sometimes you just get lucky

[metalmagpie]

I recently drove a ways out of town chasing a CL ad for a Kennedy top box. The box wasn't a great deal, just OK. But when I was up at the guy's shop I noticed a medium-sized metal shaper sitting in the corner. I asked about it and wound up making a deal for it and hauled it home today.

It's a 12" Sheldon shaper. Still has the vise, also has the optional automatic oiler and also the optional (and rare) universal table. We spun it up and it worked great. Everything nice and smooth. It only could have been better if it had come with the original documents from Sheldon, if it had more tooling than the one toolholder/bit installed on it, and if the cosmetics were a little nicer. It is missing paint in a lot of places, but has very little rust indeed. I think I only saw two spots each of which I could easily cover with a dime.

I've learned never to brag about a price to the same population I'll wind up selling it to later, but let's just say I was thoroughly pleased with the deal.

metalmagpie

[haroldmulder]

This may not be the Manual but here is a link to a site with some Sheldon manuals one is for a Sheldon Shaper
http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgIndex...?id=2133&tab=3

Harold

[sasquatch]

Congrats Magpie, great deal!!

[Peter.]

Well done! That's exactly how I got my 8" bench grinder for £20.

[lakeside53]

No pics? Site rule : without pics it didn't happen!

[metalmagpie]

I did get one usable shot. It's still on the trailer here in my driveway, albeit with the tie-down straps removed. The winter sun was bright today in Seattle (for a change) and there is a very sharp shadow line across the machine's base so you can't see that part. But hopefully this is enough to avoid any more wisecracks from the peanut gallery. :-)

[sasquatch]

Nice shaper, i like that, and yup i would have bought that also, even though i already have one. (not Sheldon.)

[quasi]

Is it just me, I do not see a Universal table on it. Perhaps Sheldon had a different idea of one?

[alanganes]

Sorry, nothing you do will prevent prevent wisecracks from the peanut gallery. It's simply the way of things.

Nice shaper, by the way. I sort of always wanted one, mostly because they are just so nice to watch when they run. It was a lucky day for you.

[GillMcLane]

Nice shaper metalmagpie.
My friend has the same shaper (your cosmetics are much better than his) and just posted a video of him using it. There are some really cool camera angles toward the end.
He has a lot of good machining videos along the lines of Keith Fenner and OxTool.

http://tinyurl.com/kqzfcwp

Gill

[Toolguy]

What's the hand crank on the bottom in front for? I don't recall seeing that on a shaper before.

[GillMcLane]

Hand crank on the front below the tray is for motor speed control.
Gill

[Doozer]

I have one of those!!!

---Doozer

[metalmagpie]

Any of you Sheldon shaper owners have one with the automatic oiler? Mine has one, and I'm doing the white-cane approach to cleaning the oiling system out. The oil in there was pretty filthy. I reckon the reservoir needs a good cleanout. It's a bit fiddly to get the oiler out but now I have it upside down over a bucket draining, and all the copper oil lines draining into a catchpan. I have a choice of using Vactra 2 (ISO 68/SAE 30) or AW-46 hydraulic fluid (ISO 46/SAE 20) as the machine oil. I have heard that the Vactra has been reformulated recently but my bucket is "Vactra classic". The parts list/manual calls for SAE 20 oil (250-300 SUS) and of course the Vactra is a bit thicker than that and the hydraulic fluid a bit thinner. But both are close. I'm just not sure about using hydraulic fluid for a machine lubricating oil.

This shaper table rotates about an axis parallel to the ram travel. Not sure if that makes it a true universal table or just a swivel table. Anyway, mine swivels, not sure all of them do.

Doozer, your machine looks a lot like mine. Mine was built in 1955. Yours is probably a similar vintage. It appears one or more of your machinery hatch covers are missing just like mine - their design was marginal in that the sheet metal was pretty thin. I may try to make some redesigned covers if this machine stays here long term.

metalmagpie

[lakeside53]

Vactra has been changed for over 10 years now, maybe longer. I'd use Vactra 2 or any of the similar slide-way oils. If you REALLY want a similar original formulation, you can still buy Vacuoline 1409 (also from Mobil). According to Mobil, the only reason you'd want the "original type" is if you have coolant and a recirculating sump (like my old surface grinder),or, a common sump used for both hydraulic and way.