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Originally manufactured by Porter-Cable, this shaper was then passed to the Logan Lathe Company (it was advertised from as early as 1946 using their branding) before being finally taken up by, in the early 1950s, by Brodhead-Garrett, a school supply company based at 4560 East Street, Cleveland, Ohio (with a Western Division at 161 Commercial Circle, Sacramento, California) . Brodhead-Garret fitted a more substantial vise, a more efficient lubrication system to the variable-speed pulley shaft (both useful improvements, according to users) and marketed it as their "J-Line" Model. With its completely enclosed expanding and contracting variable-speed drive system the Bordhead-Garrett was of special appeal to educational establishments; no opening of doors or moving of belts was required to change speeds - and it was also possible to mount an immediate demonstration to the students of the effects of running the machine either too quickly, or too slowly. The motor-drive system was mounted within the cabinet base, with a single V belt taking the drive to a countershaft which ran in plain bearings, held within cylindrical brackets spigoted into holes on each side of the main body. The simplicity of this arrangement was completed by a chain that carried the final drive from a small sprocket in the middle of the countershaft to a large-diameter sprocket bolted to the face of the crankpin-drive plate.
Eight inches square, the box table had three T slots in its top and right-hand surfaces and was elevated (maximum travel 5.5 inches) by a screw and bevel-gear assembly; although it could not be swivelled, the table was very well supported at the front by a two-slot bracing arm and adjusted to the body by a tapered gib strip. The table could be driven through 11.5 inches of travel in both directions (10.5 inches was quoted for the Logan) under power - a safely-enclosed pawl assembly on the end of the feed screw enabling the operator to set the drive quickly and easily by lifting and turning a pin through one quarter of a turn for each power or neutral setting. Each tooth on the pawl gave 0.002" of feed and the adjustment was such that, working at single tooth increments, feed rates of 0.002", 0.004", 0.006", 0.008", 0.010" and 0.012" per stroke of the ram were available.
Larger than that on the Logan, Brodhead-Garret supplied a particularly useful 5-inch capacity swivelling-base vise, with jaws 1.5 inches deep as standard and also offered, at extra cost, a rotary table and a set of indexing centres - both of which were specially made for the machine.
Able to be rotated through 90 degrees each side of upright (unlike the early Logan 7-inch that was limited to 45 degrees) the tool slide was fitted with an ordinary "American" style tool holder fitted to the usual type of clapper slide that hinged free as to tool travelled backwards. A zeroing micrometer dial was fitted to the feed screw as part of the standard specification
The stroke rate, which varied from 35 to 180 per minute (with cutting speeds of up to 120 feet per minute), could be set very easily by turning a large, circular handwheel on the cabinet front; the change was automatic, there being no need to stop the motor, shift a belt or operate a clutch.
Two motor sizes were offered, 0.5 H.P. and 0.75 H.P. for either single or three-phase operation.
For a smaller shaper the Brodhead-Garrett was unusual in having a very substantial, double-arm bracing bracket to support the front of the box; most maker's were content to fit either a single bracing stud - or nothing at all.
The Logan/Porter Cable/Brodhead-Garret 8-inch shaper occupied a space 15" wide, 35" deep and 51" high - and weighed approximately 700 lbs with motor and stand..
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