Metal engineering lathe
Discussion
Not sure if this is this in right place to post, but I'm wondering if there's anyone knowledgable on engineering lathes here.
I have a large metal lathe that was my late fathers that I'm wanting to sell. Can't find any info on the particular model I have on the net. On the front of the lathe is says "MEM Startet", which I would presume is the make/model. My dad bought it from a local garage about 10 years with the intention of using to do various machining tasks in the garage. I've no idea how much it would be worth, but I do recall he paid a few hundred quid for it.
Ideally would have to go to someone local as it will be very heavy. I have emailed the local model steam engineering society, not sure if they would the right people to go?.
I have a large metal lathe that was my late fathers that I'm wanting to sell. Can't find any info on the particular model I have on the net. On the front of the lathe is says "MEM Startet", which I would presume is the make/model. My dad bought it from a local garage about 10 years with the intention of using to do various machining tasks in the garage. I've no idea how much it would be worth, but I do recall he paid a few hundred quid for it.
Ideally would have to go to someone local as it will be very heavy. I have emailed the local model steam engineering society, not sure if they would the right people to go?.
I will have to have a look and nice if there's any make, but I wouldn't have thought it was a cheap made lathe. My dad was well into model steam and worked in engineering, so he would've known a thing or two about these kinds of things. Been a long time since it was used though.
Apparently I've just discovered it's a Myford lathe.
Apparently I've just discovered it's a Myford lathe.
Edited by Jukebag on Thursday 16th May 20:09
Unfortunately I can't tell you what the make is, I can say that any model engineer would be happy with it, more so if the casing on the left hand end has intrchangable gears in it, which means it can cut screw threads.
And Its not a bad size for home use, would sell quite readilly.
Measure the distance from the center of the chuck to the bed (virtically down)This is the swing, then from the chuck to thr nose of the tailstock at its extream RH position, this the working length .
You can then advertise it as a say 4inch swing by 20 inch.
No idea on price but I would guess at minimum of £300 more if there is any tooling.
And while it seems like quite a lump to you, I can assure you it is not big or heavy for a lathe
This is the largest we have at work being deliverd and thats not really big!
And Its not a bad size for home use, would sell quite readilly.
Measure the distance from the center of the chuck to the bed (virtically down)This is the swing, then from the chuck to thr nose of the tailstock at its extream RH position, this the working length .
You can then advertise it as a say 4inch swing by 20 inch.
No idea on price but I would guess at minimum of £300 more if there is any tooling.
And while it seems like quite a lump to you, I can assure you it is not big or heavy for a lathe
This is the largest we have at work being deliverd and thats not really big!
That's a very big lathe; didn't think they were that large.
Sadly though, I haven't got an ounce of engineering knowledge about me, so the things you mentioned above just went over my head.
I think my best port of call for selling it is with the chaps over at the local steam model engineering society, or someone in my area who wants one for their garage. It could do with a jolly good cleaning up though as you can tell from the pic.
Sadly though, I haven't got an ounce of engineering knowledge about me, so the things you mentioned above just went over my head.
I think my best port of call for selling it is with the chaps over at the local steam model engineering society, or someone in my area who wants one for their garage. It could do with a jolly good cleaning up though as you can tell from the pic.
Looks like there may be a brass plate on the front face underneath the belt pulleys, if you can give that a wipe and have a good look at it, you've got a fighting chance it'll have a name and possibly some details like manufacturing year.
I agree it looks like a relatively generic early 20th century screw cutting lathe, it's actually quite similar to the old (WW1 era) Drummond I have with the interrupted bed near the chuck to give a bit more room to play with.
I suspect it'll be just what someone into model steam etc would want, Ebay listing with good pictures is likely your best bet.
Edit: you say it's a Myford lathe, that's good, well known brand people are often familiar with. See what that local society say, but I doubt you'll have trouble finding a buyer.
I agree it looks like a relatively generic early 20th century screw cutting lathe, it's actually quite similar to the old (WW1 era) Drummond I have with the interrupted bed near the chuck to give a bit more room to play with.
I suspect it'll be just what someone into model steam etc would want, Ebay listing with good pictures is likely your best bet.
Edit: you say it's a Myford lathe, that's good, well known brand people are often familiar with. See what that local society say, but I doubt you'll have trouble finding a buyer.
Edited by InitialDave on Thursday 16th May 21:08
It is either a Drummond or a Myford M series
Myfords made some lathes for Drummond's and then took the design over and sold it as the M series
Although not very valuable they are still a good lathe with an owners group , spares can be problematic but will turn up on the bay of e regularly.
Myfords made some lathes for Drummond's and then took the design over and sold it as the M series
Although not very valuable they are still a good lathe with an owners group , spares can be problematic but will turn up on the bay of e regularly.
Edited by Auntieroll on Tuesday 21st May 16:46
Cheers for that. The Myford ML4 looks similar to the one I have but not exact, or at least the one I was looking at on the Lathes website. I wouldn't have thought it was a very old (early 20th century) lathe.
I'll have to have another look tomorrow. I'll try and see if there is any model number and/or year of manufacturer anywhere..
I'll have to have another look tomorrow. I'll try and see if there is any model number and/or year of manufacturer anywhere..
MagicalTrevor said:
How much is a modern hobby lathe? Not a Chinese one that’ll fall to bits but something that might last.
I wouldn’t mind one for doing the odd bits
When I was looking for just such a thing (only needed something small for RC car parts), I couldn't find anything modern which fitted the bill without being way larger than needed and consequently way more expensive. The Chinese crap all had terrible reviews, so didn't even consider them.I wouldn’t mind one for doing the odd bits
I ended up buying a 1960s Emco Unimat SL from eBay. Does the job, I've added various attachments over time so it is now also a light duty drill press, mill, grinding wheel and sanding wheel.
I'd imagine there are plenty of people out there who would be interested in a lathe like the OP has - perfect for the garage hobbyist.
While they're still nominally similar to the Chinese machines everyone else sells on Ebay, have a look at the ones Arc Eurotrade offer. I don't know how their business model works now, but it used to be they'd sell you either an "out the box" machine, or one that they'd stripped down and reassembled to make sure it's all set up competently and properly lubricated etc.
A guy I worked with had a couple of them, and said they were noticeably better than most of the equivalent offerings.
A guy I worked with had a couple of them, and said they were noticeably better than most of the equivalent offerings.
Gassing Station | Scale Models | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff