Metal turning lathe

[studders]

Well, as you've shown me yours......

Thank you for upholding your part of the deal

Would you mind posting some more pics of the countershaft and motor arrangement please? That looks quite tidy

Will do soon as I'm back from my eye test. :shock:

 

[jimi43]

Well, as you've shown me yours......

Thank you for upholding your part of the deal

Would you mind posting some more pics of the countershaft and motor arrangement please? That looks quite tidy

Ah! The illusive original countershaft assembly and motor! I continue to search for such a beasty...in the meantime...the missus' exercise bike frame must suffice! :mrgreen:

I too would like to see more pics...in the meantime...there is a Myford Yahoo group which has quite a lot of information.

Jim

 

[monkeybiter]

Studders, is that an L5 all painted up like a tart? It looks very much like mine minus the muck and swarf [and a little rust ]
I bought some electric blue paint for mine, if I could get to it I would paint it, just too much stuff [and junk] in the way at the moment.

 

[studders]

Studders, is that an L5 all painted up like a tart?

It sure is, was.
Known round these parts as 'The Gay Lathe' due to it looking distinctly Pink under the florescent lights.
I've not seen another Red one but that was it's original colour; I wondered if it was ex Post Office works?


Oooops, forgot to take promised pics of the Myford countershaft. :roll: Back down the Garage then.

 

[Wildman]

The lathe stand looks like an original Myford "M" Stand which (often found as a treadle lathe with the same stand but different tray)was the last of the Drummond lathes rebadged when the ministry of works ordered Myford to take over production for the war effort. The other bits look as though someone made a crude wood lathe at some time using standard plummer blocks.

 

[studders]

Photos as requested.
If you need any more just shout.

 

[graduate_owner]

Hi everyone,
I bought a Myford ML4 (similar to Drummomd). I'm sure the lathe is one of the last made, around 1945 vintage, and I need to do something about the headstock bearings.

I've downloaded some replicas of Dummond handbooks and they show which nuts to slacken / tighten but I have no idea how much to tighten them.

Can anyone give some advice on this, or on the headstock bearings in general?

As a matter of interest, I paid £120 for the lathe, original stand, and a 5" 3-jaw chuck, faceplate, set of change wheels, plus motor and shaft/pulley system. Considering the bearings need adjusting, there's probably wear everywhere else, so did I get a bargain or buy a pup?

K

 

[DTR]

As a matter of interest, I paid £120 for the lathe, original stand, and a 5" 3-jaw chuck, faceplate, set of change wheels, plus motor and shaft/pulley system. Considering the bearings need adjusting, there's probably wear everywhere else, so did I get a bargain or buy a pup?

Sounds like it's in the same condition as mine for half the price :shock:

 

[dickm]

For lots of expertise on these, it's worth looking at the Yahoo Myford forum. Mostly keen and friendly amateurs on there (plus the occasional and seemingly inevitable troll) with lots of files of stored information and photos of interesting kit.
There have been regular threads about changing bearings on 7 series Myfords, but also some on the earlier models.
You almost certainly got a good buy there - even the early ones refurbish well unless the beds are very worn (check for the saddle binding as it moves away from the headstock). Even if it does bind, it may still be possible to hand scrape the bed back to shape. (Been there, done that!)

 

[jimi43]

I have what I think is an ML1 which I am going to be selling for about £100 sometime when I get my head around it.

This has phosphor bronze bearings which are moulded into the headstock assembly so may be able to help you there. Also our friend Jack in the USA is an expert at recasting these...(I think it was him)....

However you could have one with roller bearings...can you confirm this?

Jim

 

[dickm]

I have what I think is an ML1 which I am going to be selling for about £100 sometime when I get my head around it.

This has phosphor bronze bearings which are moulded into the headstock assembly so may be able to help you there. Also our friend Jack in the USA is an expert at recasting these...(I think it was him)....

That sounds like an indecently cheap price, Jim!

Not sure, but are you confusing phosphor bronze and white metal with regard to the bearings? Don't THINK you can cast P/B into the headstock? The 'murricans seem to be very keen on Babbett metal for recasting bearings, and there's lots of examples on the web. But they are generally working in 'murrican size workshops!

 

[Benchwayze]

This is my M4.
The only thing wrong with it is that the 'ways' are worn near the headstock. The lathe had been used mostly for face plate work apparently, hence the wear at the one end!'
Nice little 'fidgets' are they not? Cost me £100.00 about ten years ago, and it still manages to make small drawer pulls et al.

I might make a proper stand one day!

 

[DTR]

The only thing wrong with it is that the 'ways' are worn near the headstock. The lathe had been used mostly for face plate work apparently, hence the wear at the one end!'

This is apparently very common, mine is just the same.

Funny how this thread has been bumped all of a sudden. My lathe has been sitting idle for a few months, but by pure coincidence I've been gearing up to do a few turning jobs

 

[graduate_owner]

OK guys, thanks for the advice. I'll give the Myford forum a go.

K

 

[dickm]

This is my M4.
The only thing wrong with it is that the 'ways' are worn near the headstock. The lathe had been used mostly for face plate work apparently, hence the wear at the one end!'
I might make a proper stand one day!

With the long evenings, some engineers blue and a scraper, you could probably eliminate the stiffness away from the headstock in a week or two
Actually, one advantage of the ML4s and the like is that they effectively sit on a single "foot", so they don't need such careful levelling of the bed as do the 7s, and they are OK on a wooden bench.

 

[Benchwayze]

Hmmmm.
Thanks Dick.
I think they would have to be very long evenings, in an exceptionally long year or three!
There is a definite drop in the ways; a discernible hump of about 1/16th of an inch to climb, as you move towards the tail-stock. If I thought it was worth the trouble I might get an engineer to grind the ways down, (If I didn't think they were to far gone!)

 

[Benchwayze]

Ok, here's a photo of my latest acquisition. On reflection it may be an ML3, I'm not sure what the difference is.

Sorry about the naff photos, my Nikon is in storage at the mo. my main question is about the stand. It's not a standard stand for an ML4, as far as I can tell. Here are the parts:

When assembled it looks like this (borrowed from lathes.co.uk, the lathe is a precision 4"):

Curiously, the lathe was mounted to something resembling (but is not) a larger lathe bed, which in turn sits on the chip tray. The "lathe bed" and stand appear to be matched. Here is the "lathe bed". There are no mounting holes on top of it except for four tapped holes that take the ML4:

I'm not sure whether to persevere with this stand or build something a bit smaller.

Ooo, Oooo! Mr, Peebly Ooo Oooo! I have one just the same. It's a cracker... And I'll find a photo when I get back from the shops! TTFN

 

[DTR]

Ooo, Oooo! Mr, Peebly Ooo Oooo! I have one just the same. It's a cracker... And I'll find a photo when I get back from the shops! TTFN

I look forward to it

In the mean time, here's my ML4 in its current setting. I've grown rather attached to the old girl these last few years (hammer)

 

[Benchwayze]

Dave,

This is my old clunker. I still need a drip tray for it, but all the other stuff is present. Motor, two sets of 'change-wheels' for screw cutting, tail chucks, face plates and a box of cutters! All I need to do now is learn how to use it!