Newbie advice on Myford VM-C

[Trevor Drabble 1Participant @trevordrabble1]

My two penneth for what it’s worth , I agree with hollowpoint regarding the quill rigidity . My Myford VMB has no fine feed to the quill , instead the fine feed  moves the whole head whilst the quill is locked solid fully retracted and is most satisfactory ie equivalent to raising the knee on the VMC . Regarding value , for good quality milling machines both Myford and myford-lathes are asking serious money for their offerings , which are usually for the machine only . When buying used , for me provenance is all important and so up to £2k is acceptable in this instance .  Remember , the quality remains long after the price is forgotten .

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

[interferencefitParticipant @interferencefit]

Thanks everyone. Knowing the fastidious, meticulous nature of the owner, and that he’s had it from new and it’s in exception low wear condition, I am tempted, versus the risk of buying something for a few hundred pound less that is far more of an unknown quantity.

If I can sell my own one for a few hundred pounds, that might make it easier. Plus he’s local.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

It could cost you a couple of tanks of petrol looking at others and that may not even lead to a purchase so thats you few 100 gone.

[Julie AnnParticipant @julieann]

[Glyn DaviesParticipant @glyndavies49417]

Having used my VMC with its quill fine feed for few years, I would miss it if some part broke and I was stuck with the coarse feed only.

You can of course put the cut on with the knee handle, but it’s like cranking an old car starting handle with no ‘feel’ for what the cutter’s doing. And a lot easier winding it down than up. Also there’s no mechanical stop and as much scope for something moving when you lock the Z axis gibs as when you lock the quill. Using the fine feed is more like using a normal machine tool hand wheel, the same as using the X and Y axis hand wheels. I almost always use the fine feed for drilling – easier to apply the required force when using large drills and easier to advance the drill slowly when using small drills.

Another benefit is using a boring head with the machine head set at an angle. Difficult to get a decent finish boring with the coarse feed.

There’s my case, m’lud.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

[Trevor Drabble 1Participant @trevordrabble1]

From what you’ve said about the mill’s current owner , I would venture to suggest that knowing that the mill will go to a good , caring home is just as important , if not more so , than the cash . I would therefore either invite him plus a family member to see the lathe’s new home , or alternatively supply them with as many photos/videos as possible , at the end of which I would check if he was happy with what he had just seen  , and then as a parting comment , ask for first refusal on the mill should he ever decide to sell it .

[interferencefitParticipant @interferencefit]

[interferencefitParticipant @interferencefit]

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Looks like it has hardly been used so equivalent to new just without the supplier guarantee. The extras a worth a bit too.
Hopefully you will be able to make some nice models with this equipment so keep us updated.

[Dave WoottonParticipant @davewootton]

Very pleased to see this has come to a very satisfactory and fair to both parties conclusion. Hope you have many happy hours with your machines.

[VicParticipant @vic]

It sounds like this thread has come to an acceptable conclusion for the op. I think £2000 is a fair price for the machine with the included accessories.

I’ve been very happy with my Warco VMC and it’s my understanding that the Taiwanese Myford version is likely to be of better quality.

As far as the quill on this type of machine is concerned, I’ve only ever used mine for drilling. I was told by an experienced machinist and repeated here by Jason, that locking the quill and using the knee is far more rigid for milling. I have actually removed the fine feed hand wheel on mine because I never use it. The standard feed handle on the quill is not ideal in my opinion so I quickly replaced it with a bench drill style version. I used some nice pool balls bought cheaply on eBay especially for the purpose. This is an old picture before I removed the fine feed hand wheel.

 

[interferencefitParticipant @interferencefit]

Great news, bought and paid for, just not collected as a partition wall needs to come down in the workshop where it is currently housed first!

I see that the total weight of the mill including stand is 306kg according to the original manual.

How easy is it to separate from the base (lathe was easy) and does anyone know what the weight of the mill without the base is?

I’m now just contemplating how to get it home. At 1,550mm tall on the base, that’s a very large van which would not get down the winding driveway to the cottage where it is housed, so I’m hoping splitting it is not a major challenge.

Is it worth taking the bed off as well, or would that not make much difference?

I’m reasonably strong and my helper is very strong, but I don’t want to risk damaging it or a vehicle if it slips.

Any advice or guidance as how best to move one would be gratefully appreciated.

Thanks!

[HollowpointParticipant @hollowpoint]

Take the head and base off (very easy). They can be moved without too much trouble.

The column and bed on the other hand is heavy as all hell.  If you could get an engine hoist it would make life easier. Otherwise its a 2-3 man lift minimum.

Good luck! 😅

[interferencefitParticipant @interferencefit]

[VicParticipant @vic]

As said, easily split into three parts. I bought an engine hoist and disassembled and reassembled mine on my own when we moved house.

There’s a lifting hole in the column that will accept a 1” steel bar for lifting. Looking at this picture I took I’m guessing I added the other strap under the table to make the lift more stable, the weight being primarily on the lifting point.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

They split much like the two assemblies in the warco manual, head comes off where it swings from side to side

 

https://www.warco.co.uk/img/cms/VMC-new%202017.pdf

[HollowpointParticipant @hollowpoint]

[interferencefitParticipant @interferencefit]

Thanks all. Looks like I’ll need to hire a van as I guess the main centre body/knee section will be too heavy/big to go in the rear of an estate car, from a crane perspective.

[Tony Pratt 1Participant @tonypratt1]

I bought my Myford VME years ago and transported it in one piece via a tail lift truck tightly strapped down! I don’t know how the land lies at the sellers and your location but I just bought some long lengths of 6 x 50 black steel bar greased them up and slid the mill along these.

The mill moved with hardly any effort, just a thought for you to consider?

Tony

[Julie AnnParticipant @julieann]

The mill is not a heavy machine tool. Hiring a trailer will be cheaper and perfectly adequate. This cylindrical grinder was collected from more than a 100 miles away and involved a trip around the M25:

If a trailer with a drop down tailgate is hired then the mill can simply be rolled onto the trailer. This repetition lathe is sitting on a pallet truck:

I can move up to a ton by myself, above that I need to use professionals.

Julie

[southernchapParticipant @southernchap]

[Julie AnnParticipant @julieann]

I suppose it depends upon whether the OP has experience towing trailers. Since I’ve been towing glider trailers around the UK, and down to the Alps, for many years towing a small machine tool isn’t an issue for me.

Although it is not clear from my pictures the machine tools shown have bulks of timber jammed between the machine tool base and the trailer sides to prevent sliding. Then the machine has straps from each corner to the trailer. It is simply a case of understanding how the machine tool could move and doing something about it. I am not sure how simple the same sort of arrangement would be in a van.

My only experience of tailgate lift vans and machine tools was when my CNC mill, in a crate, was delivered from Liverpool docks after clearing customs. Seeing the crate wobbling on a pallet truck several feet above the ground on the tailgate lift that was sloping away from the van nearly caused a heart attack.

Much safer just rolling it off a trailer. 🙂

Julie

[southernchapParticipant @southernchap]

Yeah, when providing advice, I find it’s generally better to assume less experience/knowledge than more, particularly when safety is at stake.

Any van worth its salt will have been built with plenty of anchor points in the cargo space.  Normally, these are placed at multiple heights and lateral locations in the cargo space.  Some of these points will also be compatible with bracing bars, or as you have found useful in your trailer, the ever useful 2″ x 4″ (or even better, custom made shapes, if one is feeling carpentry-competent!).

I particularly like pallets to put a machine on if they’re available.  The wider base (assuming conscientious application of strapping) just makes moving the machine a bit more predictable (also partly due to the extra weight of the pallet).  Also adds even more points for extra strapping low down, and the higher coefficient of friction between the wood and most surfaces, attenuates sliding a bit more (eh, every little helps).

I’m also a fan of pallet trucks, over engine hoists, where possible, less swingin’ rock and roll!  Three machine skates can be very efficient too, but require a very watchful eye.  Steel bar as rollers are also a reliable technique, but again require extra vigilance and are a bit of a PITA, in my view.

Obviously very few of us are lucky enough to have nice smooth, hard standing type routes from starting location to destination position, but sheets of 1/2″ or 3/4″ ply can help where the route is uneven or soft, but basically flat.

To be fair, as hobby machinists, having a trailer handy is very useful (not just for machine moving of course), and is a hell of a lot cheaper than hiring vans.

However, I do have a bit of a learned nervousness with trailers, as my first experience of driving with a trailer was as a student, helping a friend move a 13′ high, welded final year art project from Manchester University to Portsmouth, on a very gusty and rainy day (well obviously, Manchester, but the inclement conditions lasted the entire journey, it was at its worst on the M5).

Let’s just say, by the end of the journey my hands were aching terribly from my terrified grip on the steering wheel!  I was still feeling it days after!

Eh, the blithe over-confidence of youth!

Still and all, if one hasn’t driven with a trailer containing a heavy and valuable item attached to the back of one’s car, I’d say it’s better for everyone (including the poor buggers surrounding one on the motorway!) to not have that as one’s first lesson!

I may be open to a not entirely unfair accusation of an over-abundance of caution, but that’s just the way I roll.

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