esbutler
Aluminum
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2013
- Location
- Sloansville, NY
I need some help figuring out what this thing is that followed me home recently. There is a 3 jaw independent chuck (5 1/2 inch OD) on a belt driven spindle. The spindle is free-wheeling until the foot pedal is pressed at which time the clutch engages the pulley to the spindle. There is what I assume is a machined phenolic disc around the outside of the chuck presumably to keep hands out of the chuck or the work. The only name I can find is on the chuck: "The D. E. Whiton Machine Co, New London Conn, USA". Since Whiton made gear cutting machines, centering machines, and chucks to sale to others, I wonder if the machine was manufactured by some company other than Whiton who used their chuck or if it might be part of a Whiton centering machine of some sort although it does not look like the latter in any pictures that I have found. It does appear that something is missing based on the boss with an unused tapped hole at each end of the base. I would think the foot pedal operated clutch means either the operator's hands are busy with the work or that the drive can be engaged only for short periods of time or both. So... thoughts on what this is?