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My shop

Nice shop and you have got a lot of nice iron in there.... I liked the base on the Hamilton drill press, never seen that before...... what kind of work do you do in it?
 
rivett,
This is a play shop, most of the time I am repairing old machines that I buy. I have been doing some restoration work for friends with antique tractors and cars. I worked for three years at a local auto musuem, which was a job I loved but unfortunetly the musuem closed ( owner had bigger dreams than pocketbook},and I had to get a real job. I'm still waiting for the day I can retire and play full time.
Hal
 
Looks like a really nice shop.

I see that you have the somewhat elusive Rhodes 3" slotter. There aren't too many of those around, apparently. Do you chance have any documents on the Rhodes shaper or slotter that you would be willing to share?

I have a couple of brochures that can be emailed in PDF format if you are interested.

Mike
 
you people really P**S me off!

Such nice shops and machines!

I like the Burke, that's pretty cool. The slotter is pretty damn neat too.

Where do you pick everything up?

-Jacob
 
I will expose my lack of knowledge, what is that
gadget called an "English Wheel" used for?
 
I find most of machines locally within 100 miles of home the farest I have ever traveled to pick up a machine was 200 miles. These machines were located by watching the local shopper papers and keeping my eyes open and stopping and talking to many of the small machine shops in my area. For me half the fun is finding and restoring these old machines, I can't afford to pay much for a machine so the most I have ever paid for any machine is $400. The Rhodes slotter came from an estate sale along with over 100 morse taper drill bits up to 1 1/2 inch in size. The Burke mill was purchased at an auction by a buddy of mine for me. He was not directed by me to buy it but thought it was such a good deal that he could not pass it up. Fortunetly he was right and it is in very good shape the price was only $125.00.
The English wheel is used for forming compound curves in sheetmetal. It forms metal by thining and displacing the metal when it is rolled back and forth between the upper wheel and the lower anvil.
 
I wasn't trying to brag the point I was trying to make is there are a lot of machines out there at least in the areas that used to have a lot of manufacturing base. If you are patient and make connections and keep your eyes open sooner or later you will start to find lower priced servicable machines that are capable of producing work a hobbiest can be proud of. I know my machines are capable of much better work than my skill and patience allow and in the process of acquiring, repairing, using, and trading machines my skills are continuing to improve.
 
Hal,

Yep - I've seen the files from the Yahoo Shapers group (I uploaded them). I also have a 3rd Rhodes document that doesn't seem to be listed there so maybe I never uploaded that one. It's either a shaper or a slotter brochure.

Mike
 
Those are great photos. I guess you could make about anything there! I've seen photos of diy english wheels and they always seem built too light in the frame. Your mod's to the frame seem to support that notion. I enjoyed the photo of the diamond mill. At one shop I worked at we welded up bases with casters on them for our diamond mills. We could pull them up to any CNC machine in the shop and do 2nd op work while the CNC was running. For a small machine they really cut! Thanks again for the photos.

TJ
 
Your right about the english wheel I originally built the frame out of 2x4x 3/16 tubing. After using it for a while I noticed the frame work would spring when using it. I had extra of the tubing so I added the second framework and it works much better now. I still need to sandblast it and repaint it. There are brackets on it to hold the extra anvils which still are not done and on the back side are brackets to add a swing out frame work for a planishing hammer. Your comment about the Diamond mill was interesting, I only know a couple of other people that have had any contact with these mills. I bought this mill as a second thought, I purchased the Elgin lathe on E-bay and when I went down to get it the person was moving to the Phillipines, and ended up selling me his whole shop. Originally I had no intention of keeping it but after getting it home and using it a few times I have no intention of selling it. Your right for a small mill it is very ridgid. I use it mainly for cutting keyways.
 
Once again I am jealous...lol. I have a couple questions. Whats the electric motor for on the back of the logan 850? Phase convertor? Also I am curious as to what a die filer does? Never heard of that. Great shop !
 
hrhoades, saw the pics-very cool.saw your yale forklift,what year is it and do you have any manuals for them(it). i have a very similiar looking forklift but cannot find any info on it.a long extensive talk with local dealer and many calls to yale only resulted in"our records that far back were destroyed by a fire" and we cannot help you." :D
 
"...what is that gadget called an "English Wheel" used for?"

Forming arbitrarily complex curved surfaces, by hand.

Most coachwork of aluminum bodied racecars was made on an English wheel.
 








 
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