Anyone bought a new Myford

[Brian AbbottParticipant @brianabbott67793]

[Brian AbbottParticipant @brianabbott67793]

Anyone bought a new myford is what is should have said..!..

Hello all.

Just wondering if anyone as bought a new Myford and what the reviews are like ?

Thanks.

Edited By Brian Abbott on 25/11/2018 22:49:01

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

I haven’t bought one but having inspected one at a show they seem to be built to the standard one would expect of Myford. The build quality is reflected in the price though, in my opinion so it is a personal choice whether the build quality is worth the premium price. My inclination to buy a British built machine is tempered by the possibility of buying a machine that has acceptable performance at a very keen price. I bought a used Myford in A1 condition so I have evaded the decision as to whether a new Myford or an asian machine would be best. The next decision may be to upgade to a larger machine from Asia or Europe but that can wait for the moment.

Mike

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

I bought a new Myford from the old Myford if you see what I mean, about 10 or 12 years back. It has served me well though I have converted it to CNC, but in retrospect I would not buy another one.

First I think the whole design shows its age and is over engineered. Too many components, not enough design. That's why they are so expensive.

The drive system should have been updated years ago. Modern high power 3 phase motor and vfd should be standard in a lathe at this price. The lathe vibrates horribly on the high speed ranges.

Why have a two ball bearings at the back of the spindle that still need regular oiling and a plain taper sleeve bearing at the front that needs oiling every day rather than good quality taper roller bearings? The bed design is basically poor, should be the prismatic type used on every other modern quality lathe. And it isn't as rigid as it should be if I recall some comments from the late great Sir John.

Topslide is flimsy, I've now eliminated it completely. Power cross feed is prone to jamming (as the Myford sales manager effectively acknowledged when I asked him at a show). And the price differential for pxf is silly, ought to used the same components with a dc motor. In fact it shouldn't be an option but standard.

Documentation is appalling for an expensive product bought in the 21st century. The standard manual doesn't actually describe the lathe you buy, fails to point out that the leadscrew on the "metric" lathe is actually 1/8" pitch, the MT4 spindle is non standard. The MT4 to MT2 adapters they supplied don't actually run very true.

So whilst I have no intention of changing my lathe, having invested hours and hours in the cnc conversion and calibration, if I was starting again I'd probably buy a high end Sieg machine and spend the difference on other tooling.

[Chris Evans 6Participant @chrisevans6]

I have never used a Myford lathe but am in awe of the things people have done on them given the dated flimsy ? bed design and a few other things compared to more modern kit. I spent my working life in mostly high end toolrooms where even Colchester was considered downmarket kit. Now retired and buying my own machines I have a Taiwanese copy of a Harrison M300. I failed to find a decent Colchester Student 2000 at any price. My lathe is not without issues and I have made a new beefed up cross slide to get it more acceptable. What is the price range of the new Myford ? My currant lathe is in the £6/8k range so much more than the average hobby job but still a very cheap lathe. What do you intend to use the new Myford for ? It could be all the lathe you ever need.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

The current machine is the Connoisseur which is between £8,150 and £9,050, depending on spec.

Myford are listing a refurbished base-spec Super 7 for £2,495 + VAT (so £3K) which is comparable to buying a good used one with accessories.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

I find Myford's website a little confusing and apologise if I've got it wrong. Today they seem to be selling two different lines:

• Genuinely new Super 7 Connoisseurs for £8150 + VAT. (I suspect these are assembled from new old stock rather than being manufactured from scratch. Nothing wrong with that.)
• Refurbished Super 7 lathes for £2495 + VAT. Although these aren't new lathes they've been refurbished by a company with the advantage of inheriting old Myford's stock, documentation and expertise. I'd expect them to be as good as the originals.

The Connoisseur is way more than I'd pay for a lathe (any lathe!), but about £3000 wouldn't be too scary if I was a Myford enthusiast. I'd value the opinion of someone who's actually bought a modern Myford refurbished Super7 and used it in anger. Anyone?

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 26/11/2018 11:30:44

[larry phelan 1Participant @larryphelan1]

£800/£9000 is a lotta lotta money to spend on any lathe,unless you have plenty of work for it.

Although not comparing like with like Shapiro offer a lathe with a 50mm bore for little more than that,delivered !

No doubt Myford are good,but that good ?????

I think I might have to stick with my Chinese junk for a bit longer.

As others have pointed out,there are issues with Myford machines,this should not be the case,since they are long enough at the game. I dont think one can afford to stand still in a business like that,you have to keep up to date or you become history.

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Posted by larry phelan 1 on 26/11/2018 13:25:11:

As others have pointed out,there are issues with Myford machines,this should not be the case,since they are long enough at the game. I dont think one can afford to stand still in a business like that,you have to keep up to date or you become history.

Well, of course they did! I think it's only because there is quite an attractive brand associated with Myford because of all the beautiful models people made with them that it was worth RDG's while to pick up the pieces, but at those prices…!

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

Engineers are supposed to be hardheaded and practical, so I've been surprised since the 70s how their heads can be turned by the 'iconic' status of certain brands, that seems to me to go beyond their real utility.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Mick B1 on 26/11/2018 15:39:18:

Engineers are supposed to be hardheaded and practical, so I've been surprised …

.

Back in probably the early 1980s, one of the 'advertorial' engineering magazines that reached my desk featured a company that made pipeline valves [for buried pipes], and the fact that they had significantly improved sales after they started painting them yellow.

Yes: Engineers are supposed to be hardheaded and practical.

MichaelG.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Mick B1 on 26/11/2018 15:39:18:

Engineers are supposed to be hardheaded and practical, so I've been surprised since the 70s how their heads can be turned by the 'iconic' status of certain brands, that seems to me to go beyond their real utility.

In the post war years they were reasonably affordable and gave a good balance of capability and flexibility in a benchtop package. This led to them becoming the 'weapon of choice' for many 'serious' model engineers, and hence from about 1950 Myford lathes were by far the most frequent lathes featured in the magazines.

Box-Fords, Colchesters and Harrisons were that bit too big for most people (bear in mind people tended to make smaller locos and traction engines then too). There was a big choice of smaller lathes, but they were (mostly) rather basic. One of Myford's attractions was that it was a 'pretty' machine of high quality. Raglan's Little John was a fair bit bigger, better specced (and some would say better made and finished) and could possibly have been the 'ultimate' model engineering lathe of those days, until they were bought out by Myford and eventually discontinued.

Many people will argue the 'best buy' of those days would be a well-specified Box-Ford AUD or BUD.

Plenty of people will criticise Myford for living in the past, but actually the Myford 254 shows they could produce a very modern machine with the same quality as the 7-series – a 5 1/4" centre height machine with a big bore, camlock spindle and lots of features that bears more resemblance to a modern imported lathe than a 7&-series. but model engineers are a conservative lot and clearly preferred Super 7s to 254s.

If you want a Myford, you should be able to get a 254 for less than a S7 in similar condition, if you have the space for it.

Neil

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

I bought a Myford once.

Was okay i suppose.

[vintage engineerParticipant @vintageengineer]

8k to 9k will buy you a very good secondhand Colchester Lathe and a Bridgeport Mill!

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

254 is a much better machine than S7, and you'll get a good used one for a lot less than £8000

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

254 was a very nice lathe, clearly designed for the toolroom where they wouldn't look at a 7 series in competition with Colchesters etc. But more expensive at the time than a 7 for the amateur and incompatible with all the accessories.

[RevStewParticipant @revstew]

Ah you baby boomers, you do make me larf!. 8 grand for a lathe, painted to match the orangery no doubt, and will it fit in the boot of the Jaguar XF?

Ah, you can almost smell the wet ink on the most recent pension statement.

"Eee times used ter be ard", they say, as they lean nonchalantly on the old '254' in the double garage…

"And then we bought our first 'ouse. Scrimped and saved we did, and lo and behold, things were wonderful for the next 50 years…."

[Chris TriceParticipant @christrice43267]

And the old chestnut rears its head again.

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

Posted by Chris Trice on 26/11/2018 18:57:53:

And the old chestnut rears its head again.

'Tis the time of year for snowflakes.

[pa4c pa4cParticipant @pa4cpa4c85075]

Over the years I have met a good few people who rather wish they hadn't bought a Myford.

I have never met anyone who regrets buying a Colchester or a Harrison.

[Former MemberParticipant @formermember19781]

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[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Posted by Bill Chugg on 26/11/2018 20:14:55:

Cherry Hill bought a new Connoisseur which is used for medal winning models.

 

But it can't be ideal as she has about 4 or 5 other lathes

Edited By JasonB on 26/11/2018 20:23:41

[Former MemberParticipant @formermember19781]

[This posting has been removed]

[Chris TriceParticipant @christrice43267]

Posted by pa4c pa4c on 26/11/2018 19:29:47:

Over the years I have met a good few people who rather wish they hadn't bought a Myford.

I have never met anyone who regrets buying a Colchester or a Harrison.

Rather depends on the space you have available and the electricity you want to burn machining mostly smaller model components. The fact is, there is no "ideal" lathe. It's entirely based on the class of work you want to do. Personally, I find Cowells are not worth the money, not because I can't see the price reflects their excellent quality but their capacity is totally useless for what I make where a watchmaker will love them. Similarly, the sheer number of accessories to fit a Myford easily out number those for a Colchester or a Harrison. But this is old ground being retrodden once more and probably will be again in another few months.

[Former MemberParticipant @formermember19781]

[This posting has been removed]

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