Thanks: 0
Likes: 0
Needs Pictures: 0
Picture(s) thanks: 0
Results 1 to 10 of 10
-
3rd May 2014, 05:02 PM #1SENIOR MEMBER
- Join Date
- Nov 2011
- Location
- Newcastle NSW
- Posts
- 755
Early LS Barker 18" Double Disc Sander
Hi all,
Just thought I would post my latest acquisition. This is an LS Barker 18” Double Disc Sander. It has a 3HP 1400RPM motor.
I guess my biggest question that arises with this machine is did LS Barker make metalworking machines. Based on the two cut outs I have found (see below), these were metalwork machines (and the small tables suggest this as well), perhaps my memory is failing me, but I don’t recall seeing another LS Barker machine that was a metalworking machine. These are some pictures, of the machine (I apologise for some of the quality issues, but I took these at the site before loading them, and used my phone, with poor lighting).
Asset Number?(perhaps an ex government machine??)
Badge:
Loaded
I suspect based on the badge design in the cast that this is an earlier LS Barker machine. I have a few McPhersons catalogues, and have so far seen 2 similar machines in 1937:
And 1949:
But I can’t find an LS Barker. I am wondering if this LS Barker is an earlier or later machine. This Barker shares the characteristic of only having one counter weight (like the one in the 1937 catalogue), at first I thought it was missing one, but there is no hole in the cast on the other side for another rod to go. Unlike these two in the catalogue, this one has 18” discs (the ones in the catalogue are only 16”).
I have spent some time looking up the specs for other woodworking disc sanders to check the speed of the motor would suit woodworking, and it certainly seems to match other machines with similar disc diameters. I am wondering, perhaps is this machine earlier and introduced by LS Barker as a woodworking machine, and later taken up as a metalworking machine and the discs reduced to 16” (the small table is the only thing that is throwing me with this theory)? Alternatively, did this machine get introduced as a metalworking machine, and LS Barker decided to increase the disc size and sell it for woodworking, or did LS Barker at one point sell woodworking and metalworking machines??
Anyone care to speculate, or better still, post an ad showing this LS Barker machine? Has anyone else seen an LS Barker badged metalworking machine?
Cheers,
Camo
-
4th May 2014, 07:35 AM #2
Excellent Camo! I can't help with any of your queries, but i am intrigued by that pendulum table mechanism, i have never seen that before and it must be a great way of keeping the work moving over the whole face of the disk.
-
4th May 2014, 10:26 AM #3Senior Member
- Join Date
- Mar 2014
- Location
- Beach
- Posts
- 163
Hi Cam,
that's a great find!
Are you going to keep it for metal work or are you going to add a layer and extend the tables a bit to be more useful for woodworking?
You could add mitre slots that way and I'm sure that you need to be searching for another big old mitre gauge
How did the dovetailed bar go for the Stenner?
Have fun,
Alli
-
4th May 2014, 10:47 AM #4
Nice pickup Cam. I have one of these as well:
DiscSander.jpg DiscSander3.JPGDiscSander2.JPG
Haven't seen that pendulum weight thing before. Just about to go out but I'll post a bit more info when I get back, including the interesting ID plates on mine.
WayneDon't Just Do It.... Do It HardenFast!!
Regards - Wayne
-
6th May 2014, 09:33 PM #5SENIOR MEMBER
- Join Date
- Nov 2011
- Location
- Newcastle NSW
- Posts
- 755
Sion,
The pendulum design is new to me too, to be honest. I assume you keep the motion to one side, otherwise the workpiece lifts off the table.
Alli,
I am thinking I will use for woodworking, the speed seems to be appropriate for it. Any alterations I do, will not require me to alter the original, so my plan at this stage is to check things are functional, and go from there.
Still haven't had a chance to tackle the Stenner dovetail bars, life getting in the way.
Cheers,
Camo
-
6th May 2014, 09:40 PM #6SENIOR MEMBER
- Join Date
- Nov 2011
- Location
- Newcastle NSW
- Posts
- 755
Wayne,
Thanks for the pictures, interesting that you don't have the pendulum, makes me wonder if yours could be earlier or later.
That ID plate looks interesting, but the image is too small to read, any chance you could post again, for some reason it doesn't enlarge when you click on it.
I am guessing the guards aren't original??
Cheers,
Camo
-
7th May 2014, 08:31 AM #7
I'm not sure about the vintage of this one, Camo. I picked it up exactly as you see it, so the guards had already been fitted and the pendulums were missing. I fitted a plug to it and started it up, and was very impressed by it's smoothness and power. It continues to spin for around 4 minutes after it's switched off and as it winds down - no exaggeration. They don't build 'em like this any more.
I'll take a better photo of the little ID plates as they have some interesting info. The red one is a McPhersons badge and from memory the black one confirms the machine as being owned by The Commonwealth of Australia... Ministry of Munitions or something like that.
I'm guessing it was part of some war-time equipment.
WayneDon't Just Do It.... Do It HardenFast!!
Regards - Wayne
-
7th May 2014, 11:48 AM #8SENIOR MEMBER
- Join Date
- Nov 2011
- Location
- Newcastle NSW
- Posts
- 755
Wayne,
I think those badges hold a lot of information for dating this machine, I can make out that the McPherson's badge states "McPherson's Pty Ltd". McPherson's became a publicly listed company in 1944:
The name was subsequently changed to "McPherson's Ltd", which is seen on later machines. So this makes your machine 1944or earlier. I think your second badge (as you said), may suggest wartime equipment, so this potentially gives you a fairly tight date range.
I find it strange and interesting how this probably makes your machines build date sit between the two I found in the McPherson's catalogues, very confusing. I wonder if there is a mcpherson's catalogue between 1937 and 1949??
Regarding the pendulums, this is a picture of the two brackets on my machine:
as you can see, there was only ever one pendulum fitted to this machine. I wonder if you are missing one, or perhaps yours never had them.
in my searching I found this old auction:
http://www.graysonline.com/lot.aspx?...-attachments=1
it states the discs are 400mm so 16", whereas my one is 18". Does yours have 16" or 18" discs??
Cheers,
Camo
-
7th May 2014, 08:34 PM #9GOLD MEMBER
- Join Date
- Apr 2012
- Location
- Sydney
- Posts
- 1,488
Nice looking machine Camo. You are working up a nice collection!
Will this sit next to the Wadkin Disc/Bobbin machine?
-
9th May 2014, 10:56 PM #10
Hi Camo. I took another photo of the ID badges on my disc sander today. Hopefully this one will show the details more clearly:
IMG_2585.jpg
I'm interested to hear your comments on these.
Also, I forgot to measure the disc diameters, but I'm pretty sure they are 500mm. I've also seen a bigger version of these Barker machines which have twin 750mm discs. That would be a monster.
WayneDon't Just Do It.... Do It HardenFast!!
Regards - Wayne