What the heck is this...burnisher?

[Rossr]

Ok folks I'm trying to figure this one out.  It's basically a motor with a sleeve and a round bit.  The bit is metal and reminds me of a burnisher .   Cant find any name on the machine.  Heavy steel.  Maybe a homemade rig.  Ot came put of a leather workers shop but no cluenifnit was for leather.  

 

Thanks for any thoughts 

 

 

[PastorBob]

I would guess a wood router.  That would shred leather, IMO

[Spyros]

That looks like some sort of shaper for cutting beads into timber mouldings and such, although I haven't seen a bit like this before.  

Does it have speeds on it?  If it runs between 7-10k RPM it's probably a shaper, anything above that it's a router.   Either way it does look like it's probably for wood (and I'd keep my fingers away from it)

Edited October 15, 2021 by Spyros

[Rossr]

Here's some close up of the bit.  It's a 1/3hp 3450rpm motor.  The bit isnt a cutter.  I've used routers and shapers and it looks like one of those but it's not.  I had picked up a bit like this from another leather purchase years ago which made me wonder .  I ran a piece of leather in it and it does burnish.  They also did kydex stuff in this shop so maybe it has to do with that?

 

 

[Spyros]

Ok at those RPMs it's definitely not for timber, so now I have no idea.  

It doesn't sound convenient to have a burnisher oriented vertically though, does it have an easy height adjustment somewhere?  

 

[Rossr]

Yes vertical seems odd to me too.  The one pic you can see the back I havent tried it but it appears you can lossen the plate the motor.is on and then use a screw driver to move the plate with the threaded rod up or down. 

 

Maybe it isnt leather or kydex achine at all but it's like nothing I've ever seen in my casual wood, metal and leather shop experiences. 

 

The bit also has different widths like a wood burnisher too.

[Spyros]

You'd think if it's meant to go up and down a lot to match the weight of your leather with the right groove it would have an easier adjustment than that....

This is weird, if it's not a cutter why are the sides segmented like that with gaps in between?  Could it be a spool that winds something up?

[Rossr]

Thers no leading edge on the cutters it's like a slot was milled in it is all.in multiple.spots.  And it sure doesnt cut leather 

 

The other strange thing to me is the plastic coffe can lid that is put on there  almost like to keep stuff off the motor ...clearly someone added it.

[Spyros]

 

18 minutes ago, Rossr said:

The other strange thing to me is the plastic coffe can lid that is put on there  almost like to keep stuff off the motor ...clearly someone added it.

It means this motor was never designed to be used upside down.  Most routers are, they blow air to keep the wood dust from falling inside the motor.

This looks like a DIY job, God knows for what...

[YinTx]

2 hours ago, Rossr said:

I had picked up a bit like this from another leather purchase years ago which made me wonder .  I ran a piece of leather in it and it does burnish.

Walks like a duck?  Talks like a duck?  It kinda looks like the modern wood burnishers.  Maybe a precursor?  I'm still thinking shoes... maybe it was adapted for the previous owner's use.

4 minutes ago, Spyros said:

This looks like a DIY job, God knows for what...

Perhaps the base is a diy.  Maybe the bit is manufactured, especially since Rossr' has seen one before from another lot of tools.  I'm wondering if it was intended to be used horizontally originally, and someone fabricated the base to be used vertically in their jobs, and really only needed to set vertical height once in a while to match a batch of jobs, or one particular job.  Hopefully someone recognizes the bit.  Perhaps from a line finisher for shoe soles or something?

YinTx