Myford wood lathes

Myford made a lathe called the Mystro I think they still make it and it is now called the Mystro 11 with vari-speed.

Yes, about 30 years ago. a great little machine. two tubular ways

Hi,

Yes, Myford made the ML8, quite a good small machine for its day. It had a fixed headstock, with an outboard turning facility. The bed was a single large dia tube, around 2 1/2" dia, horizontally split to take the tailstock tightening handle. Although they are obsolete now, you still see them going second-hand quite often. Myford are still in business and you can still obtain spares for the ML8.

Their latest offering is the Mystro, a larger, much more competent and expandable machine. I've no personal experience of it other than Myford's brochure, but it seems to be a well-specified and robust piece of kit.

HTH

Frank

Hi Frank and all, Hard to think of the ML8 as obselete. I remember it was the lathe most often used by pioneers such as Pain, Child, and others as illustrations in their books during the early days of woodturning's renaissance. Russ Zimmerman and later Robert Rosand popularized the ML8 over here, and many of us lusted for one, but they were too expensive. Now that I can afford one, they are obselete. :( So many things that were unobtainable dreams in our salad days are no longer desired. Radio hams will recall the National HRO receiver and fishermen will rememember the Pfleuger Supreme reel. My apology for the boring OT rambling. All best, Arch

p.s. Surely those wonderful cream colored Myford metal lathes aren't obselete. A.

Fortiter,

Oh boy, my age is catching up with me. As Frank McVey noted it's a single tube. After I got my General, a few years ago I disassembled my Myford and sent it off to a daughter in Colorado. Sic transit.

Hello there Arch

Time sure flies when you are having fun, and yes Arch, I think even the cream colored ones are obsolete, (never seen a cream one actually) they are green now (or were). The Myfort metal lathe my nephew bought a few years back is green, but quality is still up there as is price. To keep this on topic, the flat bed on them do not take kindly to wood turning or drilling, as my brother in law found out, (had to make a larger hole in some wood than his drill press was able to) no room for wood slivers in there, my nephew still turns hot and red when we talk about that, had to take the whole lathe apart to get it up to snuff and working again Main thing is we're not obsolete (yet)

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

Arch wrote:

Can't speak to whether there are photos on the web, but there are pictures of the Myford Mystro lathe in Keith Rowley's Turning Wood book. The intro beginner book available everywhere. He has an older model Mystro and a newer model Mystro in the book I believe.

There are also some pictures of my old Myford Mystro (before they were made in the Far East), on my web site. When I get time, there will probably be a few more.

I have had a Mystro as my regular lathe for about 8-9 years now, and though it is generally a fine machine, there are little things which are problems. Its throw over the bed is barely 11", and though I can rotate the headstock for larger pieces IF I can get ahold of them, there are many times I'd like to use the tailstock, and find the piece is just too large in diameter.

Also, the plastic locking handles for the various parts of the tool rests are a weak point...they wear and are hard to make secure. (And Mystro never bothered to make lathes with American threads, and finding metric replacement handles is a pain). And...they used a 1 1/8X12 threading and a special locking groove for reversing that make it 'almost' impossible to buy chucks and such from other manufacturers. (Oneway custom-millled one for me).

Add to this the problem that the one known representative in the US has faded away and I can fine no source for parts or service other than trying to email Myford, and I find myself worried what will happen if I ever have a serious problem.

So far, I have managed to keep turning in 'relative' good shape, and I LOVE the rotating headstock...but if I ever come into $4000 I don't have any other use for, and I will sure be looking at some other lathes FAST!