It might just be swarf packed in the nut stopping it fully engaging but having seen the other wear I would say it will be a major project as leadscrew and nut are probably heavily worn

Unlikely the tailstok will be inline when locked, might be able to build up the sides where thyr fit between the ways but I’d also look for a loose barrel as it seems tto have had a hard life.

I’d walk away as it will be a full rebuild and regrind not just a strip, clean and oil job.

Firstly, although not fully visible in the picture, it does not look like any ML10 that I have ever seen. May be some older myford model or a ‘bitsa’. Call up yer wudaweb browser for images of ML10 or the lathes.uk site.

Secondly, unless the vendor is paying you to take it away, politely walk, nay, run away! In its current state it is beyond any economical restoration (unless you enjoy an expensive and trying project). Just tot up what it will cost you to replace all leadscrews/nuts etc and then add somewhere north of £300 for regrinding (assuming you could find anyone qualified who was willing to do it). And, what is your time worth?

Thirdly, irrespective of what you might perceive on e-bay etc, the bottom has more or less dropped out of the market for old iron of the common kind. Even on gumtree, lathes.UK etc. I have seen quite respectable looking ML10s posted for the £500 to £700 and ML7s for £700 to £900.  No idea what the final sold price was but I would guess it is always negotiable.

Umm, I don’t like the look of it either.  It needs attention, perhaps a lot of it, and spares are hard to find.  I think this lathe has probably had a hard working life, not cosseted in a genteel hobby workshop.  Two factors might make it worth taking on though:

• it’s very cheap!!!
• whether or not the purchaser has the time, inclination, tools, and skills needed to take on a restoration project.  I machine metal in order to get other jobs done and having to fix tools before they can be used is annoying.  But Model Engineering is a broad church in which plenty of others thoroughly enjoy repair work.  Fixing stuff is very satisfying – if that’s your thing.   What’s the lathe for?

Bear in mind when buying a dubious machine is that sorting it out is likely to be expensive in terms of time, and possibly money too.   Could be the bungee cord is only needed because the half-nut is badly worn, and – though it might be more fuss than expected – they can be replaced.  Unfortunately, if the lead-screw is also worn, it too will have to be replaced, more dosh.   A need to regrind the bed is bad news, as are worn bearings and other appurtenances at the headstock end.  Check for missing parts too – finding an absent change gear, or modifying one to fit, probably won’t be easy.   And when a lathe is in poor mechanical condition, it’s not unlikely to find the electrics are also iffy.   Total cost of ownership might rise to the point where the money would have bought a second-hand machine in good condition, or a new Far Eastern hobby lathe.

By the by watch out for the word ‘Myford’ in a sales pitch.  Myford have a deservedly good reputation that’s led to their machines attracting premium prices even in poor condition.   And, even worse, sellers often claim lathes and spares are Myford when they’re not.  Buyer beware; reputable brand-names are no guarantee.  When buying second-hand, forget the brand, and double check the condition. Paying over the odds for junk is always painful, even if was made by Rolls Royce!

As far as I know there isn’t a book, pamphlet or magazine article on what to look for when buying a second-hand machine tool.   Anyone know of one?

Dave

Please lathe spotters spend some time learning about great British lathes from Lathes.co.uk. This is clearly a Drummond M-type with the apron modified. If it is being called a Myford because some part of it has that name on it then it is a post 1940 one when the design was handed to Myford so Drummond could concentrate in war work. Find the serial stamped on teh raf right of the bed and you can look up its build date.
Play in the cross slide is normal lack of adjustment and tailstocks on small lathes are not meant to be aligned when not locked.
Sure it will be worn after 70 years.
Price on ebay would be £150 to £200 depending on location though there are some repainted roundbeds around at the moment at about that.

By the way the rust on it is the normal result of thinking that a shed that is not 100% sealed is somehow dry let alone the idiots who add ventilation holes. Condensation people condensation is your enemy.

https://www.lathes.co.uk/drummond-m-type-post-1924/

For those buying second hand lathes check ou this video by Joe Pie, his other videos are a wealth of knowledge shared.

Brian

On 20 November 2024 at 12:02 Clive Brown 1 Said:

On 19 November 2024 at 23:30 1957jmh Said:

 

(I was also origianlly thinking about how useful a milling slide would be but I’ve since read comments elsewhere on the forum giving those a bad press – even more food for thought!).

 

Don’t be too dismissive of vertical slides. If budget and space are constraints then it adds considerable extra versatility to a lathe. It’s just that a milling machine is bigger and better.

+1 on this. I bought a Myford double-swivel vertical slide 25 years ago with a Myford Speed 10 and still use it regularly on the Warco WM250V I now have. It’s true that it’s limited in work capacity but gives me plenty of capability for the work I do. It’s also quick and easy to set up.

Plus I agree that don’t look like no ML10 to me, and for anyone with other work to do than machine restoration, I’d say its condition is terminal.

Hope that you did not buy it!

Lathes UK is mine of information on almost any lathe that might be interested in buying

As said, you don’t know what else might be lurking under cover, once youn start investigating.

For what it would cost in money, time and effort to get it into reasonable working order, you would be better looking for something else.

You have already found nearly £200 for parts, to add to the original purchase price.

For that, you are well on the way to a secondhand Chinese mini lathe, or something like a venerable Myford ML4 which could be useable from the start, or with a lot less tweaking.

7 Series Myfords tend to command a higher price because of the tendemcy towards a “cult” following (I used to have one, but went a bit larger!)

When you go to look at a “possible”, try to take someone kmowledgeable with you, to make a close examination.

Keep us posted as to your search for a machine.

Howard

…. seems a step up from the Chinese and east German small lathes….

Depends how you define decent. Matter of opinion of course, but I doubt it.

A decent anything over 80 years old would be a rarity indeed and yes I do feel personally qualified to make that statement;-)

Am certain that whatever it is, or left the factory as, it is not a Myford ML4.

It has already been butchered, so getting it useable might be lengthy, difficult, if not impossible.

Parts may not be interchangeable with a lathe of a different make.

Trying to update to make a hybrid with parts from another different, machine may need a lot of work, if possible.

The changewheels for a Myford ML1,2,3 or 4 are not directly interchangeable with those for a 7 Series machine, or vice versa.

Remember USA vintage lathes may be dimensionally similar, but details like studs for the changewheel could differ in a variety of ways, and the changewheels could also, DP, pressure angle, let alone other dimensions.

A USA machine might well use Unified threads, rather than BSW and BSF of a UK machine, even if some of the fixings will apparently match (Unified will go into BSW or BSF in some, but not all sizes)

And with the advent of Chinese lathes under different importers and colour schemes, parts may not be directly interchangeable (There are at least three different marques of mini lathes imported into UK, not to mention into Europe and the Antipodes). Changewheels are Module, not DP, and threads will be Metric

FWIW, find another machine within you budget and space parameters.

Howard

<sigh> Please read my previous post.