Gents, given they were UK manufactured, do any of you chaps in the UK have any experience with Myford ML7 Lathes?

I am looking to get something more sophisticated than my old Senecca Falls 9" (1896 so pretty much anything would be more sophisticated).

I have not ever used / owned a Myford ML7 but would interested in any opinions (good, bad or indifferent) as there are a couple of earlier ones on the market here at the moment.

email (option): rays54@hotmail.com

The Myford is a good lathe, but it is more of a high end model engineers lathe, so consequently you have to take yor time machining on it, it would be better if you bought a low end engineering workshop lathe such as the Boxford which is pretty good or even better if you can get one, is a Raglan little John, which has a good swing on it and a very solid bed that is braced every couple of inches and a split pulley system that gives an infinitely variable speed, it also has a back gear system so that you can machine very slowly. But if you were looking for a better one still the one to get is a Colchester Bantam or Student which is a lot of lathe that takes up a very small space in the workshop for its capabilities. Even though they are usually three phase they can easily be converted to single phase by swapping the motors

email (option): Davmax@ntlworld.com

Thanks Dave - appreciate the detailed reply.

email (option): rays54@hotmail.com

Daves comments about 'modellers' lathes versus 'industrial lathes' are bang on...The Myford and similar are a bit light and also have small spindle throats so material frequently has to be cut into short lengths to hold it in the chuck..Very wasteful...They are low on horsepower as well for stainless work if you want to do that...

If you buy an 'industrial' spec. lathe you will probably have to run it off an inverter unless you have a 3 phase supply...Not a problem as the inverters are much cheaper these days....Also remember a Student or H300 has a 3HP motor which will draw 10 amps at start up so you will need an appropriately heavy cable (6mm) on the supply side, especially if you workshop is a long way from the house..Also a suitably rated trip in the consumer unit..
I have a Harrison 300 with a 4ft bed and can do pretty much anything I need on it....(also running on an inverter)...

A Colchester Student and Colchester Bantam are also fairly good for the home workshop, the bantam being a little smaller (they were often used in apprentice training schools and colleges)
To prolong tooling life (centre drills, lathe tools, drills, reamers) go for one with a functioning coolant system or be prepared to retro fit one if it is missing/non operational.
Also look for something that comes with some kit...3 jaw and 4 jaw chuck at least..Faceplate, revolving centers etc.etc....It's all extra money to buy seperately and you will need it sooner or later...
These types of lathe have a gearbox to change speeds (rather than altering a fixed gear train (change gears)...Run any lathe you look at through the gears to check it is all working OK..Also check the thread cutting attachment...Check for heavy wear on the beds (you don't want that!) and that the spindle bearings don't have any play..Also check for backlash in the slides...that indicates worn gib strips that may need adjustment/replacement....
If you can, do a cutting test to see how parallel the lathe is turning over say, a 5" length (with a center running in the tailstock)...If there is a taper the tailstock will need setting up....
Also ask for a manual..always handy if it's available..I've had to do a few jobs on my Harrison over the years...
Just like a bike look for the tell tale signs of a recent tart up...new paint, slideways cleaned up with emery etc etc...Better to have one that hasn't been messed with and you can see what you're getting..
Also check the 3 jaw for slackness in the jaw scroll and free movement throughout the range of the jaws....and go for 'quick change tool posts'..they make life much easier, especially if you get a few spare ones with the machine....Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

I bought my ML7 in 1957, and it was the best investment I ever made. Sure, there are negative points such as the spindle boring that is only 14 mm, and you must not be in a hurry, especially if you do production work.
But I can make all kinds of thread, metric and Imperial, milling and I even rifled a pistol barrel on it
Although the basic design is pre-WW2, there are still replacement parts and - as far as I know - overhaul services at the factory available, at least here in the Netherlands.
A reconditioned ML7 goes here for €700 - € 1500, depending on the type; a good, simple lathe, indestructible and the perfect companion for my WDM20

email (option): viaconsu [at] planet'dot'nl

The drydocked submarine at the museum in Portsmouth has as part of its original kit a Myford lathe, so if its good enough for the Senior Service....?

email (option): deadsheds@yahoo.com

The Raglan little John has a flat bed, so it is easily surface ground and shimmed if there is any wear, the bed rails unbolt and can be cheaply re ground at a car engine reconditioners if you can get them to just grind their rails that they usually sit the heads on, they don't mind usually as it just makes sure that their heads that they do on it afterwards are perfectly flat, bearing in mind that the Raglan is only a similar size to the ML7 but I think it has an inch bore on the headstock (from memory!) it even has enough swing to machine Morgan flywheels on it (my friend made his on his Raglan) apparently in their day they were more expensive than the ML7. They also have a reversing switch, so screw cutting is easy as you don't have to use the counter on the saddle, simply cut a couple of thousandths more and then pull the tool away from the work to the beginning and cut a few thou more and feed it in again. They did a "streamlined" model and a more angular model, both of which were available with or without gearbox they have a proper bearing on the headstock rather than being bushed. The original motor was only around 1hp they are easy to convert to single phase but most already have been converted.. All in all probably a better lathe than the ML.

email (option): davmax@ntlworld.com

('The drydocked submarine at the museum in Portsmouth has as part of its original kit a Myford lathe, so if its good enough for the Senior Service....?')..

Not really..The Myford selected for that application suited the on board requirements (which may well have been a compromise between capability and physical size).
If you took a trip into the Naval machine shops you wouldn't find them full of similar lathes....

It illustrates nicely though that you should base your choice on your requirements and select accordingly..

The Myford is a perfectly capable lathe as is the Raglan...
However, both are limited in the size of work they can take and have insufficient horsepower to take deeper cuts, more so with tipped tools. So, assuming the lathe will accomodate the job, you are going to take more time machining it, particularly if you are machining stainless and some other materials...

The Harrisons and Colchesters as described in previous posts (or others of similar design) obviously have far more capability in this regard for the simple reason they have more horsepower available. Further, they have physically more capacity, with larger spindle throats, bigger chucks and faceplates, longer beds and with removable 'gaps' far more throw...and they are more heavily constructed.
Add to that the convenience of a gearbox to control/set speeds and feeds, the benefit of quick change toolposts and access to a wider range of industrial tooling....

However, there is little point buying additional capability if you really don't need it...A CNC lathe would be considered OTT for most home workshops for example...

If all you are ever going to do is make a range of smaller parts and feel happy to spend the additional time required to do it on a Myford, then that machine, or similar, would be entirely up to the job...

If, however, you want to go further and manufacture a wider range of parts you will find the Myford does have limitations....
I have done all sorts of work on my Harrison, from machining castings through to manufacturing a complete distributor, piston modifications, work on flywheels, wheel hubs etc. etc. etc. and have also manufactured virtually all the stainless parts for a number of bike rebuilds...

The fact is a lot of the work I have done was far outside of the scope of a Myford.

So, as I said at the outset it is really a case of determining what you want to do, or might want to do in the future and buying the machine that best suits the requirement...
They all do what they do well...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

I have this Myford Super 7 and think it is ideal for making small parts like bolts, nuts, bushes. It has a clutch so the chuck comes very quick to a standstill for measurements etc. So it can be quite fast, at least if the operator is fast.




Also has a gearbox for the odd threads and a strong backgear, which brings back the speed to 25 rpm. This in combination with a reverse on the electric motor makes it ideal for screwcutting/tapping etc.

The bigger parts indeed gives problems, especially the small bore in the spindle is frustration. I can use the lathe of my nephew for the bigger parts, he has a Celtic 14, but I am very glad I don't have to do all the small nuts and bolts on that machine. The Myford is also very quiet which is relaxing.

I have made the lathe 'digital' by adding 2 slightly adapted cheap digital verniers. They have a 'zero' button and auto on/off and saving me a lot of time and mistakes in converting imperial to metric. Works great.



So without having much experience on others machines I really can recommend the Super 7 but only for the smaller workpieces. Ideally would be a larger lathe next to it.

Good luck with your decision, Michiel / NL

I wasn't suggesting that the lathe on the sub was intended for heavy work, just it must be a versatile bit of gear, and fits into a small space.

Lets face it if it was large enough to make engine bits for subs the submarine would have a permanent list on that side?

(this entire post is of humourous intent as per army regs Ticklebone/section 1345/subsection DT/para 139, motorcyclists for the use of.)

GS Issue tongue for sticking in cheeks availiable from QM stores with the appropriate chit.


I have a Myford 7 which is invaluable for what I need, but as I am very pleased if i can turn anything round and/or concentric to the bore. Much as I would love a really large lathe, its just wasted workshp space occupied if I can't use it to its capacity.

email (option): deadsheds@yahoo.com