Viewing 23 posts - 41 through 63 (of 63 total)
  • Educate me on ….metal work lathes.
  • mick_r
    Full Member

    My dad has a single phase Myford Super 7 that I started to use as a kid – very handy for spacers and other things, but I find the headstock / chuck bore quite restrictive – you want the biggest hole you can afford!

    A retired colleague might have a Boxford for sale (he already has two other lathes) – I’m told in good condition so have requested some information and will report back.

    porter_jamie
    Full Member

    Btw if anyone is in the Essex area we could arrange a machining evening. Use my lathe or mill. Bring cakes….

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    Cheers Mick’s

    If I don’t hear anything back from the other avenues.

    My colleague I work with in angola was a turner back in the 80s. Gonna get a crash refresher 🙂

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    mick_r
    Full Member

    The one reflex that has stuck with me since apprenticeship is that the chuck key (in chuck) must never leave your hand. Eagle eyed instructor sat there for hours trying to catch people. Punishment was cutting a 10mm slice off a big lump of steel bar with a blunt hacksaw 🙂

    The lads we saw at college / uni didn’t have that drilled into them and it was downright dangerous venturing into their workshop….

    Super 7 was cheaper without hardened bed slideways – not a major issue but look for damage if people have dropped the chuck or used abrasives. There might be a little hacksaw nick in my dad’s – wonder who put that there….

    citizenkane
    Free Member

    I bought a usable Colchester Chipmaster for £500, spent half that again on a 3 phase VFD, some more on a DRO then even more on a 5c collet set then even more again on an adjustable collet set. All bought second hand and I can turn it back into more money than I spent. I see tools like this as an investment and a pleasure.

    porter_jamie
    Full Member

    Correct about the chuck key I’m properly obsessed about that.

    mickmcd
    Free Member

    a usable Colchester Chipmaster

    I just had to let one of these go and I cried,

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    boom , due to a transfer to international contract ive been punted out the company share scheme i was in and had my last years payments refunded ….. its almost like someones telling me something.

    A lathe i feel would be a better investment than some shares in the company i work for ……

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    where do the masses stand on “converted” lathes.

    ie 3phase designed converted to 240v.

    Im a little unsure in that i know the lathe in question came with a 3phase 5hp motor and i know that domestic singlephase is limited to 3hp pretty much. Will that make much odds to the sorts of things i’m likely to be doing ?

    reluctantwrinkly
    Free Member

    I have a Harrison M250 which runs off a Transwave converter and it seems fine for general use. The motor rattles a bit on start until the phases are all in and obviously doesn’t have the full grunt of the original 3 phase but it’s a convenient way of using an unmodified lathe. The Transwave converter is a bit pricey but has been reliable but to be honest it’s not been thrashed exactly.

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    What size lathe would you need to turn a hub?

    irelanst
    Free Member

    Hubs are small really, you could manage fine on a 7*12 hobby lathe.

    citizenkane
    Free Member

    5hp is a huge amount of power, I’m guessing that’s a pretty big lathe. I run my 2hp 3 phase lathe with an inverter drive, I don’t bother with the variable freq as I have a variator but both my mill and cold saw use the variable freq and within limits it works well. If you want to run on a simple 230v 3 phase you will have to wire the motor delta, my saw has a 2 speed motor and will only run on 440 v which complicates the installation and requires a step up transformer.

    You dont need a huge amount of power on a lathe if you are willing to moderate how hard you use it, I would have thought 3 hp would be more than adequate for a 6″ lathe in a domestic setting.

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    irelanst – Member
    Hubs are small really, you could manage fine on a 7*12 hobby lathe.

    Thanks. That’s what I was hoping.

    Woodentop
    Free Member

    Keep an eye out on local selling pages, Facebook etc … I’d always fancied one and just happened to spot one locally, a guys father had passed away and was having to clear out his house / garage, he was just wanting shot of things.
    I paid £550 for a Myford Super 7 with a base, loads of attachments, tools, spares, ally / steel / nylon bar, original receipts / manuals, even loads of hand written notes / photos. I don’t know what half the things are to be fair, but its a cracking machine and its nice to know that some proper old boy has tinkered on with it for years.
    Good look in finding something, there are some bargains out there.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    Myford ml7 -basic one not the gear box or the long bed) which is the size I want

    In good original condition with the stand doesn’t appear to have e seen alot of use imo.

    Fixed and moving steady – faceplate and 3 jaw Chuck and quick change toolpost and some tooling.

    850 quid.

    Any thoughts. Reading up I would need to buy gears and manually change them to do screw cutting how ever for the number of screws I’d want to cut- that’s unlikely to be an issue.

    TheBrick
    Free Member

    Sounds similar to what my dad and I have.

    Worth checking for slop. Take a bit of stock and tooling and get a test cut done. I say take some stock and tooling so there is no excuse for not running the machine.

    TheBrick
    Free Member

    P.s. re threading. I have a to do project where by I add an encoder to the headstock and servo to the power feed to do away with the need for change gears. Should be simple to do. Allow and thread pitch plus allow for power feed when cutting.

    maccruiskeen
    Full Member

    I’d recommend dropping this ebay seller a line and tell him what you’re looking for. He might not have it but he can look out for it for you

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/campbell4550/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=

    They (father and son) have a few nice bits of machinery that they fettle and sort and sell on but also have an ear to the ground as to what coming up. They also run about in their own HIAB so get and move on machines that other people would have to pass on. Because the do machinery moving for other people they also know whats sitting in the corners of other people’s workshops

    Cam can talk through! So make sure you’re got the afternoon free if you give him a bell!

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    aye ive seen those projects linked to on model engineer .

    I think it would do what i want and if it doesnt i think it would sell on easy.

    Will see if its up to any good.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    Off to look at the Myford ml7 on Monday.

    Whilst I’m led to believe the myfords are over valued and this ones on the high side Its bed is immaculate and it’s had a strip down refurb from current owner whos owned it for many years downsizing his workshop and moving.

    Equally a friend of a friend I know paid 500 for a ml7 with 3 and 4 jaw chucks and not alot else in a probate sale. No stand or any of the other shit that comes eith the one I’m looking at so possibly not too over priced and negotiations will bring it to where I want.

    The hired muscle in form of rustymac can provide some balanced opinion.

    squirrelking
    Free Member

    Can’t add anything other than – you lucky bastard.

    I need a lathe in my life.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    Mick got your advice for spotting a decent one/banjod one via rusty Mac. Cheers for that lot very useful pointers. Thanks for that.

Viewing 23 posts - 41 through 63 (of 63 total)

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