A Peerless Shaper Followed Me Home Too

Got some time in on the shaper today.
The handle that locks the ram to the yoke was broken.
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Being short I suspect it was ran loose and damaged the threads in the yoke. They don't look too bad but the stud was really loose when threaded in.
Had to remove the ram to get at it.
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The damaged threads.

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Bored the hole out and threaded it 1 inch UNC

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Then made a plug on the lathe and left the threads about 6 thou under what my cheat sheet said. With a coat of red Locktite the plug went in with a pipe wrench, I hope never to come out again.
With the plug cut flush I drilled and threaded it back to the original 3/4 UNC.

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One part repaired, many more to go.

Greg

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Spent two days removing some graphite based filler they'd used on the castings. Was badly chipped so it had to come off. 24 grit disks on the 7 inch sander removed it but spread it all over the shop, everything you touch is now black.
Sprayed it today with automotive urethane I had left over from my lathe.

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Now I need to remember where all the parts go.

Greg

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The graduations on the swivel behind the clapper box got pretty faint after the molasses bath. Mounted it on the indexing head and recut them with an engraver I ground out of a broken 1/4 inch carbide drill. Restamped the numbers as well.
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Assembly continues. Thank god for the overhead crane, not many of the parts are liftable with my old back.


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My guess on date of manufacture would be closer to mid 20s than 40s. For the most part, by the 40s the motor drives had a very integrated look to them. I have a G&E vintage 1924 with a similar look to the drive, although a much heavier machine. Much earlier than this and they came with flat belt drives, the late teens early 20s were the transition years. Another tell on age is weight versus capacity, as this went up as the years went by. My oldest shaper is either a 12" Whipp or 16" Steptoe, both of which were flat belt machines, the Steptoe is pre-1906 (they changed castings sometime around there) and the Whipp is of similar vintage, and they are both much lighter built than the 1924 G&E 16". Nice find, by the way, I am envious of that universal (semi universal?) table on yours. I have been looking for a shaper in the 16-24" range with a universal table for some time, they seem to come up either very far away, for ridiculous prices or both.
 
Thanks for the info, didn't think v belts were used that early.
 
The dial on the down feed is hopelessly small. Similar to the one on my Logan, not a hope of reading it when the machine is running.
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Im going to make a new one about 3 inch in dia. Can anyone come up with a reason not to make it from aluminum? Would be much easier to engrave the graduations.

Greg

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How about making the dial with an angled top that's engraved? That might give you a better view yet.
 
f350ca said:
Thanks for the info, didn't think v belts were used that early.
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Apparently the continuous rubber V belt was invented in 1917 by John Gates (leather ones were in use at least a short while before that). I think that may be why there were so many belts used, as perhaps they weren't quite as reliable as they are nowadays (or buyer perception meant that they wouldn't sell without multiple belts). My 1926 G&E has three belts, and uses a 3hp, 1750 RPM motor, my 2012 7.5 Hp 1750 RPM air compressor has one. Also, the patent was filed for multi-V belt drive in 1925 and granted in 1928, although they must have been marketing it prior to that as my G&E uses it, and I believe that earlier G&E shapers of the same design as mine used the same drive.

Those old shapers all had ridiculously small (or no) graduated dials. Maybe they made the young apprentices with good eyes run those things, because they sure give me trouble.
 
Thanks for the info. You could well be right on the perception thing, they maybe went 5 wide to have it look the width of the flat belt it would need. Certainly can't see needing the power 5 A section belts would carry.
The dials on the table feed are a little larger, unfortunately where they're mounted I can't go much if any bigger, but this down feed one is hopeless as is, but I'll give them credit, they did get all 125 divisions on there.
Whether we get a date on this or not, reverse engineering it is certainly interesting.
Thanks
Greg
 
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