MetalworkingFun Forum

(04-02-2012, 12:37 PM)ToolCat Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks Dave, Ron and Ed!
Ron, I'm in Kearney. Are you close?

I have friends in Kearney! Nice town, except for the 3am freight train that insists on sounding its horn. Scared the hell out of me as I thought it was the twister alarm going off. Still have the local ice hockey shirt too.

(04-02-2012, 12:37 PM)ToolCat Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks Dave, Ron and Ed!
Ron, I'm in Kearney. Are you close?

Not really. I'm in the town of Elkhorn (or was until Omaha annexed us). You're probably lucky I'm not as I'd be getting drool all over those nice tools.

(04-03-2012, 12:52 AM)Mayhem Wrote: [ -> ]

(04-02-2012, 12:37 PM)ToolCat Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks Dave, Ron and Ed!
Ron, I'm in Kearney. Are you close?

I have friends in Kearney! Nice town, except for the 3am freight train that insists on sounding its horn. Scared the hell out of me as I thought it was the twister alarm going off. Still have the local ice hockey shirt too.

Funny. I grew up living just a couple of blocks from a rail crossing (town was only a few blocks big) and to this day I don't really notice the train whistles. I smashed a lot of pennies on the tracks though and have some sections of rail I'm using as anvils.

-Ron

(04-03-2012, 12:52 AM)Mayhem Wrote: [ -> ]

(04-02-2012, 12:37 PM)ToolCat Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks Dave, Ron and Ed!
Ron, I'm in Kearney. Are you close?

I have friends in Kearney! Nice town, except for the 3am freight train that insists on sounding its horn. Scared the hell out of me as I thought it was the twister alarm going off. Still have the local ice hockey shirt too.

That would be the Union Pacific going through Kearney. I read that U.P. says this is the busiest track in the US. The trains are carrying coal east from mines in Wyoming. So if the trains don't get you, the tornadoes will! They sound just like a train.

My latest purchase is this Rhodes Shaper with a slitter head!!
I think i win the "Mine is older than yours"!!!!
1929 vintage and it still runs like a dream!!!

The dovetails still have the original scraping and flaking marks.
Unfortunately it did not come with a vise....

And of course the pictures:







This is one of the older Rhodes shapers since it has the motor above the machine. This was most likely line driven at some time.
Later models had it connected to the castings base.

When i first set it up the motor had been wire for the incorrect rotation.
It was cutting faster on the forward stroke and returning slowly.
A quick rewire and it sounds and works a lot better!!!
This was luckily pointed out to me by HMEM members otherwise i would never have known!
The manuals available have very little info in them...

And a quick video of it running:
http://youtu.be/PJnH_189v48

I hope you enjoyed the pics and video!!!

Andrew

Andrew,

That's a beautiful machine.

Thoroughly enjoyed the pics and the video


DaveH

Love the pics and video, thanks Andrew.

I'm quite sure that's the first time I have ever seen a shaper work!

So how dose it know when to lift and lower the cutting tool?

Jerry.

Cuts on the forward stroke and the backwards motion raise the clapper box and clears the cutter from the work!
Simple and elegant!

Andrew

Cool!!

Thanks Andrew.

Jerry.

(04-29-2012, 01:57 PM)lazylathe Wrote: [ -> ]My latest purchase is this Rhodes Shaper with a slitter head!!
Andrew

Just curious Andrew, did you mean "slotter" head? If so I'd love a peek at that.
I would mount the vise 90° to the way you have yours, but then, I broke my shaper so maybe I shouldn't comment.

(04-30-2012, 05:30 AM)stevec Wrote: [ -> ]

(04-29-2012, 01:57 PM)lazylathe Wrote: [ -> ]My latest purchase is this Rhodes Shaper with a slitter head!!
Andrew

Just curious Andrew, did you mean "slotter" head? If so I'd love a peek at that.
I would mount the vise 90° to the way you have yours, but then, I broke my shaper so maybe I shouldn't comment.

Hi Steve,

Yes it does have the SLOTTER head!
Stupid spell check does not recognize that word and changes it to slitter...

At the moment i am using a cheap drill press vise and that is the only way it will fit in the pre drilled holes in the top plate.
Looking for the correct vise may take some time....
Also most shaper vises have a removable crank that is removed once the work is secured. The drill press one gets in the way of the table in/out feed handle if mounted 90 degress to what it is now....

Here are some pics of the slotter head!



And the slotter head


Andrew