Look what followed me home: ML7 Myford

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by Jon Gibbs on 22/01/2017 07:25:34:

Posted by Hopper on 22/01/2017 01:15:23:

Got a link to the video Martin?

You could try this one… **LINK**

HTH

Jon

Thanks Jon, yes that is a good one. That's the method I prefer. No faffing about with levels on worn beds. With the test piece, what you see is what you get. The micrometer does not lie. (The dial indicator, well that's a different story. )

He has some interesting videos, that bloke. I could not work out why he seems to have both a drip/wick oiler and an oil cap both plumbed into a T piece on each headstock bearing? Is it so he can give the bearing an extra squirt of oil on start up or under heavy going?

[Jon GibbsParticipant @jongibbs59756]

Posted by Hopper on 22/01/2017 10:05:21:

I could not work out why he seems to have both a drip/wick oiler and an oil cap both plumbed into a T piece on each headstock bearing? Is it so he can give the bearing an extra squirt of oil on start up or under heavy going?

I believe one is a conventional oiler and the other is for Molyslip.

Jon

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by Jon Gibbs on 22/01/2017 10:07:44:

Posted by Hopper on 22/01/2017 10:05:21:

I could not work out why he seems to have both a drip/wick oiler and an oil cap both plumbed into a T piece on each headstock bearing? Is it so he can give the bearing an extra squirt of oil on start up or under heavy going?

I believe one is a conventional oiler and the other is for Molyslip.

Jon

That's interesting. I presume he uses the liquid variety, Molubaloy etc? My old man used to use that (free source at work where they used it on big aircompressor cylinders) and it was messy as hell!

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

And so the descent down the slippery slope begins. I think I have now spent nearly as much on parts to fix this lathe as the initial machine cost: $400 (about 200 Pounds). One hundred was for the new back gear cluster, a felt way wiper couple of BSF fasteners from Myfords, plus shipping to Oz. Then I found a Gumtree ad for a freshly reground top slide in very good condition, complete with very good condition leadscrew and a brand new leadscrew nut, with matching saddle in fairly good shape, so out came another $200 and it's in the mail to me.

It compares vary favorably (in the pictures anyway!) with my ahem rather tatty existing example

And the new one has a pristine looking chrome handle and index collar and the end of the screw is not broken, welded and bent. Luxury that is.

I's sure the bottom of the saddle has some wear, but not near the 10 thou the existing one has. The existing one has at least 30 thou of wear on the critical vertical face that runs on the rear of the front shear, at one end. Obviously they did not use this lathe for facing work!

Unless the new arrival turns out to be pristine, I plan to do the "wide guide" conversion on it. Have a piece of 1/16 x 1/2" gauge plate coming from Rennie Tools off UK eBay, after i persuaded them to drop the eBay shipping of 20 Pounds to Royal Mail's standard rate of 12 quid. Still cost more than the steel itself though!

So by the time we add in what I spent on some paint mixed to the Myford color, brushes, thinners, sand paper etc I think the parts bill is up to the original purchase price. And I haven't even started work on the machine yet, just stripped, cleaned and inspected. Oops, I forgot about two V belts and four sintered bronze bushes for teh countershaft. So there we go, well down the slippery slope now.

Sum total so far is about equal to the purchase price of a C3 mini lathe. You can see why they are popular.

There is good news among the dramas though. Cleaned up the four jaw Burnerd chuck today, still with original label intact and it seems pristine after a good wire wheel buffing. Not a hammer mark or a chew mark on it anywhere, nor any sign of wear, so I can only conclude it has never been used. Bit too advanced for the electricians I would guess.

Edited By Hopper on 22/01/2017 10:54:15

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