The Modern Motor-Driven Woodworking shop, 1930

This 125 page book by Woodworkers Educational Department (a division of Delta Manufacturing) dates to 1930 and introduces the reader to the world of woodworking with power tools. It's the forerunner of a million woodworking books and seems very advanced for the time, there were still factories running machines with belts and shafts. Many techniques and tips are described along with instructions for operating the various tools. I wonder how many regular guys could afford these sophisticated tools, or even a workshop, 1930 was into the Depression.

New York Central to Chicago!

 A New York Central travel poster by Leslie Ragan in 1929. Not a train to be seen, the attraction is the Magnificent Mile but there is smoke in the sky, signifying industry and prosperity.

General Tire Squeegee

 The Squeegee tire was in production for at least a decade, starting about 1939. General Tire started in business in 1915 in Akron, diversified into broadcasting by buying radio stations during the 30s and later rocketry. The tire portion of the business was bought by Continental in 1987.

22 mm wrench

This looks like another specific tool for some machine, similar wrenches on ebay suggest a carriage wrench or a scythe/snath adjustment tool. The logo resembles a Maltese cross. Material might be cast iron.

 How many people (besides me) needed to look up the word "snath"?

 

Railway crossing

    Coal train passing through Osage, West Virginia in 1938. 

Imagine all the issues modern health and safety people would have with the scene...

Buick Skylark, 1953

 Not the usual style of early fifties car ad. Interestingly, the car doesn't seem to be available in the shade of yellow shown, the closest was Osage Cream (below).

Porter Safety Seal

Patented in 1902 and again in 1916, but I could not find those patents, this device seems to be related to putting an anti-tamper seal on a container or door. There is a similar one on ebay, but without description or instructions. Any guesses as to how it might work?

 

Monday mystery, what airplane?

 Can anyone identify this aircraft only by the canopy area?

Another 6 volt spare lightbulb kit

 Previous post.

Sidecar Sunday

Top view

Land Rover Series IIA FC Forward Control

This looks like a good useful utility vehicle, but they sure don't come much homelier.

Transistor radio, 1958

Anyone who has used an old tube-type radio will remember the wait after the on button was actuated. It took a minute or so for the sound to start as the vacuum tubes warmed up and started functioning. Not so with the transistor radio, instant on! These new battery operated radios were also portable so your music could accompany you on picnics, to the beach etc. Really a great technological leap. 

This unit also advertises that it can act as a tuner for your home stereo, not sure how that might work in the days before Bluetooth or USB cables.
 

Morgan Aero

 

Owner /driver Clive Lones set 37 speed records in the 1930s with this Morgan Aero, using different engines. Seen at Brooklands Museum. Who was Clive Lones?

Whipple File factory

  Ballardvale, located north of Boston Mass. was a mill town, known for cotton and woolen mills. Another operation was the Machine Shop, established in 1847 by John Marland. Here machines of various types were made, including steam engines. In 1860 this mill was sold to the Whipple File Manufacturing Company. By 1866 Whipple File had a capital of $1 million, a building site of 4 acres, and employed 600. By 1869 it failed, apparently due to mismanagement. Has anyone ever seen a file with the Whipple name on it?

Long distance Naval flight

 In 1925 the US Navy, wanting to show they were up with aviation times, attempted a non-stop California- Hawaii flight with two PN-9 flying boats. These were an American development of the British Felixstowe F-5. Two aircraft were used, one was forced to land on the water only 300 miles after takeoff. It was rescued and towed back to San Francisco. The second plane flew 1841 miles before it ran out of fuel and was also forced to ditch in the sea. The crew jury-rigged sails from wing fabric and sailed another 450 miles in 10 days before being rescued off the coast of the island of Kauai. Hard to believe that was 99 years ago.

 The plane was later used in another long distance flight over the Caribbean where it was forced to ditch once again. This time it was sunk as a navigation hazard.

Bikes in the 'hood, CBX

Nice to see a CBX being used, they're still an impressive piece of machinery. Note the ventilated discs! This is the 1982 touring version.

 

Harley Davidson management, 1936

 Left to right; Arthur Davidson, Walter Davidson, William S Harley and William Davidson posing at the end of the production line with a new model, can't quite make out what it is. 

It's been identified as a 1936 61 cu in. EL "Knucklehead". Thanks, Anon

Planes in formation, Concorde

 

The Denbigh Drilling Machine

Here's a big beautiful drill on display at the Brooklands Museum. The Denbigh Engineering Co was located in the industrial area between Birmingham and Wolverhampton, where they manufactured heavy machine tools mostly for industry. Not sure when the company started in business, but according to lathes.co.uk, they lasted till about 1970. Wouldn't that machine look great sitting in the corner of anyone's shop?

Lathes.co.uk

Lego patent

 

1927 Triumph tank construction

This is the tank from a 1927 works Triumph showing an interesting treatment of the edges of the various sheet metal parts of the tank, The scalloped edges make for a stronger solder joint (in the days before welding processes). Seen at the Sammy Miller Museum. 

 

Fairmount wrench

 Fairmount Tool and Forging opened in 1917 and was a maker of general forgings and became known for automotive tool kits. They also sold a line of sheet metal dollies and hammers. This 10"long and .515" jaw (probably 1/2" before it was used and abused) wrench is an oddball, it looks like it was a specific wrench for some machine tool. 

Sidecar Sunday

 

Sidecar Sunday

Goodwood

Ward capstan and turret lathes

 

I recently acquired this Ward Instruction manual from 1962. 71 pages of very detailed technical information on doing specific jobs on their lathes.. 

Ward set up in Birmingham in 1889 to manufacture machine tools and became known for their heavy duty production lathes, in 1912 they decided to specialize in only turret and capstan lathes. The company appears to have closed in the 1980s, having failed to make the jump to CNC technology.

Peoples experiences with the lathes at Practicalmachinist

Parts still available here. 

Much more at Lathes.co.uk

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