Cute Mystery Indexer

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gwrdriver
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Cute Mystery Indexer

Post by gwrdriver »

This week I've been cleaning up a few remains I inherited from a former mentor's workshop and in a box of odd bits was this little indexer. In 30+ years I never saw him use it, or even mention it, so I don't know anything about it. It's unmarked in any way (except for divisions & numerals) and I've never seen one like it before. My guess would be that it was made in the early 1950s and it retains it's original olive drab'ish paint. It's 3" center height and #2 Morse taper spindle bore. The spindle thread is 1-1/8"-14, with a 1.187" diameter register.

Has anyone ever seen such an item? IMHO it's ideal for smallish live steam dividing jobs.
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INDEXER1.jpg
GWRdriver
Nashville TN
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10KPete
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Re: Cute Mystery Indexer

Post by 10KPete »

NIce find! I'm very sure it is just the right size for my Benchmaster mill.......

:-)

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pete
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Re: Cute Mystery Indexer

Post by pete »

I've never seen one like it Harry, but very very nice. Easily 10 times better than the far more light weight design the Atlas indexers have. And people are listing those on Ebay for upwards of $700-$800 now. Not saying it is because I don't think so, but it has a bit of 1950's Hardinge flavor to it. And at least the size and rough age estimate would fit with the fairly small horizontals they once made. Is there any evidence of where a manufacturer's placard might have been attached to it? If your curious enough, I'd bet someone on the Old Wood Working Machine's metal working forum, or certainly the Practical Machinist Antiques sub forum can identify it for sure. And the OWWM has a very large number of old machine tool user manuals as PDF's. A search through those for horizontal mills just might pull it up as an accessory. Burke might be one to start with?
jscarmozza
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Re: Cute Mystery Indexer

Post by jscarmozza »

I have seven indexing plates that may fit that head. The plates are 4-7/8" diameter, the center hole is 1-23/64" diameter, there are no holes for the counter sunk flathead screws.
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ctwo
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Re: Cute Mystery Indexer

Post by ctwo »

About half way down, picture looks familiar.

https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/a ... ty-340476/
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spro
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Re: Cute Mystery Indexer

Post by spro »

Why didn't somebody justly tell you? What does that machined face represent.Worm and special helical gears. Stuff happens and grand index fixture. or is that dividing.. Anyway, somebody Lost the feature yet good enough.
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ctwo
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Re: Cute Mystery Indexer

Post by ctwo »

I don't see anything lost. Some other images out there of the Burke #4 indexing head look exactly the same to me. There is additionally a similar dividing head.

Here a couple more images, a bit more than half-way down.

https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/burke-4.4990/
Standards are so important that everyone must have their own...
To measure is to know - Lord Kelvin
Disclaimer: I'm just a guy with a few machines...
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gwrdriver
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Re: Cute Mystery Indexer

Post by gwrdriver »

Sure does look exactly like what I have doesn't it, as does #2. The guy I inherited this from did have a Burke #4 for a time, long ago, but nothing that might have matched up with this was found among his workshop effects.
ctwo wrote: Thu Sep 24, 2020 12:33 amAbout half way down, picture looks familiar.
https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/a ... ty-340476/
GWRdriver
Nashville TN
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