Well it is still for sale...

@@beachcomberbob3496 Wow, really. Link to the sale please

@@Zeaiclies I'm an old props guy. I don't know about all this 'links' and things you're asking about. When I first made this, it was a one-off 'passion project', just to see if I could make a faithful replica that actually did stuff without video trickery or post production (much like my Farnsworth builds - check them out!). I had a couple of WH13 collectors approaching me with offers to buy it off me. But then the whole Covid thing hit, and they melted away and never came back. So it's been sat in the shipping box ever since, waiting for a 'super fan' willing to buy a one off 'hero plus' version of the thing that first appeared in episode 1-2. I'm not a conveyor belt kind of builder. My props are one-of-a-kind (like the thermal detonator from 'Return Of The Jedi', or the 'Lawgiver' from 'Dredd', or the 'Good Samaritan' from 'Hellboy') Once it's done, it's done, so there's always that '1 of 1' collector aspect. Oops, sorry, I seems to have gone on a bit long here......

@@beachcomberbob3496 So how do I purchase it or know how much it is? Where is it for sale?

Apologies for the late reply (medical problems). I can't lay my hands on the artwork I made to do the original etching (two computer failures ago) but give me a couple of days to see if I can take my own plate off without damaging it, and you can have that one. Then, when I get around to it I can make myself another. Sound good?

Much as I would love to help you, that was the first and only time that I've come across a Mk1 gearbox, and I was doing it all 'on-the-fly' as it were. To my knowledge, Myford never published any documentation for it, because it was so short lived before they brought out the Mk2. So, in short, Myford probably won't be able to supply spare parts for it, and I have no documentation on the gears needed to mate it to the leadscrew. You could try lathes.co.uk - he has a wealth of information on all sorts of historical machinery, or a ML7 owners forum to see if someone there has an actual Mk1 that they can measure for you.

If I remember rightly, the spacer strip is there to stand the gearbox off the bed so that it accurately lines up with the leadscrew shaft. I can only surmise that they found that, to get a milled mating surface on the Super 7 bed (as opposed to the ML7), they ended up having to machine away more of the raw casting than they first expected, and the packing plate was a cheap remedy. My concern would be, with the gearbox slightly cocked backwards, when the carriage is up the headstock end of the leadscrew and near to the box, it might cause the shaft to wear into the out-of-alignment bushings (over time). If you are finding that everything seems to be running smoothly without it, I wouldn't fret about it too much. It may be that it was only a problem on the short bed Super 7, which doesn't occur on your long bed version. If it does bother you that it's not there, it is just a simple piece of plate that can be easily made.

@@beachcomberbob3496 Many thanks for this reply. I'm still rebuilding after the regrind and I did check the top of the gearbox with the ELS level. You're right, it is very slightly cocked backwards. However, the saddle tracks smoothly right up to the headstock, winding the leadscrew manually with the clamp engaged, no undue resistance, and I didn't notice any bearing wear when installing the leadscrew. Hmm. I see the spacer strip is available from Myford at £10 so I think I'll grab that and see if it changes anything. Re your point about the long bed. Maybe the extra flexibility of the leadscrew compensates for any slight misalignment, or is that engineering heresy?

@@alanandrews3413 No - not heresy at all. When owning vintage equipment, some slack is always going to creep in. Just keep your gibs tight and take up the backlash! I would rather have my old Super 7 (which is as old as I am 😀) than anything being produced (for the same comparative price point) these days. Same with my Centec mill. By heck, they knew how to build 'em back then. Seriously though, the only thing I'd ever consider replacing with new parts are lead screws and nuts, although I have put up a video on a 'backlash eliminator' I made for the cross-slide. Perhaps you'll post up a video of your 'baby' when it's all done?

@@beachcomberbob3496 I don't know about posting a video. It's not a restoration, just a necessary dismantling and rebuild for getting the bed reground. As a self-taught amateur with no engineering training I've got nothing to show that videos like yours don't cover 10 times better. Incidentally, in case it's of interest, the regrind was done by Myford/RDG and they've done an excellent job, just skimming off the minimum necessary for trueing up, not worrying about the odd blemish that it's picked up over 60 years. It had become noticeably looser at the headstock end. They were most helpful, explaining in advance that if it had been reground before there might not be enough material left to stay within tolerances. All ok, but surely a warning there for buyers. They even set up the saddle for me. Smoother than it's ever been, and along the whole length of course. I'd forgotten what that was like.

Have a look at chapter five - -I think it explains it there.

I would suggest that you hold out for a decently priced 'S/S' vertical head with the quill, if that's really going to be of use to you. Try negotiating the scrapper's price down, if that's the only one you can find. Centec, I think, envisioned that you would use their 'rapid table raise' lever to imitate the downward quill movement, but as that lever is on the rear of the machine, it's not very convenient. Unless I'm using the Centec as a drill press, I rarely use the quill, and prefer to use my Shelley car jack modification (have you seen that video of mine?) to raise the table in a convenient and measured manner.

It's coming, it's coming. These panels are all going into the cockpit, later in the build.

For the use I get out of it (on thin brass sheet), the files won't wear out for a good while (and I can always make more to fit), and I can't justify the expense of a real die filer. Just my humble take on 'make do and mend.'

All I can say is patience. The heads do come up from time to time, I was just lucky that mine came up so shortly after I got the basic horizontal base (had to travel a ways to get it mind). No harm in renovating what you have and being 'creative' with it. Visit a few on-line forums for vintage lathes and ask around, as those are the guys who might have an old vertical head just sitting in the back of the garage rusting, or at least point you in the right direction. It's been so long that I've forgotten which sites I visited - perhaps practical machinist or lathes.co.uk (I know they have a ton of interesting Centec data).

Glad to be of help. I don't have fancy video creating kit, but I wanted to put it out there for folks like me who had never even seen this machine before buying it. If I can do it, I'm sure you'll have an easier time.😁

Look up 'MOTIP Spray Putty'. Available on Ebay, Amazon, and most big auto spares shops.

@@beachcomberbob3496 thank you so much !!

In my case, the taper pin had been hammered in, so I had to drill it out. But generally, if you examine both ends of the pin and determine which is the smaller diameter, it should tap out easily with a hammer and punch. If you can't make out which end is which, try a few gentle taps at either end. It should become obvious that one of them is moving the pin out.

@@beachcomberbob3496, thank you for your prompt reply but can only see one end of it and wo during if it was a blind hole , I will investigate further. Regards Peter Baker

@@PeterBaker-hp1np Sometimes it can be hard to see the pin if it's flush with it's surroundings, but it isn't a blind hole. Use a drift (parallel punch) of a smaller diameter, if you have one. Like I said, it shouldn't take great blows to move it if you are hitting the correct end. Of course, if some swine has hammered it in to the point of peining over the end, you will have to drill it out like I did. In that case, you do have to get in there at an awkward angle, but it is do-able.

@@beachcomberbob3496 , Good afternoon Bob I managed to source a new transfer gear [2 teeth broken off the original] I had to drill it part way through then it punched out, replaced gear and new 20 tooth gear on layshaft [ 1 broken tooth] and fitted brand new input shaft [splines damaged in 3 places] Thanks with the help off your video it all went back together very well. Many Thanks for Your Help Bob. Regards Peter.

@@PeterBaker-hp1np I was only passing on what little I know. Thanks for the update, and happy machining!

Thanks. I have a full length version showing the build process, on my channel.

The point is it's part of the space ship console I'm building for my grandson to play with.

@@beachcomberbob3496 That I get!

Funnily enough, I've just started making another one. Do you want to go on the list? My email's on my 'about' page.

Sorry I din't get back to you right away. I'm waiting on my supplier to get back to me with a price for the cast iron. When they do, we can discuss further. OK?

See my email address on the about page.

Mine too only had the horizontal fittings when I bought it. It took a while for me to find a vertical head - I can only assume that they were an 'optional extra' that many didn't buy. They do come up on Ebay now and again. As for the riser, I'm not sure they even made one. This was just my own solution to the 'headroom' problem with modern tooling.