My first ever lathe is a Myford

[CWret]

what’s the serial number?

Mine is SK101680. I saw on Myford info page that Aug 1972 and #SK108891 onward they had an improved saddle - so mine is likely late 1971 or early 1972

Facebook Myford group based here in Ontario.

I joined a couple weeks ago - had no replies to my initial posting
I’m in Burlington - in what area do you live?

 

[motordr]

Ya it’s been pretty quiet on that site lately. I’m in Beamsville, my Super 7 is about 1965 vintage.

 

[140mower]

It might also be a proud statement of the machine’s national origins……

..... At least it doesn't come with lights...... Lucas, the prince of darkness.

 

[CWret]

Lucas, the prince of darkness.

No lights & that’s a good thing

Years gone by i had a Morris Minor and a Austin Princess-electrical reliability was not the best.

 

[thestelster]

The stand will be levelled and the bed will be shimmed to remove twisting so that it cuts with zero taper. (There’s a learning project for me).

Have a look at:

Thread 'Testing Machine Tools by Georg Schlesinger (7th Edition, 2nd Printing)' https://canadianhobbymetalworkers.c...rg-schlesinger-7th-edition-2nd-printing.4914/

Go to the lathe section, and follow in order the tests and specs that he gives, and address any issues before moving on to the next test. Also note that he has different criteria for the different lathe types and sizes.

 

[CWret]

Thanks Stell - i had a quick look, that’s quite a reference book.

 

[Stuart Samuel]

Poor @Stuart Samuel . The mixed emotions are written all over his face. Must have been difficult to say goodbye. But WAAAAY better to go to a forum member who will love it as much as you did Stuart. Only a short drive down the highway to see it again.



Another guy with a loader tractor! So convenient! Hard to beat for jobs like this. I put bolt-on chain hooks on mine. Best improvement I ever made.



It has a tailstock!!! Woohoo!



Nothing a little paint couldn't fix......

View attachment 47488



No! First job is a lathe height standard!

Take your time with the alignment. It's too easy to do it wrong.

Don't seal the drip tray sandwich until you know how to best align it. You are lucky I live so far away.......

Nice acquisition @CWret . Mills are so lonely without a nice lathe.

It was hard letting it go, I’d always wanted a lathe in my kitchen. (It got moved there to make room for the new one)

 

[CWret]

It was hard letting it go,

Too bad you had to let it go - but certainly glad it ended up here. I appreciate that you gave me some time to make up my mind.

 

[Stuart Samuel]

Awesome. With the accessories, it seems that you have some form of quick change tool post (2x)?

BTW, why the electrical box on the side with the forward-reverse switch on the front?

Craig

The switch on the left was installed by the previous owner. I bought it from his son in London, in 2019. I got the impression the fellow had been concerned about power surges, but his son might have misunderstood. I chose to leave it installed, as I liked the ability to switch the machine off definitely, so you can’t bump the drum switch by accident. Also stays off if the power is interrupted, rather than leaping to life unexpectedly.

 

[jcdammeyer]

Nice score!

 

[trevj]

I will state, despite my respect of @Susquatch 's opinion, that a tool height gage is a waste of time, except as a project to familiarize yourself with operating the lathe (like there are not thousands to choose from!).

I have dealt with too many circumstances where the height of the tool was required to be adjusted a little up or down, to fixate myself upon that the tool "Must Be Perfectly On Center". In most cases, it can be pretty far off perfect, and will still work very well!

When you need to, or at least can, face across the end, you can quickly adjust up or down to get that perfect pip-free center. But if there is already a hole in there, the, it's not all that important!

When you cannot easily line up on a tailstock center, for example, (I used to deal with parts that needed you to use a crane to sling them into the chuck, so pulling the tailstock out to set height was, well, dumb), simply pinching a piece of flat stock gently between the work and the tool, and seeing how close to vertical that piece was supported, was great! Try that. Pinch a ruler, or a slip of shim, or some flat stock of almost any flavour, between the work and the tool tip. If it is really close to vertical, you are really close to being exactly on center. And the math (not my strongest field!) shows that the errors that may be produced, are pretty insignificant, well within most folks ability to judge by eye, if that slip of material is actually straight vertical!

As credited to Voltaire, don't let "Perfect" be the enemy of "Good"!

As an aside, sometimes you just find that a particular tool gives better results when it is higher or lower than it seems it should be. Go with the results, rather than the theory! Always!

 

[JustaDB]

Lucas, the prince of darkness.

Years ago I had a buddy w/ a Triumph motorcycle. We'd hit the bars, have a few drinks, head home in the wee hours. 'Course, that's when young males perform best, so it was often a race to get home. In his "condition" he'd occasionally miss a shift, red line the tach & blow a headlight. If he changed the headlight from the last time, he'd still have a high beam or low beam left. If not, it was tailgating one of us home...

 

[trevj]

..... At least it doesn't come with lights...... Lucas, the prince of darkness.

Nah. Joe Lucas was the Prince of Dimness!

The reason there were three positions on the light switch, were for Dim, Flicker, and Off!

He is credited with being the reason Brits like their beer warm. Because Lucas made Refrigerators!

The only product Lucas made that didn't suck, was their vacuum cleaners!

And scariest of all, the Italians learned everything they know about vehicle electrics directly from the master hisself! Lucas!

(Multi Brit Bike owner, Brit bike shop worker, and so on... slow learner, I guess! LOL!)

To be fair, Lucas thrived at a time when the fuel trucks in the UK could as well have been placarded with the warning "Caution, May Be Flammable!"

Post WW2 Britain was all about the export market, the home front got absolutely shite as far as the quality of their available goods went. But that is a whole 'nuther conversation!

 

[Susquatch]

I will state, despite my respect of @Susquatch 's opinion, that a tool height gage is a waste of time, except as a project to familiarize yourself with operating the lathe (like there are not thousands to choose from!).

Well said Trev. I won't disagree on much of what you say. I am a huge fan of that saying "never let the perfect be the enemy of the good." I have a few more to complement it. Perhaps my favorite of all is "never let what you can't do get in the way of doing what you can.".

First off, my compliments on disagreeing with style. It's very well received. Although it's possible that we might have to agree to disagree, I suspect I can nudge you a bit my way as follows.

You didn't mention the main reason for using one.

A GOOD STANDARD IS FAST and ERROR FREE. LIGHTNING FAST. ZERO ERROR. Nothing else comes close.

I completely agree that there are times where you want to be a little high or a little low. Nothing about using a standard forces you to stay exactly on center. It's really only there to tell you instantly where center is. You can always adjust up or down from there. Easy Peasy.

Cutting a nub is pretty error free but hardly fast. Using a flat rule or a center in the tailstock is pretty fast but not always so easy to use and quite often error prone.

I've used most of the common methods over the years and like you (assuming I read you right) I pretty much settled on cutting a nub to tell me where I was. Except when trying to center on a hole, it was the only method that never failed. I never learned to love the ruler cuz it lied to me the odd time - usually with stock that wasn't round yet or with a tool that had an odd shape that pushed the ruler.

I've also tried various gizmos that had one fault or another.

I don't recall where I originally saw a Height Standard. Perhaps an old machinist (older than me) but I do know I was smitten with it. I have a certain inborn love for fast things - too many to list.

It's hard to argue about how fast and simple a standard is. No cutting required. Plop it onto your flat way or your cross-slide and bring your tool over to it, swipe a finger or fingernail across the joint and your brain does the rest. It's actually amazing how sensitive a finger or finger nail can be. Especially for those times you want it a little high or low. Can't beat a finger

I suspect you haven't really used one. You prolly trust your assessment of it without needing to try it. Lots to be said for confidence like that.

So that's it, not much more to say. If you don't agree or can't be shifted, it's no big deal. Agreeing to disagree is a perfectly wonderful outcome.

 

[BaitMaster]

This is a nice lathe..... Some farmers i know have an old myford in the shop of the same model/vintage..... but covered in gritty grime..... I hinted to them to wipe it off before they tried to use it the first time after acquiring it a year or two ago.... while shuddering.

I hope it serves you well.

I wanted one before i found my 1230 SM.

 

[trevj]

A GOOD STANDARD IS FAST and ERROR FREE. LIGHTNING FAST. ZERO ERROR. Nothing else comes close.

That IS the problem, though. Guys become too tied up in getting the exact height set, per the 'standard' rather than per the needs of the job, and the realities of the amounts of flex and displacement that the work in the chuck endures.

I'd rather not waste my life chasing the perfect height, when a quick test cut will tel me that I am in the range.

Esp. when I am using a QCTP, and the adjustments are only a few seconds to do!! Rather have 'perfect for today' that 'perfect for how the machine was supposed to be when it was built!'

 

[Susquatch]

That IS the problem, though. Guys become too tied up in getting the exact height set, per the 'standard' rather than per the needs of the job, and the realities of the amounts of flex and displacement that the work in the chuck endures.

So, if I understand you correctly, if "that is the problem", then the problem is a human one not a tool problem. Neither one of us can fix stupid Trev...... LOL!

If I accept that position, then I must never use anything that is convenient, fast, and accurate cuz some idiot will misuse that in some bad way.

I'd rather not waste my life chasing the perfect height, when a quick test cut will tel me that I am in the range.

Trust me, I don't spend more than a second or two adjusting the height. From my perspective, I'd rather "not waste my life" taking quick test cuts...... LOL!

You don't need to take a quick test cut at all. Even a quick test cut is an eternity compared to using a standard. Just set the height using the standard and get to work. Don't fuss over how perfect it is, just use it to get close enough and start working. No test cuts needed.

Esp. when I am using a QCTP, and the adjustments are only a few seconds to do!! Rather have 'perfect for today' that 'perfect for how the machine was supposed to be when it was built!'

Sometimes I check my quick change tool holders, and sometimes I don't. I generally trust them to maintain their setting. After all, that's what they are for! However, as you said earlier, some jobs need them a little high or low. For those, that I may have adjusted a bit off the last time I used them, I will usually check them just to make sure they are reasonable.

But again, the point is that it takes seconds to check it, and seconds to adjust it if it isn't close enough for whatever you are doing.

Maybe I'll do a little video just for you so you can see how easy and how fast it is. Maybe one of a tool that needs to be a bit low too.

I have this sneaking suspicion that you will fall madly in love with a tool height standard just like I did.

 

[trevj]

So, if I understand you correctly, if "that is the problem", then the problem is a human one not a tool problem. Neither one of us can fix stupid Trev...... LOL!

If I accept that position, then I must never use anything that is convenient, fast, and accurate cuz some idiot will misuse that in some bad way.



Trust me, I don't spend more than a second or two adjusting the height. From my perspective, I'd rather "not waste my life" taking quick test cuts...... LOL!

You don't need to take a quick test cut at all. Even a quick test cut is an eternity compared to using a standard. Just set the height using the standard and get to work. Don't fuss over how perfect it is, just use it to get close enough and start working. No test cuts needed.



Sometimes I check my quick change tool holders, and sometimes I don't. I generally trust them to maintain their setting. After all, that's what they are for! However, as you said earlier, some jobs need them a little high or low. For those, that I may have adjusted a bit off the last time I used them, I will usually check them just to make sure they are reasonable.

But again, the point is that it takes seconds to check it, and seconds to adjust it if it isn't close enough for whatever you are doing.

Maybe I'll do a little video just for you so you can see how easy and how fast it is. Maybe one of a tool that needs to be a bit low too.

I have this sneaking suspicion that you will fall madly in love with a tool height standard just like I did.

Save the video, it's not gonna change my mind.

Personally, I found I could hit close as I needed by simply looking at the tool against the work. If I needed a perfect facing cut finish, the roughing cuts WERE the test cuts. Pinching (gently!) a feeler gage, or 6 inch rule, or similar stock, between the tip of the tool and the work, and checking how vertical the pinched stuff stands, is a great way to pick up center height directly off the work too. Handy when you can't simply pull the tailstock center in to align off (another waste of time and effort, IMO).

Keep on you doing you. I won't think yer the worse for it, I just have a distinctly different opinion on the value of using any fixed height device to set a lathe tool on center, when I can either be satisfied with the results, or make any required tweaks directly as a result of seeing a need.

I do recall however, that one of the more respected authors in Model Engineer Magazine, some years back, actually showed the math on how much supposed error that being a little high or low, could make, on straight turning, and esp. on turning tapers, like MT Shanks. The math (much more Trig that I had in me back at that time!) was over my head at the time, but the ghist of his article, was that the tool has to be VERY off center height (very dependent upon the work diameter!) for an appreciable difference to be made from one that is perfectly on spindle center.

You should consider, also, that I HAVE had some experience using a setting gage. Thus my low opinion of them! Have also dealt with far too many of the aforementioned idiots, who placed blind faith in such, rather than simply understanding the cause and effect, when things did NOT work! 8 years of teaching Apprentice tradesmen and women, how to run a mill and lathe without losing any body parts! Seen almost every "This Will Make It Easier!" idea that there is out there, and not found very many that were better than simply learning to read the results and understand them!

You spend your few seconds mucking about with the gage, I spend mine only adjusting if it is required. But I don't need a height gage for each lathe!

 

[Dabbler]

Due to the server crash my one comment on this issue was lost. I tried to stay out of it, but I have to restate my post.

There is room for people to do things their way. Machinists seem to be particularly stubborn for some reason. I've known a toolmaker that never used one.

When I have introduced my simple height standard to several professional, experienced machinists, they all made one and began using it regularly. This included one that remarked he'd wished he would have started using one decades before.

Perhaps the greatest benefit is to newer machinists, as using a ruler or tailstock takes longer and is less accurate. But even experienced machinists can have a setup that they cannot take a facing cut on, and need to commission a new tool. Then they have to resort to the ruler or tailstock center, which is much slower.

Having a height standard is like having the perfect tool for a job, even if used only occasionally. You wouldn't throw out your waterpump pliers because your pipe wrench can 'do it all'... I certainly am not advocating that anyone should abandon other methods. Each method has its time and place.

 

[thestelster]

Now that you have a lathe, let us help you spend your money accessorizing it!

First and formost: QCTP (Quick Change Tool Post)