Brown & Sharpe Indexing/Dividing head info

Hi all!

Need to see if anyone can give me some info on this Brown & Sharpe Indexing / Dividing head and tailstock I just got on ebay (I am a newbie, so if I did not describe this item correctly, please let me know). See photos below.





I got them for $200 with tax. Honestly, was this a good deal, or did I screw up?
It is very smooth and looks a lot better in person than in the pics.
It's from a local tool and die shop in Chicago that is moving to the suburbs into a smaller shop, so some items and machines are being sold off before the move. Local pickup is the only reason I could get this. The shipping would have been $150 alone.

The only numbers on the unit are 3452 stamped on the top.

Does anyone know what model this is?

What kind of oil does it use?

I am a home shop machinist with limited experience, and I do have a few books from Lindsay on order that cover the use of these, but anyone have suggested reading for this unit?

How about original manuals for it, any available?

How old is it?

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks all,

Pete.

Nice score, Pete. Can't help you with the historical info. I can say that I have an import that cost roughly what you paid for the B & S and it is not in the same league in terms of quality!

edited to add:

P.S. I think that there is a complete section in "Machinery's Handbook" on the B & S dividing head.

Good job Pete! Yes you got a great deal, had that been a Reliable Tool auction I bet it would have sold for close to $500 (seriously! a smaller, L-W Chuck sold for $306 the other day)! I recognize that one too. I was watching it and would have bid on it if it were in my neck of the woods. Like you, I found one locally and I’m off to pick it up tomorrow morning.

Its the "plain" version - I.E., not the one that can be geared to the lead screw to mill helixes on a universal mill.

Very nice and capable for the outlay.

It is a 40:1 worm gear unit, so oil for that duty would work.

One of the controls should rotate the worm out of engagement with the gear (via an eccentric bushing) so you can rotate it with out cranking the crank. The index pin that engages the circle of holes behind the chuck is nice for simple set ups that can use the divisions there.

John

Thanks for all the help guys. I can't wait to get it up on the BP this weekend and play.
I'll check out machinery's handbook and see if there is more info.

The guy I bought it from is back up on ebay with more stuff, including some older machine tools and one old "footbert sipp no.2" flat belt drill press. I saw it briefly in the shop. Very interesting old press, with a brand new belt to boot! If I had room, and it wasn't so tall, I would have snapped that one up myself.

I have no connection with this seller outside of the B&S I purchased from him, but in case anyone else wants to look at his stuff, the seller is barryfeldman3 on ebay. There was lots of other stuff, machines, pallets of misc, etc., for sale in the shop too. If anyone wants to check it out, one of the guys there gave me his card. His name is Mike Sullivan, phone 630-530-7016 or 630-677-7016. Like I said, I have no personal gains from this, they were just really nice people to deal with.
Hurry though, their stuff is getting moved soon and the building is going to be razed.
(P.S. leave the famco no. 1 arbor press alone, I want it! )
Talk to you all later!

Pete.

Pete,
There are a couple of books that Might be of interest to you with your dividing head. Lindsay Publications has a reprint of a book by Cincinnati Milling Machine Co. titled "A Treatise on Milling and Milling Machines" copy from 1919 that has a chapter on dividing heads their set-up and use. I also have an original book by Brown and Sharpe titled, "Practical Treatise on Milling and Milling Machines", copy write 1945. I have seen copies of this book on E-bay occassionally. It has 20 pages on dividing heads and their use

Guys, here is a software that can make using a 10' B&S (BS2) a lot easier:

K-Divide

Megashares - Drag. Drop. Yup. The first site to provide FREE file hosting with drag n drop support. .exe

K-Divide

Compound indexing

kkk777 said:

Guys, here is a software that can make using a 10' B&S (BS2) a lot easier:

K-Divide

Megashares - Drag. Drop. Yup. The first site to provide FREE file hosting with drag n drop support. .exe

K-Divide

Click to expand...

Hello,

I cannot find charts or formulas to figure out the method of achieving a dual angle position on a tilt/rotate style dividing head. e.g. : 5 deg on 8 deg

say tilting the head 20 deg and rotating from 0 to 35 deg would achieve x' on y'

Does anyone know this method or formula to figure out the position ?

Brown + Sharpe Dividing Heads Operation Manual at link below - can't see your pics so not sure correct model...
Brown & Sharpe Mfg. Co. - Publication Reprints - B & S Dividing Head - No. 0, No. 1, and No. 2. Operating Instructions and | VintageMachinery.org