Thread: Hercus Tool and cutter grinder auctioned tomorrow in Cairns

Hercus Tool and cutter grinder auctioned tomorrow (Friday 2/7/10) in Cairns. Saw this at Quaids auctions Cairns. They will accept absentee bids until 9:00am. This is probably one for the Hercus collector rather than an actually useful machine as it has iron ways rather than ball roller ways which makes it easy to burn the cutter being sharpened.

I think these were based on the milling machine castings in part.

That machine looks to me like it has been i a fire and cleaned up I would not touch it

Originally Posted by China

That machine looks to me like it has been i a fire and cleaned up I would not touch it

I never thought of that, but no, it's just old, 50 years at a minimum. Older Hercus gear was either painted black or had some sort of black undercoat. The seller is the Cairns TAFE from what the auctioneer could tell me. It looks like yet another TAFE campus is closing or downsizing, although all the other stuff they had there was 1960's vintage at newest. I thought I'd posted this in the Hercus forum mainly as I understand these machines are rarer than the type O milling machines on which they are partially based.

I think you use the plain slide grinders with accessories like an air spindle workhead.. I know the smaller US made KO Lee grinders just had plain slides.. That grinder would probably be a good buy for anyone if it goes cheap enough...

Something fishy, still looks like it has been in a fire. I used to have one in the corner when I had my sharpening shop, if it is a genuine TAFE unit it's most likley being sold as it would no longer pass the riduculous safety reqirements.

Originally Posted by China

Something fishy, still looks like it has been in a fire. I used to have one in the corner when I had my sharpening shop, if it is a genuine TAFE unit it's most likley being sold as it would no longer pass the riduculous safety reqirements.

Well, I know for a fact the TAFE machining departments all over Qld are being reorganised or shut down or amalgamated. I have a nice Jafo FWD32 mill which had paperwork in the electrical cabinet labelled "Gold Coast TAFE" (anyone got a manual?). I visited TAFE Logan campus looking for a manual and the machining trades section buildings are now used for teaching hairdressing and child care.

Anyway back to the auction items, they all had "TAF" written on the stickers and the auctioneer told me on the inspection day that they were from Cairns TAFE. Cairns TAFE had two campuses: the original one in Sheridan St., and the Eureka St. campus built some time in the 1970's I think. The Sheridan St. campus closed in the 1980's as far as I know and all this gear was mostly old 1940's - 1960's stuff which leads me to think it was the Sheridan St. gear out of storage and being disposed of, as they repair and refit the Eureka St campus buildings.

Anyway I guess you're entitled to your opinions, but I checked the machine out closely twice and there's nothing but oil residue, flaking paint and some surface rust on it. The front handle is made from black plastic, it's not blackened from a fire.