Rebore on a mini-lathe!!!

[Stuart Giles]

Myfords are very versatile in that there are many accessories and attachments available for them. But they lack the the rigidity of an industrial lathe. Secondhand Myford lathes are often badly worn due to their narrow bed and the fact that unlike industrial lathes, the bedways on almost all Myfords manufactured in Nottingham, are not induction  hardened. Myford lathes tend to be much more expensive  to purchase secondhand than a larger capacity Boxford, Southbend, Smart & Brown, Colchester Bantam or Chipmaster. These machines don't have a signifcantly bigger footprint in a workshop than a cabinet mounted ML 7 or Super 7 Myford. It is nice to have a slotted cross slide on a lathe, but it's still possible to bore  or face parts on a lathe without such by using an adapter off the lathe's  topslide mount to fix the manifold, conrod etc. you want to machine onto the lathe.  I did this many times on my S & B Model "A" lathe before I had a milling machine in my workshop.

I've owned this 1963 Smart & Brown Model "A" for 40 years now.




Had this 1943 "war finish" Colchester Triumph for 18 years



And my "new" 1959 Dean Smith & Grace. Some of my friends have suggested that I am developing a lathe habit. I always say that I could give it up anytime