Owl Engineering
Plastic
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2005
- Location
- Warren, Michigan USA
Right after I got out of the Army in about 1966 I was looking for a job and worked at a "lathe shop" in Mount Clemens, Michigan for low wages since I was doing production on a manual screw machine. I learned a lot in those 2 weeks but moved on to become a wood pattern maker. Later, I had an idea for a product so I asked my old boss Hugo Guenther if I could use his milling machine. He agreed so without thinking much about the mill, I made the mold. I keep in contact with his son Bob for years. Recently "Bob" let me know he was restoring the mill and finally finished it.
History of the Mill: One of Bob's Uncles, Emil Guenther (1887-1948) of Benton Harbor, Michigan was a pattern maker/machinist and designed the mill, made the patterns, had the parts cast and did the final machining and grinding.
The detail and quality of this machine is amazing PLUS Bob did a great job restoring it. The paint is brushed on using his hand built brushes.
An odd thing is that the table moved .125" per turn of the handle which was what "Pattern Makers" machines did.
Bob is not sure but thinks the machine was built between 1925-1940
Emil died in 1948 and after that the mill went to his brother Hugo in Mount Clemens, Michigan in 1952.
Bob does not know if more then one machine was made. There could be more machines in Western Michigan near Benton Harbor.
One of the pictures shows another Uncle "Richard" and is the one running lathe on the left side of the picture.
Richard is the one who made aluminum castings for the drive motor so it would be lighter!
I could go on and on but I am not really sure how much interest there will be with such details.
Chuck
History of the Mill: One of Bob's Uncles, Emil Guenther (1887-1948) of Benton Harbor, Michigan was a pattern maker/machinist and designed the mill, made the patterns, had the parts cast and did the final machining and grinding.
The detail and quality of this machine is amazing PLUS Bob did a great job restoring it. The paint is brushed on using his hand built brushes.
An odd thing is that the table moved .125" per turn of the handle which was what "Pattern Makers" machines did.
Bob is not sure but thinks the machine was built between 1925-1940
Emil died in 1948 and after that the mill went to his brother Hugo in Mount Clemens, Michigan in 1952.
Bob does not know if more then one machine was made. There could be more machines in Western Michigan near Benton Harbor.
One of the pictures shows another Uncle "Richard" and is the one running lathe on the left side of the picture.
Richard is the one who made aluminum castings for the drive motor so it would be lighter!
I could go on and on but I am not really sure how much interest there will be with such details.
Chuck