Other Canadiana - Last Minute (St. Catharines) test indicator

[mjautek]

here's a fun little historical artifact: a dial test indicator made by Last Minute Mfg. Co. of St. Catharines, Ontario (not too far from where I sit typing this).

The dial is graduated in half thous and the name is vaguely reminiscent of the starrett "last word" indicators of the same type... hmm...

The patent referred to on the dial is for an "indicator for surfaces" made by Martin Habuda in 1944, but the patent website doesn't have any other info online.

the back side shows the clamp used and an Avro Canada inventory number on the back. I know this particular indicator came out of the Orenda Engines side of Avro. between the patent and the avro engraving, I'd guess this indicator was made somewhere around the late 40s - early 50s.

close up of the reverse side.

on the side at 12 o'clock there's a switch to change directions.

So, how well does it work? well, unfortunately, it doesn't. the needle is sluggish to move and the test finger has lost its friction, so it's kind of floppy. I was going to try to ressurect it but I can't see a clear way in other than ripping the dial face off - and I'd rather just leave it as a display piece than risk damaging it.

pretty neat huh? not too many machinist related tools made in Canada (off the top of my head: beach toolboxes, butterfield taps/drills/tap handles, lufkin rules maybe?)...

 

[CWret]

I have several items from AVRO. My uncle and a cousin worked there till that *%#¥>€ Diefenbaker scrapped the Arrow and shut down AVRO. One of Canada’s biggest blunders. That was even worse than the €#%*^£~ E Eves giving away the 407.

Anyway- my dad often went to auctions back when auctions were still fun. He bought a lot of items from the AVRO auction. I ended up with a few of them (a couple desks, some nice wood office chairs, and my drafting table). They have labels like this:

Here’s my drafting table:

 

[YotaBota]

pretty neat huh?

Very neat. What else have you got?

A family friend restores/rebuilds/replicates antique aircraft and has the registration and parts for two Avro504k planes. He also builds and sells 504's to original specs/drawings and these aircraft are registered and serial numbered as Avro aircraft. He had the AVRO foot pedals cast from a company in Calgary many years ago.

 

[LenVW]

I have several items from AVRO. My uncle and a cousin worked there till that *%#¥>€ Diefenbaker scrapped the Arrow and shut down AVRO. One of Canada’s biggest blunders. That was even worse than the €#%*^£~ E Eves giving away the 407.

Anyway- my dad often went to auctions back when auctions were still fun. He bought a lot of items from the AVRO auction. I ended up with a few of them (a couple desks, some nice wood office chairs, and my drafting table). They have labels like this:
View attachment 58978
Here’s my drafting table:
View attachment 58979

Wow !! . . . Is that a ‘T’ Square ?
That drafting board is antique compared to mine which was bought out of Kellogg’s Engineering office in London, Ontario . . . in the 1990.

 

[CWret]

Wow !! . . . Is that a ‘T’ Square ?

drafting 1-0-1
Give me a T sq, a couple triangles, and a pencil. No CAD here.

 

[LenVW]

drafting 1-0-1
Give me a T sq, a couple triangles, and a pencil. No CAD here.

I have used AutoCAD, ProEngineer and Solidworks, but, it is just cool to layout a piece of equipment on the ‘board’ and ‘shade’ it to create depth and perspective.
I still like to start sketches on my board.

 

[jorogi]

Wow !! . . . Is that a ‘T’ Square ?
That drafting board is antique compared to mine which was bought out of Kellogg’s Engineering office in London, Ontario . . . in the 1990.

Who woulda thought Corn Flakes were engineered ?

 

[LenVW]

We developed cereal process equipment for all of the Western Hemisphere plants.
North, South and Central American Kellogg’s sites.
I was a young mechanical designer back when London was a testing site for new product development at the state-of-the-art food plant.
(High Speed packaging, C.I.P. Sanitation and extruded grain meal with flavour coating drums)

 

[Tom O]

During the summer someone put one on their boulevard free to good home.

 

[Mcgyver]

here's a fun little historical artifact: a dial test indicator made by Last Minute Mfg. Co. of St. Catharines, Ontario (not too far from where I sit typing this).



pretty neat huh? not too many machinist related tools made in Canada (off the top of my head: beach toolboxes, butterfield taps/drills/tap handles, lufkin rules maybe?)...

i've got one of those, but didn't know the history - thanks.

As for Canadian manufacturers, don't forget about Bertram in Hamilton. There were a precision tool manufacturer who made all manner of things for including cutting tools for Pratt and Whitney (The machine and cutting tool company, not the aircraft engine firm). I also recall seeing some stuff branded "Stroba" from the Industrial Research Co, Toronto .... but suspect it was re-branding of Starrett or B&S or such

My best tool gloat ever was from the estate of a tool maker who spent his working life at Bertram. L:literally jam packed an entire Suburban. Tons of precision stuff and tooling, a lot of European stuff as well as items made by this guy, who was a phenomenal toolmaker. The big green monster got the better of many on Home Shop Machinist when I posted the tool gloat.... it was so over the top people were pissed lol. I think I'll go find the photos to feel all warm and fuzzy again