# My first lathe.



## Ilyessa (Aug 28, 2018)

Hello all, this is my first post so please be gentle.

I am thinkf of buying a Myford ML2/ML4 as my first lathe. See link to the lathe in question below. 
What do I need to look out for and are there any missing parts that I should be aware of. He is asking $800.00 AUS

  Thanks.


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## hman (Aug 28, 2018)

First off, welcome to the forum!  

I'm not at all familiar with Myford lathes (or the "market" in Australia), and don't know how $800 AUS ($587 US) relates.  But this is what I'd want to check, given what I see in the photos. 

1.  Looks like the owner tried to convert the lathe from flat belt drive to v-belt (or maybe a round belt???)  At least that's my best guess, seeing the grooves in two of the flat belt pulleys.  But they don't look deep enough for a V belt and don't have beveled sides.  You might want to check this very carefully.
2.  The motor doesn't appear to have any kind of pulley at all.  Is there one, just not pictured?  It looks like it has a cord attached, but is there a switch?  Any provision (switch) for reversing the rotation?
3.  Looking at the picture, it appears the carriage is missing the crank used to move it along the ways.  The shaft is visible below and to the left of the cross slide, but no handle (?).  Parts of it may be there (hard to see), but you should definitely look into this.  
4.  The compound slide does not appear to have a crank.  This might just be hidden because of the angle of the the photo, but check that it's there.
5.  The tailstock doesn't include a chuck.  If it's not included, you'll have to buy one, plus a suitable Morse taper adapter.
6.  Be sure to check that the lathe comes with a full set of "change gears," so that you can cut a variety of threads.

You should probably check on parts availability for the lathe before you buy it.

PS - you mentioned a link, but I could not find one. 

Hope it works out for you!


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## Nogoingback (Aug 28, 2018)

If you've never owned a lathe before, it might be a good idea to buy a machine that's under power so that
it's operation can be demonstrated before you buy.  That looks like a bit of a project to me.  As for Myfords,
we don't see them often in the States, but my understanding is that they're good machines. 

When you look at machines, try to find one with as much tooling as possible.  Lots of machines are sold
with little or no tooling, which will add considerable cost.


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## BaronJ (Aug 28, 2018)

Hi Ilyessa,

I think the price is a bit high for an ML2 or a ML4 for that matter.  It is a vintage lathe that has been hacked with, and with parts missing that you may never be able to find replacements for.  Here that lathe as it is in the picture would only fetch about £200 to £300 tops, only then to someone who wanted a vintage lathe project.  It would be worth more if it was in original condition with all the parts and accessories.


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## Ilyessa (Aug 28, 2018)

hman said:


> First off, welcome to the forum!
> 
> I'm not at all familiar with Myford lathes (or the "market" in Australia), and don't know how $800 AUS ($587 US) relates.  But this is what I'd want to check, given what I see in the photos.
> 
> ...


hman.
Thank you, for the detailed response.
I had noticed some of your points, missing chuck for the tail stock and the change gears which are not there as far as I can tell. I think I might pass on this one as I feel finding parts might be some what trouble some to say the least.
I have also seen pictures of this lathe with a large bracket/mount behind the head stock with flat drive belts that is also missing. I think this one is best left to someone more  experienced with Myford lathes than I am.


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## Ilyessa (Aug 28, 2018)

Nogoingback said:


> If you've never owned a lathe before, it might be a good idea to buy a machine that's under power so that
> it's operation can be demonstrated before you buy.  That looks like a bit of a project to me.  As for Myfords,
> we don't see them often in the States, but my understanding is that they're good machines.
> 
> ...


Nogoingback. 
Thanks for the advise. In this case I think I am going to take it and keep looking,


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## Ken from ontario (Aug 28, 2018)

IIyessa, welcome aboard, 
We get a few Myford lathes for sale here in southern Ontario, mostly ML7, Ml10 and one super 7 from $700 to $2000 Can. all seem to be plug and play, with extras, I've heard you can still order parts for ML7/10 from Myford but as others mentioned, it is not a wise move to buy a project  as your first lathe, I would only consider it if I have another one identical to it and use this one as the donor lathe to complete the other.


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## Ilyessa (Aug 29, 2018)

Thank you all for you advice. We can put this one to bed I think. While I do like a good project I feel this lathe is well outside my comfort zone.


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## BaronJ (Aug 30, 2018)

Ilyessa,  a wise decision.


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