Thread: Myford ML7 Manual

Hi I have been through my stuff again and back to my dads 1961 Myford lathe.

I had to do some screw cutting, and found the manual, so I have scanned it, there are a lot of pages so I think I will have to split it up in to grouped of 10, also its 60 years old so a little hard to read, the original book was green with green print ! so its hard to read the back page...

hope this helps someone, there is some of my dads writing on it which is history..

Happy to answer questions, it might be subject to copyright.....
best wishes

Laurnece

Here is the second part of the Myford Manual

Some more of the manual

The pages were converted to a single PDF file, using free online software.

https://www.ilovepdf.com

Originally Posted by nadroj

The pages were converted to a single PDF file, using free online software.

https://www.ilovepdf.com

thanks for the link to the PDF program

History K50699

I think my dad bought the lathe in October 1961, his birthday month, I was 3 years old

the lathe took pride of place in the locked box room upstairs.

He was an instrument maker, and was an avid reader of the Model Engineer.

Over the next 10 years he added a clutch kit, and many mods to turn it in to a Myford Mill.

He died at 51, when I was 11, and I ( and my older brother) then played with the lathe, At 16 I started an engineering Apprentice ship as a tool maker, becoming a "Man" when I was 21....

The lathe had been moved to the shed by my Dad, and stayed there, in 1988 I moved to Australia, and got my mum to send the lathe out to Sydney.

I changed jobs several times, and moved house many times, but in 1989 I started work at the "University" and the boss let me set the lathe up in the workshop, where it lived for some 30 years till I retired.

The move to the Garage happened and once again the lathe slept for 2 years, as I built a house !, over the years I also bought a small toy drill/mill HM 45 (like this newer model https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/K8246) and the Tida Lathe.

once I retired I no longer had a "real" workshop so it was time to set up the Myford.

It had been used ( mostly) by me as a jobbing lathe, I had trained students on it, as it was Safer than a "Real" lathe.

So I now fitted the DRO, this took 2 days, I had to do some mods to the lathe (sorry purists)

I fitted a new tool post made for the Myford, Quality is okay (you get what you pay for) my Dad had made a new top slide for the Milling.
I went Metric with a new threaded bush and 10mm hold down Allen screw, when I put on the liner scale, I did not want to run off the end of the bed, so I put a soft alu stop on it, My dad had changed the way the lead screw worked (see Photo).

I drilled a second hole to allow the tool post to be moved forward and side ways to gain extra travel at the cost of rigidity, IE don't take heavy cuts, 20 Thou or 0.5mm is enough.

The Lathe is showing its age, with wear on the bed and little movement in the head stock bearings about 0.001", but its still a very good lathe.

I get the normal rattle in the belt cover, the spring that held (?) shut, broke about 10 year's ago and I made another out of S/S, and put a brass pin in the casting (there was a hole there already) but had to file the cover to locate it.

I bought a 100mm digital calliper on Ebay look for 100 mm Digital Vernier Stainless Steel LCD Electronic Tool Gauge
About $30, and cut it up with a angle grinder with a 1 mm cutting wheel, after taking it apart, and working slowly watching where the grit and heat went), drilled a hole in the end with a 3 mm masonry drill, I used a 5 mm Alu plate and re used the old filler hole in the top of the tailstock with a countersunk screw in the plate to hold it in position.

I used double sided tape to attach, works well, (new Vernier's do fractions as well) you can zero the display so is accurate. Tip remember to turn it off!

Okay the DRO is GCS 900- 2db
( https://www.google.com/search?q=gcs9...TFz7sPwZOyMA16) ShenZhen HXX GCS900 2DB I have spoken to the manufacture and changing the resolution is the ONLY way to set up this particular display.

it comes out the factory with the X Range set up for a Mill, on the Lathe you go 1 mm ( 40 Thou) on the display, you cut 2 mm off the job!
so it should be changed to read Half in the way explained in the link, other displays are different and you can change it from Mill to Lathe BUT NOT THIS ONE......

I am very happy with the ML7, its my go to lathe.

I have labelled the Photos so they should explain what I have done.

if you want to know more just ask.

thanks for taking the time to read it !

Best wishes

Laurence


I forgot to mention, my strange setup of the X liner scale, My problem was I did not want it near the chuck, and I did not want to impede the tail stock, putting it where I did, put it out the back I wanted about 110mm ( 4 1/4 ") of travel but I could only get 100 mm or 150mm so I went 150 ( later found out you can cut the scale down if you are lucky.....)

Putting it where I did required the removal of the carriage lock, so I had to make a new one and off set it back about 40 mm, seems to work okay.

the extra length has not been a problem, but the set up allows ( may be swarf to get in..., but not so far)

Laurence

Originally Posted by laurences

Over the next 10 years he added a clutch kit
...
My dad had changed the way the lead screw worked (see Photo).

I'm guessing that thing is meant to be used with an adjustable rod on the carriage,
so that when the tool gets to the end of the cut (or too close to the chuck),
the rod pushes the handle, disengages the lead screw, and stops carriage motion !

Originally Posted by nigelpearson

I'm guessing that thing is meant to be used with an adjustable rod on the carriage,
so that when the tool gets to the end of the cut (or too close to the chuck),
the rod pushes the handle, disengages the lead screw, and stops carriage motion !

nice idea but no if you push left then it engages, I think it was just a safety feature, as my dad did not want to use the lead screw for feed only thread cutting, he was an instrument maker, and only did job that were perfect…😀

Originally Posted by laurences

nice idea but no if you push left then it engages, I think it was just a safety feature, as my dad did not want to use the lead screw for feed only thread cutting, he was an instrument maker, and only did job that were perfect…😀

" okay the right hand end of the lead screw has a handle on it which is marked in Thou, this allows you use the left hand lever to disengage the screw cutting gears, and use the leadscrew drive the saddle, which gives you more control in longitudinal feed."