Motor City Machine Co.
No. 2 Jewel Grinder

I have been looking for a OSS (oscillating spindle sander) for a while now. Recently someone emailed me and said they had one they didn't want and I could have it. Problem was it was Chicago. I knew that Arn Fest was coming up soon. If I could find someone going that could take it there I could get Mike to bring it back to GA with him. It took some effort but I finally struck a deal with one of the members. He drove out of his way and picked up the little machine and Mike brought it back with him. A special thank you to Scott for the sander!

Here she is as I unloaded it off the trailer. I have scoured the internet and I can not find a single single on this machine or the company. They must have been small or not stayed in business long. I am thinking that this was not a wood working machine but maybe a metal or lapidary grinder? If you know anything about this machine or the company please contact me.

One of the things that is different is that it has a collet to hold the spindle. A stone in this case. The bad part is the collet is a part of the spindle and not replaceable. It takes a 1/2" shaft so I have a few options for sanding and grinding spindles.

There is small T-slot behind the spindle. Much smaller than a standard table saw and it is an inverted T. I assume there was an attachment that fit the slot at one time.

It has a special motor on it. It is a R/I 1/4 hp, 3500 RPM. The armature in the motor actually oscillates inside the windings. There is 1.5" dia plug in the bottom of the motor. The end of the armature shaft has a tapered roller bearing that rides on the plug. Under the plug is a cam that is operated by a small Dumore gear motor. The spindle oscillates approximately 1/2".

Except for a start switch it seems complete. Nothing is broken or rusted either. I went down to the Lab this afternoon to piddle with the motor and I got it cleaned up and it works pretty well after all. Seems to have good power. Going to think about color but I am pretty sure it is not going to be gray.

10/14/2007