When buying second-hand lathes, I suggest condition matters far more than who made it.  And if all the accessories are still with it.

Assuming both are in good nick, I vote Boxford!  More solid than Myfords and less likely to be over priced.

Much depends on what the lathe is for.  A Boxford CUD is about a third as heavy again as an ML7 – is that good or bad?   If the lathe is a difficult install due to access problems, then the lighter ML7 is easier to handle.   If the lathe is required for seriously hard work, then the CUD is better.

Boxfords were preferred by industry and education because they are more robust.   That means they are more likely to have been abused than a Myford, but don’t  assume that!  Many Myfords were also worked good and hard.  A CUD was markedly more expensive than an ML7, but that means spares are expensive,  Condition!!!

On the downside, both are relatively slow, which is a disadvantage if you want to use carbide inserts.

Both lathes were made before electronics, so are probably fitted with single-phase motors.  They’re a compromise, not awful, but they vibrate, have poor starting torque, don’t speed control, and dislike stop-start operation.   The alternative is a 3-phase motor and VFD, which has a lot of advantages, but I would upgrade when the old motor kicks the bucket.  (Or brushless DC)

And are you metric or imperial?

Dave

Hi, well I’ve had my Boxford CUD for twenty odd years, it had a 3/4 HP three phase motor on it from new, but I changed it for a new 1 HP single phase one, I have used some carbide tools on it, and it’s had thousands of stop starts without any trouble, and been used all day long many times, but it was used in industry before I bought it, and it hadn’t been abused. I wouldn’t change it for a Myford, although I do have a Myford “M” type, which was near enough given to me.

Regards Nick.