Myford Type M quick change tool post

[Daniel BrannanParticipant @danielbrannan48897]

hi

i have a myford type M lathe which came with the (I think) original myford quick change tool post which I would really like to use. However when I clamp my tool holders in it, the cutting tips of the inserts sit too high and there is no way of adjusting the height. It seems like a smaller tool holder is required but this confuses me as my tool holders are only 12mm high which doesn’t nearly fill the cut out on the tool post and this makes me wonder if it’s not original. On the other hand it does fit straight onto the cast iron post of the top slide that is normally used for the Norman tool post, which makes me think it is original.

Has anyone used a quick change on these and does anyone know what size tool holders this tool post was designed to use? Thus far I’ve been having to use the normal tool post which is more time consuming for tool changes and alignment.

 

Thanks!

 

Dan

[peak4Participant @peak4]

Not sure of the exact centre height above the top slide of your M type, but a similar problem exists with an ML7 or Super 7
12mm tools are just too thick, so I either use 10mm or have milled/ground a couple of mm off the bottom of my 12x12mm holders
If using HSS bar, I tend to go for 8 or 10mm blanks, or smaller, with a home made tangential toolholder, which works very well.

Bill

[Daniel BrannanParticipant @danielbrannan48897]

Thanks for your reply. In that case I’ll do as you suggest and modify them. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing something fundamental

 

regards

 

Dan

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

Yes ! I had to cut or grind the bottom of tools to get the tool height down to centre height on my S7 with the 4way tool post. Noel.

[Harry WilkesParticipant @harrywilkes58467]

I have a S7 which when I purchased it came with a Dixon QTP in which I use 10mm tooling without measuring the tool holders maybe 12mm may fit, will check next tie I’m in the shop.

H

[JssParticipant @jss]

As far as I know this is the only tool holder and top slide that were supplied with the Drummond and Myford M type lathes, unless I’m mistaken.

The tool holder will accept half inch tools and there is ample vertical adjustment to get the tool to centre height. The pinch bolt on mine is not the original one, I managed to shear that sometime ago by over enthusiastic tightening.

John.

[Daniel BrannanParticipant @danielbrannan48897]

According to the lathe bible they did make one and it looks identical to mine

http://www.lathes.co.uk/drummondaccessories/

[JssParticipant @jss]

Hmm, I did say I could be mistaken!

John.

[peak4Participant @peak4]

Ah, but many folk would think of the one on that page as a 4 way, rather than a quick change

I was, wrongly, guessing you meant a Dickson style

Same issue though, toolbit is just too tall to allow the top of it to drop to centre height.
If however, the need a very long overhang from the toolpost for access reasons on a tricky setup, the greater size slot in the toolpost allows the use of a thicker tool, just with the end ground down.

Bill

 

[Daniel BrannanParticipant @danielbrannan48897]

Ah yes my mistake. I didn’t mean quick change did I. Anything which isn’t undoing the clamp bolts, inserting the new tool, tightening the bolts and then undoing the pinch bolt and setting the vertical alignment is quick change to me!

[Daniel Brannan]

On Daniel Brannan Said:

Ah yes my mistake. I didn’t mean quick change did I. Anything which isn’t undoing the clamp bolts, inserting the new tool, tightening the bolts and then undoing the pinch bolt and setting the vertical alignment is quick change to me!

The other alternative, is to make more holders similar to the one above in Johns post.
Keep one for each tool, but add a third vertical grub screw all the way through, which sets the height.
If you were canny about it, you could even have a plain section on the lower end to engage in a small hole in the topslide, which would allow exact relocation as well as height
There’s a couple of my efforts in this post, along with a dodge to allow 1/2″ tooling in one.

Myford Super7 toolpost/modification for 12-mm/1/2-inch tooling

Bill

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

This is my M Type lathe toolpost. I have a Dixon type ho.der from Myford but I have had to remove the original post and tap a hole to hold down the toolpost and locate it.

 

 

 

David

 

[Daniel BrannanParticipant @danielbrannan48897]

Quick update – milled 2mm off the bottom of the tools and they now fit perfectly. Thanks everyone. this should save me time and sanity

However it does still make me wonder what tool height the post was designed for given 10mm seems to be the magic number and the type M is imperial. 25/64 is 9.92mm?

Dan

[DiogenesParticipant @diogenes]

3/8″ was a very common standard tool shank size, but 5/16 would have been considered perfectly adequate back in the day and was probably more commonly used in lathes of this kind of size..

..the current trend for ‘filling your holder’ seems only to have become a ‘thing’ since the invention of Youtube…

Edit; ..or maybe the Lantern toolpost..

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Given the age of the M type, would be very surprised to find anything Metric. My expectation would be that all dimensions and theads would be Imperial.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

When the M-type and later Myfords were designed hobbyists could not afford new fangled HSS unless the ‘acquired’ it from work. And that would be a 1/4″ end which was and still is perfectly large enough for these lathes. You will find on ebay tool holders for industrial lathes, that were indeed designed for 1inch carbon steel bits, designed to hold short pieces of this exotic new material.

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