A "what is it, does anyone know" question

[Shedendman]

Clearing out some old garage today we came across this,only thing i could come up with is its some form of coupling thingy railway/trailer perhaps????????
The arm moves to and throw on a bearing which slides that arm over which closes the gap,judging by the bolt holes it had to be fixed to something.
Any of you wise chaps out there shed any light?

 

[awemawson]

Is it cast iron, malleable iron, or cast steel? If iron the web of the socket wouldn't take very much strain as a coupler for a trailer. Is the dip that I can see in the rim of the 'socket' purposely there or is it a wear point that would give a clue to use?

I can imagine a heavy upright being planted in the socket, and the shoe slide across into a suitable groove in the upright to hold it in place for maybe some piece of temporarily set up machinery that had to be taken down on a regular basis

 

[bigegg]

it's difficult to tell from the pictures (where's yer workshop mug?), so what size is the socket?

 

[Mick - Ford Focus]

Wild Guess - Maybe A Sailing Boat Mast Clamp Bottom Holder Thing !

M

 

[CRB]

X2

 

[wheresmejumper]

A means for restraining a villainous cow?

 

[Robotstar5]

Anti-theft device for workshop mug of tea?

 

[penfold]

I'd guess it's a fixture for holding work in a mill or pillar drill, or some other manufacturing process. What 'it' might be is anyone's guess beyond 'it' being cylindrical and fitting in the hole.

 

[Fastfingaz]

I'll take a guess,,,, some kind of crimper???

 

[Wallace]

It's a pork pie compressor, shame the lid dinker is missing.

 

[BrokenBiker]

it was supposed to be a drill drift but the apprentice read the drawing wrong

 

[Pete.]

Wild Guess - Maybe A Sailing Boat Mast Clamp Bottom Holder Thing !
M

A mast step? That was my first thought but it's very heavy for a craft that's going to have such a small diameter mast. I also think that it wouldn't need the lever-cam getting in the way for mast-stepping duty, that's definitely a quick-release mechanism of some sort.

I think it's a hitch of some kind.

 

[wristpin]

Back on the trailer theme. A clamp for the prop stand for when uncoupled?

 

[Shedendman]

As requested some measurements with workshop mug(thats a pint mug btw),going by the sparks from the grinder its steel,the dip looks like its meant to be there,i'm still thinking trailer coupling,ie like 5th wheel,or maybe for a steam tractor?????????????????????????

 

[awemawson]

OK if it's steel it >might< stand up to a bit of use, and if a trailer coupling, the dip in the rim could be to allow more articulation in the horizontal plane. What worries me about that usage though is where the lever ends up when in the 'locked' state as the lever would foul the trailed trailer when going round a right hand bend.

 

[rtbcomp]

It would work if the trailer had an A-Frame, like the caravans towed behind steam rollers, the lever would be to the front of the device.

 

[penfold]

If it's not a fixture it must be a crimping device of some kind; what sort of force can the cam and lever apply?

 

[migmag]

I think its some sort of bench mounted stand to support something post mounted whilst its being worked on......???


maybe for fixing/fabricating weather vanes or sun dials.........

 

[Shedendman]

If it's not a fixture it must be a crimping device of some kind; what sort of force can the cam and lever apply?

Quite a lot actually,just bent a bit of 6mm steel in it with ease,not that this is of any use but been cleaning it and theres traces of grey machine enamel paint on the underside,i've also noticed that as you move the arm(which goes down inch or so further) the sliding part slightly backs off towards the bearing but only a few mm,so perhaps a holding/crimping device.
You can just make out in the photos there's 3 lube holes,clean them out,none seem to have a thread so grease nipples weren't used.
Andrew i'll throw it on the van next time i'm passing your way

 

[awemawson]

Look forward to seeing it in real life!

Andrew