Mystery tool - help!

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Anyone have an idea what this may be? My first thought was an old drill press of sorts, but the gearing is all wrong. I thought maybe a tool sharpener, and it may be, but I must be missing a piece or two. It has a clamp for attaching to a pipe. The driven shaft is at about a 45 degree angle to the pipe clamp. The driven shaft has about two inches of travel, adjusted by turning the knob on the side opposite the hand crank. As you can see, it is geared pretty high.I know someone here will know instantly what it is. You guys never fail me.Thanks.Miller EconotigCutmaster 38Yes ma'am, that IS a screwdriver in my pocket!
Reply:Unicycle for midgets?Ranger 305gMillermatic 140 AutosetDewalt Chopsaw2 grindersMy Fists
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Reply:The fact that it clamps to a pipe must have meaning.  What angle is the pipe in relation to the spinning shaft?  Does it look like a tool would be rotating against the end of the pipe like to bevel it or something?Dave J.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Originally Posted by bp626indamixUnicycle for midgets?
Reply:Maybe a 20-30's version of the "useless machine"?Last edited by Fnord5; 02-20-2013 at 11:18 AM.
Reply:Looks to me like a drill bit sharpener or some other type of tool sharpener (chisel, wood lathe tooling, tractor mower tooth-blade, etc) given the angle of the vise or clamp or base. Grinding wheel goes onto that shaft and the slow gearing is to keep the tool cool, similar to my wet sharpener. The wet sharpener runs slow to keep heat down so that it avoids the "de-tempering' of hardened tool steel in the sharpening process. I just love old tool threads!!Last edited by bearston; 02-20-2013 at 11:31 AM.When a welder tells you to "stick it", what do they really mean?"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell
Reply:Originally Posted by bearstonGrinding wheel goes onto that shaft and the slow gearing is to keep the tool cool, similar to my wet sharpener. The wet sharpener runs slow to keep heat down so that it avoids the "de-tempering' of hardened tool steel in the sharpening process.
Reply:I think it's an early dental tool. Mac
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWI think you have it backwards. Looks like it's geared for high speed, not low to me. IIRC large power wheel to small drive wheel means an increase, not decrease in RPM's. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Reply:You are not wrong, my dyslexic nature rears it's ugly head yet again!When a welder tells you to "stick it", what do they really mean?"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell
Reply:It's a small post drill. They come in big sizes with a large turn wheel on them. They were usually seen in black smith shops. Basically a non electric drill press.
Reply:It looks like an old drill pressYou mount it to a tree rite?
Reply:looks like a post drill to me.MM 251MM 135Lincoln Pro cut 55Bobcat 250Miller Thunderbolt ac/dcolder ac forneyJackson nexgen 3n13-Smith OP setups97 Dodge dieselMakita chopsawJet swivel head bandsawlincoln tig 300/30030a spoolgunpuma port. gas air comp.
Reply:Originally Posted by BobIt's a small post drill. They come in big sizes with a large turn wheel on them. They were usually seen in black smith shops. Basically a non electric drill press.
Reply:The 45 degree angle would be odd for a drill,I would have guessed a valve grinder or sharpener of some sort.
Reply:Yep, first thing I thought when looking at it initially was a valve grinder set-up.Lincoln PrecisionTig 275Miller 251Miller DialArc 250Bridgeport millHossfeld bender & diesLogan shaperJet 14 X 40 latheSouth Bend 9" 'C'Hypertherm 900Ellis 3000 band saw21"Royersford ExcelsiorTwo shops, still too many tools.
Reply:Probably way off base here, but I used to have an Olde Time' manual forge blower, with the same angle, same pipe clamp and at least very similar turn ratio (I can't count the teeth in your pic and couldn't even guess what they were on mine), but it was all gears and no chain and had a blower impeller and housing on the shaft end. Had the same adjuster on it too, which near as I could tell was to compensate for expansion if you used it long enough for heat to travel up the duct, but I never used it. It just came with the house I bought along with a bunch of other obscure old man tools. Might have been homemade, but looked pretty 1950's industrial rather than a Roebucks DIY kit.
Reply:I don't think it's a drill. There is no way you could drill a hole with the output shaft geared so high. Maybe with tiny bits inn wood, but that's about it. I can keep the output shaft from spinning with my thumb and forefinger, while trying my best to crank it with my right hand.Miller EconotigCutmaster 38Yes ma'am, that IS a screwdriver in my pocket!
Reply:I'm honestly not sure you could even grind much of anything with it. With the short crank, and high gearing, you would really have to be a brute to get much torque out of the output shaft.I thought for sure you guys would have figured it out by now! Now it's really bugging me, but I have spent so much time combing through google images already. I don't know what else to search for.Miller EconotigCutmaster 38Yes ma'am, that IS a screwdriver in my pocket!
Reply:I welded on the railroad for a while from fab shops to field work and signal maintainers used drills very similar. One guy would tighten the nut on the back while another guy would spin the crank. They would drill small holes at the end of the rail joint bars and hammer in these braided cables with soft molded ends so both rails would have contact if the bolts lossened up. Always looked like foolish work to me, but railroad work still to this day is all grunt work. Even tho the drills look almost identical to yours, there's had a square attachment that would bolt to the head of the rail.I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:6 or 8 to one gearing,no torque,just rpm.
Reply:Perhaps it's a tungsten grinder, missing the diamond wheel.
Reply:My dad had an old unit that looked like that and he used it to hand grind valves for Model T and Model A engines. It may be just that but it looks like the stones are missing from it.
Reply:Originally Posted by InkydoggyMy dad had an old unit that looked like that and he used it to hand grind valves for Model T and Model A engines. It may be just that but it looks like the stones are missing from it.Inkydoggy WINS! Rick V 1 Airco Heliwelder 3A/DDR3 CTC 70/90 amp Stick/Tig Inverters in Parallel1 Lincoln MIG PAK 151 Oxy-Acet