Tool post for Myford ML10 lathe

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

The ML10 is a fairly small lathe, and even the ML7, a bigger sister, could only withstand light cuts when milling. The vertical slide will tend to shift if you try to overdo things.

You can do good work with it, but do recognise its limitations.

You have LOTS of pleasure ahead of you!

Howard.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Nigel McBurney 1 on 09/02/2020 10:50:50:

….

Many text books state do not quench as it causes cracking in 60 years I have never had a tool crack,many of these authors have taken info from earlier books those earlier books were written in the same way ,ie what I have read rather than from actual experience, the very earliest Hss in around pre WW 1 days may have cracked and the myth carried on. …

Can't find the stupid book but one of mine is clearer – it refers to micro-cracking. It's not that the tool obviously breaks like shattered pottery, rather the surface is invisibly damaged and thus wears faster. Basically, hot quenched HSS tools don't stay sharp as long as they would if gently cooled.

I got the impression the difference is only worth worrying about in mass-production, where getting tools to last 5% longer on average would translate into appreciable savings. For everybody else, difficult to tell the difference between hot and cold quenched tools.

HSS is tough stuff and a good performer on all but the hardest materials. I reckon the main thing to avoid is gross overheating – once HSS hardness is destroyed by excessively hot cutting or grinding, it's very difficult to get it back.

Dave

[Rod RenshawParticipant @rodrenshaw28584]

+1 for views of NW 1 but I find it also pays to think of the total time that the job may take as being made up of the time to change the tool and also the time taken to make the cut. For smallish work requiring several tool changes then I use a QCTP and find it adequate and quick. But the QCTP overhangs the side of the topslide and lacks the rigidity needed to take heavy cuts. I wonder if the real limitation with using the QCTP is the topslide itself – which tilts sideways under load because of the overhang.

So for biggish work requiring a lot of metal to be removed on a smallish (Myford) lathe then I switch to an earlier idea and find the taken to switch is more than compensated for by the ability to take much.heavier cuts.

My earlier system is based on the "Simple Toolholders" advocated by Dr Robert Rose in a short series of articles in ME. Vol 138 (1972). These toolholders are just short lengths of BMS with a slot milled in one side to hold a HSS toolbit. Imagine one side of a 4 way toolpost "detached" as it were, from it's fellows, and with very short screws. The article advocates one makes a holder for each tool likely to be used. The toolbits are held in the holders, complete with their dedicated packing, by short grub screws. The holders are held on the topslide by the "Clog" toolpost supplied with the lathe. The holders are quick and easy to make, cost virtually nothing and, because they are held almost centrally on the topslide, they are very rigid and make heavy cuts easy. Considering the simplicity and cheapness, I think this is a good system which could easily be adapted to holding tipped tools.

Not everyone will have access to the articles but if they are available, they are well worth reading, perhaps Neil could reprint them.

Rod

[Jeremy Smith 2Participant @jeremysmith2]

Do you have a few photos of your simple toolholders which you could post?

[Jeremy Smith 2Participant @jeremysmith2]

Hey everyone, thought i would revive this! Just finished building the table for my ml10. Getting excited.

[Robin KingParticipant @robinking15611]

Just to clear up one point. The ML10 does have a saddle clamp – it's located at the top of the apron immediately under the cross slide and above the half nut lever, and has a small tee bar through the head. You can tighten it with finger pressure but because it's out if sight it's easy to forget to release it. It's effective and I use it every time I do any milling, plus some other ops. You'll soon find out how big a cut you can take by experience.

[steve taggartParticipant @stevetaggart81265]

About 20 years ago l made a 3-way toolpost for my ML10.

l think the design was by Dave Lammas, and it had once been published in ME.

l didn't use the casting, but fabricated mine from 1/4" steel plate, all screwed together with counter-sunk socket screws.

Armed with 3 indexable-insert tools, l never looked back, and no "barked" knuckles as was common with the 4-way type.

Quite the best, simple accessory, l ever made for my lathe.

[Jeremy Smith 2Participant @jeremysmith2]

Posted by steve taggart on 18/02/2020 19:36:46:

About 20 years ago l made a 3-way toolpost for my ML10.

l think the design was by Dave Lammas, and it had once been published in ME.

l didn't use the casting, but fabricated mine from 1/4" steel plate, all screwed together with counter-sunk socket screws.

Armed with 3 indexable-insert tools, l never looked back, and no "barked" knuckles as was common with the 4-way type.

Quite the best, simple accessory, l ever made for my lathe.

Any chance you could draw up a quick sketch?

[SteviegtrParticipant @steviegtr]

Hi Jeremy. Wonder how you got on with the tool post. This is some pictures of mine. This is for a Myford super 7b . So not sure if the tool centre height will be the same as yours. I had to have 4mm surface ground from my top slide & then the toolholders I also machined down by 4mm. I did those in the lathe. I then made a sleeve nut out of stainless & a sleeve tube out of Aluminium. I must say it has been a very good conversion to do. Anyway here are the pics.

Steve.

Edited By Steviegtr on 18/02/2020 23:15:57

[steve taggartParticipant @stevetaggart81265]

Jeremy, further on the Dave Lammas "3-way toolpost", l have since located the original article in ME.

lt appeared in Vol. 155, issue No.3758, dated 2nd August 1985.

l feel sure that any model-engineering club, near to where you live, would be able to help you with sight of a copy.

My recollection is that l made mine rather smaller than specified (that was for a larger machine than the ML10) and I cut it up from 1/4" BDMS plate, to make a sort of 3-layer "sandwich".

l have just removed mine from the lathe and found that the middle "slice", for the slot bit that accommodates the tools, was made from two layers of the quarter inch plate, to achieve the half-inch gap.

Three counter-sunk socket-cap screws held it all together, and the 3 tools, with some necessary packing, are each secured in place by two 4BA socket cap screws.

The three tools (indexable insert type) that l have fitted are Right-hand knife tool, Left-hand ditto, and a round-nosed tool. They do most of the jobs l need.

l hope this is of some use, however slight.

Good luck with your ML10, its a wonderful little machine.

[Jeremy Smith 2Participant @jeremysmith2]

I finally have the ml10 up and running, and realized that the elephant’s foot tool holder works great, but is a lot of fiddling around with during use!

Any other recommendations? I tried a four way tool post and found it to be too big and a pain to use. Does anyone here have photos of their setups, or links to fitting a quick change nodel to their unit??

[HollowpointParticipant @hollowpoint]

Myford do an ML10 toolpost

Here

It looks like a slightly modified t37 toolpost to me. I imagine you could buy a t37 and make it fit quite easily?

Edited By Hollowpoint on 06/04/2020 12:36:01

[Jeremy Smith 2Participant @jeremysmith2]

It does look very similar. Does anyone here habe the t37 tool post,and can verify some of the dimensions for me?

[Jeremy Smith 2Participant @jeremysmith2]

Anyone here have the t37 tool posy?

[DiogenesIIParticipant @diogenesii]

..don't have one, but found this..

https://www.warco.co.uk/quick-change-tool-posts/209-quick-change-tool-post-90-115mm-centre-height.html#product_download

..is that the one, top left? ..some of the other posts on that brochure might also be workable?

[Author]

Posts