Pratt & Whitney 6" Slotter

[WarnerConstCo.]

Finally able to get this thing out of its former shop, bought it 6 months ago....

1959.

Watch out internal keyways and splines.

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[Cheese]

Interesting...never heard of the item. I've used a horizontal shaper before, I assume it functions similar to that but on a different axis.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Interesting...never heard of the item. I've used a horizontal shaper before, I assume it functions similar to that but on a different axis.

Also called vertical shaper. For cutting long internal keys, splines, etc.

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[Birdhunter]

I worked at Pratt for about 6 years. Incredible history building piston engines, jet engines, and rocket motors. Didn’t know they built machine tools.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

That's a very cool, yet very niche, machine.
I love old equipment like that, and can just imagine it in some factory somewhere cranking out parts decades ago.
I went through a vocational school program in what would be called "manual machinist" today. For the first few years after that, I worked for Sandvik, in the Coromant division. We made T-Max and Trepan style drills, until they consolidated a few plants and moved to a new location.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

That's a very cool, yet very niche, machine.
I love old equipment like that, and can just imagine it in some factory somewhere cranking out parts decades ago.
I went through a vocational school program in what would be called "manual machinist" today. For the first few years after that, I worked for Sandvik, in the Coromant division. We made T-Max and Trepan style drills, until they consolidated a few plants and moved to a new location.

I end up needing to slot pulleys and gears fairly regularly. I can make square, rectangle, hex holes, etc. splines, pretty handy machine to have.

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[Cheese]

Although it's a fuzzy remembrance...I do remember using the horizontal shaper several times over 50 years ago and even at that time it was considered by most people to be a prehistoric machine. Absolutely no one seemed to like using it or even getting close to it as it spewed smoking hot, blued metal chips that were about .060-.080" thick across the floor. When it was fired up, it was definitely given it's due. It shook the floor while it was operating and everyone knew to be alert when it was fired up.

So if the vertical shaper does splines, it's not that far from a hobbing machine.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Played around, made chips.


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[squall_line]

Played around, made chips.

Very exciting!  Thanks for sharing!

 

[tallgrass]

Fantastic. Shapers are such a joy.

 

[Birdhunter]

I’ve seen a video on Abom79 where he uses a giant shaper. It strokes horizontally.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I’ve seen a video on Abom79 where he uses a giant shaper. It strokes horizontally.

These were also called vertical shapers.

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