Thanks Michel, I have limited space as well. I have had to do a lot of re-arranging to make some room for it (putting other machines on wheels as well). I think I will get a lot of use from it now though.
JB

Hi Martin, I've had that stand for about 12 yrs (about 10 on the end of a work bench) with just a few boxes on it,- one of those things you keep because you might find a use for it one day 😁 -finally did !😊

JB

Hey JB!!!
My respect, I've been wishing for something like this for a long time. But the space is limited in my little craft space. I can use a club member's machine for this. .
👍👍 Good work, JB !!
Greetings from Michel-Cl.

Nice work JB 👍

Great stuff JB,
There will be no holding you back now LOL!!
Good use of the old computer stand.

Martin555.

Received the new motor pulley today from the South Island, and fitted it on the motor this afternoon. Everything worked perfectly so I checked the speed range with my digital tach. Normal running gives 1400 RPM, 960 RPM, 659 RPM. Using the back gear gives 254 RPM, 174 RPM, 119 RPM, - so quite a reasonable range.

The company I bought the pulleys from gave excellent service, and even credited me one shipping fee when they noticed I had ordered 2 pulleys separately, then sent them as one package. Don't get that sort of honesty much these days !

Only used the 1/2"pulley, as the 3" would have been too fast with the 2800 RPM, motor (rear shaft would have been running at 1680 RPM not 896 RPM as it is now). All ready to start making 'stuff'. If you were wondering, the red spot on the chuck, is the laser on the reflector strip for the digital tach.
I have also 'repurposed' an old computer stand as a tool tray. Quite handy as it can swivel in a number of directions. Waiting for some new belts to arrive, as these have seen better days. Might make a flip up top cover for all the pulleys as well, just for safety.

Hi Martin, looks a bit tidier with a paint job, was looking a bit grubby before that. Re the bike spanner, it's probably as old as the lathe, (one of my fathers old tools ) still have quite a few old British made tools (probably from the 30s - 50s) which were my grandfathers (a builder) and fathers. One of my favourites is and old 'Maori Chief' rip saw,( made by the Toronto Saw Company in Canada - probably 1920s) of my grandfathers, which has been sharpened so many times, it's only half as deep as original,- built a lot of houses !
Pulleys should be here this week with any luck, have to come from Nelson -top left of the South island,- so couriers might be a bit slow,- has to come across our version of the English Channel -( the Cook Strait)-either plane direct, or truck from Nelson to Picton (onto ferry,) across to Wellington, to Auckland, not sure, sometimes takes weeks, other times overnight.

JB

JB

I'm sure I won't get 'bored' with them Bill, or 'turned off'😁

JB

Hi JB,
She is looking like a different machine now.
I like the use of the bike spanner. LOL!!
When are you expecting the drive pulley to arrive?

Martin555.

JB.
You have been at the “cutting edge” on this one and I don’t want to “Chuck” any more sad jokes at you.
Enjoy 🤪

No worries Bob, it was Martin who suggested I put it up, as he thought there might be some interest. I think many modellers have these small handy lathes so it's good to see peoples responses, and see what they make bits on.

JB

Not as pleased as I was Gary😁 Used to be the maintenance manager of an Island hotel, in the late 70s, responsible for borehole pumps, sewage treatment plant, water reticulation, boiler, kitchen machines etc. Got chucked in at the deep end when a mad Welsh maint guy got the boot, and I had to learn about motors, pumps, refrigeration etc from scratch ( with the help and advice of the local sparky)

Most of the motors were 3PH and never gave much trouble. Had a few good 'belts' while I was learning though. Best (or worst) was 400v through my pinkey, while wiring up a new 3PH/neutral tunnel toaster I'd got over from Aust.- was hooking up the conveyer drive but being very careful not to zap myself, I stuck my pinkey out and touched the 400v terminal,- just about dislocated my elbow😂☹️ needless to say, I didn't do that again. Super careful now.

Funny thing I've noticed, I've never met a sparky who isn't jumpy,- think I know why😁.

JB

Good work JB.

My guess is that Gary is going to add another very good looking classic lathe for us to see in the not too distant future 👍

Thanks for adding such an enjoyable thread.

Bob.

Took a lot of bits off today,(whole rear motor/pulley bracket, tailstock apart, slides apart etc) and repainted everything, including the new motor mount. Polished all the handles and wheels as well on the wire brush. Bolted it down and re assembled everything, and it's now just waiting for the motor drive pulley.

Hi JB, that is reminiscent of my younger days as an apprentice, and whenever connecting three-phase wiring the well-known phrase was to red, yellow to yellow, and blue to bits. I am pleased you got it right the first time around. Regards, Gary.

Hi Bill, didn't want this project 'spinning out' too long😁

JB

Hi Martin, nothing I like more than gluing bits of metal together with electricity, and making things you can work on with real tools (no magnifying glass needed) Welding's not as good as it was years ago (hard to see now and a bit wobbly) Used to do certified welds,- not a hope now, but they still pass the BSST, (British standard Sledgehammer Test😂)

JB

Exactly right Rick, the old stuff was very well built, (even cheap stuff was built well) which is why I went for an older machine, as I know things can be easily made to repair them.

JB

Hi Steve, never know with Chinese stuff, (plus doing your own wiring) Internet was no help,-50/50 each way, as everyone had a different idea (Indians were more right than most,- most of them have learnt from blowing things up😁, but they are good at getting the impossible going). Wired it up to what I thought the plate said, and gave it a lash, - worked first time. I'm now a fully qualified electrocution😂. Just waiting for the drive pulley.

JB

JB.
Lovely to see this project “Turning” a corner…..🤔.
Keep it coming
Regards Bill.

Yes, Bob, it arrived safe and sound at its new home, and this will be my forever lathe as it has taken almost a lifetime to find one in this condition. My plan is to paint it Myford Green before I attempt to assemble it back into working condition. Thank you for your generosity and hospitality both of which were very much appreciated, I can't afford to take too long in putting it back together as my memory is not what it used to be. Thanks for everything, regards, Gary. 🤑 🤑 🤑

Nice work JB,
Good days work I would say.
Pity about receiving the wrong motor, at least it will work out in the long run.
Always good to see no smoke came out.

Cheers,
Stephen.

Well done JB Even with costing you more for some of the work and parts your lathe is still a better purchase than a new one. Evan better you have the skill to do the work yourself.
Rick

You have been a busy boy JB.
Altho the price of this Lathe is slowly creeping up due to the repairs, i am sure it will be worth it, but look at the fun you are having.
I bet it has made quite a change from doing the delicate work of making your boats.

Martin555.

Been busy today (welding and cutting outside between showers) making an adjustable mount for the new motor,. The old 20kg repulsion motor hung almost upside down on the plate system which holds the rear reduction shaft. Getting it off was not easy, and you had to watch the fingers. There was too much weight (about 30kg) mounted on the side of the skinny cast main frame which I did not like, as If the lathe had been bolted down, this weight would have been trying to twist the frame, unless as I did, -you blocked the motor up to support it.

The new bracket is now adjustable 50mm for a small range of belts, whereas previously you were stuck with one hard to find belt size, ( the head drive has the same problem). I have another slotted adjuster to go on the opposite side to make sure it is equally supported. It's easy to take the motor out now as there are just the 2 pivot bolts and 2 adjuster slide bolts and the whole thing slides out, - no heavy lifting or smashed fingers. Was thinking of making a threaded support bolt to wind down to a pad, once the belt is set to the right tension, to take the weight off.

New motor is only 15KG, so quite a bit lighter and smaller. I'm waiting for a small 1-1/2"pulley to come, as the motor I received was not the correct speed which I ordered. Ordered a 1450rpm motor, went and picked it up (112km round trip) took it home and put it on the bench. Didn't think to look at the speed (the guy said it was the last one-I thought last of the 1450rpm,) Friday night I was wiring it up, and happened to glance at the spec plate,- 2800 rpm !!. Partly my fault, - should have remembered no-one can do a proper job these days.! Had a look at the site and the motor I ordered and paid for was now nil stock, as was the 2800rpm one ??

Didn't click till later that I'd paid $30 more for the cheaper motor!!
Too much hassle to get the money back, (would cost me $20 in gas just to drive there and back again)- all you get these days is the blame put on you for not doing their job for them. At least I have a motor, as stock is very limited due to the shipping hold-ups) I had ordered a new 3" pulley for the 1450 motor ($50), which is now useless as it is too fast for 2800, so I've had to order a 1-1/2"pulley to bring it down to around 900rpm on slow speed (another $30)!!*&6%4#. - I thought boats were a big hole in the ocean, but this takes the cake. Anyhoo, the motor runs, pulleys are coming (hopefully) the new tailstock chuck arrived in record time from Ali Exp, and it rained all day today - (can't have everything 😁)

One more thing I did was remove the rear reduction shaft, - a major filing job as someone had been hammering both ends of the shaft, and it was covered in grub screw rash. Wouldn't come out through the ball races one way, and couldn't go the other way as the pulley was pretty much peined on. A lot of filing and sliding and tapping later I got it out. Probably should have a new one made (or cut,- as it's only straight 1" bar stock) It's been turned down to 5/8"at some stage for a new pulley but that can be replaced with a 1"bore pulley. Everything fits nicely on it now anyhow. Might mill a flat on it for the grub screws to stop it getting stuck again, a bit more positive locating method. Quick vid is the new motor running, - best thing was, the smoke stayed in 😁

Well my much loved Myford Super 7 (with Norton gearbox) is now on its way to the north east with its new owner (and its original Myford "coffin"stand) to start a new life in its new home.
I was lucky to find somebody who appreciates nice classic British lathes and I feel confident that it will be well cared for and that he will enjoy owning the Super 7 as much as he does using it.
You never know.......it might even gain a fresh coat of green paint!

This "vintage lathe" thread brings back lots of good memories from the past - including the superb annual Myford Open Days when we were able to take a good look around the factory and had at least one special demonstration event each year.
Watching a skilled operative "hand scrape" a lathe bed and other parts that needed to be absolutely "flat and true" was one of the most memorable .

Have just bought anew motor for the lathe, as after pulling the old repulsion start motor apart, I found that the centrifugal shorting mechanism was not working and even after freeing it up and playing with the timing, it still wouldn't work and required hand assistance to run. Bought a new 3/4HP twin capacitor motor to see if that will improve things. Won't know till I get it wired up and fit a new pulley, -very hard to find simple small A series pulleys now, as most people have gone to Taperlock pulleys (too expensive for me) Even the 3" A pulley I want is on average around $40, just ridiculous !

Might have to put the old motor back on and bore a cheaper blank pulley (available but need boring to size) - could be a big job for a little lathe. Have to see what the farm equipment store comes up with tomorrow. Also have a new 2MT arbour and El Cheapo Jacobs type chuck coming (hopefully) from Ali Expr to replace the old drilled out one.

Bob.
Thank you.
The plot thickens.
I have double checked again today and definitely no other markings.
Like you I learnt my lathe skills from my Metalwork teacher at school, many many years ago.
Luckily for me,when I joined the Merchant Navy as a Electronics officer,I spent my off watch time in the engine room playing with the ships lathe much to the consternation of the Chief Engineer. 😂😂😂
Regards Bill.

Hi Bill,
The ML10 lathes that I have either owned or seen have a serial number preceded with a "V"
My current ML10 has the serial number V112926 and a previous early type ML10 had the serial number V149765.
I have not heard of a "Pony" brand name either, so maybe your lathe was made for an export market and could explain why it has the 313224 machine number and the lack of Myford badges?
It is definitely an ML10 - but a bit more "interesting" than mine 😂
Bob.

Hi Bill,
I really enjoyed metalwork when I was at school and is where I was able to have my first 'go" on a lathe.
The metalwork shop had two large Harrison lathes and it was one of these that I was able to use to turn the parts for a simple edge gauge (I still have it!).
We had a very large local hardware/tool/country shop in Bath during the 1950's that always had an impressive stock of hand tools, machine tools, rifles and shotguns - quite a variety.......and they always had a new Myford lathe in the main window display.
I must have stopped and looked at that lathe (not alway's the same one!) on my way to or from school for many years and collected several Myford brochures too - but it was another 20 years before I was able to afford to buy a rough old ML4 to restore, and more like 35 years before I was able to afford my first "decent" Myford.
I was always interested in the Myford products and learned a little about them over the years.
Bob.

Zooma.
What a mind of information you are 👍.
Thank you for the comprehensive update confirming what others thought.
There is indeed a number stamped on the bed under the tail stock 313224.
It is a great lathe and serves me well.
Thank you everyone.
Regards Bill 👍

My late model ML10 (like yours) was made in the Myford factory when it was still in Beeston, Nottingham, in 1981.

Your late model lathe will be a similar age to mine. The lathe number will be stamped in the front of the bed side - usually hidden by the tailstock when it is parked at the end of the bed.

This lathe number would allow you to age date the lathe to find out exactly when it was made. With the closure of the Myford factory in Beeston some years ago, I don't know if any records were kept by anyone that would allow you to find this out any more?

My last early version ML10 (painted in hammered grey and with the white metal main shaft bearings) was made in 1976, so they were a fairly late addition to the Myford range of British made lathes - and of course - smaller!

The ML4, ML7, ML7-R and Super-7 lathes made by Myford can trace their heritage back much further - but the Super 7 is still in production now - albeit not made in the original Myford Beeston factory by the same time served craftsman any more.

Hi Bill,

Your little lathe is indeed a Myford ML10 - and it is the later version that has taper bearings in the modified head casting.

The earlier ML10 lathes were usually painted in a grey Hammered finish and had a smaller two part main shaft head stock casting at each end that held the white metal bearings.

Both versions (and a Speed 10) have passed through my workshop over the years and I still own a mint late version ML10 - the same as yours!

I have added the dog drive to mine so I can power the carriage as an option and fitted a Newton TESLA drive system to give proportional speed control too.

Martin,Gary.
Thanks for that info…I knew someone on our trusted site would know.
I will do some more research now 👍👍
Regards Bill.

Hi Bill, quite a nice looking lathe from around the 1950s, and very strange to see a bed as wide as that with no slot cut into the middle. Regards, Gary.

Hi Bill,
I think it is a 'MYFORD ML10 Pony' Lathe.

You have the name 'PONY' on the speed/feed plate in (photo 2)


Martin555.

Ladies and Gents.
I have read with interest the blog on various lathe’s
This is my trusted friend that so far has given me 10 years of trouble free service.I bought it second hand.(That’s it now it will go wrong tomorrow).
A question for those of you who know a lot more about them than me is!…
I have no idea what make it is or it’s country of origin.
There are absolutely no makers markings anywhere on the entire lathe.
I quest that it is British made ?
Do any of you ex engineers have any idea just to satisfy my curiosity.
Regards Bill

Hi JB,

It was years ago when I was told as well. Yeah that's possible, some manufactures would sit un-machined blocks in a yard for a period of time before machining, I believe Chrysler did this back in the day, maybe Ford didn't, I don't know.

Cheers,
Stephen.

Hi Steve, I remember someone telling me something about that years ago,- might have been the engine reconditioning guy, when he was telling me about line boring the old Ford Y block V8 I put in my 47 Ford pick-up. Something about blocks distorting.

JB

Hi Guys,

Re weathering/aging of cast iron castings, this was done to stress relive the casting before machining.
When I was an apprentice I was told that TOS milling machines would sit their castings outside for 1 year before machining to ensure there would be no movement after machining.

Cheers,
Stephen.

Its always good to look back at things that were made and assembled by hand with individual care and attention - even better when you discover a "hidden" mark made by a proud craftsman to identify his work.
I still have the original handbook that left the factory with my Super 7 lathe. The first owner still had it and passed it on to me when he sold me the lathe.
I like old machines - they come with character from a time when the design shape, appearance, and finish, were considered to be just as important as function and durability.

Nice that these old machines have some available history after so many years Bob, you'll never get that with a Chinese machine or probably any new machine from anywhere. All CNC made parts and hardly a hand put on them probably, apart from the assembly (except maybe the most expensive European ones).

My ex brother in law bought a 1956 Ford Crown Victoria from California a few years back, and he was showing me all the initials under the guards, boot mats etc of the guys who fitted those parts. They were still there under the dust after 45+ years, in white crayon, (due to the dry climate there.) Amazing stuff.

JB

Thanks JB - an old machine engineer told me when I first acquired this lathe (from a retiring friend many years ago) that the lathe is old enough to be from the time when the castings were put outside to "rest" and "age" (maybe for several months) before being machined.
Apparently more recent Myfords did not have this ageing process so they were comparatively "green" when the castings were machined.
I am not fully aware of the advantages of this, but it was an interesting little snippet of information that I stored away to share when an occasion like this should crop up to share it 🤣
I personally like the slightly more rounded shapes of the castings on the Super 7 machines of this age - the newer ones don't have such nice flowing lines - even though they are basically the same, they are more angular.
My Super 7 was built in July 1965 and the serial numbers from the original Beeston Nottingham factory records show that the lathe and Norton gearbox were assembled together and have never been separated or replaced.
According to the old Myford management that saw the machine shortly before the factory closure, it is quite unusual for a lathe and gearbox to remain together without being separated or exchanged at some time in their history.

That's a rather nice looking machine Bob !

JB

My Myford Super 7 with Norton gearbox and the Myford "coffin" stand were all factory painted in the dark Myford grey.
I am re-painting mine in the brighter Myford Panama Blue and it looks a lot nicer for it.
I think the paint used on that blue Winfield lathe could well have been Record Blue (available as Smooth Hammerite).
I use this same paint on my Record vices and some older milling vices as it makes them look really smart.

I see that this blue Winfield lathe was sold on eBay - and it was local to me as well!

Good job I didnt see it 😎

That is the second Winfield that I have seen (both thanks to you!).
This dark blue one looks like it has just received a fresh coat of paint and looks really smart.👍

Hi Bob, how about this one which was on Pic click (don't know when). Another Winfield, but converted to 3ph with variable speed etc, - nice conversion ! Quite a few pics of these on Google. Also info on Lathes.co.UK

https://picclick.co.uk/Winfield-MK3-Metal-Lathe-303880274253.html

JB

Finances never recover when you build model boats and play with small lathes........😜