what is it?

[high country]

I have a fixture made by Sheffield and it has a dovetail to mount on a machine of some kind....but I have never seen one in use. I bought it in a package from a retiring machinist, who did the same. I have a 24" rule in the foreground.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Tony Wells]

Could be a set of bench centers for an optical comparator (shadowgraph), but I'm not sure what the bar in front would be for. Some center sets for T&G grinders used an arbor to support the plain type cutter, and had a "finger" to control index positions as each tooth was turned into posiion for lip grinding. The bar might support that "finger".

 

[British Steel]

I suspect it may be a clock wheel depthing tool (for cutting wheel / gear teeth to depth) to be fitted to a wach/clock maker's lathe - if so, the gear and its shaft are supported between the centres, and the teeth are cut to equal depths by rotating the gear to each cut position (by hand and eye) and lifting the bar against the "stop" formed by the end of the slot in the flat plate link, advancing the gear against a cutter held in the lathe centres - early clock gears were often cut by hand and despite working well were surprisingly innacurate! After depthing, the tooth forms would be filed by hand - a chap I work with still makes gears this way to repair old (Victorian and earlier) clocks.

Just my ha'pennorth,

Dave H. (the other one)

 

[high country]

Thanks guys. The bar in font appears to keep the centers in square with each other as they can move on the larger shaft and it also allows a place for the stop to attach. I was able to purchase it for $5.00 and I plan on making something with it......just not sure what yet....lol.

 

[AB2IF]

Engraving machine cylinder holder

This looks to me like a holder for a printing cylinder which would hold the cylinder while it is being engraved. It probably mounts on the engraving machine.

That is my best guess
Don