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email: tony@lathes.co.uk
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Myford Clones and Copies - Page 2
Allied Amco, Colt, Whitecote, White-Colt, Minganti, Tiger Turn, Wei Yii, Warco, 
Prakash Atlas, Tafenglon, My-Turn and "Chinese Unknown"

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Several Chinese copies of the Super 7 were manufactured and distributed as the Whitecote, Whitecolt 720 (or just Colt) - with these examples appearing to follow the original design more closely than most.
Other copies have been found badged "Tiger Turn" with one example, the "Prakash", coming from India and branded as an "Atlas" -and even using a badge similar in appearance to that on the American Atlas lathe (if you have a Prakash, the writer would be interested to hear from you).

Yet another Chinese-built Myford copy but this time a curious mixture of ML7 and Super 7 with parts (resembling those) from the latter including the tailstock, a roller-bearing headstock, hinged covers over headstock and changewheels - whilst from the former the simpler form of cross and top slides was used and there was no clutch fitted to the countershaft
A variety of interesting problems was reported by the original owner - a set of difficulties that took some time and trouble to rectify with modifications and changes necessary to the tailstock, motor-support platform, belt tensioner, saddle gibs and change-wheel carrier. As an example of the hasty and cheap manufacture incorporated in the machine, the tailstock clamp assembly was so poorly made that it was put aside as a souvenir of exactly how not to construct such an item. Under prolonged use one especially weak point came to light: the type of bearing used in the countershaft which, if the tension of the drive-belt was set too tightly, tended to overheat and seize - something the original Myford design (which employed plain bearings) never did. In place of the long-lived and reliable plain white-metal bearings of the ML7 headstock the makers of this lathe used large roller bearings. Unfortunately this theoretical improvement had been engineered with such poor attention to detail that it proved a retrograde step: not only were the arrangements for taking bearing pre-load poorly thought out but also so badly executed - the locating sleeve in the spindle pulley stack, for example, was the wrong size had been packed out with an odd length of badly-fitting tube that rattled uncontrollably..

The Tafenglong - a Super 7 replica complete with a screwcutting gearbox


Another example of the long-bed "Colt"

From an unknown maker, this Super 7 copy follows the main elements of the original design but lacks a T-slotted cross slide and wick lubrication for the front headstock bearing - a drip-feed oiler being provided instead. It appears that no carriage lock is fitted - a serious drawback - and the headstock and countershaft covers are in sheet steel rather than being aluminium castings.



Another Super 7B copy from Taiwan, this one lacking the difficult-to-engineer spindle clutch and as sold in New Zealand. Although largely Super 7 in its execution a modified design of countershaft from an ML7 has been used. The tailstock is, of course, entirely novel.



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Myford Clones and Copies - Page 2
Allied Amco, Colt, Whitecote, White-Colt, Minganti, Tiger Turn, Wei Yii, Warco, 
Prakash Atlas, Tafenglon, My-Turn and "Chinese Unknown"
email: tony@lathes.co.uk
Home   Machine Tool Archive   Machine-tools Sale & Wanted
Machine Tool Manuals   Catalogues   Belts   Books  Accessories