# Do you know what this is for?



## justinhcase (Jul 26, 2017)

Do you know what this is for?
I think this must be a milling tool of some sort, But not having a clue what it might be called I can not look it up.
Have you any ideas?
It is good hard Steel 90mm high 45mm diameter at the base.
It is drilled out with a threaded inside and the cone is a very nicely machined spiral.
It would screw into material, The closest thing I have ever seen is a device used for log splitting that is much bigger and put on the back of a tractor.


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## Topher_osAUrus (Jul 26, 2017)

Looks like a tapered spindle.

Sorry, busy moving!, I'll add more as soon as I can


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## justinhcase (Jul 26, 2017)

Topher_osAUrus said:


> Looks like a tapered spindle.
> 
> Sorry, busy moving!, I'll add more as soon as I can


Well done!!
It would appear to be a very overbuilt "Tapered Spindel" such as used in polishing.
Buy in all the listings for such things I can not see one quite as well tooled or finished in a gun steel.
Very Strange.


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## finegold (Jul 26, 2017)

Kind of looks like an oversized screw extractor, would need a monster drill bit though.
Threaded left or right?


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## justinhcase (Jul 26, 2017)

finegold said:


> Kind of looks like an oversized screw extractor, would need a monster drill bit though.
> Threaded left or right?


It is about a 20mm internal thread going clockwise as you look down on it.
Should be easy enough to turn a cupeling if need be.


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## upcyclist (Jul 26, 2017)

Yup, stick it on a motor and polish your jewelry  

You said a threaded hole--in the States, I would expect to see it made for a 3/8", 1/2", or 5/8" shaft. But then again, yours is a much stouter/shorter than what we use in jewelry for mounting muslin/felt wheels.


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## galenrog (Jul 26, 2017)

Neighbor has several arbors set up for polishing wheels and pads. A few of the spindles are this size, and larger. Does this particular item have another use? Perhaps.


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## Topher_osAUrus (Jul 26, 2017)

galenrog said:


> Neighbor has several arbors set up for polishing wheels and pads. A few of the spindles are this size, and larger. Does this particular item have another use? Perhaps.



Id bet its for turning a gun barrel, keeping it dead center while the exterior is machined down.
Thats just a half baked guess though, my brain is dead right now


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## Refining Rick (Jul 26, 2017)

Buffing wheel holder is my guess too.


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## Smack (Jul 27, 2017)

All the arbors/bits for metal work that I have and have seen are RH thread. The lefty throws me. 

Maybe some kind of bit for a wood lathe.


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## finegold (Jul 27, 2017)

Well I'm intrigued now. Tophor is the geek of corningware (excellent thread) but I'm kinda the geek for old tools....I love them and usually spend way too much time identifying them.

Are there any markings at all?

20 mm over here would probably be 13/16...odd thread size...never seen it (13/16 fits tight on 21mm bolt)

Ive turned down many rifle barrels and never used a centering post that looks like this, never turned antitank barrel so who knows.

the taper has resin of some sort after the halfway point suggesting it was in fact used for some polishing process, don't suppose any way of identifying the waste left on the tool?

It appears to be VERY well made,the checkering (for hand tightening) looks very fine,maybe 20 lpi...the hole I see would be for a spanner wrench. are there more than one hole? is the checkering damaged (flattened) anywhere?

A lot of silly questions I know, But now I want to know what it is...excellent tool steel and very well crafted, would hate to think someone put that much effort into a polishing wheel arbour. But, because I own a 1985 jaguar xj6 and have to fix it myself I know you Gents across the pond have an affinity for over engineering things :wink: 

any markings would help


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## anachronism (Jul 28, 2017)

I think Refining Rick has it correct.


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## Smack (Jul 28, 2017)

This type of buffer is quite common but I've never seen one with the type of attachment as in the op. True one side has to be LH thread so it is possible, there are all kinds of companies out there making them.


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## upcyclist (Jul 28, 2017)

Smack said:


> All the arbors/bits for metal work that I have and have seen are RH thread. The lefty throws me.
> 
> Maybe some kind of bit for a wood lathe.


Many polishing arbors are dual sided. So, if they both rotate so that the wheel is moving down in the front, then one side will have to be reverse-threaded to hold the buff.

Sort of a tie on posting time


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## Topher_osAUrus (Jul 28, 2017)

My father came up to see my boys a minute ago, so I had to ask him.
He said "just from looking at it, I'd say its a bull-nose or a dead center for wood working, but it being threaded is a bit odd for woodwork tooling, the threaded interior on the backside is odd too, I dont know for sure without more pictures or details"

Just figured I would relay that not-so fruitful information.


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## justinhcase (Jul 28, 2017)

The only place I have seen tooling of this quality is the Air Crafty Industry
I will run up a more detailed description tomorrow.
I did not see any marking or serial numbers so I will look closer and make sure there are none I have missed.
Also, the 20mm for the inside thread was an eye ball number I will fish out the calipers.
I will collect some of the trace left on it, I have thought it was only detritus from where it had been stored but if it is resin you may be right about it being for polishing.
Thank for all your help, It is ripe for repurposing in any case.
Regards
Justin


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## Topher_osAUrus (Jul 28, 2017)

Does the threaded cone rotate, or is it stationary?


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## Refining Rick (Jul 28, 2017)

It rotates. The right or left handed thread orientated so that the "screw" is always trying to turn into the wheel when stopping force is applied to the buffer.


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## Topher_osAUrus (Jul 28, 2017)

Refining Rick said:


> It rotates. The right or left handed thread orientated so that the "screw" is always trying to turn into the wheel when stopping force is applied to the buffer.



Im sorry, poor choice of words on my part.
I meant to ask if the threaded part was riding on a bearing, so it could turn freely while the rest stayed stationary.

It doesnt look like it does, but the grime could easily cover up that.


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## Refining Rick (Jul 29, 2017)

Ah. I see what you mean. The ones like that I have seen just thread onto the shaft and thighten down. I wouldn't be surprised if it is also a left hand thread on the inside. So it would go on the left side of the buffer. Always tightening as it turned against the work piece. Still I could be wrong as it is a bit larger in diameter then I'm used to.


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## justinhcase (Jul 29, 2017)

Okay, I checked my measurements.It was 22.1mm at the top then drops down quite a step to the thread.
I did recover 0.91g of a dark resinous substance from the groove of the spiral.It softens with heat.
If any one wants to suggest some tests I will give it a go, Normally I would just send trace off to the Target Lab's if I was curious.
Absolutely no mark except the small hole in the side for a tightening bar.
My best guess is a polishing head for some sort of high powered rotary device.
The hand tightening surface makes me think it may be a large power tool.It looks some what like chuck head.
Larger shaft than any thing I have.


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## Platdigger (Jul 29, 2017)

Makes me curious if Harold checks this forum much any more. I would think of all the folk here, he would be one to know what it is.


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## butcher (Jul 29, 2017)

Yes, Harold would be able to solve the riddle.Harold was last active on the forum: Mon Jun 27, 2016 10:17 pm.

I sure miss his presence on the forum.


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## Topher_osAUrus (Jul 29, 2017)

butcher said:


> Yes, Harold would be able to solve the riddle.Harold was last active on the forum: Mon Jun 27, 2016 10:17 pm.
> 
> I sure miss his presence on the forum.



You and me both.

It sounds like he has been keeping busy and doing well though, I have spoken to him a few times through email, but it's just not the same.


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