I see that the shaft of the pin has a flat on its side next to the shoulder, I would not expect the pin to be for tightening. If anything, that flat was to keep it from rotating. Can this be taken apart?
The flat is on the threaded shaft. You can't see the theads, since the thumbnut (item with hole in it) in the other photo blocks them. The flatted part keeps the shaft from rotating when you tighten the large thumb nut.
We don't know if this was its original as built form. The Pratt and Whitney stamping may be inconsequential. Looks to be about a 1 or 2 Morse taper. Pratt did make a lot of special purpose machinery. The fact that there is another one answers those questions somewhat.
The other one is substantially identical, so whatever it is it is likely "commercially made" in this form. It is an exact fit for MT2. It fits in a morse socket, and measures up against another MT2 taper correctly
I cannot tell from the pictures if the face of either leaf is on center. So that it could be used as a cutter center height checker in a tailstock.
That is pretty sensible as a thought....maybe the best idea yet.
One face of the flat portion at end of the "spindle" portion is close to center. I have not checked to see if it is *exactly* on center. If so, a "leaf" could be faced towards it and would provide a center reference.
It does not look like anything viable to spin on center.
I agree. It isn't made substantially enough to hold for any sort of cutting. And, the "leaves" are not sharp, just tapered, with a small flat at the narrow side. Nor is there any threaded hole for a drawbar.
If the leaves were meant to float. I suppose using it in a drill press as a setup tool, one could tell by the triangle leaf, if the surface were perpendicular to the spindle center line. The knife looking edges seem to suggest a cutting operation, but not the way they are mounted.
Yeah, as a sort of center finder it would be reasonable also. For a drillpress I would expect it to be "tanged", but it is not. The back of the taper is faced, but apparently not finished There is a center hole from manufacturing in it, IIRC (I'm not near it now).
I suspect the tapered edge is functional to fit somewhere, or the like, not at all as a cutter. It could just be typical "finishing", with a slight secondary function to indicate which surface is the reference and which is not.
I don't know if both "leaves" were intended to be used together, or one at a time. They could be different sizes to fit into different places, and be both threaded on the shaft simply to keep them together..
As to why they tilt, I also have no idea. As a center indicator, there would not be a lot of reason for it, although it could be convenient.
Thanks for the thoughts!
