Obscure trivia

[rusty]

For fun....

Found a kewl old picture. This fellow is working in a Locomobile plant in 1915.

What is he holding, and what is he doing with it?

[Papaw]

Is he cutting threads on the end of a camshaft?

[Mel Larsen]

I think, and more like a guess, that he is turning a reamer.
Mel

[rusty]

Mel's hit it on the head.

He's line boring the main bearings in an engine (with a reamer), using the biggest tap wrench I have ever seen ....

[john k]

That is a great picture.  I see the guys here already solved this, but having put babbit in an engine, I'll offer a few more cents.  I see an in-line six cylinder, bottom side up.  The bearings back then were poured lead alloy, then had to be reamed to size, the size of the crank shaft journals.   This took a special set of guides and fixtures, and very careful alignment, off too far and the camshaft to crankshaft gear clearance would be tight or loose.   Since he is cutting lead, I wonder the why for of the long handles?   Or maybe he is actually align boring the crank shaft journals them selves, in which case he is cutting steel.   Even in 1915 I'd think this was done on a mill? 

[Billman49]

Longer handle, less effort, greater control.....

[1930]

Not that I doubt what it may say in the caption ( if there is one ) but I would maybe suggest that the caption is not accurate.

I would like to see the caption to this print if possible, I am finding it hard to believe as John mentioned ( I think ) that he is line boring an engine, even back in the teens this was done as far as I have always seen with stationary machinery, even the burning in process after the line boring was done with a second stationary electric or gas motor so again I am having a hard time seeing it.

Line boring requires great speed ( no I am not talking about scraping bearings ) or a speed faster than what this guy can do because it has to be assured that all journals are in line absolute.

There is a possibility that he is doing an initial cutting I suppose, this would make more sense maybe but I have never seen this done by hand either in this fashion.

I looked at the picture when first posted and wanted badly to say line boring but I just coudnt agree with that no matter how hard I searched my memory. Thanks

[Billman49]

Modern camshaft reamer:

[oldtools]

Nice big Tap handle & drive. 
Looks like a spare shaft hanging on the side, note the center bearing dia. is same as ends. with a square drive?
and only one bearing cap attached in middle of the one he is turning?
handle too big if he is checking blueing or lapping, must be cutting or turning something.

[dimwittedmoose51]

Reminds me of the old air cooled VW days  when some ingenious person realized that line boring mag alloy cases was possible for the beetle and bus.  VW never intended for the cases to be re used when they were designed.  That center main really took a beating with no counterweights on the factory crank.  The air cooled bath tub  Porsches had counterweights(and better alloy for the block) and weren't nearly as susceptible to the hammering.

BTW, that is a really cool photo and thew fdirst thing I thought of when I saw it was .....LINE BORE!!  just wasn't sure what was getting bored.....

DM&FS

[rusty]

Sorry folks, I didn't save a link to the article, and I can't find it now, I don't remember what I was looking for when it popped up, and it was an odd magazine I don't usually see :(  (It is somewhere in google books however)

From memory...
The photo was step 2 of 3, the first was a large machine with multiple cutters that rough cut the iron, the fellow is finish cutting the iron, the third step showed a complex (adjustable?) reaming tool with a smaller handle, I don't know if the third step was before or after babbetting....(The third picture, as I remember, showed bearing caps on all the bearings, I think)

The article was mostly about the first step, as the machine was apparently somewhat new, with a different way of adjusting for wear in the cutters...etc etc...

*sigh*
When I think the picure is exciting, nobody cares, when I think it's only vaguely interesting, it starts a discussion, LOL
(Should have linked it tho, me bad)