Just picked up a horizontal Mill, what kind is it?

[KindaBentSouth]

Hey all! Like i said in header, I picked up this horizontal Mill… which I didn’t even know that was a thing.
It weighs easily 400 lbs, but I cannot for the life of me figure out what brand it is? It’s obviously old, and it has “Gits” oil cups on it. The switch says Appleton , but that’s just electrics… can anybody help identify this big turd?! I love it, been using it every day… (for the tiny bit I know of how to work it
Thank you guys for your time!

Travis

 

[boslab]

That’s very old! I’d guess there’s a photo somewhere
Mark

 

[technocrat]

looks a bit like an Ames or a Cataract. Early 1900's lineshaft machine.

 

[Bill D]

Probably get a better response in the antiques section? What is the arbor diameter and table size.
Bill D

 

[KindaBentSouth]

Probably get a better response in the antiques section? What is the arbor diameter and table size.
Bill D

Pic attached of arbor
And the table is about 20 1/4”
Hope this helps, I’ve searched for hours on the web and can’t find squat?

 

[KindaBentSouth]

looks a bit like an Ames or a Cataract. Early 1900's lineshaft machine.

I’ve never heard of a lineshaft machine. Yea this arbor thing on top has a little point on it. Initially I thought this thing was a rotor lathe, but it seems to be a horizontal mill, has all the extra fly cutters and keyway cuttters.?

 

[Doozer]

I’ve never heard of a lineshaft machine......

Think like before electricity was invented....
And the major source of pollution in the world
was horse poop.


-Doozer

 

[maynah]

Probably get a better response in the antiques section? What is the arbor diameter and table size.
Bill D

+1
Post it over in the antique section and I bet you a Hershey bar you’ll get an answer.

 

[stephen thomas]

Can assure you it is not Cataract.

Dunno about Ames or Stark. But still unlikely as those, like many cataract models, were built around add-on building blocks to the lathe castings.
The column on yours was purpose - cast as a single unit.

 

[Bill D]

Line shaft. has a steam engine or waterwheel out back. It runs a drive shaft, the length of the building, hanging from the ceiling. Each machine has a belt up and over the line shaft to spin the machine. Slip the belt on and off to turn the machine on and off. Replaced by individual electric motors around 1920.
Bill D

Starts around 3:30

]

 

[Frank R]

Posting more pictures from different angles would help a great deal.

Also, please go through this site, lots of pictures to compare: http://www.lathes.co.uk/page21.html

 

[Frank R]

Yea this arbor thing on top has a little point on it.

The point is to hold the outboard end of the arbor shaft steady while cutting. Look at pictures of other mills in operation.

 

[KindaBentSouth]

Hey guys sorry I took so long to respond. I’m loving this mill but still have no idea what it is, and I have googled till my fingers were tired.. it seems to be a ghost.? Also, I am trying to find some more collets for it, as I only intend on using it with end mills. But the collet is like no other ones I can find online. What do you guys think? The measurement is at the widest point

 

[KindaBentSouth]

Probably get a better response in the antiques section? What is the arbor diameter and table size.
Bill D

Isn’t this the antiques section? I posted this under antique machinery…? I think I just posted again in the same section ?

Think like before electricity was invented....
And the major source of pollution in the world
was horse poop.


-Doozer

lol, that’s still the main source of pollution… I’m sorry, cow farts have taken the lead

 

[Archilochus]

Hey guys sorry I took so long to respond. I’m loving this mill but still have no idea what it is, and I have googled till my fingers were tired.. it seems to be a ghost.? Also, I am trying to find some more collets for it, as I only intend on using it with end mills. But the collet is like no other ones I can find online. What do you guys think? The measurement is at the widest point

Some sort of 'double-taper' collet. Doesn't look quite like a 'Z', but similar.

Not quite this either, but close ...

Universal Devlieg - Double Taper Collet Capacity

www.universaldevlieg.com

 

[john.k]

I think maybe you need to look at an old book on milling ....download something from the 1900s,...it will demonstrate the use of the parts of the machine like the outer support....which fortunately ,you have.

 

[guythatbrews]

And the major source of pollution in the world
was horse poop.

You ain't just whistlin' dixie. This is from a PBS special. I don't know how true it is.

"New York had over 100,000 horses producing over 2.5 million pounds of manure every day."

That"s 25 lbs a day per horse. Any way you slice it, that's a lot! I know less about horses than most anyone, but I know 25# is a lot of poop!

You horse guys, have you ever weighed your horses BM's?

 

[john.k]

A 'crossing sweeper' was a man with a broom and pan that kept street crossings free of horse shit,as ladies wore long dresses.

 

[Rob F.]

A 'crossing sweeper' was a man with a broom and pan that kept street crossings free of horse shit,as ladies wore long dresses.

Is that what you did as a youngster instead of a paper route?

 

[stephen thomas]

Also, I am trying to find some more collets for it, as I only intend on using it with end mills. But the collet is like no other ones I can find online.

There's some grave similarity to the factory collet and chuck for a SB vertical mill - except the chuck collar is a bit different.
Can you extrapolate and guess whether the largest collet would hold a 3/4" shank?
Regardless the chuck source, i kind of doubt that it is original to the machine. They would typically have taken arbors with the male machine taper on one end, or spindle tooling on a male taper to go in the female mill taper.
Even the knurled collar chuck is suspect. Can you see an obvious way to remove it, such as a draw bar or bolt?