Show me yours and I'll show you mine

[Admin]

Let's show some heavy metal in this thread .. I'll start ..

My Myford ML7 on custom made stand - the gateway drug

CH601 milling machine .. just working on a powerfeed for the X-axis using a windshield wiper motor, some arduino code and switches and a home made dog clutch

The monster .. just arrived and still up on blocks in my shop (this is where it came from) .. haven't even wiped the old grime off of it .. Colchester Student 12x24 ..

Let's see yours!

[sirotcipateb]

Hi Mat, that looks like a very capable collection of machines. I haven't seen very many Myfords in these parts and I believe This Old Tony (Youtube) has a Colchester Student, but I'm not sure about the size vintage, model, etc. He's able to make some very heavy cuts though, so you're probably in possession of a pretty serious machine.

Here are some photos of my shop. I've got a 7x12 Mini Lathe, CNC Mini Mill and vise mounted on a homemade workbench with a steel-reinforced concrete slab on top. The slab sits on top of a few layers of carpet underlay and I've found this helps keep vibration from propagating into the rest of the house (My workshop used to be in the top floor of a townhouse). The high mass of the slab also makes working with the vise really nice.

The mill was converted to CNC using a kit from CNC Fusion and the electronics consist of some Chinese stepper motor drivers and a Xulifeng AKZ250 USB motion controller. I've certainly taken a hit with regards to simplicity and productivity by converting the mill to CNC but it's also allowed me to do things that I couldn't have done with a manual machine, so no regrets.

The wooden crate on the left end of my workbench is a 12x18 granite surface plate that I got from Busy Bee recently. I used it for the first time when making a pair of tapered saddle gibs for the lathe and one day I want to use it try to improve the fit of the cross slide and compound on my mini lathe.

The last photo is of my metal stock collection. It's mostly scrapbinium and unknownium, but there's enough to keep me busy for quite a while ;-)

[Admin]

that's a great looking shop!

with regards to the Myford, I think I got lucky on that one .. there are currently two up for sale in Vancouver, but both at a much higher price point than mine .. it's a beautiful little 3.5in center height lathe and I've had some great fun with it .. it'll deserve a full restoration one day .. I'm thinking bondo, wet sanding .. the whole nine yards .. As far as the Colchester goes, without This old Tony's videos I would've never known of this lathe .. so when it came up in Surrey I was shooting from the hip pretty quickly without thinking too much .. it has a 13 inch swing, 24 inch between centers and yeah, I've seen TOT take 1/4 cuts in steel .. I'm excited to give it a go soon ..

[David Wrate]

Here's  my  1975  South Bend 10K

[Gareth Jones]

Wait one minute... was that the Myford available on used vic about 5-8 years ago? There was a complete ml-7 going for crazy cheap - like under 1000. I emailed the seller and he agreed, and after work I rushed home jumped into my truck and called him - only to be told he sold it an hour ago!! I still cry a little inside once in a while. If its the same machine though I'm glad it has a happy home!

[Admin]

Hey Gareth, I'm afraid that sounds about right .. am I the guy who swooped it from under your feet? My apologies .. I wasn't made aware of the fact that someone else was already interested and / or had a deal going ..  but yes, it was exactly 1000$ .. I think there's one in Vancouver right now for 1400 .. check craigslist ..