USS Iowa machine shop - photos

[Toolmaker51]

Thank you, Toolmaker51 ! I used a Kearney & Trecker rotary head mill many years ago when I was a mold maker apprentice. Sadly the market went bad foor our company and I was laid off. Never did get back into that line of work. Saw a Kearney & Trecker rotary head mill at the US Air Force Museum shop in Dayton on a visit 10 years ago. I still find them fascinating.

No coincidence, we all started in mold work, and you mention apprenticing on Milwaukee-Kearney Trecker Rotary Head Milling Machine Model 2D...I did precisely the same thing, recounted story here many times.
They had two, side by side. Running one, by a big Swede, the other idle. "You're going to be running this one". Certain my reaction was utter confounded surprise, plenty of tool background but seeing a completely unique machine in action was total amazement. To this very instant, still equate his effort with the Wizard Dr. Oz behind his curtain...
Took to it like a duck to water, made cores and cavities, punches, dies, carbon EDM electrodes, copper spot weld electrodes, etc. We shut off mold corners with it too, milling beyond wall of perpendicular faces and swinging a radius each end. Then profile milled a key with same outside dimensions, pressed into position and top ground flat, the separation barely visible only because different material, P20 mold, C1018 keystock. That mill had been modified with longer bed-ways and leadscrew for increased capacity. Those bed-ways make ALL the difference over other knee mills. The 2D table is never without full support under table, compared to a knee mill that drops when you extend past mid-point [Abbe Error]. IMNSHO, a finer built, more feature packed, or so interesting a machine does not exist. But with different capability, DeVlieg's are next.

And yes they still fascinate nigh-on 50 years later. Despite an endless list of machinery run, I hold none in higher esteem, of course wanted one. Late 70's, you couldn't get a new one, a full factory rebuild was $50k on your core, [and nobody wanting to sell theirs] but I kept looking. Mold shop owners retired, I went elsewhere. Later, interviewed at captive shop of a injection molding company. They took some equipment at auction from mold shop, including 'my' long bed mill, and still run it. Guess who got hired on the spot? Years later, went to a machinery repair shop and dealer for a Gorton 9J or equivalent; guess who built the extensions and longer leadscrew?
Finally own one; collets, small collet adapter, PTO, offset head, cherrying attachment, slotter, universal indexer, air and coolant pumps, all the manuals...Still searching out a powered horizontal rotary table, never seen the right angle milling attachment.

[Toolmaker51]

I used to make molds too!! stamping press molds and plastic injection molds. thats where I learned cnc programing& operation.and also that the engineers making the prints didnt know as much as they thought

I'd say Au contraire, but some engineers feel what they know is all-inclusive AND still know far less than thought. Like product development guys who can't write an inspection sequence, and specify inadequate instruments.
I have certificates but no related degrees; yet who is their best buddy time comes to bail them out? It's karma, and they HATE that.

[rdarrylb]

Well, you did WAY more than I ever did on it. I only ran a couple of jobs on it. But, I was thrilled with the idea of being able to mill a circle (with power feed), which is what I needed for brackets for hydraulic cylinders on the side of the mold. Through hole for the rod, and recess for the collar. I was 18 and didn't really know what I was doing. Was going to use the big radial arm drill press, but figured there wouldn't be enough material left for support after drill those big holes. Boss gave me two brackets and said "make this fit". Came out great. Still got laid off.