Where's it Going Wrong?

A few additional thoughts: If I understand this correctly, the spiral advances towards the headstock with every pass; total accumulation being approximately 1/8" in 8 passes? Are these screwcutting passes being taken with the back gear engaged? If so, have a look at the back gear assembly. Although you can't see it, this gear is supposed to be secured to the spindle with a shallow woodruff key (re: Section H, Headstock Assembly, Super 7 manual). It should be impossible to turn the gear while holding the spindle. If it does move, it may indicate a sheared key, or no key at all. There should also be a socket set screw securing the gear laterally to the spindle, located in the shoulder of the 60 tooth gear, on the righthand side. If it's not tight, suspect a problem with the key. And for a wild card, is the problem occuring with the standard topslide installed on the lathe or an accessory, such as a retracting topslide? Pat Dworzan

Gentlemen,

I am delighted to be able to announce that the Connoisseur threading problem has finally been resolved. Myford had indeed fitted a twenty tooth tumbler sleeve gear (as fitted to their non-gearbox range) when they should have fitted a twenty four. Mark Rand kindly 'borrowed' a

24 tooth gear from his father's machine and the fix was instant, so to speak. As an aside, I was wrong to think that the 20 tooth was machined from the same solid as the associated 38 tooth gear which meshes with the fibre gears, it is simply keyed onto a common spindle.

My most sincere thanks to everybody who contributed, both in the newsgroup and also those who e-mailed me. In particular, special thanks are due to John Stevenson for initially putting his finger on the likely cause and, of course, to Mark. Thank God we don't all use the same pub...I'd need a mortgage!

Regards

--

Chris Edwards (in deepest Dorset) ..."There must be an easier way...!"

(snip)

(snip)

Sorry, slip of the finger, - I should have said " the tumbler sleeve gear was machined etc" (regardless of the number if teeth)

Regards --

Chris Edwards (in deepest Dorset) ..."There must be an easier way...!"

We accept Paypal and cheques

-- Regards,

John Stevenson Nottingham, England.

Blimey - is this the sort of thing that Myford usually do? Imagine the fuss if this had happened on a Far-east special! Seriously - I think you ought to tear 'em off a right strip for this, & did I hear you say you'd had other problems too - if so, & on a lathe of this price, they really need a shellacking.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- snipped-for-privacy@boltblue.com John Lloyd - Cymru/Wales

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The most tragic part of this is the lack of interest paid to this problem by Myfords over their flagship model. I'm afraid though that it seems as if they just can't be bothered at all. They have cut staff now to a point where it's obviously not possible to keep an eye on what's happening. Prices are just being jacked up to keep cash flow at the same level without a greater thruput of machines. Once this reaches a point it can't go on. The classic example is try to get a quote for a machine with electronic variable speed drive, they do them but they will quote either silly delivery dates or silly prices, or both. When in fact fitting a VFD actually saves them time and money. No expensive starter boxes, simplified headstock arrangement and cheaper motors. They buy their VFD's from the same source as I do and they don't get as good a deal as I do, that's how business savvy they are. I know what they pay for a VFD and if you take what they want the difference is embarrassing, no wonder sales are falling.

I know it's not easy in todays climate and the loss of the educational contracts can't have helped but when they get orders they just have this air of indifference. Eventually what will happen is that they will decide to pull the plug. I used to work for Raglan lathes who were took over by Myfords and they treated them as bad. I felt at the time they just wanted to shut any competition down. I later went to work for a company literally across the road from Myfords and saw them drop from a 400+ workforce to the current 17 they have today. The owners, the Moore's can't be that bothered, remember they are sitting on a prime site within walking distance to a town centre. Can you say Superstore?

-- Regards,

John Stevenson Nottingham, England.

If you look at the Myford accounts, the Moore's already own a property company alongside the machine tool enterprse! The spiral of doom that cost cutting and model range reduction brings has a certain inevitability about it.

Charles

I think you will find that is because a lot of the old Myford premises are now let off. There are a car sales, a fencing company and a tool and cutter grinders all in the same locale and they still have empty property to spare.

When Beeston college, just across the road closed the original plan was for the two guys who ran the shop, Paul and Frank?, to buy the training school, move over the road to Myfords old offices and fitting shop and set up as a private enterprise. This fell thru after the East Midlands Training board would not promise them firm placements with the result that all the equipment went onto the market and many on this group benefited. The point behind this story was that Myfords wanted £13,000 pa rent for this one building. Why go to the hassle of manufacture if you can get this sort of income with no worry? The reason they run a property company is for tax reasons. Rent a room out and it's unearned income. Register a company as it's no longer unearned income but much can be claimed as expenses.

-- Regards,

John Stevenson Nottingham, England.

Oh well - another bubble burst in old Blighty. Seen the difficulty people are having trying to get Land Rover spares at present? Mind you, having owned (& tried to keep running) a Series 3 for 5 years once upon a time, I think anyone who owns anything with LandRover on the front deserves all they get!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- snipped-for-privacy@boltblue.com John Lloyd - Cymru/Wales

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I rationalized to myself thusly:-

1) Dad isn't going to be using his Ml7B before I visit him again (even though he should be coming out of hospital this week :-), 2) I needed a new 20T gear anyway 3) The car's clutch has got to the point where it is enforcing a moderate driving style. 4) There is a garage in Beeston that does clutches 5) Myford's open week is upon us.

So on Wednesday I drive up to Beeston and drop the car in to get it's clutch replaced at 08:00. Then I spend the rest of the day moping around Myford's after buying a replacement 24T gear.

'Course If I see any Reliants going past, I'll stick my thumb out and scrounge a lift to Donington

Gimmeabell when you are done at Myfords, I'll come and pick you up. I'm going to Donington on Wednesday anyway, got to meet Mr Bean for dinner. You are welcome to a lift.

-- Regards,

John Stevenson Nottingham, England.

In message , John Stevenson writes

How very sad this is. Myfords had such an opportunity to exploit the use of import machines and enhance them to professional standards and sell at a competitive price. The old British determination and grit to win has been replaced by the easy option. Every time I pass through Crewe (where I served my engineering apprenticeship with BR) I think of what it could have been if only the Government had stuck with the fantastic railway infrastructure and skills it had. Instead they let it go, all of it, and now they need it so much. Every day the headlines report railway problems, next thing is they will close down the railways (privatisation?) after all this will get rid of problems for good!

Mr Stevenson Before you go busybodying and commenting about other people's business maybe you should get your facts right. You obviously have never ran your own engineering business otherwise you would have appreciated the difficulties and challenges there were trying to produce quality hand built machines in fewer numbers which as you will know challenges the price to be charged - maybe because we weren't making profits we had to rent out prooperty- maybe because of all the time wasted by customers buying machines and tools elsewhere then ringing us up for free advice? For time that we were paying for? maybe for all the thefts at exhibitions and Myford open weeks? Maybe because we were competing with cheap imports built with cheaper materials and labour? Maybe because quality isn't free or even cheap. Maybe the machines we built too well and have lasted too long so no one wanted new machines just second hand ones? Let's see you run a successful engineering business then maybe you make these sort comments. Thank goodness it is all now finished and we don't have to deal with jerks like you Regards A Myford family member

There you go then John, that successful engineering business that you have run for years, AND ARE STILL RUNNING, is just a figment of your imagination :)

Now remind me - is the original Myford company still in business ??????????

Scratches head, thinks someone is out of touch and ROTFL

Andrew

Has the Myford family member been asleep the last decade. John's post is dated 20 Oct 2003. Maybe asleep at the bosses desk as well.

It's that customer centric approach of responding 13 years later that kept impresses me.....

Didn't it close in 2010 or 11? Last I heard, the name and spares were bought up by a company in Wales I think and they were making lathes under the Myford name.

Without knocking Myford lathes, I'm aware they are/were very good and therefore very popular, the idea that 'thefts at exhibitions' were a factor in their demise seems a bit far fetched. The number of instances of people slipping a lathe into their pocket or carrier bag and getting away with it must surely be so small not to be a make or break factor ;-)

RDG Tools in Hebden Bridge