Hi there. I have a question about the motor on my ML8. The lathe was originally my father's, he was very skilled at all things wood. Me not so much. The lathe is probably 60+ years old the motor I would say the same age. At some point I would like to upgrade the motor to something a little newer... Has anyone got any ideas please.?
Myford ML8 lathe questions
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Trevanion
Greatest Of All Time
The better question is, Why?
Phil Pascoe
Established Member
I doubt that's the original motor - the mounting bolts would be in the slots. Also they're (always? :? ) four speed and that pulley has only three. Not that this affects the price of fish. 
Good question. The motor is old, noisy, and the speeds are not the easiest to change. I can live with it and don't want to change for change sake. But I was wondering what options and costings are available.Trevanion":1nh0zsee said:
It has been modified when I was younger about 40 years ago. Not sure if dad had new motor. But he changed the pulley layout. As per pic. My problem is I have no idea what speeds it's capable of. Slow to really fast I would guess. I'd like something a little easier to change speeds on.phil.p":3u314ob1 said:I doubt that's the original motor - the mounting bolts would be in the slots. Also they're (always? :? ) four speed and that pulley has only three. Not that this affects the price of fish.
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t8hants
Established Member
If the motor is noisy, it may just need new bearings.
It appears to have an end flange, which the Myford motors did not, so it is a replacement.
A modern motor (often Chinese) may not be of the quality of the one you have, unless you are prepared to pay for quality.
What happens if you take the belt off and spin the motor by hand, does it sound smooth or is there a rumble?
can you push the spindle sideways at all, the slightest sideways movement will indicate a worn bearing.
It appears to have an end flange, which the Myford motors did not, so it is a replacement.
A modern motor (often Chinese) may not be of the quality of the one you have, unless you are prepared to pay for quality.
What happens if you take the belt off and spin the motor by hand, does it sound smooth or is there a rumble?
can you push the spindle sideways at all, the slightest sideways movement will indicate a worn bearing.
Trevanion
Greatest Of All Time
Looks like it’s been modified to give a greater range of speeds by effectively turning the original 4 speed pulley into an idler pulley. The motor definitely isn’t original (looks like an old hoover motor) the old Myford lathes used a Brook Parkinson squirrel cage motor on a resilient mounting, I’ve got an original knackered one kicking around somewhere out of a Myford I’ve scrapped.
A three phase 240v motor running off a variable frequency drive would be a good option as a replacement, it would give you variable speed without sacrificing any power.
A three phase 240v motor running off a variable frequency drive would be a good option as a replacement, it would give you variable speed without sacrificing any power.
I think that it would be worthwhile trying to sort out your existing setup.
Address the motor issue and make speed changes easier on the four speed pulleys (it looks like that's your problem pair). 7 speeds sounds impressive, without the need to spend loads on fancy electrical gubbins for what is still going to be a very basic lathe as regards size.
Address the motor issue and make speed changes easier on the four speed pulleys (it looks like that's your problem pair). 7 speeds sounds impressive, without the need to spend loads on fancy electrical gubbins for what is still going to be a very basic lathe as regards size.
HappyPixie
Established Member
I suspect you've got the original four speeds and that each of these four can have three variations due to the additional pulley system - giving you 12 speeds.
I'd agree with sticking with the motor you've got and giving it some TLC. I took mine off and with a bit of tapping the case, poking inside with a thin stick and a lot of hoovering the result was a large pile of dust removed and a smoother movement. I couldn't say if the torque has increased but it certainly appears so.
I'd agree with sticking with the motor you've got and giving it some TLC. I took mine off and with a bit of tapping the case, poking inside with a thin stick and a lot of hoovering the result was a large pile of dust removed and a smoother movement. I couldn't say if the torque has increased but it certainly appears so.
