Legendary @VintageMachinery opened the doors of the machine shop he built by himself and showed us his vintage machines.
Keith Rucker is quite a celebrity in the machining community. He first approached the metalworking trade as an apprentice back in the eighties. At that time his goal was just to save up money for college and after three years of work in a machine shop, he moved on to new ventures. The machining passion, however, never left Keith, and over the years the need to make, fix and restore things became stronger and led him to build his own machine shop in South Georgia and take on restoration projects.
Keith’s shop is filled with incredible pieces of machinery that he restored by himself.
His passion for vintage machinery also led him over the course of the years to start the vintagemachinery.org website ( one of the most complete online repositories of information related to all kinds of old machinery, and build a successful YouTube channel featuring over 600 machinery and restoration videos.
Did you enjoy the tour of the shop? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Want to show off your shop and be featured in our Machine Shop Tour series? Send us an email at info@practicalmachinist.com or contact us via Social Media and we’ll make that happen!
Stay tuned for more machining videos!
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I still have my grandpas scraping tools made from old files. I just still love using them. I have had the pleasure to have run a 10 Inch Carloten and a 4 foot Master Service Carlton radial capeable of running 8 inch spade drills all day long. Quality machines all day long for sure eh.
WOW, Our past are Identical. Turret lathes making plumbing parts. Thousands of them. Started 10 years before you.
Hello sir I have one leth machine which is 128 years old
doin the good work
He doesn't have a shaper or a Thompson surface grinder or a Leblonde lathe. What a joke.
Could you explain the difference between a universal milling machine an ordinary one.
Nice and informative video.Thanks For those interested in ear,y machinist tools and machines check out “ Museum of Our Industrial Heritage “ located here on YouTube and by visiting the museum in Greenfield,Mass. I’ve been there a few times and always a pleasure and well worth the visit. Most of the early machinist tools were made in this area of Massachusetts like Starrett, Miller Falls,Greenfield Tap and Die and quite few others. Check them out and donate to keep this museum going. Thanks
keith you need to give me that tool box
Like myself old school. Been machinist/die maker since 78. Young generation don't have a clue.
THANK YOY GRATE MACHIN SHOP saludos de santiago de chile
Keath
I am an old retired machinist and actually miss making parts. I really enjoyed the videos of the Lucus Boring Mill. Two machinist with years of experience taught me how to make a good living. 7:24 Worked at B@S 10 Yrs.
Thanks for your videos.
Bill
Nice collection of machines, thanks for the tour. Shops are not what they used to be, dirty chips everywhere barrels full of chips for just a few parts, hog everything out of a big blanks or weldments, not today, investment cast or forged its just clean up add holes. Machines today are contained no mess and super precise. Those machines shown required skill to produce precision parts. Pretty darn cool. Cheers!
Good job
Pretty kool !!!!
Great tour, fantastic shop.
Thanks for sharing.
You have a twin here. Worked in a totally different career pushing paper but assembled a workshop from age 22. It is imaged in my head even when not in the shop.
I like that Index vertical mill, I've seen their lathes but never a mill. Is it absolutely beautiful and 100% operating?
There's one other type of mill that prompts saliva dripping….A manual mold maker's mill with a stout rotary table integrated into the mill just above the quill. Complex face grooves become one simple setup. I've only seen two of them at Hughes Radar Systems a Long time ago.
Very impressive collection and work space !
A similar start I learned and became a machinist while I was in college to become and engineer. My job today is to automate machines. But I still use my vintage machines to make parts.
phatazz e-beggar
Our Carlton is a 12' tall with a 6' radial arm. It is absolutely huge
Thanks for sharing buddy !!
I can retrofit gear machineries ( hobbing machine, shaving, shaper, bevel gear generator etc) with new PLC, new control panel wiring with PLC & HMI PROGRAMMING
Wow. Elon recently became my new idol. After seeing this. You the man. I want to Votech machine shop graduated 1979 got my journeyman’s papers. I loved doing it. But honestly. I wasn’t that good at it. Then I became an inspector. Lol. I do believe I was a good inspector tho lol. always thought of having my own machines. I admire everything you’ve done. Great job!!
Thank you Keith. I'm happy for you.
Nice set up thanks for sharing
Please tell me injection plastic molding
I did grinding from 1972 till I retired in 2012 , from sharpening saws with my dad to tool and cutter grinding for 31 years . Loved and hated it at times but was my life
Wow, what a shop!!
It is interesting how were made spindles and other rotary parts of the first machine tools in the world?
Poterli tradurre in italiano sarebbe il massimp
A sextant proves earth is flat. This is a serious claim.