In another thread, the ever-impressive Alpacca FortyFive posted a link to a restored old-time machine shop

http://www.claymills.org.uk/workshop/index.html

This page contains a link to a photo of a machine described as a "Wibbler". Both Google and Wikipedia yielded no hits on "Wibbler".

It looks like it might be a vertical slotter, but it doesn't resemble any vertical slotter pictures I can recall seeing......so, what is a Wibbler?

JRR
Wondering about whiling away the work hours while wibbling.

Well, that’s a new name to me.

Possibly a Claymills pet name? I did a search on Claymills Wibbler, and it is a keyway milling machine. This explains why it evidently has an automatic traverse on the milling head, but not on the fore and aft movement of the table.

http://beehive.thisisbristol.com/def...0&PageID=54483

http://ccgi.archivist.plus.com/php/m...rch.html&loc=n

Another version of what we’ll now call a wibbler here:-

Special-purpose slot drilling machine, 1885

Asquith

Thank you. Now, how do I delete the accidental duplicate post?

John

Thread tools, select delete , select perform action, select physically remove

And I thank you for your help

John

Alas, the "delete" option does not appear under Thread Tools when I am viewing my unwanted post. (Although it does say "you may edit" in the lower left corner.

May be a mod only chore, but thanks for trying John.

John

In fact it does say Moderation Tools and has a substantial list under that.

OK, now that our gracious moderator has alieviated my panic by deleting my inadvertent duplicate post....(and THANK YOU, John Oder, for helping me.)

Milling a keyslot??? MILLING? That took me aback for a moment, because I'm thinking "internal keyslot", but there's no reason you can't mill an external keyslot. (Or do I get the dope slap because I don't know how to do an internal except by horizontal or vertical shaping, broaching, or gnawing it out with a cold chisel?)

This is a fairly special-purpose vertical milling machine if it was designed to do just keyslots.

Speaking of keyslots, I just acquired yet another narrow Cape Chisel. This one makes a slot only about 3/32nds wide, yet it is a full-size chisel easily held in the hand without smacking yer thumb!

JRR

Here is the tooling for milling internal key slots (National Machine Tool Company, Cincinnati, OH, founded in 1903):

http://www.keyseaters.com/

Larry

Maybe they mean " Nibbler", Regards Tyrone.

Wibbler?-- Must be a local name for this type of machine, The correct name is a Slot Drilling Machine, These machines, in their day, were more versatile than one would imagine As described by the name, the principal purpose of this item of engineering plant, was milling out cotter holes in the ends of steam engine piston rods, valve rods and other similar items, and also for milling out keyseats on shafts When using this pattern of machine, stops could be set, for accurate length setting of your cotter hole or key bed, and the depth of cut could be set, to whatever depth was desired, and an automatic system whereby the key cutter would progressively feed itself down after each pass, until the desired depth was achieved, The automatic feed system on many of these machines was said to be kinder on the cutters

In some cases this type of machine could be used for profiling work as well, With the facility for depth setting etc. Once the machine was set, the operation could in the case of batch production, be carried out by an apprentice or semi skilled operator.

I feel the machine at Claymills might be an early George Richards of Altrincham , England machine, another prolific manufacturer of these machines was Carter & Wright of Halifax England This manufacturer was making these machines with many refinements till into the late 1950/s The last two machines of this pattern i came across in production in the West of Scotland, was one in the workshop of Messrs J &P Coats, Thread manufacturers of Paisley, The other was a rather nice machine with a tilting table, set up for milling the key on the tapered end of propellor shafts, This was in Kelvin Diesels Dobbies Loan Glasgow Both these machines were Carter & Wright build the later was set up with a tilting table, and woulds be in the mid 1980/s

One would surmise times were changing and the milling machine was ruling supreme.

Can't contribute anything re wibbling, but as to splatching, here are 4 Welsh practitioners hard at it.

Splatching = flattening a copper sheet by hand. (I looked it up!)

Do you folks sense "The Force" of this PM board in C.O.Mac's above post? Start a discussion of an obscure machine and all of a sudden we have input from someone who has actually used one in actual (vs. hobby) work! PM never ceases to amaze me.

And no, I'd never seen that clever internal keyslot miller before either!

Back to my neanderthal bench to sharpen my cape chisel.....

This has turned into an amazing thread.

Thanks to SouthBendModel34 for starting it and for the undeserved compliments (I'm an interested amateur who creeps in here to marvel at the knowledge of others) and many thanks to those with the experience.

I've another confession to make:

The Wibbler didn't register conciously when I was looking for the Claymills link to post!

Keith

Here's a couple of pictures of a slotting mill my brother took when he was picking up my new Holbrook for me. Despite it earlier appearance it dates from the second world war, I believe it's made in the UK but I'm afraid I don't know the manufacturer. You can see it has the traversing head.

Attached Thumbnails

   

Robin,

Excellent! Some parts of it do look relatively modern, but the flat belt drives seem old-fashioned on it. I can understand the value of the flat belt/wide pulley for the final drive to the spindle - the head must have been going to and fro like a fiddler's elbow.

It's good to see this lost species 'coming out'.

Don't be shy, gents, show us your wibblers!

Asquith,

That one is in your part of the world, in Dowlish Wake, Somerset.