Hello

[donald dixon 1Participant @donalddixon1]

I bought a box of bits which was supposed to contain most of a BSA Bantam and bought a mini type lathe to make missing spacers etc.

Now that project is more or less finished. (Are they ever?)

I aquired an old Myford lathe which I restored and now am ready to produce all sorts of interesting things, or at least a lot of swarf!

Don.

[donald dixon 1Participant @donalddixon1]

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Welcome!

Lots of advice and help available on here. Just ask/ (You may get conflicting advice, depending upon prejudices! )

Where abouts are you/

Finding and joining a local ME society would be a help, to find fellow enthusiasts who can give face to face help and advice.

How old is your Myford? You may need to find the serial number to find out exactly. Whicj means that you have to find out where it is stamped.

It might be a ML1,2,3, or 4. Even a ML7 might be described as old, since they superceded the others in 1947

If you want advice on it, you would need to provide more details.

Howard

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

Hello Don and welcome.

Howard is spot on with his reply, we really need more info if someone can help.What sort of interesting things are you planning to make?

Brian

[donald dixon 1Participant @donalddixon1]

Hello and thanks for the welcome.

My Myford? had no name cast on the bed. The number 2141 was stamped on the bed under the headstock.

I am shortly moving to Scarborough.

I am hoping to make a few bits from Stan Bates book

No doubt I'l be asking for help.

Thanks

Regards Don

[Brian WoodParticipant @brianwood45127]

Hello Don,

The bolted headstock suggests this is either a Myford ML3 or ML4. The nose thread details should help in the diagnosis.

Why anyone would want to use an angle grinder to remove the cast on lettering on the bed is beyond me, but your first photo shows the ORD very clearly as a witness of what was there.

Regards Brian

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

You look to have made a nice job of cleaning and painting it.

At this age, it may well show some signs of wear.

Study the Myford pages on the Lathes UK website. there is a lot of info there.

If the centre height is 3 1/8" it is either a ML1 or ML2

ML3 and ML4 were 3 1/2"

I think that the "odd" numbered models were 15" centres, and "even" 24"

Headstock bearing were direct in the cast iron, but superior models had bronze bushes, I am told.

Threads used will be BSW and BSF, possibly with BA for gib strips (But this latter is a guess, never having delved that deeply into one )

Headstock and Tailstock bore is 1 MT

Headstocks started out with 7/8 BSW (7/8 x 9 tpi ) threads but later changed to 7/8 x 12 tpi. The very late ones, I believe had 1 1/8 x 12 tpi threads, but lacked the 1 1/4" register which came in with the ML7 in 1947.

The Cross and Top Slide dials have 80 divisions, but the leadscrews are 12 tpi, so each division is not exactly a thou. The Leadscrew is 8 tpi.

Tumbler Revers was not standard, but an option available at extra cost

Change wheels are the same as the later ML7s , 20 DP, 14.5 degrees pressure angle, but are driven, and compounded by 3.32 pins in drillings which go part way through the gear / driving collar.

7 Series wheels will fit, but need to be drilled for the pins, instead of using the keyway for the later machine.

There are quite a few owners and users of these early ML types on the Forum. Being a small machine, they have their limitations, but can turn out good work in the right hands.

If you need a 4 jaw independant chuck for it they are available, but you will need to make your own backplate for it.

Alternatively, you could make up an adaptor with an internal thread to match the lathe, but with a 1 1/8 x 12 tpi thread and a 1 1/4" register. Don't forget to put spanner flats on it, to ease removal!

This would allow you use backplates for 7 Series machines, or even a complete chuck.

A 4 jaw is invaluable for holding square, rectangular or irregular shaped material, which a 3 jaw cannot. But you will need a DTI (Prefersably two, a plunger, and a finger type ) to centre work in the 4 jaw.

The clocks will enable you to ensure that the lathe is set up cotrrectly, so that it does not turn tapers (It will most certainly if the tailstock is offset. Sometimes this is used as a means of turning a taper on a workpiece )

Spending some more of your money, if you do not have one, a drill chuck for the Tailstock will be useful. You will need a 1 MT arbor with a taper to suit the drill chuck.

Arc Euro , and no doubt other suppliers, sell arbors with tapers to suit JT0, JT1, and JT2 tapers. A JT0 will carry a chuck with a 4 mm capacity, a JT1 up to 6 mm and a JT2 will take a Drill chuck with a 10 mm capacity.

Dead centre are also available, or you could make your own from old 1 MT drills, by sawing off the flutes before offsetting the Topslide and turning the 60 degree taper.

HTH

Howard.

Edited By Howard Lewis on 24/08/2020 18:33:04

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by donald dixon 1 on 24/08/2020 08:54:40:

I bought a box of bits which was supposed to contain most of a BSA Bantam and bought a mini type lathe to make missing spacers etc.

Now that project is more or less finished. (Are they ever?)

I aquired an old Myford lathe which I restored and now am ready to produce all sorts of interesting things, or at least a lot of swarf!

Don.

Welcome to the forum Donald,

A basket case Bantam is something I would like to tackle one day (when I've finished all the other projects…)

Neil

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