Unknown Machinists Devise. Never Seen Anything Like It.

[YesIHaveAHammer]

Peter - info on these would be helpful.

Few loose bits in the box bottom left.

What does it say on the key fob? I can’t quite make it out.

 

[PeterPeter]

+1 on contacting the company and include photos in the e-mail. If they were the only tenant in the old building then they might be best qualified source to know what it was for. Although anybody that used it retired a long time ago I can see it tweaking the curiosity of some current employees or management. Also agree that they may want to buy it back to display in their lobby, lots of companies like to do stuff like that.

Well, I tried. The owner himself responded, and was as stumped as all of us are.

peter

 

[Pasha]

I'm willing to bet it's a custom piece made by a tool & die maker. People in that trade come up will all kinds of ingenious devices.

 

[RoninB4]

Well, I tried. The owner himself responded, and was as stumped as all of us are.

peter

-I don't know I'd feel about that response. My initial thought was "Owners of large/old companies seldom know what's going on beyond their office door". On the other hand, he might have taken a personal interest in the history of his company and asked a few others about what this "thing" is. A bit surprised nobody at PM could identify it either but "It's the nicest one I've seen in 50 years" was amusing.

-This isn't the Antikythera mechanism but it's still holding my curiosity/interest. Thanks for trying. What will you do with this?

 

[RoninB4]

I'm willing to bet it's a custom piece made by a tool & die maker. People in that trade come up will all kinds of ingenious devices.

-As a former tool and die maker I can say yes we sometimes did. R. J. Newbould (RIP) was a prime example of this. I was in the trade for several decades but my only guess still isn't a very good one.

 

[Beerhippie]

It's for calibrating time crystals.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[American Locomotive]

I don't see why anything checking the length of pins would need to be that grossly overcomplicated. You already have all the "steps" for a go-no-go guage, just machine one long flat as a reference to the "steps". No need for the sliding dovetail and rack gears.

To me it looks like a fixture of some sort for setting up a machine.

The "calibration not required" sticker is certainly not from whatever company or person who made it. That's an internal quality control sticker, probably just stuck there as a CYA for an internal or ISO quality audit.

 

[PeterPeter]

The company still exists - ask them? https://www.whbagshaw.com/contact-us/

The machines and processes will have evolved, but their knowledge of making pins probably stands them with a better chance than anyone.

I emailed, and the owner, Kevin Bagshaw responded almost immediately. Must have been a slow day. He remembered seeing it, and had no idea what it its use was.

The mystery continues

 

[Old Man Roger]

I emailed, and the owner, Kevin Bagshaw responded almost immediately. Must have been a slow day. He remembered seeing it, and had no idea what it its use was.

The mystery continues

Well if he don't know, then that secrets likely gone to the grave with some machinist.

 

[uratool]

The device is doing it's job perfectly...the machinist would finish his lunch early every day for an entire year and utilize the rest of his hour long break creating a tool with no discernable use...for the sole purpose - befuddlement of the denizens residing in the inky shadows of forum basements.

 

[ecotec]

The device is doing it's job perfectly...the machinist would finish his lunch early every day for an entire year and utilize the rest of his hour long break creating a tool with no discernable use...for the sole purpose - befuddlement of the denizens residing in the inky shadows of forum basements.

This is how he lives forever.

 

[RTM]

The device is doing it's job perfectly...the machinist would finish his lunch early every day for an entire year and utilize the rest of his hour long break creating a tool with no discernable use...for the sole purpose - befuddlement of the denizens residing in the inky shadows of forum basements.

A decade or more ago, an acquaintance was making up unique Perfect Handle type tools. He'd weld PH type scales onto a ratchet, or some different hammer. For his pleasure or practice, whichever, but we all joked he was doing it just to mess with future collectors.

 

[Beerhippie]

I can't imagine making something that might confuse future collectors.

 

[rustyzman]

I'll throw in a WAG. Setting device for adjustable parallels.

One fixed stop on the side of it and one adjustable stop that was adjusted to make it square the moving rack.

End/side of the parallel set up against the stair step of the width you choose.

Move the rack back and forth to bring the measurement you wish to set to under the adjustable side stop while accounting for the parallel end position differences you would encounter upon different adjustments..

A quick tool for bench setting them without using/dedicating a Vernier or a micrometer, not needing that much precision perhaps. Would explain the no need for calibration as well, used as reference only.

Seems very excessive for that purpose, but what the heck, its just a WAG!

 

[RoninB4]

I'll throw in a WAG. Setting device for adjustable parallels.

-Nope. If you read the history of the company there's a big clue what it's for.