Hello, my name's AdeV, and I am a machinaholic...

[AdeV]

I'm not sure what's the bigger curse - having 1500sq/ft space with 3-phase electricity, or a magpie's desire for shiny things... Or, possibly, both.

So, yesterday, I dragged my new shaper home. Apologies for the larger than usual pictures, but then it IS a big machine:



As you've probably gathered by now, I don't do "small" (it's probably just willy compensation), this thing is 65" long, about 45" wide including handles, and strokes up to 20". There's not many men who can stroke 20", but I am now officially one of them  Ever since discovering I have a fairly unusual lathe, I've had a completely irrational fondness for Edgwick stuff. So when this popped up on eBay, I couldn't resist...

I tried to give an impression of the size by putting a 10p piece on the machine (a 10p is a little under 1" diameter, is that about the same size as a US quarter? Not sure):



Unfortunately, it was so small, I had to put a pointer on it, just so I'd remember where I left it.

It also came with an oddly-shaped tool cabinet:



I had assumed that this was supposed to sit in front of the machine to catch flying swarf; but then surely you'd just end up with piles of hot swarf all over your tools? A painful situation, especially if you're still stroking that 20 inches... (ok, enough already, there may be childs watching).


Next job is to figure out how the hell to get it off the car ramp & somewhere where it can be useful. I need a vice too, just wondering whether it's worth risking hernia, heart attack, stroke - or all three - lugging the 65kg Abwood vice across the workshop, so I can make some swarf today....



I think you already know the answer to that one...



Hmm... Vice, 20" stroke, when will the cheap innuendo end? 

[AdeV]

PS: It came with a BIG pile of BIG HSS tool bits, ground to all shapes & sizes... all in all, a bit of a score I feel. Obviously, when I come to move out of this workshop, I am in for a whole world of pain...

I have some big carbide-tipped bits (purchased in a job lot in a previous auction), is carbide any good on a shaper, or does it tend to shatter when entering the cut?

The gearbox of this shaper allows it to stroke from 10 times/minute all the way up to 80 times (80x at the full 20" is just plain scary - I suspect the manual, if I had it, would sternly warn against such practice...), but weirdly there's nothing between 35/min and 63/min. And then there's only 80/min as the final fastest speed.

[ausdier]

I tried to give an impression of the size by putting a 10p piece on the machine (a 10p is a little under 1" diameter, is that about the same size as a US quarter? Not sure):

I think the US quarter is only 0.25" 

[Stilldrillin]

That brings back happy memories of the 1960 apprentice school, Ade. 

Then, some 15 years later on. When production was less manic than it is today.

The relaxed cutting stroke...... Someone summed it up..... "The characteristic fissle of a well set tool, cutting properly"...... 

Enjoy! 

David D

[hermetic]

Love to see a pic of the lathe, I have a Covmac 13 geared head like this one at www.lathes.co.uk/covmac I started a group called covmac owners at yahoo, but I am still the only member! As someone else with a large workshop, 3 phase and spare time, I know exactly what you mean.
Phil, East Yorks.

[AdeV]

Swarf!



David - I'm already mesmerised by it... in the pic, I'm shaving the bottom off an oversized tool bit (it won't quite fit in the holder... I do need a better vice though, or maybe just need to make a T-nut to replace the missing one, you can see the vice base twitching every time the tool hits the work...


Phil - nice looking machine, I presume yours is motor driven rather than line shafting (how envious would I be if you had line shafting....) - there are some older pics of mine here: http://madmodder.net/index.php/topic,2149.0.html It's not quite that pea-green in the flesh, the flash has washed the colours out a bit, it actually looks quite respectable in its green clothes.

[philf]

I do need a better vice though, or maybe just need to make a T-nut to replace the missing one, you can see the vice base twitching every time the tool hits the work...

Ade,

Am I missing something? (or are you?). Where's the bolt holding the vice to the base?

Phil.

[AdeV]

I do need a better vice though, or maybe just need to make a T-nut to replace the missing one, you can see the vice base twitching every time the tool hits the work...

Ade,

Am I missing something? (or are you?). Where's the bolt holding the vice to the base?

Phil.

Yeah, there's one missing - the complete t-nut, threaded bar & bolt unit - which means the one on the other side is doing all the work, but it's not quite enough - I can see the vice moving under the cut.

This is only a lashup to try it out, I need to find a better (bigger) vice.

[Mike Cole]

Hi Adv
My wife says I watch far too much machine porn on the computer
. I only have a 10 inch stroke , dare I tell her of your 20 inches.   

Mike

[Rob.Wilson]

  now thats a shaper Ade   


Rob