A crusher ? … of what ?

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

My brother sent me this snap from his travels:

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It is “lurking in a shed at the rear of the old smithy in Crosthwaite (Lyth Valley)”

Note: this is the only image I have.

The “sprung” mounting [stiff as it would appear to be] suggests that it might be for crushing stone … but it could equally be bending-rolls for making cart tyres or barrel hoops.

Over to the forum

MichaelG.

[Phil PParticipant @philp]

I guess the bending rolls is more likely.

[Brian WoodParticipant @brianwood45127]

Rock crushing is usually done between inclined plates that are oscillated towards and away from each other, so I would be more inclined to think this is some form of rolling device.

Brian

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Certainly would not crush stone. Some of the cane (sugar) crushing plant used the pyramid type layout as your item has but I don’t think the rolls are close enough for that. Though something was passed through it, bending would need some form of adjustment of the pyramid which I can’t see in the photo. By the looks of the square end to the pinion’s axle it may well have been turned by a handle.

Does look like there may be a couple of grooves in the top roll

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Agree with bender. Probably originally a small factory item ‘rescued’ by the smith when the factory got a new fangled electric one.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

I might have a go, later, at de-cluttering the image

… I suspect that the tall ‘slot’ visible between the spokes of the large gear-wheel might be a significant clue; and those unusual ‘feet’ do intrigue me.

MichaelG.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Do you think that is a handwheel lurking underneath, possible moves the two circular pillars that the middle roller looks to be supported on and that would alter the radius of the bend. Not sure of the “feet” are original as they are held with sq heads but rest of machine has hex

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi MichaelG, it looks very similar to a set of rolls that were outside the Blacksmith’s shop, where I first started work from school, and it was used for forming iron tyres for wooden cart wheels. I only saw it being used once, with myself having to wind the handle, in the two years I worked there.

I suspect those feet were made to lift it up off the ground a little, maybe the chap that used it was fairly tall, but they could be for making it able to be moved into a larger space when in use.

Regards Nick.

[peak4Participant @peak4]

On several of his videos, this chap mentions his other rollers, but I’ve not found one of them in a video yet.
This is his smaller set in use;

It and the moving around of his anvil, does explain the extra raised hoops, on the one in the photo, to assist shifting a heavy gizmo around the shop.

Bill

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Thanks for all the inputs … and especially for that video, Bill

My brother will be well-impressed !

MichaelG.

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P.S. __ just imagine how much work would be involved without all those handy machine tools !

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Another clue that it is a roller (not bender) rather than crusher is that it is rotated by hand. A crusher, of stone or vegetable matter, of that sort of vintage was more likely to have been provided with a driving-pulley.

[Nigel Graham 2]

On Nigel Graham 2 Said:

Another clue that it is a roller (not bender) …

Your careful distinction is rather lost on me, Nigel … because I used the term bending-rolls, not bender

If I am thereby making some significant faux-pas, could you please explain.

MichaelG.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

The ones with short rollers are often called a “ring rollers” as opposed to “ring benders” so quite legit to call it a roller as doe sthe man in the video

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Thanks for chipping-in, Jason  … but  your noting that yet another ‘variation on the theme’ is  ’quite legit’ doesn’t really explain why Nigel bothered to ‘correct me’ rather than just letting it go.

MichaelG.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Why do you think he was correcting you, someone else in the thread called it a bender?

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, yes thanks Bill for that video, took me back a fair number of years rolling a cart wheel tyre of much the same size, and I’m sure 3″ x 1/2″ iron was also used, sadly I didn’t get the experience of heating it up and shrinking the tyre onto the new wheel, which was made in the carpenters shop, as I was at college the next day.

Regards Nick.

[JasonB]

On JasonB Said:

Why do you think he was correcting you, someone else in the thread called it a bender?

Simply because Nigel’s post followed-on directly [but several hours later] from what I intended to be my closing ‘Thank You’ and therefore appeared to be a corrective footnote.

I am always happy to be corrected … it’s one of the ways we learn … but I was seeking clarification from Nigel.

MichaelG.

 

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

Crusher NO ! Ring roller possible but only one roll seems to be driven, and how to alter the grip is not clear, one would expect some means of adjusting the position of the top roll, eg screw down. Why the slot underneath ? Was the middle roll under slung and is broken ? If it was wider, say 2′ then I would call it a set of bending rolls. Noel.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Noel, did you see my image with the green arrow pointing to what I think is a handwheel that adjusts the ctr roll.

I think I can also see the tops of some gears which I have now arrowed in red that would link the rollers so that more than one is driven

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Sorry … my attempt at a cut-out was a disaster

I will have another go sometime when feeling more compos mentis

 

MichaelG.

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

Well spotted Jason ! Not sure how the adjustment would work though ? noel.

[DalboyParticipant @dalboy]

What appears as the adjustment assembly lower hand wheel as Jason pointed out is attached to a heavy U shaped bracket which is guided by a pin which can be seen through the gear where Jason drew the double ended green arrow. The top ends of this U shaped bracket is where the top roller can rotate

The front roller is mounted on the front boss just above the small gear, and the driven bottom roller is the one attached to the larger gear

I hope that makes sense

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