Got A Mystery Tool With A Lathe-like Feel... Help

silverforgestudio

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OK lads, lassies, gents and ladies... step right up! The freak show is upon you! HA!

Hey folks- been in "Lurk" mode for awhile due to life and the garage is STILL a mess after a few life-events... BUT- had a bit of oddity fall into my hands I need some help ID'ing!

It has a cast-iron frame nicely powder-coated OD green and has a very faint USA visible (Yellow highlighted area on one pic) under the top-coat.
Top View.JPG

It has a T shaped peg in its base and the hand crank is at 90 deg from it... so when the peg is vertical the crank is parallel w/ the floor.
Front view.JPG

It has a small collet and a series of bushings to fit. Parts are labeled:
A- Hand-crank
  1. tail-screw that raises or lowers the collet like a tailstock- although it is threaded and hollow (to allow longer pieces???)
  2. locking brad- this engages a key-way in the spindle to keep it from rotating?
  3. T Peg- mounting area- looks like it has seen little use- powder coating is still in tact
  4. cutter-bit adjust to move cutter in-line with axis of collet- but it is fixed with two thumb screws- so not dynamic
Underside PARTS.JPG
On the pic with the BLUE ARROWS you will see the cutter has a fine screw adjust to move the bit into the object being held- and the cutter bit is double ended it holds...
T Peg View.JPG

SO- what exactly IS this little curiosity??? If I now am the proud owner of a "Hamzanfranz-left handed lathe Schwimmer-doodle" then cool... but I would love to know what it REALLY is... and how its used- any thoughts?

Thanks as always and I hope these words reach you guys safe, well and in good spirits! (For a Monday no less!) Be safe!

Kerri
 
?? world war 1 field lathe ?? Some one will know for sure, I'm sure.
 
Cool...At 1st I thought maybe it was put together for a secondary purpose on a lathe (or universal grinder), maybe even a mill...But on further looks and better reading of your post and description, I still don't know!...It looks like a 5C collet?... so now you got me and I've ended up looking up the history of collets LOL
 
When the handle/big gear is turned, does the collet rotate? does the cutter move?
 
I'm thinking maybe a valve facing tool.

I have never seen as nice as that but I have seen the Zim 525 which functionally is similar but has a chuck rather than collets. http://www.zimmfgco.com/valverefacers.htm

The game is afoot! I have never seen a manual valve re-facer- but that means I just haven't been where one is to see it! This may be a good lead- THANKS-


When the handle/big gear is turned, does the collet rotate? does the cutter move?

Yes- the crank mates with a gear around the axis of the collet shaft- I know its has seen some use as one tooth is broken and the gear shows signs of wear- and to answer your second question- the cutter is moveable- the mount the cutter is in moves parallel to the collet- but this movement is to be fixed before the cutter is used as the cutter holder has 2 thumbscrews which tighten to keep it a fixed distance from the face of the collet while in operation... the fine screw moves the cutter perpendicular to the axis of the cutter and is left without a locking screw so it is (I assume) to be adjusted during use (depth of cut?)

I will get better pics later and post of the gear mechanism.

Yep! That's what it is but actually an, "Over Under Left and Right Hand Hamzanfranz Schwimmer-Doodle Deluxe."

WOO HOO- A Deee-Lux Model! And I even like the color! HA!

Thanks to all that are at least getting a chuckle outta my little home for wayward tools and miscreant oddities!
 
Could it be something like a snap ring groove cutter? Or are snap rings newer than that? They've been around as long as I can remember, but that's only about half a century.
 
OK folks- here is the results of digging a bit further! I was surprised to find a "Geneva mechanism" in the little tailstock screw- which meant as the cylinder was turned the collet was advanced 1/5 of a turn of the collet advance screw-

So I did something no self-respecting home shop guy would do... I cleaned the antique grease and patina off the base! (Gasp! Horror.... Say it isn't so!) and with that I found a patent number!

So Roy was right!
AN armature lathe?

Here is the patent (thank you google): https://www.google.com/patents/US2357765

Now WHY on earth would you have to re-cut an armature?

The cool thing is I have a use for this in my shop cutting down brass stock for handle pins of odd sizes- so its not a total boat anchor- and it is an awesome piece of engineering to boot!

THANKS TO ALL for getting a chuckle and helping the Hamzanfranz Schwimmer-Doodle Deluxe get a proper name!
 
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