Home Machinist's Journal

Over the weekend I found this block of steel. It was all stuck together with old grease and some surface rust, so it did look like a block of steel. Got home and was amazed at what I had found! Looks like some kind of apprentice machinist project? And the tool marks tell me it was done on a shaper. All the pieces fit perfectly and slide with no problems. Somebody did an excellent job making this thing. Anybody know what it is?

I wonder if that was a school project for running the shaper? Advance course in operating the shaper?

Very interesting pieces! I am thinking too that it may have been a school project of some sort, back in the day. 

When I was in high school machine shop, we had two 7" Atlas shapers, not large by any means, but interesting machines just the same and I sometimes wish I had one. But, they come at a high price especially for the machines that are in very good to excellent condition. Would I buy one given the chance?  I don't know. Most of what I might do can all be done with a mill or a broach, but on the other hand, having a shaper would be nice to have when the need arose.

Maybe the blocks you found were somebody's own project for a shaper, not school related, but just to see what could be done? Might be fun to duplicate for grins and giggles.

Fun to duplicate? I measured this thing and was amazed at its precision! All within a few thou! I can turn all the pieces around and it still fits like a glove. All the pieces and their shapes are nicely centered. Looks like a very loooong time making project. Not sure I need that kinda fun, lol. And I have a shaper. Have yet to plug it in, another lol.

If nothing else you could use a few of those pc's to do a makeshift press brake punch/die for an arbor press?  Or plop it on the coffee table at parties, parts slightly shifted out of place as a conv starter.