Very many thanks Brian, Bazyle and Andrew. Now I understand much better what this looks like. Adam

Don't lead Adam into a wrong lane.

The big question is: had Myford lathes *ever* scraped bedways??? I don't own one, and it's a long time since I last saw one in flesh. But I cannot remember - also not from advertisements and pictures - that I ever saw scraped ways on them. Someone can enlighten me if I'm wrong?

Regards, Frank

My Myford bed is not scraped and although around 30 years old is still as good as new ( it has had an easy life)

Mike

I had a Myford ML7 and do not recall any scraper marks on the bed. I now have a Myford 254S which was one of the very last Myford Refurbished lathes that they ever sold before closing. There are no scraper marks on the bed.

My Mk1 Super 7 still has scraped "frosting" on the sides of the bedways and on the saddle/cross-slide area. When beds were reground they were not re-scraped.

I have a S7 that had a bed regrind during a VAT free offer about 2 years (guess) before they went under. I also attended every annual first open day they ever did. The beds and all other slideways were ground and never scraped. Circumstance means that the relevant machine has not been used since and I would describe the visual finish as something like fine ground glass. Certainly not as Bazyle's link which is a scraped finish. My older machine which had a bed regrind about 10 years ago at (proper) Myford has never needed any guides' adjustment, but the bed now has a smooth fine lined appearance at the business end.

Ex Myford Daryle now offers a service involving scraping, of which I have no knowledge, but I believe it is more of an in-line scraping principle, not producing swirly marks. I have a Chinese mill with swirly marks on all slideways!

Trust this helps Adam.

Dennis

My super 7 has C type scraping on the bed - not type 1 but doesn't have power cross feed. I don't notice any frosting. It s very regular/consistant so was done by someone well-practiced. I'd suggest they are original.

My myford has a ground lathe bed, so does a friend's lathe. Mine is a super7 made around 1974.

The only slide that has scraping is the compound slide. Not sure if that was original or done by the previous owner.

Good point, Wallace,

I would also add another observation ... The original question was about machining marks and [generally speaking], scraping is a handwork process.

MichaelG.

When I was doing such things scraping ( flat and circular ) was often done just to take off small high spots as required. Might not Myfords have done the same ?

No Myford's ground the beds all thru the working life of the 7 series, can't comment on the earlier Drummond derived machines.

The saddles were also ground where it fitted to the bed and then hand scraped, top slides were ground but the saddle where the slide fitted was hand scraped.

If any Myford's exist with scraping marks on the bed then they have been done at later rebuilds.

They prided themselves on the finish of the bed ways.

This is mine at the tailstock end, sorry if its a bad picture best I could get, but it looks like scrape marks on there, if not please tell me what they are?

I am the second owner, the first was a factory where it had little use and came with a pile of bills etc even the original letter confirming the order and when it would be delivered, but nothing of a later regrind. I was always told by an old engineer, who sadly passed away last month, that they are scrape marks? unless someone in the factory had a go?

Matthew