Help please Machinery ID

Hello all, I found this at a recent car boot and thought it might make a drilling spindle. Before I butcher it as it will need substantial modification, I thought it may be something that would be useful to somebody with the machine it was designed to fit. I have uploaded pictures which should help. It does seem strange that the wheel that moves the dovetailed slide relative to the base is in the vicinity of the chuck and tooling. The spindle was seized but atf and acetone freed it, the chuck is secured by a taper and draw bar, there is a very small flat machined on the spindle, but no obvious means for the spindle to be rotated, the nut on the draw bar is elaborate counter bored for the spindle end and made of brass but only two flats.The base appears to have a cam lock and has tapered guides. Given the orientation of the oilers, it seems that this was designed to be mounted vertically. Any ideas please will be most welcome.

Thanks Paul

Sorry Paul, no photo visible. (Edit - photos just showed up so please ignore this post.)

Edited By Brian Sweeting on 26/05/2018 18:51:48

Sorry brian pictures on way now

Tnanks Paul

We're typing too fast for each other I think.

Pictures as mentioned

Paul,

It looks like it may be wider, but my first thought was that it would fit a 'Webster Whitcomb' bed **LINK** ... which became the de-facto standard for 'modern' Watchmaker's lathes etc.

http://www.lathes.co.uk/derbyshire/

I agree that the chuck looks like it's on the wrong end of the spindle !!

... or rather that the spindle has been inserted wrong way round.

MichaelG.

.

A measurement across the vee would help.

Edit: Just noticed that, on the linked page, captions for the WW and Geneva pattern beds are confused !!

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 26/05/2018 20:07:22

Thanks for your response Michael

The dovetail on the base measures 2.34" on the wider lower portion and 2.00" on the upper top portion.The base is 3.31" wide overall. The bearings on the spindle seem to have adjusting rings on both sides, so a rather sophisticated construction, i have not attempted to reverse the spindle until I am sure that it is not already correctly assembled for its intended application.

thanks paul

Finally found a decent cross-sectional sketch of the WW bed, for reference : **LINK**

https://mb.nawcc.org/threads/dimensions-of-jewelers-lathes-typical-ww-and-historical.38232/

MichaelG.

Thanks again Michael

This device would seem to be too large to fit a WW bed, and not as nicely made as the items shewn on the lathes site.

Paul

Edited By Paul Barter on 26/05/2018 21:33:13

I've no idea of its original purpose but one observation I would make is, that it appears to be designed to have a drive pulley with different diameter sheaves fitted between the two journals.

Without knowing if its the original spindle it may be that the chuck is not an original fitment (or spindle has been reversed), details of any thrust arrangements would be useful info.

The oilers (greasers?) sort of indicate a vertical axis, but that may be a complete red herring.

Ian P

Agreed, Ian

1. The chuck looks like a later addition
2. The oilers are disconcerting ... If, as it appears, the slide is intended as a Z-axis, then I would normally expect the feed handle to be at the top [so the oilers are currently 'upside down'.]

I suspect that Paul has acquired someone's 'work in progress'.

Go for it Paul ... make it into something nice !!

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 26/05/2018 22:24:56

.

Permit me a little more speculation, Paul ...

Under that 'nut' is there perchance a 7mm diameter mandrel ?

[standard size for horological wheel-cutters]

MichaelG.

Hello Michael and Ian

Here is apicture of the dismantled spindle, the reduced end that screws into the chuck is 6.5mm in diameter, the spindle has a collar that takes thrust against a thrust face on the chuck end bearing, and end float is set by the screwed collar. The bearing diameters ie one behind the chuck and the one at the draw bar nut end are different so reversing the spindle will require swapping the bronze bushes. The taper fitting to the chuck looks larger than the usual Jacobs taper and the spindle is fitted with a split tapered sleeve rather like a collett. This all looks too good to be a home brew Although it may end up as one!

Very interesting, Paul ... thanks for the photo.

I will have to sleep on that one !

Car Boot day tomorrow ... 'though I doubt I shall find anything better than your slide.

MichaelG.

.

P.S. ... The chuck looks like a Jacobs ... is there an identifying number on it ?

http://www.jacobschuck.com/keyed-chucks

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 27/05/2018 00:03:41

You are correct Michael, it is an American Jacobs chuck No 34. In addition in very small characters, inscribed G or C 24, in slightly larger characters cap 0-1/2. Car boot for me today too!

Paul