High-quality black-and-white photographs of large old machines and tools

[marksbug]

wow, what a motor...wonder what that would do to my power bill I know what my wife would do

[Jon]

Shaping machine. McKees Rocks Machine and Erecting Shop. Pennsylvania, 1904.

Fullsize image: https://diqn32j8nouaz.cloudfront.net...e_fullsize.jpg

[McDesign]

I've heard that "a shaper will make everything but money". Got no experience myself.

[Toolmaker51]

That phrase likely coined by contour bandsaw manufacturers. Demise of one, very close to rise of other. Both do things other cannot quite as well.

[Toolmaker51]

Not only tremendous size and general facility, but note the floor. World's best industrial surface; wood bricks, they're set on end.
At lower left is what appears to be a drain, probably isn't. It's a cast iron floor plate, near certainty of mounting in front of portable boring mill, large radial drill, or functions as serious assembly table.

[marksbug]

oh thsose are just 1/2 boards, thats somebodys diorama dream shop...... entirely too clean, not a scrape on the floor, no wear trails, nutten.no oil stains, no dick stains. cant be real.

[Toolmaker51]

oh thsose are just 1/2 boards, thats somebodys diorama dream shop...... entirely too clean, not a scrape on the floor, no wear trails, nutten.no oil stains, no dick stains. cant be real.

Oh my no, real as can be. Those shops full of Naval personnel [MR = Machinery Repairman] and a few civilian contractors, under the eye of a Naval Officer. I've worked in several. Long Beach, Puget Sound, San Diego, Coronado, Terminal Island [USCG].

[Frank S]

I wouldn't go so far as to say too clean by any means.
Expand the picture to its fullest then scroll around there is some small cylinder laying on the floor not too far away from the electric motor mounted on the cast iron bricks Also around the shaper there is some debris as well as the swarth from the last or current shaping project.

[marksbug]

yes this diarama is quite detailed even the stuff laying around. I bought a 1 inch tall bridgeport years ago to add to my collection.

[meyer77]

Look at all of finger/appendage crushing things exposed, an OSHA mans nightmare!
My brothers friend was partners in a machine shop with a WWll vet in the 70's, One night after some adult beverage had been consumed my brothers friend was riding the ram of a very large shaper like a mechanical bull