Vernon metal shaper 12" stroke

[Jbar]

Have an old - not sure how old - Vernon metal shaper. I believe Vernon was a brand affiliated with Sheldon. I've seen some Sheldon shapers that seem more modern but look very similar to my Vernon. One thing that tells me this is an old shaper is the stroke adjusement. Where some machines have an external stroke adjustment, to adjust stroke you need to remover cover on left side of machine (left as you face the machine) and loosen a 1-7/16 nut which has a mechanism to shorten or lengthen the stroke arm. As you can see in pictures there is quite a bit of wear in the channel (not sure proper term) that the nut block (again not sure proper term) clamps/tightens to. I'm wondering if I should take apart and mill the work channel area to make smooth? Or if it's necessary.

Another indication of the machine's age is, from what I can tell, it does not have a clutch. Only way to run the ram is to turn on the motor. It does have 2 speed ranges, but no clutch mechanism. Is that just the way it is for older machines? If so does that give anyone an indication of age?

It's design is another indication of an old machine. The ram casting is styled in almost a gothic old architectural style. Something not bothered with in newer machines.
Also, the one picture shows the name plate. But in the area/fields where the model and serial number would normally be stamped - they're blank. There is a small brass plackard with #730 stamped on it. This is fastened to the left side of the machine (again, left as you face the front of the machine)

My quesions are:
1. Should I attempt to repair the wear in the stroke adjustment mechanism?
2. Is/how this machine related to Sheldon's, and how old it might be.
3. Has anyone modified or have ideas to add a clutching function? I do not like turning the motor on/off so much; especially when making small adjustments needed to line up the channels to adjust the stroke.

 

[Arnold Ziffel]

That #730 brass tag is likely just an inventory tag affixed by one of the previous owners. Look for a s/n stamped into the main chassis of the machine somewhere.

 

[brino]

According to here:
http://www.lathes.co.uk/vernon/

Vernon manufactured a range of horizontal and vertical millers, jig borers and shapers but, by the mid-1940s, had either been absorbed into the Sheldon Machine Company, or arranged a marketing agreement whereby the jig borer, a shaper and a horizontal miller were included in the main and subsidiary Sheldon catalogs and advertised as "Sheldon -Vernon" products.

There are also a few "Sheldon" shaper documents at vintage machinery, here:
Sheldon Shapers - Parts List
12" Backgeared Shaper
Sheldon Shapers Part List

Brian

 

[randyjaco]

That is a dead ringer for my Vernon 10"

 

[Jbar]

That is a dead ringer for my Vernon 10"

Wow Randy you are correct it's a dead ringer. You're the first person I've ran across that has a Vernon shaper. I gotta ask; does yours have any sort of clutch or do you have to turn the motor on/off to start/stop the ram? Also, do you remove the cover on the left hand side to change length of stroke? Thanks for send the pictures.

 

[randyjaco]

Yeah, I have had it for about 10 years now. It was my first machine restoration. I hardly use it anymore. I mostly use it to show people how it works, It really blows peoples' minds to see the giant blue chips flying everywhere . Mine has no clutch, but it stops pretty quickly when you flip the switch. I can change the length of the stroke by removing the cover and repositioning that nut. Truthfully, I find that changing the length of the ram stroke makes very little difference to improve the performance. I just leave it at full stroke length.

 

[Jbar]

Yeah, I have had it for about 10 years now. It was my first machine restoration. I hardly use it anymore. I mostly use it to show people how it works, It really blows peoples' minds to see the giant blue chips flying everywhere . Mine has no clutch, but it stops pretty quickly when you flip the switch. I can change the length of the stroke by removing the cover and repositioning that nut. Truthfully, I find that changing the length of the ram stroke makes very little difference to improve the performance. I just leave it at full stroke length.

If you don't use your shaper often you must have a vertical milling machine? I have an old Sheldon '0' horizontal mill. It's not much newer than my shaper, but does a decent job. Must say, I enjoy running the shaper; kind of theraputic listening to it's motion. Good hearing about your machine. My guess is there are not many of these out there these days.

 

[randyjaco]

Yours is the first Vernon 10" I have come across in the past 10 years. I doubt that there are many more.

Yes, I have a vertical mill and it also has Horizontal milling capability. Even in a hobby shop, the shaper is too slow for me. As they say: "You can make anything with a shaper, but money.