As I understand it that’s a fundamental limitation of the Myford. Just checked on my lathe (Harrison M300) and no problem setting the top slide to 3°. There are several options:

• Grind a tool to have flat face at about 3° and take a series of steps across the face of the washer. Should be straightforward to match the depth of successive cuts so little, or no, cleaning up needed.
• Borrow a bigger lathe
• Buy a different lathe (tongue in cheek!)

Julie

The important surfaces are the bore and the ridge face round the edge, these should be turned in one setting to maintain concentricity Etc. The angle face is largely cosmetic ? Can you not reverse the work in the chuck, space out from the jaws and set over the top slide ? you should have enough travel to get 3″od. I have an S7. Noel.

Does it really need to be tapered, can’t you just turn a few even steps across the surface.

If really fussed do that then use a hand graver to blend them into a taper.

Firstly, is that taper important to the function? If not then can it be omitted?

I’d be inclined to establish if the saw needs anything more complicated than a larger version to what is on an angle-grinder.

On these, the outer face of the washer runs in fresh air so is flat, with just a chamfered rim; the inner (clamping) surface has a shallow recess for much of the diameter so grips on a narrow annulus.

Parting-off that diameter on a Myford might be a bit brave. I have done it but not would claim the cut surface was flat.

Assuming the above conditions I’d be inclined to saw a thin billet from stock bar, or cut a disc from plate using a cylindrical hole-saw. Centralise the blank in a four-jaw chuck, drill and bore the spindle hole, bore the recess. Skim the face of the annulus to ensure it is perpendicular to the bore.

Make a simple mandrel, and leaving that in the chuck, mount the disc on it to finish-turn the circumference and chamfer the rim.

On 18 May 2025 at 16:53 milesincam Said:

I can get a slice of bar from Mackay’s in town, which would at least be a good start.

When I first started with my current workshop I bought some bright steel from Mackay. They didn’t know the difference between bright and black steel, which wasn’t a good start. The bright steel was the first steel I turned on my new (to me) lathe. No matter what I tried I couldn’t get a good finish, which was really depressing. A little later, when visiting a local machine shop to discuss an aluminium box I’d designed and wanted CNC milled I mentioned my problem. Their answer was “we never buy steel from M****, it’s c**p”.

Julie

As with most Myford issues, someone has been there in the past and thought of a solution.

Please see:

ML7 Topslide limitations

and the whole of the discussion in that topic in general.