High-quality black-and-white photographs of large old machines and tools

[mr mikey]

don't tell Osha lol.

[Ed Weldon]

Best to include a suitable and secure tie clasp. Back in the early days of my career I wore a tie clasp that was a cheap simple silver plated bar to which I mounted a tiny 440 stainliss steel ball bearing.

[Jon]

Mesta Machine Company rope drive wheel. Homestead, PA. 1905/1925.

Fullsize image: https://diqn32j8nouaz.cloudfront.net...l_fullsize.jpg

[jimfols]

782

I never knew that.



Multiple rope drives driving lineshafts on each factory floor

[marksbug]

yup I saw that somewhere I visited. them smart fellers, split the power to any where in the factory.up down over change ratio for something I was amazed whay all they had done with it many many years ago. the down side is...when the power head stops it all stops. but there are addvantages to just one power unit, like put it outa the way.heat,noise etc.

[mr mikey]

Good stuff. When I was a kid I liked going to Greenfield Village in Dearborn Mi. and always spent the most time in the machine shop, all belt driven. I think I need another trip there. Mr Mikey.

[marksbug]

when my wife retires ,I... we hope to travel the country and see lots of stuff like that. thats if there is still a country to see.

[hemmjo]

What am I missing?

I am looking at that massive "wheel" which appears to be cast in one piece. The hub is bored and spilt. They appear to be cutting the keyway. There appears to be 4 bolts to clamp the hub to the shaft by squeezing the 2 halves of the hub together. Each half of the hub is attached to the outer rim rim of the wheel by 3 stout spokes.

Something has to move when they squeeze that hub down onto the shaft. Does it flex that massive wheel?

[Toolmaker51]

What am I missing?

I am looking at that massive "wheel" which appears to be cast in one piece. The hub is bored and spilt. They appear to be cutting the keyway. There appears to be 4 bolts to clamp the hub to the shaft by squeezing the 2 halves of the hub together. Each half of the hub is attached to the outer rim rim of the wheel by 3 stout spokes.

Something has to move when they squeeze that hub down onto the shaft. Does it flex that massive wheel?

Exactly right, but only the hub, there aren't spokes across the center.
The cutter head has a tapered arrangement with set screws to control depth. Boring a split hub is common, the gap is shimmed and clamped, the same torque on fasteners secures on shaft at installation.
It looks like a boring mill, so must be using the quill Z axis as a broach, like a lathe chucked part, cutter driven by carriage. Possibly, that era had a mechanism to run the quill in and out without rotating spindle?
However, can't imagine a spindle within a square quill, I believe the machine is a shaper.

An alternative would Z the table; but this is a floor machine, not table type. Floor machines are considered 'portable', they secure the column at the part, the 'floor' actually is a giant Tee slotted plate. Dialing in a part, isn't a couple handles like a Bridgeport.
Along with all that, the bore could have been done in a vertical lathe. The casting has been turned, those grooves ain't cast, an concentricity included. Biggest I've heard of was 33'; if man in picture is 5'5'', that's an 16' to 18' sheave.

But, here's a 42' Industrial History: Big Machine Tools

https://newatlas.com/the-citroen-che...3868/?amp=true

[12bolts]

But, here's a 42' Industrial History: Big Machine Tools

Well that was quite a rabbit hole