Remove the motor, slide off the tailstock and wind the cross-slide off. Two chaps can then manage a S7. It is somewhat unbalanced toward the headstock. I found that with a bit of rope round my neck helping to support the headstock end and my wife on the other end we were able to manouvre the lathe into the car and out at the other end at the last house move – mind you, we were younger then! (16 years ago)

HTH

Rod

If you need to move it some distance a small sack truck helps – lathe head down. I've used one I bought from Wicks or B&Q several times. It doesn't matter if it's shorter than the lathe within reason.

If you are going to transport it in an estate car ect a plank helps a lot. Rest the plank on the back of the car, place lathe on it and slide the lot in. Helps getting them out too.

John

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I remember well buying my Myford ML-7 from Osbournes in Newcastle in 1980 (Long since Defunct). I was home on leave from Brunei and decided that I was only going to come home to work in the North Sea within the year and I would buy the lathe now and store it in my house that we had also bought whilst we were on leave.

The lathe came on a kind of pallet and had a stout cardboard protective box over the top of it. At the time I had hired a Toyota Corolla hatchback and the lathe wouldn't fit in the back of the car without the box being removed. With this removed two of the lads from Osbourne's helped me get it into the back of the car.When I got home I made up a platform so that I could slide the lathe onto it and leave it there. I backed the car up to the platform in the garage workshop and proceeded to try and push the lathe out of the back of the car by leaning over the back of the passenger seat. Whilst doing this the seat back seemed to be getting lower and lower which aided me in getting better force to push the lathe out.

What I didn't realise was that due to all the strains and general pushing and shoving using the back of the seat as a lever point had collapsed the square tubing farm of the seat back. I straightened the seat back as best I could but every time I accelerated the back would start collapsing.

I often wonder what happened to that car after I returned it to the hire company. The next driver would have a hell of a shock when they accelerated.

I would not remove the motor unless the electrics are on the stand as reconnecting the electrics can be a pain. If you do have to disconnect the electrics, use a digital camera to photograph the connections or otherwise mark them if they do not have colour coding. If they are on the stand, bolt the motor to the stand with the foot bolts. Two people can manage to lift the lathe easily. I used to take the heavy end and the wife took the tail stock end. I have managed to lift one on my own when I was a lot younger. If the motor remains on, the lathe will be back heavy and try to roll over. Two planks of wood about 18" long bolted to the feet will stabilise it.

If you can get one, an offcut from an old aluminium ladder is very useful for sliding machines about. Second the sack barrow.I would not ask my wife, doesn't know left from right and tends to wander off at wrong moments, your experience may differ.

Hi there, Roger,

I second what has been written about the balance difficulties – I had an un-tutored assistant to help me lift the lathe (at that stage with the motor still in-place) off its stand. It took us by surprise and we managed to bend one of the bolts in the raising blocks. Fortunately, Myfords (at Beeston then) had spares.

Last time I moved my ML7 I had to get it from the car (an estate ) to the bottom of the garden. I used a builder's wheelbarrow. The barrow has an inflatable tyre which made the bumpy ride an awful lot easier than it would have been with a solid tyre.

The lathe was lifted off the barrow on to a pile of railway sleepers (part of the garden 'landscaping' ) just opposite the shed door. We then rigged two scaffold boards, one on top of the other, as a bridge through the shed door and slid the lathe up on to the bench. That got it to the same level as the previously positioned stand. From there it was a manageable two-man lift on to the raising block bolts. It helps to position a few pieces of wood in the swarf tray to support the weight of the motor until the mounting bolts are secured.

An 'island' position for the lathe stand is much to be envied. In a workshop as small as mine, the lathe has its back close to the wall and attending to the motor wiring or motor mounting bolts is a pain in the derriere!

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

Edited By Swarf, Mostly! on 27/08/2015 12:30:07

Edited By Swarf, Mostly! on 27/08/2015 12:31:16

Just get Terry Hollands to assist, he'll pick it up on his own and put it where you want it

Bob

> I have heard claims that Myford use some sort of magic material under the head

Unicorn grease.

Neil

Mine came home on the back seat of a Triumph Herald – that dates both of us.

Maybe they should have used that in the bearings as well.

Hope the welder that was mentioned was certified, maybe some might feel I shouldn't use the word certified as it might be taken as a freudian slip,

John

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Edited By John W1 on 27/08/2015 16:39:49

I have moved ML7s and S7s a few times. Now I use a piece of hardboard or better still a piece of board with a plastic surface. This is placed in the estate car floor and then the lathe, is put on a two wheel sack truck on top of a smooth board. I then reverse the truck onto the back of the car so that the handles rest into the boot. This then allows me with a bit of help, to lift the wheels of the truck up to boot height and then slide the lathe into the car. It is quite easy if the surface of the plastic or hardboard is wiped over with an oily rag before starting. Lifting the lathe onto a bench is best done with a car engine crane, readily available from the hire shop, although I have rigged up two gantries made of 4×2" timber and threaded rod to hoist and get into position, a long process but safe.