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Early Rhodes Shaper find..

RayKehrhan

Aluminum
Joined
May 31, 2009
Location
new england
This Rhodes shaper showed up on Craigslist locally, So of course I went to examine..

Here are some photos of the shaper as found. Something unique on this shaper it has auto upfeed. It is original as the bar that sets the trip mechanism is cast into the ram.. Don't have this on mine, even though it was built in the same Hartford plant, It also has No 1 cast into the block..

I'm thinking it is early, but not sure. Would love some input, has anyone else seen this before?? Any guess as to age??

I'll post a number of pictures..

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I did do some more research, L E Rivett did get a patent in 1903 for this early version..

DeSelle, I already have one... I did, however follow up for someone, and it was sold...
 
Mine also has three table T slots, which I have taken to mean an early shaper.

Was that bar that carries the trip mechanism really part of the ram casting? From the pics, it looks to be a separate piece attached with screws through spacers.
 
John,

Yes the back end of the square rod is attached by a screw, however the front end is not, it just is part of the back of the ram head casting. it looks to have been then machined to size..

I forgot to mention the serial number is 7.. I'm not sure if the is #7 of a series or #7 of all production..

Ray
 
John,

Yes the back end of the square rod is attached by a screw, however the front end is not, it just is part of the back of the ram head casting. it looks to have been then machined to size..

I forgot to mention the serial number is 7.. I'm not sure if the is #7 of a series or #7 of all production..

Ray

Ray:

I of course haven't seen the shaper, but I think it's unlikely that the square rod was cast as part of the shaper ram. It's a very long and delicate piece to have been cast as part of the ram and subsequently machined on all four sides to shape and size. In my opinion, it's much more likely that it was attached to the head sometime after the head was fully machined - say, by a tenon that you can't see. About the only cast pieces of that general shape that I've seen are cast iron gibs - which are delicate and work only because they are confined on all sides.

The other thing that makes me think that the vertical feed was added by a user is that there is no provision for any manual feed. No crank on top of the gear, no square stub or hole. It doesn't make sense to me that Rhodes would not have provided for this - it's like leaving off the ball handle on the cross feed and expecting the automatic cross feed to take care of everything.

Again, just my opinion.

The "7" is likely not a serial number, but a fitting number. If you had taken the machine apart, you'd probably have found it on many of the individual parts. The machines were made in batches, and many of the parts were hand fitted. They were stamped with the numbers before the machines were disassembled for final painting.

In any event, it's an old machine. It was Hartford made, and has the three T slot table that mine does.

John
 
John,

I will try to track down the buyer and take some additional pictures, However I can tell you I examined it extremely closely, and was amazed that the bar was cast with in the head. I also had a hard time believing it was. The machine was used by and originally a VEETER Root machine, best known for their Gasoline pump meters.. I can speculate that it may have been built to their spec's as they were located near to Rhodes, but it is pure speculation. The quality of the workmanship very high.. BTY the wheel turns easily by hand..

Where did Rhodes place machine serial numbers? Else where on the net, there is a list a machines with serial numbers and dates of manufacture.

Ray
 
Attached is a cropped photo of my unrestored Rhodes shaper (with both shaping and slotting heads) showing the serial number to be below the ram, towards the front of the shaper on the right side as facing the shaper from the table.

Serial Number Location.jpg

Vlad
 
John,

I will try to track down the buyer and take some additional pictures, However I can tell you I examined it extremely closely, and was amazed that the bar was cast with in the head. I also had a hard time believing it was. The machine was used by and originally a VEETER Root machine, best known for their Gasoline pump meters.. I can speculate that it may have been built to their spec's as they were located near to Rhodes, but it is pure speculation. The quality of the workmanship very high.. BTY the wheel turns easily by hand..

Where did Rhodes place machine serial numbers? Else where on the net, there is a list a machines with serial numbers and dates of manufacture.

Ray

I could never find what I thought was a serial number on mine, but did find those "fitting numbers" on many of the parts. Can't remember where now, as it's been many years since I had it apart.

Nothing at all in the area where Vlad shows his serial number. I had checked there before, and just now checked again.

John
 
I just picked up a Rhodes. Little guy was living in an open air shop and in pretty rough condition. I've cleaned it up a bit and looks like it will be pretty easy to restore. It also has the L.E. Rhodes on the casting... including a supersized R in Hartford
 

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