Another new lathe owner!

Nice setup! I bought a well tooled ML7 last summer from a garage sale, I intended to get it going but I found that I just didn't have the time yet and I need other power tools first so I sold it... seeing your lathe makes me regret that decision but I will get one later on.

On a better note I bought guns with that money!

Anyway that looks like a really nice machine! Did you get Whitworth size wrenches with it?
 
rodauto said:
That is a fantastic setup! I'm just getting mine set up and buying some tooling right now. Don't think I would ever get close to what you have there. Congrats!!!
Rodney
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Rusty inherited a life time's effort in getting tooling and jigs together that occurred over a long time as needed by different jobs or a lot of shopping. But don't sell yourself short. Over time you'll get there. And there's a lot of learning you can do by making your own tooling such as that tail stock die holder and other items to use on the lathe or around the rest of the shop.

For example a finger plate is a wondrous accessory to have around for a drill press. It makes holding really tiny parts for drilling a lot less painful. And the center threaded shaft and knob is a perfect early lathe project.
 
I had a foam mat. After about 10 years it was so full of chips and swarf I could use it for coarse wood sanding. And truth be told it was ruined about 5 or 6 years into its life for this same reason. They work superbly for wood working but not so well for metal machining due to this chip embedding issue.

A while back I got a long piece of hard rubber cross woven open mesh matting. The sort which has ribs of rubber running all one direction on one side and the opposite direction on the other. The chips fall through the weave and sit down against the floor. Not as easy on the feet as the softer matt but the gap does keep the feet insulated from the cold concrete. And that's a nice effect. And to clean the matt and floor I just lift it away and brush out the chips from the matt and sweep up the floor and it's good as new. It was large enough that I cut it in half and use one piece at the lathe and another at the most used area of the work benches. I'd like to get another piece of similar material for a matt in front of the mill.
 
Friend of mine that runs a very large machine shop has heavy 36" conveyor belting on the floor at every machine he has. If you know of a crusher company around you can usually get salvageable rolls of the stuff just for hauling it away.
 
Wow, so many responses and ideas - thanks all.
I still have another weekend of shop reconfiguration coming up, once that's done I'll be able to fully organize and take care of tool storage. I will be making a wall mounted file rack(long overdue anyways) and sorting and storing bits and taps in like sizes, will have to make racks for them as well. Going to have large rolling cabinet with my toolbox on top and commonly used tools and measuring devices in the drawers underneath.
I did not get a die holder but it sure looks handy, I'll check online and come up with a way to make my own, looks like a great first project. Somehow I thought that cutting threads would be done using the power feed and appropriate tool, but using a die looks much easier to start with and sure looks like the way to go.
I did look up quick change tool holder, very slick. Think I'm a ways away from one of those but will keep one in mind. I do have two other tool posts that can go on the cross slide, that and the one provided should keep me going in the meantime.
As far as safety, with my oldest(17) wanting to use it as well, it's something I stress each and every time we go in the shop. I have worked in several small and large woodshops making everything from wood boats to log homes and custom stairs and am very cognizant of the dangers these machines represent. I have served on H+S committees in the past as well, there will be no flip flops while operating the lathe, I can assure you of that!
My son is in the SHSM(Special High Skills Major) stream in his final year of high school and receives a ton of safety training as an integral part of that stream. He's also a very good welder and just last night gave a presentation to the CWA(Canadian Welding Association) regarding the co-op placement he's doing. At present we do not have a welder, but it's in the future plans along with the power upgrades necessary.
I do have a mat that was the conveyor for an industrial drum sander that when turned smooth side up makes a good mat for in front of the machine, was thinking of putting foam underneath in an attempt to provide more cushioning, not sure how that'll work out but it's worth a try.
I do not have any Whitworth tools, making do with metric and SAE at the moment, but can see a set would be handy, I'll keep an eye on my local Kijiji to see if any come up.
It has been and will continue to be a busy week, it may take a day or so to reply to this thread, thanks again for all the help.
 
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Excuse this if it's basic but a big safety no-no around a lathe is loose sleeves. If the shirt you're wearing isn't a pretty close fit to your arms then roll the sleeves up. And always use a lot of care around the chuck when doing things like filing the part. Those jaw ends sticking out can be as grabby as a cat's claw if you're not careful.

For the same reason it's a good habit to get into that the chuck key is never out of your grip while it is in the sockets of the chuck. And I mean it's welded to your hand while anywhere near the chuck. In fact I will remove it even if I'm just walking away to grab the piece to put into the chuck. I do that just to reinforce the habit so I don't get caught out later on. You and your son want to learn to treat this with the same care and attention you use with your finger in and out of the trigger guard of your firearms. It only takes a split second of a mistake to end up with the key thrown into your face, to pinch and cut away a finger or two or snapped around and damage the lathe. And it's a WAY heavier than a drill press chuck key and the lathe chuck has a MUCH longer arm to throw it than the drill press chuck. I can't stress this enough. Do this by choice until it's ingrained as naturally as breathing. There's no excuse for any exceptions because exceptions lead to a thrown or jammed key sooner or later. Give you and your son free rein to call out "key!" to each other if either of you get caught. And make a pact that neither takes it as a slight but as a safety reminder. I know I'm going on and on about this but I've seen what a thrown chuck key can do. The TWO times in all my years I've seen it (once was me and the other time a guy at work) both ended up with nothing hurt other than our pride. But trust me it comes out of there like a strongly thrown machinist's hammer.

If you look through the pictures I posted in the other lathe thread you will see a roller cabinet set up with a three drawer over top on a riser "hutch" shelf so the top of the roller is clear. This has worked out SUPERBLY to give me a spot for drawings, tools, samples and other goodies that I used to set down on top of the lathe. It has also let me group all the tools for the lathe and shaper that sits beside the cabinet in one spot. So I nodded in agreement when I read that you want to do something similar.

Something else I'm going to do soon is put a couple of fridge magnets onto the steel back guard so I can stick my sketches there while working on the lathe. They'll be set down towards the tail stock so the oil fling off the chuck doesn't grunge them up. But getting them off the work table of the roller cabinet will clean that up for the parts and cutters used for each part of the job.
 
You're right on with the safety warnings, my shop sweatshirt had raggedy ends on the sleeves, my son gave me the no-go right away on wearing that around the lathe. I now wear a long sleeved tight fitting T-Shirt and coveralls, it's nice to have a heated shop!
They had an incident at school with a chuck key left in, no injuries but they now have spring loaded keys that can't be left in from what I understand.
I do like the riser your box is on, I may steal that idea. My cart is actually part of my brothers old kitchen cabinetry that I added casters to along with a plywood top. It's deeper than your average tool chest but it was free and will do for now.
Once I'm done with my weekend work I'll post up pics.
I've stapled some heavy duty laminated posters(back side out) up behind the lathe as an ad hoc backsplash, seems to work. It's obviously not magnetic but dry erase markers do work which is a bonus.
 
That's the Rolls of model engineering lathes...I built several steam things...traction engine for example on an old SouthBend, over the years...I would have given my eye-teeth for that Myford.
Have fun!!!!!! Pete
 
When it's cool in my shop I tend to wear a sweat shirt over a T shirt. And if working on the lathe I don't even think about it any more. The left arm sleeve gets pulled up above my elbow before I even reach for the chuck key and it stays that way for the duration of any lathe work.

You can check out the roller cabinet setup in the pictures at the bottom of this post link from the "I finally pulled the trigger...." thread;

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...TE-Post-87?p=12432483&viewfull=1#post12432483

The green block beside the 3 drawer is a block of wood that hold the files I use on my lathe. There's a couple of different regular files along with a proper long angle Sandvik lathe file. Lathe files are cut with a longer angle to the teeth so they work on turning round shapes far better than a regular file. It's well worth getting a size or two for your work. The longer angle makes them less susceptible to "pinning". that's when the teeth pick up bits of metal that jams in the gullet.

The riser that holds the top chest up is made from some 5/8 plywood. The sides are cut with a taper so it is wider at the base. That's why the front edge of the riser looks a bit "off". A spare hacksaw for cutting off parts after a deeper parting operation or when they are small pieces hangs on a screw along one of the outer sides. And a file card is hanging from a screw on the front of the green file block. Proper use of files requires frequent cleaning with a file card. Get one or two and learn the angle to hold them so the ends of the wires run along the tooth gullets of the file. It's not a "brush" in the usual sense of the word. A file card needs to be used so the wood handle sits at 90 to the direction the teeth run so the chisel points on the wires can get into the gullets of the teeth and pick out any metal. Treat your files right and they can do amazing work quite easily and quickly than many can appreciate. treat them badly and they will be neat to useless. It also USUALLY pays to buy better name brand files. Nicholson isn't what they used to be but they are still better than the cheap imports. I bought a dozen or so Sandvik files about 25 years ago. Amazing quality.... It's sad that they don't seem to make hand files any longer. And yes, that means my main lathe file is 25 years old. And because I'm careful with it to not let it rub on other files or tools and keep it clean of chips it's still working well. Not as well as new but well enough that I'm not quite in a panic to buy a replacement.
 
colt45cz75 said:
Ebay can be a great resource for tools and tooling as well.
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Yeah. Lots of Myford spares, both New Old Stock, used, and aftermarket replacements, available if you are patient. Myford went into bankruptcy a couple years ago, but another outfit in England has bought up the spares and is getting some stuff made new as required. Support won't go away anytime soon.

I just noticed something on the pictures. What is the center distance of the Myford? It looks like a Long Bed in the photo, but it may just be a perspective issue. If it is about 18 inches it is the standard one (which is what I have) and IIRC the long bed stretches out to being able to take over 24 inches between centers.
The long beds are pretty rare.

I gotta say, that Myford looks amazing. I might (might!) have you beat for tooling, but I have been accumulating 'stuff' for mine for over 20 years now. The one that I have is my second Myford, so I have had the opportunity to swap and pick out what I wanted to keep.

About the only thing I have not got that I might not ever, is the Myford Dividing head, as they are both expensive, and I have not had a need for one yet.

Whitworth wrenches can be got through Snap-On tools (expensive), or through the mail order outfits that supply the old British bike guys (less expensive), or found at random, pawing through boxes of junk tools at flea markets and such (cheap). I have a couple of the right size wrenches and a small adjustable Crescent wrench type that I use on mine for the ones I have not

Cheers
Trev
 
On the Whitworth wrench issue I would not hesitate for a second to grind out the jaws of the next size down wrench to fit. I'd still keep an eye open for a proper one so I had the "proper" tooling. But 5 minutes with an angle grinder and a new wheel on it for the flat face to fit a solid wrench trumps an adjustable to my way of thinking.
 
Looks like it is a long bed as you can see from the pics. Didn't think of grinding down wrenches to fit, I'll keep my eyes peeled for some wrenches to sacrifice for the lathe.
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Yeah, you have a lot more length than the basic 7 that I had.

For part of your setup you'll want to double check the setting on the gybe strip adjusting screws. Start with the ones on the main carriage. Adjust each in until it drags slightly then just ease it a hair so it still drags but only very lightly. Then ease each in until you feel additional drag and ease it out until you don't feel anything additional. In the end there should be a light amount of drag from all this but not so much that you can't move it easily with the wheel. It's more a case of you can feel the drag if you jog it back and forth by hand within the play of the rack or lead screw. But not so much that you can feel it through the hand wheels.

Well... other than the hand wheel for the compound slide. For that one I like to have a noticeable amount of drag through the wheel.
 
This is a very interesting and informative thread. I have a question.
What is a Myford dividing head in very good condition worth? I am looking at a SB 9A with a very large amount of tooling which includes a very nice Myford dividing head with, as I recall, 6 - 8 plates. I have owned 9As in the past but now have a 13 x 36" between centers that I am happy with, so am mainly interested in the tooling and would move the lathe and Myford accessories along. I have been reluctant to purchase because I felt the price is a little steep but, perhaps, I have under valued the Myford dividing head.
Any info WRT value will be much appreciated.
 
B_noser said:
This is a very interesting and informative thread. I have a question.
What is a Myford dividing head in very good condition worth? I am looking at a SB 9A with a very large amount of tooling which includes a very nice Myford dividing head with, as I recall, 6 - 8 plates. I have owned 9As in the past but now have a 13 x 36" between centers that I am happy with, so am mainly interested in the tooling and would move the lathe and Myford accessories along. I have been reluctant to purchase because I felt the price is a little steep but, perhaps, I have under valued the Myford dividing head.
Any info WRT value will be much appreciated.
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Any pics? What's the asking price?
 
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