Tyre Valve Covers - ST1100 - Project Using Myford ML7 Lathe

[aaron.jarvis74]

Bought myself a Myford ML7 after many years of wanting one and was looking for simple projects to fiddle around with and familiarise myself with the machine and thought i would knock out some valve caps, the tap however was of a non standard pitch and size and beyond my price range so epoxied in some plastic caps, so in reality more covers than caps but happy with the lathe and results. Lathe dates from 1957 and was originally purchased by a Hospital Prosthetic department and i guess made smaller components for prosthetic arms and legs for people ex WW2 (maybe).. A bit of understated bling and better than just randomly cutting brass bar down for no purpose.

 

[Arellcat]

The ML7 is a classic and will do you for decades! A few years ago a friend of mine acquired a Myford Super 7 but I have never yet seen it working.

My wood turning set up is one of those Coronet Minor multi-function machines that dates from about 1963.

 

[dwalby]

when I read the title my first thought was that must be one hell of a lathe to be able to make new valve covers. then I saw the bottom picture and realized it was valve stem caps that you made.

 

[motornut]

I have made a bunch of stuff on my lathe, I put a Harley Tour pack on my ST and made the risers on the lathe. Also put bars on the side of the trunk with lights in them by milling grooves to insert the light strips in them. You have to get a vise for the tail stock to mill with it. there are a lot of projects on the net. One machinists told me it is the one tool that can build it self.
I was changing a timing cover gasket and the bolt broke off inside the bore. I made a sleeve with a guide hole in it to drill into the center, then made the guide hole bigger to redrill the pilot bigger.
I made a puller for the rear axle bearings on the ST and a lot of seal drivers for everything.
I can guarantee you will never run out of things to use it for.

Congratulations

 

[aaron.jarvis74]

I have made a bunch of stuff on my lathe, I put a Harley Tour pack on my ST and made the risers on the lathe. Also put bars on the side of the trunk with lights in them by milling grooves to insert the light strips in them. You have to get a vise for the tail stock to mill with it. there are a lot of projects on the net. One machinists told me it is the one tool that can build it self.
I was changing a timing cover gasket and the bolt broke off inside the bore. I made a sleeve with a guide hole in it to drill into the center, then made the guide hole bigger to redrill the pilot bigger.
I made a puller for the rear axle bearings on the ST and a lot of seal drivers for everything.
I can guarantee you will never run out of things to use it for.

Congratulations

Yeah its been a long time coming, three kids and a mortgage that would make your eyes bleed... now 50 and starting to think some of these things that i wanted might never happen, the Myford ML7 market is/was competitive with those 50-60 yo having deep pockets and i got well outgunned on every auction i tried and not by 5%-10% like 25%-50%. My uncle (background photo on wall) was a Fitter (machinist / engineer) and gave me his ST1100 in 2017, i helped him though COVID but passed away two years ago, he cut me in for an even share of his estate with his remaining 4 siblings which especially pissed off my father and a couple of aunts and uncles (think this is why he did it to be honest, he got the last laugh on them) so i promptly gave the bank the two finger salute paid off our debts and bought myself a lathe for $900 which i thought was a bit comically circular in nature.

Other comically circular observations the agent in NZ which originally sold the ML7 John Chambers was subsequently absorbed into my current company in the 1960s Andrews and Beaven, sadly we no longer do this type of engineering.

Yes thinking about getting a right angle vertical angle block which will allow some basic milling, but far from this in terms of skill.

Still Setting it up - Waiting for Electrican to come back and plumb some power in (Photo of Des behind Lathe)


Original Receipt - John Chambers was bought by my Company i work for in the 1960s

 

[ST1100Y]

Having been trained (electromechanics and mechanical engineering) and owning one, I do reckon the efforts

But from a pure physics POV:

 

[aaron.jarvis74]

Having been trained (electromechanics and mechanical engineering) and owning one, I do reckon the efforts

But from a pure physics POV:

I did think (worry) about that, they weigh 6 gram (well one of them does) but this is a downward load force on the cap outwards onto the rim so its not going to pull the cover off the valve cap more push it down onto the cap and then onto the valve stem and then onto the rim itself, i guess if the valve stem itself falls over because of the loads its possible to rip the cover off and send it like a bullet through something, its a centrifugal force at play to worry about i thought. r = 20 cm to cap (31 cm to edge of tire), 859 rpm at 100 kmph mass=6 gram and playing with this calculator and F = mv²/r

Centrifugal Force Calculator

Use our centrifugal force calculator to determine the force acting on a rotating object.

tinyurl.com

That 6 gram becomes 996 grams with that set of parameters or 166 G?

Bit of science applied to the real world before hitting the road and punching a hole in the radiator tomorrow - maybe aluminium would be better