[SEL] OT-Now looking for blueprint of maypole braider, bank note engraving machine

[Richard Allen]

At this point, instead of buying a maypole braiding machine I would
just as well settle for having access to one to make a copy, or a set
of blue prints. Back 120 years ago when they were first made, the
machine shop technology was not sophisticated at all and the machining
operations required to reproduce one are probably quite straightforward
and are most likely easy to reproduce using a lathe, milling machine,
and drill press. Those are all that existed back then, except for a few
rare machines like the one used to engrave the delicate and highly
complex mathematical curves of printed bank notes. Right now I am in
the middle of doing a search to find some drawings and blueprints for a
maypole braider and I have found all the old U.S. patents that were not
destroyed in the disastrous United States Patent Office Fire.
Unfortunately, the Patent Office drawings I have found are not
manufacturing blueprints and although they are nice looking and
meticulously drawn, they are only detailed in the regard of
understanding the principals of how the machines worked. I already
understand how they work very well but to make one I need the actual
dimensions so I don't have to do hours and hours of research and
development to figure out the dimensions and the range of movement for
the parts, etc. Basically put, I want to avoid doing 100’s of hours of
reinventing what already exists! 

About the antique bank note engraving machines (called geometric
lathes) that generate the delicate mathematical curves used in the
printed designs, see:

http://www.excourse.com/excentro/index.html 

http://www.maa.org/editorial/mathgames/mathgames_02_09_04.html

and a brief biography of the inventor:

http://www.famousamericans.net/cyrusdurand/

I know they aren’t antique engines, but they are antique machines and I
think you will find them interesting! I want one of those, too, but I
have a good idea how to build one already.

Richard Allen