Lathes

[1.8T]

I would like to get myself a lathe, it cant be anything too huge as im limited by only having a single car garage to house it, it will also need to be 240v volt, i was thinking perhaps a myford, budget wise £1000 would be the most i could afford to spend, what small lathes are worth considering and what should i look for when viewing a lathe, a friend has offered me an ML7 which he assures me is good but i need to know what to look out for

 

[astro_al]

Aside from any advice you get here, check this out: lathes.co.uk

Go as big as you can.

Al.

 

[moggy]

Go as big as you can.

agreed, ive got a 1928 lorch schmidt lathe which is quite handy as its metric.

 

[1.8T]

Cheers for the link will have a look, forgive my ignorance but what difference does metric or imperial make

 

[AndyP]

It's the graduations on the handwheels but as long as you remember that for practical purposes 1mm = 40 thou you can live with it.

It also simplifies screwcutting if the leadscrew, thread dial and or gearbox is of the type you are most likely to use, ie, imp or met but conversion gearwheels can be used to swap from one to the other.

 

[brightspark]

if u can get the ml7 lathe at the right price and its in fair nick it will be well worth having things to look out for are wear on the headstock bearings /wear on saddle and on the cross slide . also check that theres not a lot of backlash on the feed screws. eg they shouldnt turn half way round the dial back and forth without moving the saddle or cross slide basicaly make sure it hasnt been caned and abused myfords are a good solid lathe but a bit over rated as there a popular modelmakers lathe

 

[Pete.]

Myfords are well over-priced in my opinion. There are better machines for less money but the model engineering crowd keep the prices high.

As above, go as big as you can. For a grand you should do alright.

 

[1.8T]

What would you expect a good ML7 with cabinet and tooling to cost?

 

[Pete.]

Prices vary wildly. I couldn't even make a guess.

 

[1.8T]

Well if someone could tell me what a fair price would be that would be appreciated so i can decide wheather my friend is asking a fair price or not

 

[astro_al]

Without seeing it? No, they can't.

Al.

 

[scott0031]

You can take a look here to have a laugh at dealer prices.......... I would not recommend taking those prices as gospel as home and workshop is now famous for very over inflated prices. A lot better deals are to be had else where, patience and keeping your eyes open are the key.

http://www.homeandworkshop.co.uk/



Kind regards,

Scott (ward eng)

 

[1.8T]

Yeah saw that scott, i guess they would need to be very good for that, astro al really just wanting a ballpark for an average myfold ML7 that has been looked after on a myford cabinet with basic tooling, i know it depends on varying factors but im new to all this

 

[scott0031]

Yeah saw that scott, i guess they would need to be very good for that, astro al really just wanting a ballpark for an average myfold ML7 that has been looked after on a myford cabinet with basic tooling, i know it depends on varying factors but im new to all this

Indeed they would need to be very good Some of the gear he gets there is pretty nice. I knew the owner of that place when he was working in a lock up garage when he first started out and had no idea of the equip he bought and sold. Amazing how its changed and money now rules everything.


Anyway take a peek on eBay and search' myford' to get a price guide, I just had a quick look only 3 pages there and several lathes for sale, good place to get a guide line.



Kind regards,


Scott (ward eng)

 

[stormin]

Here's a better home workshop site to look at prices and machines.

http://www.homeworkshop.org.uk/

As to what a Myford ML7 is worth, well?

There's lots of different specs, long bed or short, quick change gearbox or not. Some even come with 3 phase motors which if you have a digital inverter are great as you have near infinite speed control.

When you say including tooling, how much? A large amount of tooling could effectively double the value of any machine.
The main things to look for are the expensive items like chucks and face plates, vertical slide, quick change toolpost in good nick. Drills and cutters are fast wear items and relatively cheap to replace.

 

[busastars]

I was thinking a while ago at getting a Myford ML7 / Super 7. When I was looking there was a guy on ebay selling them, always had a few for sale, his prices was anything from around £450 - 650, sure he was in Swindon. I have however seen these for sale at ££££

The good thing about the Myford is the avalibility of spair parts, they do seem over priced mind. Also dont forget about tooling as this can set you back a few hundred pound depending on how much you buy.

My advice apart from condition that others will tell you about is tooling, try to get somthing that has lots with it, 3 & 4 jaw chuks, back plate, live center, some cutters to get you started.

 

[gavuk]

What parts do you want to make on the lathe ?.......myfords are good ,but because of the modellers, prices are high ,may be better off with colchester ,bantam,harrison etc

 

[1.8T]

This chap i assume http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/mr-myford/ im waiting to hear back from my friend as at least with him local i can go and have a look

 

[1.8T]

Gav Just small bits and pieces, i dont have the space for a large machine so a bit limited on size

 

[gavuk]

You 'd be suprised what room you can make .....boxford,harrison L5/140..etc etc don't take up much more space than a myford...the mass of the machine can make a huge difference,,and the bore through the spindle allows for larger material and deeper cuts etc....