YGIAGAM

[Lars Hansen]

This for those of you who love Rube Goldberg and riddles without a definitive answer.
Anyone still here?

I got this from the son of a woodturner who is now working at the heavenly lathe. The two parts were made to his specs and if there were more parts, they have left the building.

The square part reminds me of that of a sphere turning jig - the piece with the handle less so.

* The large hole with the black arrow on the square part is 30 mm corresponding to the tool post of his lathe.
* The hole inside the tube welded to the handle part is the same diameter as the row of holes on the spare part (red arrow).
* The row of holes on the square part at the green arrow are all threaded.

The only hint that the son could give me was that he seemed to remember his dad talking about hollowing, not sphere turning.

Anyone with a guess - for instance on what was supposed to sit in the hole in the cylinder part?

Lars

 

[Dwight R Rutherford]

Made to hollow out half’s of a sphere.

 

[Mark Wollschlager]

It looks like metal spinning tool rests.
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en...0....1..gws-wiz-img.....0..0j0i24.vM3axxhmzZU

 

[Dwight R Rutherford]

I think Mark is correct.

 

[Bill Boehme]

The first two pictures look like a circle cutting jig for a drill press, but the next two pictures shoot that idea out of the sky.

 

[john lucas]

It's not a metal spinning tool rest. It appears to me to be some sort of concave hollowing or shaping system.

 

[olaf Vogel]

Lars, this is intriguing.

Looks well made and well thought out.

It’s not for metal spinning.
Could be for hollowing perfect spheres.
Set the depth according to the holes. Set the diameter by sliding the bar.

Can you take a pic, with pieces fitted as you think they should be?

The tool mount doesnt make sense to me, yet

 

[Mike Johnson]

A metal spinning tool rest would not have threaded set screw holes for the pin holes, you need to remove the pins often to a new position
while forming metal pieces. The long tool could be used for hollowing, it also reminds me of a boring bar or broaching bar you might use on a metal lathe
or mill. The "boring bar" would work for boring/hollowing deep into a vessel or box.

 

[Lars Hansen]

Thanks for replies so far. I think, we can rule out other purposes for use than some form of woodturning. According to the owner's son, that was the use, senior had it made for.
@ Olaf: Will take a snapshot or two asap.

 

[Mark Jundanian]

Might have been based on the metal lathe tool.

 

[Lars Hansen]

Both parts have been made according to the late woodturner's own plans - but sadly he never explained what his idea(s) was/were.

Olaf, here is a photo of the two thing held together by the two matching 9 mm holes (and a drill bit). Makes absolutely no sense to me.



The only other common feature is the 30 mm hole, so I tried mounting each part on the lathe with a 30 mm rod in the banjo.

The long handled thing does look like at hollowing jig missing some part in the business end.
The square one looks pretty much like the bottom part of a sphere jig.

Thanks for all contributions so far. Any further observations before I file the topic under "Semi-solved mysteries"?

 

[Mark Jundanian]

Both parts have been made according to the late woodturner's own plans - but sadly he never explained what his idea(s) was/were.

Any idea who milled the parts? Perhaps they would have an idea of the intended use.

Otherwise this may be a "repurpose" opportunity.

 

[Lars Hansen]

@ Mark: Sadly, no further help from him.
I would love to know the ideas behind to gizmos. Why was one end of the square part narrowed down? Something to do with space to swing/turn?
And if the part is the base of a sphere jig, why on earth fix it to the tool rest??
I guess *repurpose* is the only option.

Lars

 

[Gary Beasley]

Maybe its a mount for a router or other milling accessory. It certainly looks like theres a few other parts to go with it.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

I am thinking a cutter of some type went in the upright piece at the end of the arm. Then the arm could describe a circle or rather semi circle, making it a sphere jig.

 

[Mark Jundanian]

Lars, would the son know what kind of shapes and forms his father turned? If the turner used this contraption very often then what the jig will do will be reflected in what the turner made.

 

[Lars Hansen]

@ Mark: Yes. Nothing else but a bit of furniture/veneer/flatwork. No metal spinning, no other uses of the lathe than woodturning, and that was little else than bowls and spindle turned decorative pieces.
It may well be that the two gizmos were first parts of jig projects with more to be required but sadly, nothing else has survived, nor have any hints.

 

[olaf Vogel]

Lars

Pic #1 - This combo makes no sense to me either.[


Pic #2 make sense - it would cut perfect inside circles.
However, the boring bar is inserted wrong. Instead of the cutter facing up, it should be rotated 90d, so the cutter sticks out sideways. Assuming its a 1/4" metal cutter ground.

The last pic is of an extensor bar, that projects into your hollow piece
http://www.timberlywoodturning.co.nz/products/Irons-Tool-Gate-(tool-rest-for-deep-hollowing-).html

And that you are missing the hollowing "gate" at the end that holds the tool.

I.e. the two pieces dont fit together.

Of course, this is all guess work....

 

[Lars Hansen]

Here it is:
http://www.timberlywoodturning.co.nz/products/Irons-Tool-Gate-(tool-rest-for-deep-hollowing-).html