adidat
I will not buy anymore tools...
Hi guys
grab a cuppa and a hanky this is a long one and a tear jerker!
So my Grandfather was an excellent engineer and a bit of a hero to me! at the age of 16 he apprenticed into the RAF as an armourer. a year later when the war came about he was shipped to Burma. 6 weeks on a large ship with a week in cape town, they had no idea where they where going, no trip advisor or internet back then so he could of been on mars! He stayed there for 4 years without returning once and arrived home 4 months after VJ day, this always bothered him as no one made a fuss about his return!
he worked for a long time at esso developing lubricants and later on at royal ordinance factory Bridgewater, so he knew his onions!
he had a nicely stocked machine shop myford super 7, milling machine, drill press and other metal working stuff! he always wanted a shaping machine, in 1974 his wife gave him a book on shaping machines for Christmas, which I still have! This prompted him to build his own one it only took him 20 years to finish it!!
In my family we all seem to suffer from half a job syndrome! So for something that complex that was actually finished to a high and usable standard is bloody impressive!
Sadly 3 years ago at the grand age of 92 he kicked the bucket, as I had lived and cared for him for his last 3 years I'm qualified to conform that he was a cantankerous old goat!
So very quickly his estate was dealt with including the sale of the contents of his workshop, in came an auctioneer from a large firm near honiton who promised riches, so off all the stuff went, my family ignoring my offers of £150 for said shaping machine, as they had been told it was worth £400 on a bad day :roll: :roll:
I think they walked away with £700, the myford would have sold for more..... and the shaping machine sold for £75.
3 years of pain and anguish go by thinking it would probably have ended up in some old boys shed and then the scrap heap awaits, but I was browsing ebay looking at old machinery, and I came across it, my first thought was it couldn't be! but the rather lack lustre paint job confirmed it!
8 hours to go and only 20 miles down the road in Wellington! a quick email to the seller giving him the facts and he said I could come then and take it away for £120 he was very pleased that it had made its way back to me!
it was bloody heavy and my neighbour managed to cut himself pretty badly on his cheek from the sharp ram. but its finally back in the workshop where it was made all the years ago! and i will cherish it!!!!
its a pretty small unit but very useful for key ways etc. the little mechanisms for indexing the bed left and right kept me and my brother amused for hours!
its got the correct hinging cutter holder to save the tooling wearing on the return cut.
its got a moveable switch so it turns off when it finishes its pass
sorry for the long story guys
adidat
grab a cuppa and a hanky this is a long one and a tear jerker!
So my Grandfather was an excellent engineer and a bit of a hero to me! at the age of 16 he apprenticed into the RAF as an armourer. a year later when the war came about he was shipped to Burma. 6 weeks on a large ship with a week in cape town, they had no idea where they where going, no trip advisor or internet back then so he could of been on mars! He stayed there for 4 years without returning once and arrived home 4 months after VJ day, this always bothered him as no one made a fuss about his return!
he worked for a long time at esso developing lubricants and later on at royal ordinance factory Bridgewater, so he knew his onions!
he had a nicely stocked machine shop myford super 7, milling machine, drill press and other metal working stuff! he always wanted a shaping machine, in 1974 his wife gave him a book on shaping machines for Christmas, which I still have! This prompted him to build his own one it only took him 20 years to finish it!!
In my family we all seem to suffer from half a job syndrome! So for something that complex that was actually finished to a high and usable standard is bloody impressive!
Sadly 3 years ago at the grand age of 92 he kicked the bucket, as I had lived and cared for him for his last 3 years I'm qualified to conform that he was a cantankerous old goat!
So very quickly his estate was dealt with including the sale of the contents of his workshop, in came an auctioneer from a large firm near honiton who promised riches, so off all the stuff went, my family ignoring my offers of £150 for said shaping machine, as they had been told it was worth £400 on a bad day :roll: :roll:
I think they walked away with £700, the myford would have sold for more..... and the shaping machine sold for £75.
3 years of pain and anguish go by thinking it would probably have ended up in some old boys shed and then the scrap heap awaits, but I was browsing ebay looking at old machinery, and I came across it, my first thought was it couldn't be! but the rather lack lustre paint job confirmed it!
8 hours to go and only 20 miles down the road in Wellington! a quick email to the seller giving him the facts and he said I could come then and take it away for £120 he was very pleased that it had made its way back to me!
it was bloody heavy and my neighbour managed to cut himself pretty badly on his cheek from the sharp ram. but its finally back in the workshop where it was made all the years ago! and i will cherish it!!!!
its a pretty small unit but very useful for key ways etc. the little mechanisms for indexing the bed left and right kept me and my brother amused for hours!
its got the correct hinging cutter holder to save the tooling wearing on the return cut.
its got a moveable switch so it turns off when it finishes its pass
sorry for the long story guys
adidat
