kearns find!

pressbrake1 · Feb 24, 2017

Hello there. The other weekend I bought a workshop contents of a workshop unseen off the landlord.

There were the usual workshop finds of collets with no chuck or the odd chuck with no collets!

What I wasnt expecting was a kearns s type optimetric in good condition other than the landlord braking every handle. It also came with its own cabinet with matching serial numbers but it was full of tooling!

Unfortunately the tailstock has got rusty having been near a wonky door letting in damp

Myrmidon · Feb 24, 2017

Well that's pretty damn lucky and cool.

Tyrone Shoelaces · Feb 24, 2017

The little item sat on the lower fixed table is the centring device for the upper revolving table. Don't let it out of your sight.
I see an Elliot " Concord " in the background and my " Black & a Decker " workmate.
Regards Tyrone.

pressbrake1 · Feb 24, 2017

I always thought workmates were for diy ers until mrs bought me one!
Bloody handy.
I was very lucky to find the centering wedge, it was in the sump.

This is at my home shop, how sad am I in having a commercial workshop to make money, and using said wages to buy old junk for home!

Limy Sami · Feb 24, 2017

Nice Kearns I hop you don't overload the east side of the country so I slide in to the sea

B&D Workmate + 1 on that, I had one of the early (original) cast alu spreader framed models for over 25 years and that took no end of hammer, amongst many things, that had no end of 4 & 6 cyl Ford tractor cylinder heads on for face cleaning and valve grinding, (the 6pots were over it's SWL

) it was ideal - fold up and in the back of the van.

Early workmate Shed Projects: Black & Decker Workmate refit

Interesting bit on Workmates designer here Black & Decker Workmate - Wikipedia

PDW · Feb 24, 2017

pressbrake1 said:
Hello there. The other weekend I bought a workshop contents of a workshop unseen off the landlord.

There were the usual workshop finds of collets with no chuck or the odd chuck with no collets!

What I wasnt expecting was a kearns s type optimetric in good condition other than the landlord braking every handle. It also came with its own cabinet with matching serial numbers but it was full of tooling!

Unfortunately the tailstock has got rusty having been near a wonky door letting in dampView attachment 191986 View attachment 191987

Congratulations. I have that exact same model except mine came out of a tech college and is in absolutely perfect condition except for missing the locking wedge (a source of great annoyance to me).

I find it a really lovely machine to use, the controls all fall to hand nicely and mine is dead accurate.

A friend has a later model from after Kearns merged with Richards then were taken over by Stavely. There are a number of differences, the most notable being that the paint job is nowhere near as good as the earlier grey models. However his is also dead nuts true - a DI on the table doesn't flicker on full traverse.

Mine is about to be used to bore out the steering quadrant for a 65' steel motor sailer. That sort of job is a right PITA to set up in my shop on anything other than the HBM.

PDW

cutting oil Mac · Feb 24, 2017

My son bought me a similar type of unit to the workmate, manufactured by Draper Tools, and called a Workbench, It is smaller than the Workmate, Well made but does not have lower flat plate, Still a nice little unit, Recently in my home shop I moved some of my equipment around,Myself (At my age not the best decision I have ever made) however it left a space between my drilling machine and lathe , In my shop a space is not allowed, It was just the right width to take the little workbench, By mounting a couple of battons upon it, & clamping them up then covering them with a sheet of 3/4" ply, bingo I have the marking out dept arranged in two hours.

I ended up going out and buying another one for general DIY duties

Tyrone Shoelaces · Feb 24, 2017

Has it been calibrated Mac ? I'd like to see your test certificate.

Regards Tyrone.

Tyrone Shoelaces · Feb 24, 2017

PDW said:
Congratulations. I have that exact same model except mine came out of a tech college and is in absolutely perfect condition except for missing the locking wedge (a source of great annoyance to me).

I find it a really lovely machine to use, the controls all fall to hand nicely and mine is dead accurate.

A friend has a later model from after Kearns merged with Richards then were taken over by Stavely. There are a number of differences, the most notable being that the paint job is nowhere near as good as the earlier grey models. However his is also dead nuts true - a DI on the table doesn't flicker on full traverse.

Mine is about to be used to bore out the steering quadrant for a 65' steel motor sailer. That sort of job is a right PITA to set up in my shop on anything other than the HBM.

PDW

If " Pressbrake " is handy with a micro maybe he could knock you up a little sketch so you could make one. They aren't that complicated to make. The original ones were hardened and ground but I'm sure a good lump of tool steel would do fine.

Regards Tyrone.

excello · Feb 24, 2017

I take it these Kearns are a small, extra accurate, "jig mill" type of HBM ? What is the table size/travel, spindle size, etc ? Looks like a nifty little machine.

excello

Myrmidon · Feb 24, 2017

I spent the first 3 years of my career in a maintenance/repair shop that had 3 of these.

They have quite abit more Z and W travel in comparison to a Devlieg if my memory hasn't gone hazy.

Tyrone Shoelaces · Feb 25, 2017

excello said:
I take it these Kearns are a small, extra accurate, "jig mill" type of HBM ? What is the table size/travel, spindle size, etc ? Looks like a nifty little machine.

excello

The standard Kearns " S " type as in the photo was designed to machine a 12" cube. It has a small facing slide but no travelling spindle. You could mount holders for drilling etc on the facing slide.

The top removable revolving table was 18" square with a maximum load of 5 cwts ( 560 lbs ).
The travels were roughly vertical 12", transverse 12", long 24".
These machines were made in the hundreds and hundreds for training schools, tool rooms etc.

Subsequently they made a spindle only machine with a 40 ISO spindle nose.

Following on from that they also made a spindle only numerical controlled machine with a AIRMEC-AEI control.

These latter machines didn't sell anything like as well.

Regards Tyrone.

pressbrake1 · Feb 25, 2017

Some of the tooling , still loads to go through.

Press pictured out of interest,it was at same workshop and of interesting construction. The name plate is missing though a made in denmark tag is still present

pressbrake1 · Feb 25, 2017

Plessey nc version and high varible speed version

Matt_Maguire · Feb 25, 2017

Looks to be an excellent design for saddle boring. Devliegs aren’t really a good choice to do long bores with.

It seems the NMTB toolholders are locked in the adapter from the back side & the adapter is fastened on the facing slide. Is there a pin or some such thing used to positively locate on the faceplate slide?

That 4 post press with a few tools would make a great small “wheel press”.

Nice find,
Matt

Tyrone Shoelaces · Feb 25, 2017

The variable " high speed " version had " Kopp " variators for the drives. I've never been a big fan of those, they're too easily damaged by ham fisted operators. The " Plessey" NC version is one I've never seen before and is a later model than the AIRMEC-AEI NC version I mentioned earlier.

I suspect none of those sold in massive numbers.

Regards Tyrone.

PDW · Feb 25, 2017

Matt_Maguire said:
Looks to be an excellent design for saddle boring. Devliegs aren’t really a good choice to do long bores with.

It seems the NMTB toolholders are locked in the adapter from the back side & the adapter is fastened on the facing slide. Is there a pin or some such thing used to positively locate on the faceplate slide?

That 4 post press with a few tools would make a great small “wheel press”.

Nice find,
Matt

Yes, there's a pin to locate the facing slide on centre. And on mine, the 40 taper tool holder has to be loaded & locked with the tool then installed on the slide. Bit of a PITA but OK.

I made an adaptor to hold a straight shank ER32 collet chuck which makes some things a bit easier. I can use standard round lathe boring bars for example.

I was after one of these for 20 years before fluking one close to home when a tech college sold theirs off.

Tyrone, a friend of mine has the later manufacture S type with locking/locating pin so I can get the dimensions off of him. The only thing actually stopping me making one is the list of projects ahead of that one and I don't strictly *need* the thing. Just hate not having it.

Interesting thing is my sub-table is graduated/engraved for angle settings and the later manufacture model isn't. However his doesn't say 'Toolroom Model' and doesn't have the Optimetric readouts so I don't know if the change was due to simplification or a toolroom model feature.

They are lovely little machines and I won't be parting with mine.

PDW

Tyrone Shoelaces · Feb 25, 2017

PDW said:
Yes, there's a pin to locate the facing slide on centre. And on mine, the 40 taper tool holder has to be loaded & locked with the tool then installed on the slide. Bit of a PITA but OK.

I made an adaptor to hold a straight shank ER32 collet chuck which makes some things a bit easier. I can use standard round lathe boring bars for example.

I was after one of these for 20 years before fluking one close to home when a tech college sold theirs off.

Tyrone, a friend of mine has the later manufacture S type with locking/locating pin so I can get the dimensions off of him. The only thing actually stopping me making one is the list of projects ahead of that one and I don't strictly *need* the thing. Just hate not having it.

Interesting thing is my sub-table is graduated/engraved for angle settings and the later manufacture model isn't. However his doesn't say 'Toolroom Model' and doesn't have the Optimetric readouts so I don't know if the change was due to simplification or a toolroom model feature.

They are lovely little machines and I won't be parting with mine.

PDW

Hi PDW, I can't say I've ever seen an " S "type with a graduated sub table.

On the bigger machines there was a large illuminated aperture you could look down.
Through a pair of mirrors you could see a chrome plated 360 degree scale.

There was a system were you could ratchet the table round by hand for fine settings.

Regards Tyrone.

Matt_Maguire · Feb 25, 2017

Here’s one running somewhere in PDW’s neighborhood that seems to be marked on the tabletop like his (on another video). Nice looking machine but I think the poster isn’t up to using the power feeds yet? I think you may fudge a bit more than 24” Z travel by bumping the footstock back some.

Matt

pressbrake1 · Feb 26, 2017

Tabletop on mine has a degree scale

kearns find!

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Aluminum

Cast Iron

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