New old 1950’s Myford 7 Lathe still in the crate

[GrottoParticipant @grotto]

That auction site pretty much monopolises NZ.

There’s no eBay here, closest is Australia.

There’s even a few UK companies which sell on it

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

A country without eBay? OMG! What is going on over there?

[Neil LickfoldParticipant @neillickfold44316]

I think one reason for no bidding, is the lack of clarity of what you are getting for your money. It looks like a car engine that all there , but not assembled. People are just suspicious when it is not shown , and not all itemised.

I would not bid on it, without knowing more about what you are actually getting for your money, and what is the actual condition of the slides etc.

Neil

[DalboyParticipant @dalboy]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 07/09/2018 14:38:32:

Wow that would be a pretty high price by UK standards (about £2,350), but probably reasonable given the extraordinary condition and accessories. Would be great to know the backstory.

Neil

This is a little of the story from the advert found it in the Question and Answers part of it.

My grandfather was a fitter and turner by trade and bought it with the intention of using it in his home workshop. However he lost interest in doing so and my father inherited it from him. While my father was also a fitter and turner by trade he never wanted or needed to use it so it had just sat in his garage all these years in its original crate. A great shame really. We'd love it to go to someone who is passionate about using it.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Neil Lickfold on 10/09/2018 08:11:37:

I think one reason for no bidding, is the lack of clarity of what you are getting for your money. …

.

I agree, Neil, and I sense that there is some [perhaps accidental] mis-representation there.

The lathe may be 'new and unused' but surely Myford would never have shipped it like that …

Yes, it may have been dumped back in its original crate, but that's not the same as still being in it.

MichaelG.

[Darren ConwayParticipant @darrenconway28179]

Hi

The Trademe website is the primary on-line auction site here. e-bay tried to get a foothold but bombed out big time. If you go to http://www.ebay.co.nz, it get redirected straight to the international site.

I have an e-bay account but I avoid using it. e-bay is just awful to deal with, especially if the trade goes sour, which happens too often. The Trademe site dominates because it is simple and safe to use. Bad traders get banned.

Dazz

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

Posted by Derek Lane 2 on 10/09/2018 09:06:17:

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 07/09/2018 14:38:32:

Wow that would be a pretty high price by UK standards (about £2,350), but probably reasonable given the extraordinary condition and accessories. Would be great to know the backstory.

Neil

I've wondered if the grandfather and father of the seller, as turners by trade, came to the same opinion of Myfords as I did when I was doing it for pay…

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

It says " no reserve" but closed without bids at $4250?? I must be missing something – perhaps it's an Anitipodean thing.

Murray

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Muzzer on 10/09/2018 11:55:58:

It says " no reserve" but closed without bids at $4250?? I must be missing something – perhaps it's an Anitipodean thing.

Murray

Starting price is disclosed, a reserve is unknown to the buyers and is higher than the starting price.

A petty but oft used way of encouraging early bidding, based on the idea that people who start bidding at a low price will probably continue to a level that would have put them off early bidding. It also encourages more interest in an item by allowing people who think it's a bargain to get the bidding started.

Neil

[mrbuilderParticipant @mrbuilder]

Posted by Hopper on 09/09/2018 13:57:58:

For those wondering about the price of $4000 (2,000 Quids) for a brand new Myford, take a look at the crazy prices Myford stuff is bringing on eBay Australia. This used Myford small vice to fit on a vertical slide just sold for $96 (52 Quids) plus postage. **LINK**

Crazy stuff. They only cost about 69 Quid new, plus an extra 7 quid postage.

My cunning plan to put in a last minute snipe of $25 after it had sat there at $15 for days fell rather flat! Pity. It would have been a nice little extra vice for fine work on my drill press at that price.

For me $4000 wouldn't be out of the question for a brand new Myford. It does look like the lathe comes with a few goodies in the box too. Having rebuilt an ML7, I'd consider that lathe if I lived in NZ. As much as I enjoyed the rebuild, the time and money invested were rather ridiculous looking back on it. Plus purchasing extras.

 

If it's 1950s, unless it's the way photo has been taken, it looks like a MK2 tailstock so perhaps late 1950s?

 

Speaking of prices, not being from the UK I often wonder how well this place does, the prices seem much higher than anywhere else over there that I've seen… Would compare to the $4000. **LINK**

 

Haha… Not trying to sell it for him, just my own experience and perspective on things.

 

For the most part, Myford prices are unquestionably inflated on this side of the world, Australia/NZ etc. and now having to deal with GST on all overseas purchases in Australia adds to it again.

 

If you are lucky, in recent years I've seen two suberb S7s one sold for 1500AUD and the other for 2500AUD, both with loads of extras. But you have to buy them within seconds! Obviously I was not quick enough, and these are rare cases.

 

Being a fellow on your side of the world, I don't know that the vice is necessarily inflated by comparison to UK prices. The cost of postage plus GST to this side of the world would cost almost be half as much again.

 

And lets not open the can of worms about new Myford stuff… (Sorry) but having bought many dud parts during my rebuild, for example I would certainly trust that lathe in the crate more than any new or refurbished "Myford" from the current factory for sure.

Edited By mrbuilder on 10/09/2018 14:57:11

[Former MemberParticipant @formermember19781]

[This posting has been removed]

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Bear in mind that ML7 prices are often relatively modest, its S7 and ML7R lathes that command the high prices.

Neil

[Bob RodgersonParticipant @bobrodgerson97362]

The Myford super 7B currently in the classifieds at £1,234:00 makes the one in the crate look like a dog.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Bill Chugg on 10/09/2018 15:42:34:

Ah the dear old myford debate – will it ever go away ?

Cherry Hill seems to be able to build award winning models on her Myford Connoiseur.

If all I needed to build award winning models was a Myford Connoisseur, I'd buy one! Sadly for my ambitions I think talent, an eye for detail, persistence, high standards, and skill have more to do with high quality work than the equipment. Cherry Hill has got what it takes, I don't.

My own take on 'nice tools' is that they save time rather than perform magic. Outside stuff that wouldn't physically fit on each machine, I can't think of much that can be done on a Connoisseur that couldn't also be made on a mini-lathe given more time and effort. Can anyone think of any obvious examples?

Dave

 

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 10/09/2018 16:59:08

[Ian ParkinParticipant @ianparkin39383]

Posted by Bob Rodgerson on 10/09/2018 16:44:32:

The Myford super 7B currently in the classifieds at £1,234:00 makes the one in the crate look like a dog.

Bob how much is the one in the ad though?

whats his swaps worth?

[Darren ConwayParticipant @darrenconway28179]

Pricing is location dependent.

I have looked at shipping a machine tool from the UK, where the choice is greater than here, but shipping would cost around £1k- £2k. Well over half that cost is transporting the machine from it's location (anywhere in the UK) to the ship by road.

You can't compare the price of a machine in the UK that you can drive down the road to collect with a machine on the other side of the planet.

The lathe didn't get a bid at the reserve price so clearly it is priced above market value. It is only worth what someone will pay for it.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Myford currently list a brand new Connoisseur at over 8,000 Pounds. That would translate to about $16,000 in Aust or NZ. Then with shipping, insurance, taxes and duties etc, you are talking about $20,000 or more. Yikes! Makes a $4,000 new ML7 look very attractive. I'm sure if that ML7 were in Australia it would sell for around that $4k price somewhere. I'd consider it myself if it were close enough I could inspect it before purchase.

Yes there are differences between Super 7/Connoisseur and the ML7 but they are not that great. Not $16k great, for absolute sure! Same basic machine with a few more bells and whistles. In fact, I don't know of anything the Connoisseur can do that my 1937 Drummond Flagellator couldn't, with a bit of nursing and swearing.

BTW, same seller who just sold that Myford small vice on eBay Oz for $96 just sold the matching vertical slide for $125, which seems more reasonable, considering their comparative costs new etc.

Edited By Hopper on 11/09/2018 08:50:17

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by Bob Rodgerson on 10/09/2018 16:44:32:

The Myford super 7B currently in the classifieds at £1,234:00 makes the one in the crate look like a dog.

Except its not for sale for "1234" Pounds. When you read the ad it's for exchange only for a 7-1/4" locomotive. Which would be worth considerably more? Not a loco guy so I could not say for sure.

[mrbuilderParticipant @mrbuilder]

Posted by Hopper on 11/09/2018 08:49:48:

BTW, same seller who just sold that Myford small vice on eBay Oz for $96 just sold the matching vertical slide for $125, which seems more reasonable, considering their comparative costs new etc.

Edited By Hopper on 11/09/2018 08:50:17

Well that's the nature of auctions, is it not?!

[mrbuilderParticipant @mrbuilder]

Posted by Darren Conway on 10/09/2018 21:29:32:

The lathe didn't get a bid at the reserve price so clearly it is priced above market value. It is only worth what someone will pay for it.

Most definitely depends on what someone is willing to spend as mentioned.

I've however seen far worse for not much cheaper than $4000 here, i.e. people just expect to get ridiculous prices for even a worn Myford. Based on that I'd spend extra money to have the one in the crate, pending viewing preferably, but perhaps that's not normal.

I too have looked at purchasing out of the UK but for the same reasons mentioned I didn't. It also depends where you buy one from, some dealers I spoke to at the time were already over $3000 equivalent without shipping considered. The 2350GBP ML7 from Myford Lathes above in a previous link is an example albeit with a clutch and gearbox.

Edited By mrbuilder on 11/09/2018 10:33:55

[Chris TriceParticipant @christrice43267]

There are two types of lathe user. Those who have no emotional attachment to any brand and just see it as a tool and those who get pleasure from owning a specific lathe. Are boxed model car collectors mad for paying hundreds for a toy car or Rolex watch collectors when there are Sekondas out there that do the same job? If you had an ML7 forty years ago, the good feel nostalgia you might get from owning a brand new one again might be worth more to you than the "common sense" alternatives. Non specific lathe users wouldn't pay that price but the right guy looking at the right time might and where else can you get an ML7 in that original condition? The crated Harley D examples are no different. People buy them because they "like" them, not because they're the best. MGB GT's with their lever arm shock absorbers change hands for more money than a Japanese saloon that will last 200,000 miles, whereas…

[Bill PudneyParticipant @billpudney37759]

I had an MGBGT, did 110,000 miles on it in 11 years. Loved it. It only got sold because I couldn't do the 2 to 3 hours weekly maintenance because most of it had to be done on hands and knees, and my metal knee objected. Got an Impreza and rediscovered free time on the weekend!!

cheers

Bill

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

> Rolex watch collectors when there are Sekondas out there that do the same job?

I lost my great-Uncle's solid gold Sekonda in the early 80s

I would rather than back than any crummy Rolex!

Neil

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 08/12/2018 10:45:02:

> Rolex watch collectors when there are Sekondas out there that do the same job?

I lost my great-Uncle's solid gold Sekonda in the early 80s

I would rather than back than any crummy Rolex!

Neil

I wouldn't call them crummy myself, although they are pricey for a mass-produced watch albeit very well made.

For me, Grand Seiko is where it's at now if you want the best quality.

Martin.

[Mick HenshallParticipant @mickhenshall99321]

I have my Gramps Seiko sportsmatic wristwatch which has never been serviced to my knowledge was new in 1965 and still going strong, it never leaves my wrist

Mick

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