Were there actually rawhide gears?
Robert Gardner set his company up in 1850 as Robert Gardner, Novelty Iron Works to make machinery for candy and biscuit making. In 1934 the company was sold to John Braidwood. Braidwood Industries is still in business as a gear maker.
More history at vintagemachinery.org.
6 comments:
Maybe rawhide gears were predecessors to fiber gears and sprockets, like you find in a '60s Volvo cam drive. Sacrificial parts, meant to strip before something expensive can break in case of a seizure or similar calamity.
--rats
Yet another fascinating rabbit-hole, thanks Mr G !
As best as I can understand, rawhide gears were cut from stacked layers of bronze or steel and some rawhide-based material. Wow !
More here: https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/411944/414591.html?1389702798
Perhaps as a way of reducing noise and backlash before the advent of helical gears? D.
From that link, it appears it was being used inside a Ford engine (pre model T) and that it wasn't uncommon. I expect noise reduction also, before fibre (bakelite?) gears. Very interesting!
Good to know...I've probably seen a rawhide gear or two in my lifetime but not known it...thought it was some kind of fiber or Bakelite.
I expect the gear would get quite polished with use and the material might be not immediately be apparent. The things we learn!
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