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Strange machine identification help please.


Gareth

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Whilst wandering around an old, derelict furniture workshop, I came across a curious machine, rusting away outside.

I'm not sure if it has anything to do with the aforementioned furniture workshop, or whether it was simply dumped there and abandoned.

I took several photographs and have uploaded them, but not as yet tagged them and so they're not on sale.

 

I'm not sure I want them on sale as they are, they're kinda close ups that don't show that much detail....I was feeling all 'arty' on that day!

 

As I understand, once they go on sale, they are more troublesome to delete should I need to update them....which I am thinking I might do.

 

P69ARG.jpg

 

P69AM3.jpg

 

P69AJ2.jpg

 

P69A87.jpg

P699GX.jpg

P699AF.jpg

P6997B.jpg

 

The last image shows a label with the brand name 'Calder' - I have tried to search for this but have had no luck.

The furniture workshop has the name 'John Barnard Furniture' on the front - I gather he is quite famous in the bespoke furniture design department, but seems to have stopped recently.

If anyone can shed any light on what this curious machine is, I would be extremely grateful.

Cheers :)

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I would guess it stretches the fabric, for crease free covering.  The fabric is clamped or held in pic 1.  Which is then pressed down against a counterweight.  This is purely a guess.  It might prompt others to correct me.

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Thanks Spark, you could be onto something....I assumed it might have been for wood working, completely forgetting that some furniture has fabrics in them too!!:lol:

 

The 'arm' visible in pics 3 and 4 does indeed pivot and is counter-balanced....it's also jolly heavy!

 

Those weird looking spindles in pics 5 and 6 have got me stumped though....they look like they are for gripping some sort of cylindrical wooden objects....perhaps large bobbins?

 

Could this be a massive sewing machine?

 

Time to get my google on!

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Thanks Vincent, I thought it looked like it could be something like that too....just didn't know what it was called.

The pics in the link are indeed tantalizingly similar except for the vertical orientation.

 

Those spindles certainly look like they are designed to grip something wooden....I've seen similar grip spikes on wood lathe chucks.

I'm not sure where the tool holders would go....maybe that counter-balanced arm with the six 'pegs', but when I fiddled with it, they didn't swing anywhere near the spindles, and their pivot points don't seem to slide back and forth, although they could be corroded solid.

 

I really appreciate the time you guys have taken to respond and do some research, I think we're narrowing it down, and I'm going to try not to become too obsessed, though that's easier said than done!:D

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8 hours ago, Gareth said:

I'm not sure where the tool holders would go....maybe that counter-balanced arm with the six 'pegs', but when I fiddled with it, they didn't swing anywhere near the spindles, and their pivot points don't seem to slide back and forth, although they could be corroded solid.

 

 

 

My guess is that the top tool holder assembly is driven by some sort of geared mechanism so that it travels at an even speed as the spindles are cut, so it won't move unless the motor is going.  If you go again have a look down into the slider rails and see if there's a drive shaft or something.

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10 minutes ago, geogphotos said:

Whatever it is they are good concept shots for 'deindustrialisation', 'industrial decline', 'manufacturing decline', 'industrial change', 'factory closure'  etc

 

I resisted ( almost) the temptation to add Brexit :)

You scamp.

I'm a scamp too, I've added suitable tags to images of my home town. I'm ashamed to name it nowadays but "highest turnout, highest leave vote" should give you a clue.

My favourite is probably the notice of the UKIP councillors' surgery in the window of a pub in the High Street, but the only sales I've had from there have been a pint of beer and a bill from the local Latvian restaurant.

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40 minutes ago, Vincent Lowe said:

 

Brilliant spot!

6 Head Pantograph Machine Original Immaculate Working Condition says Google Trans.

Copy carving machine; multi head pantograph carving machine; multi head wood copy carving machine.

Youtube

google 1

google 2

google 3

 

wim

 

edit: maybe check AoA for real keywords used by real clients.

-with a nod to JG ;-)

 

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Wow! You guys are geniuses....or is it 'genii'?

 

Nevertheless many, MANY thanks to you all for taking the time to research/respond; geogphotos, spacecadet, Alan Beastall, and a special thanks to wim for posting the vid and pics.

Most of all thanks to Vincent for solving this conundrum, I'm so grateful for your impressive detective skills.

 

Greenies all round! :D

 

Incidentally, geogphotos, may I be so bold as to 'borrow' your suggestions for tags? As a newcomer here I need all the help I can get, and I'm struggling a little with accurate keywording - yours seem completely appropriate....I might not use the last one though!! :lol:

 

Once again, a thousand thanks to you all.

 

Cheers

Gareth

 

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3 hours ago, Gareth said:

<> As a newcomer here I need all the help I can get, and I'm struggling a little with accurate keywording - yours seem completely appropriate....I might not use the last one though!! :lol:

You're welcome!

 

I hadn't looked at the date you joined , so my remark of looking at AoA probably went nowhere.

AoA = All of Alamy, is where you can see all searches that clients have been using. The maximum is the rolling year, which is the current month + 11.

You can just play with the different columns to see which subjects get the most/least searches and which get the most/least views. (Least views=not many images on Alamy yet. Zero views: a possible monopoly for you or a simple/stupid mistake on the buyer's side.)

The other way of using it is to search for one of your own subjects and see how many searches there have been in the past year. No searches: maybe there's no interest or you're just using the wrong keyword.

A search for machine would look like %machine%. (The %% are database wildcards.)

 

wim

 

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5 hours ago, Gareth said:

Most of all thanks to Vincent for solving this conundrum, I'm so grateful for your impressive detective skills.

 

 

You're welcome..!  It was an interesting exercise - I'm interested in old machinery and the Industrial Revolution.  If you are ever in Manchester the Museum of Science and Industry is well worth a visit.

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Thanks again Wim and Vincent.

 

I've had a play around with the AoA Wim, when I joined up, I didn't know what I was looking at however, so thanks for explaining it clearly, the layout is somewhat dry and featureless.

I've just had a quick look now, but I'll probably be leaving it alone until I'm well into three figures for images....it's a bit depressing seeing all those zeros!!:unsure:

 

Cheers Vincent, that's definitely on my list the next time I'm in the north. I usually get up there for family visits once a year, hopefully I'll wangle a detour to see 'baby' - and marvel at all this fanglement that we have now!:D

 

Cheers

 

Gareth

 

 

 

 

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