A tale of two Myfords.........

[Turbo]

My biggest concern was the Tri-Leva set-up but that looks to be OK with virtually no detectable wear, so new springs,belts, oilers, replace the odd bolt/grub screw and an internal clean-up ought to suffice.

Not much to go wrong with the tri-leva system as it's so simple though I haven't worked out how it auto disengages the speed when you select another one. I took mine apart to clean it up & it took some 'fettling' to get it working properly again. You'll probably have to adjust the set screws on the levers due to fitting new belts. If they're not correct it will not go into 'gear' or jump out of gear.

Look after the original white metal headstock bearings as they're no longer available! Instead you have to buy a new hardened spindle & bronze bearings, a very costly exercise! Here's an article on the subject.
http://www.lathes.co.uk/myfordrebuild/www.onepoint6.co.uk/Myford/Spindle_and_Bearings.htm
Looking at the photos on that link yours might have been replaced with bronze already, a closer photo would help.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

@Turbo Thanks for that , oddly enough I was speaking to Tony Griffiths at lathes co uk today about a new set of three springs for the mechanism and he mentioned the bearings and how they were a shocker to replace. Looking closely at my pic of the cap bearing above, I'm thinking [and hoping ] that I already have to phosphor bronze ones, good news!! - yet another surprise bonus from Maurice.......



Just some more cleaning today in preparation for priming and enamelling the 'bits' and hope to get him up onto the stand tomorrow, might should make life much easier in terms of access and less painful with all the kneeling and bending for getting to it like before. Not much to show for today's efforts, but it's amazing what can lurk in a previously clean-looking leadscrew It looks to me to be almost exclusively brass as was the stuff on the carriage/bed etc, which if my thinking is right would mean the lathe hasn't been worked hard in its life - I could be thinking all wrong, of course . I've been wrong before, believe it or not...



More to come over the coming days [unless you're all bored rigid, of course? ]

 

[slim_boy_fat]

A very little progress today



And I can at last see the floor.......



Some bits inside tonight for priming, should get the enamel on tomorrow and the bits baked in the oven to aid drying/hardening



I'm getting there.............

 

[MattH]

Really looking forward to how this will turn out.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Really looking forward to how this will turn out.

The way things are going, Matt - it'll be a while yet

 

[dazza]

The way things are going, Matt - it'll be a while yet

I was actually thinking this was progressing rather quickly, keep up the good work.

 

[Turbo]

I think you're making good progress, keep it up!

When I got mine I worked hard getting the basic lathe cleaned up & ready to use. The rest of the bits that came with it were put into a box & forgot about. I came across them last week when I was sorting stuff to go into my pedestal units. The main bits are a 4 jaw chuck, a 4-way toolpost, a set of change wheels, 2 faceplates, a vertical slide, a machine vice & the tri-leva cover that I broke.

Unfortunately other jobs got in the way, the main one being a car that has been stuck in my way for months! Once I get it on the road I'll be able to get back to my other stuff.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Painting, painting, and more painting today - but at least I've confirmed to myself that baking the enamel painted bits in the oven speeds up drying time [and possibly hardness] a LOT!! 50 mins at 70c was about right.

And whoever said that men can't multi-task? Lunch above.....upper drive pulley below...... [sorry for poor, out-of-focus phone pic ]

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Bit more painted, the lathe bed is now primed and ready for the enamel - won't be too long before I can start with the reassembly



the spindle is in great shape

and the motor cleaned up nicely



Thanks for looking

 

[MattH]

You are quite literally painting value onto that!

 

[slim_boy_fat]

You are quite literally painting value onto that!

Thanks Matt, it'll be nice to actually get something loaded into a chuck and have a play.

 

[Robotstar5]

Thanks Matt, it'll be nice to actually get something loaded into a chuck and have a play.

It'll be too nice to use at this rate

 

[slim_boy_fat]

It'll be too nice to use at this rate

Don't know what I'll do with my time after this - I suppose the grass'll need cutting by then [cut it once already this year ]

 

[cumbriasteve]

It's looking good, had mine fired up today, converting one of the rollers on my metalcraft tool, was going great until I realised I now need a knurling tool, ebay here I come

Also done the first grass cut..Feb 14th..that is seriously sad

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Latest update if you're still with me...........

Pics of the fixed & travelling steadies after their clean up - I really DO need to get a life.......

I did them while waiting for paint to dry in the oven, loose end and all that......





But now I've moved on to the really rewarding bit, the 'putting-it-back-together' stage

. Got the spindle fitted with shims in place and screwed down, it's as smooth as a smooth thing going smoothly - oil reservoirs are loosely back in place to prevent any crap getting in until I fit my proper Myford drip oilers - which will be after all the covers etc are in place.









Happy Days!!!

I'm now on the lookout everywhere for round bar for when Maurice is operational, I bought these on the Bay of Everything but now I'm not sure if they're going to be suited for practising turning/threading etc as a mate said they might just be case hardened.....oh well...... But for £7 winning bid it's no great loss if not

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VARIOUS-PLUG-GAUGES-AND-ROLLERS-/172541113532?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&nma=true&si=xQ0TKK3I9V6jhtISxOQ9OyVwBBw%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

Had to call an early halt this pm as I'd promised a friend a lift to the garage to collect their car post-MOT. Should get some more done tomorrow, all things being equal [which, as we all know, aren't].

 

[MattH]

Should of said, I could of thrown a bunch of rounds into the box!

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Should of said, I could of thrown a bunch of rounds into the box!

Thanks, it would have been appreciated , my 'forward planning' was obviously on stand-by setting back then........

 

[slim_boy_fat]

One thing I'm undecided about is the colour to pick out the Myford name in. As he arrived, Maurice was this colour


I'm aware that many, if not most, are red like this one from lathes.co

but given that the grey is now darker on Maurice than previously, I'm swithering about going cream which afaik was also a maker's colour.
Not that it really matters one way or another, just an aesthetics thing................ Cream is in the frame at the moment............

EDIT: I forgot that my Baldrick idea about the castors has turned out to be a real boon - means I can access all round the lathe which would have been very ackward with it in it's final resting place, for example, mounting and adjusting the motor.

Won't be using it with them on, but in the meantime until I can make the feet/adjusters

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Right, Collective.

Getting to the re-assembly stage now [eventually ] and before I refit this



to these



what would the lube recommendations be?

I have on the shelf ....a) Castrol LM grease.....b) Coppaslip.....c) common [or garden] engine oil.....and d) chainsaw oil [maybe not as daft as it sounds, having less 'throw' than (c)?]

I'm guessing a light application of (a)?

Once I get the Tri-Leva spring rates sorted, fitted and adjusted, it'll be on to rigging and testing the power supply to the NVR and Dewhurst switches, welding the adjustable feet [too windy out, but all prepared], lathe levelled and job ought to be done.

Then, let there be swarf!!

 

[cumbriasteve]

I just put a bog standard Castrol grease on mine and they run virtually silent, although the ML10 does not run as fast as the 7 so that may help it not be too fussy.