Diamond Tool Co. Mill Vertical Head/1932 Chet Gardner Sprint Car!

TheOldCar · Jun 24, 2019

Diamond Tool Co. Mill Vertical Head Original???

Just got this little mill from Jeff Decker's studio after doing a bit of trade work. I've always liked its looks with the vertical head attached, and would always ask about it when I saw his studio.

Finally brought it home after doing a little work on the sprint car he has on display.

I'm not familiar with this vertical head... Originally ordered to come with this mill?

[/url]IMG_9095 by crh2765, on Flickr[/IMG]

[/url]IMG_9091 by crh2765, on Flickr[/IMG]

[/url]IMG_9089 by crh2765, on Flickr[/IMG]

My shameless plug hoping people will think I'm cool: The sprint car I did some poser machining for, used as trade towards the mill. The car is Chet Gardner's 1932 Sprint Car.

[/url]IMG_9074 by crh2765, on Flickr[/IMG]

Richard T · Jun 24, 2019

That's a cool looking mill. Congrats on that one.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

TheOldCar · Jun 24, 2019

Richard T said:
That's a cool looking mill. Congrats on that one.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Thanks! Any ideas or history on the vertical attachment?

Brian Smith · Jun 25, 2019

Are those Miller engines next to you guys in the pic with the Sprint car? I'll give you some cool cred for that!

Brian Smith

TheOldCar · Jun 25, 2019

Jeff found the Diamond mill a few years ago, from an older gentleman close by. After agreeing to sell it, the gentleman told Jeff to come back in a week and it would be all cleaned up and ready. When Jeff and his uncle Curtis Decker showed up, the kind seller had painted over the original paint! :eek:

Jeff and Curtis always tell me that story; how beautiful it was in original paint!
Hey, I’m not complaining though...

Anyone want to sell me some hand wheels??????
Slim pickin’s, but it doesn’t hurt to ask, right?

TheOldCar · Jun 25, 2019

Brian Smith said:
Are those Miller engines next to you guys in the pic with the Sprint car? I'll give you some cool cred for that!

Brian Smith

I’m pretty sure...
I am very embarrassed to admit I know little about those engines, other than they are beautiful! My engine skills are more redneckery; Pontiac!
My car knowledge wains daily, which is kinda’ sad. I’ve unloaded most of my cherished project cars.

Limy Sami · Jun 25, 2019

FYI Diamond Milling Machines

TheOldCar · Jun 25, 2019

Hey, I read that site!

TheOldCar · Jun 27, 2019

Surely one of you geniuses (I mean that literally) must know about this vertical attachment...

Brown Mill Tool Co. Los Angeles

Limy Sami · Jun 27, 2019

The geniuses are all on vacation.

4GSR · Jun 28, 2019

Geniuses? The one and only one that I know of here is John Oder.

Are there others I don't know?

Ken

thermite · Jun 28, 2019

TheOldCar said:
Anyone want to sell me some hand wheels??????
Slim pickin’s, but it doesn’t hurt to ask, right?

Hand wheels - for actuating valves by the brazilions - as well as machine-tool traverse - are a major industry.

So much so, I'd venture that rather a lot of OEM machine-tool builder just bought theirs from the speciality makers to begin with - concentrated their OWN resources on the stuff they could NOT readily "just buy".

Shouldn't be hard to find "period correct" styles you can fit and finish-up.

EmGo · Jun 28, 2019

Brian Smith said:
Are those Miller engines next to you guys in the pic with the Sprint car?

Or Awfulhouses, came deal ....

thermite · Jun 28, 2019

EmanuelGoldstein said:
Or Awfulhouses, came deal ....

I didn't even look.. but "sprint & midget"?

How about Sampson-Schroeder? (still a Harry Miller & Leo Goosen foundation...)

cyanidekid · Jun 28, 2019

Brian Smith said:
Are those Miller engines next to you guys in the pic with the Sprint car? I'll give you some cool cred for that!

Brian Smith

looks like an Offy 220 on the left, (that he sold as "Miller" engines for a while after Fred (Offenhauser) took over the operation in '33), and an earlier Miller on the right?

cyanidekid · Jun 28, 2019

P.S., anyone have any original Leo Goosen shop drawings for sale? do any still exist?

thermite · Jun 28, 2019

cyanidekid said:
P.S., anyone have any original Leo Goosen shop drawings for sale? do any still exist?

They must exist.

The trade rag article on the Sampson-Schroeder (claim to fame really, really LONG con-rods to reduce angular accel/decel loads on crankshaft journals....) published an extract

The later "novi" engine project should have plenty even if the 4-bangers did not.

Given what some folks pay for a Jackson Pollock "painting"?

"Real art" off Leo's drawing board SHOULD be priced rather dearly...

cyanidekid · Jun 28, 2019

thermite said:
Given what some folks pay for a Jackson Pollock "painting"?

"Real art" off Leo's drawing board SHOULD be priced rather dearly...

good god, did you really say that? thanks a lot...

TheOldCar · Jun 28, 2019

Enough with this talk about billet race crap!

What about the origins of this vertical milling head?!?! :fight:

thermite · Jun 28, 2019

TheOldCar said:
Enough with this talk about billet race crap! What about the origins of this vertical milling head?!?!

Information on that is right on the head.

Now .. if you want to know if the designer of it ever drank out of the toilet as a wee child... you wouldn't happen to have a vintage Rolls-Royce converted to a pick-up truck as trading material, would yah? Travis McGee needs his toys to do the hard stuff when it comes to research, y'know!

Diamond Tool Co. Mill Vertical Head/1932 Chet Gardner Sprint Car!

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