Workshoprat
Member
I have an item which i found in an old storage trailer. It looked to me right off that it may be a static propeller balancer. it has a shaft that has two roller bearings on one end. the other end has two cone shaped pieces that slide on the shaft held on with a rather large brass wing nut. It looks like it bolts to a bench and the shaft can be tilted 90 deg so the prop would be either vertical or horizontal if desired.
Sorry i dont have any pictures yet as it is just to darn hot to go out and get some good pics.
I did some reasearch and Merrill eng labs was fonded in my hometown of denver colorado. they started as a wheel alignment shop and invented the on vehicle electronic wheel balancer. I also found note that during WWII they built propeller balancers as well as other items.
In a way I find it unlikly that this is a propeller balancer as there would be a drag from the rolling resistance of the roller bearings. the only way I could see it being even remotely accurate would be with no seals and absolutly no grease. I have always used the parallel knife edge type balancer.The only thing that really makes me wonder if this is a propeller balancer is the fact that the tapered cone shapped sections where the prop would be theoretically mounted has such a shallow taper and is to narrow to mount a wheel on it for balancing.
The only other thing I can figure is it may be a arbor to hold a propeller while being worked on.
onder:
Has anyone ever seen anything remotely close to this or am I just wishfull thinking????:ermm:
I will get pics when I can
Sorry i dont have any pictures yet as it is just to darn hot to go out and get some good pics.
I did some reasearch and Merrill eng labs was fonded in my hometown of denver colorado. they started as a wheel alignment shop and invented the on vehicle electronic wheel balancer. I also found note that during WWII they built propeller balancers as well as other items.
In a way I find it unlikly that this is a propeller balancer as there would be a drag from the rolling resistance of the roller bearings. the only way I could see it being even remotely accurate would be with no seals and absolutly no grease. I have always used the parallel knife edge type balancer.The only thing that really makes me wonder if this is a propeller balancer is the fact that the tapered cone shapped sections where the prop would be theoretically mounted has such a shallow taper and is to narrow to mount a wheel on it for balancing.
The only other thing I can figure is it may be a arbor to hold a propeller while being worked on.
onder:Has anyone ever seen anything remotely close to this or am I just wishfull thinking????:ermm:
I will get pics when I can
