American Industrial Heritage ... a scary wooden bandsaw

[Blackswanwood]

I spotted this when visiting the Marathon Motor Works in Nashville ...



I've never seen a bandsaw made from wood before.

No blade guards and would have been driven by an overhead shaft ...



Here's it's cast iron cousin ...


Spectacular but scary ... imagine if the blade snapped

Cheers

Robert

 

[Dr.Al]

They're rather beautiful. I'm not sure I'd want to use them though!

 

[Trevanion]

Wood frames were quite common up until the 1880s, as were wooden band-wheels as it was quite difficult to cast a band-wheel without it warping after coming out of the mould because of the unusual shrinkage you would get around the perimeter of the wheels and spokes, then a clever man came up with s-shaped spokes which shrank more evenly and you could get much more consistently cast wheels.

My friend David in Sweden collects and uses wood-framed machinery in his working museum.

A tenoning machine from the 1870s


Planing/moulding machine from 1870s

 

[Blackswanwood]

I didn’t realise that was why s shaped spokes were used.

This was the table saw ,..



It was dated 1904.

 

[AndyT]

Impressive and fascinating. I'm glad some examples have been preserved.

Looking at the heavy, bolted together frames of some of those machines reminds me that there was a whole specialist trade for hundreds of years, making wooden machines like these, but also filling all those eighteenth and nineteenth century mills with looms, spinning machines etc.

Does anyone know of any studies of the techniques of those millwrights? I've not come across any.

 

[Blackswanwood]

Impressive and fascinating. I'm glad some examples have been preserved.

Looking at the heavy, bolted together frames of some of those machines reminds me that there was a whole specialist trade for hundreds of years, making wooden machines like these, but also filling all those eighteenth and nineteenth century mills with looms, spinning machines etc.

Does anyone know of any studies of the techniques of those millwrights? I've not come across any.

When I saw the set up for these machines Andy I was reminded of my Grandma talking about starting work at the age of 14 in the Oldham cotton mills.

One of my daughters did a project at school about family history and found details of the mill we think she worked at here which has some information on millwrighting:

The Craft of Millwrighting – The Mills Archive

This exhibition tells the story of the past and present state of millwrighting, covering the development of the craft, the materials that a millwright would use, the contrasts between past and present millwrights and the biographies of key millwrights.

new.millsarchive.org

Here are a couple more pictures ...

 

[AndyT]

When I saw the set up for these machines Andy I was reminded of my Grandma talking about starting work at the age of 14 in the Oldham cotton mills.

One of my daughters did a project at school about family history and found details of the mill we think she worked at here which has some information on millwrighting:

The Craft of Millwrighting – The Mills Archive

This exhibition tells the story of the past and present state of millwrighting, covering the development of the craft, the materials that a millwright would use, the contrasts between past and present millwrights and the biographies of key millwrights.

new.millsarchive.org

Here are a couple more pictures ...

View attachment 28740
View attachment 28741

Brilliant, the material at that link looks just what I wanted. I shall read it all thoroughly.

 

[Cabinetman]

I shall be kicking my heels for 3 days in Nashville next month whilst Pam is on a symposium so that’s on my list of things to see! Looks fascinating thank you.
I presume the motor works transmogrified from a carriage works when the IC motors came in?

 

[Blackswanwood]

I shall be kicking my heels for 3 days in Nashville next month whilst Pam is on a symposium so that’s on my list of things to see! Looks fascinating thank you.
I presume the motor works transmogrified from a carriage works when the IC motors came in?

They were boiler makers originally Ian and started making “horseless carriages” in 1906. It’s also where American Pickers are based … I was only vaguely aware of them but apparently a well known tv programme in the US.

If you are into music I’d also recommend the RCA Studio B tour - it’s a great city to spend a few days in.

 

[Cabinetman]

They were boiler makers originally Ian and started making “horseless carriages” in 1906. It’s also where American Pickers are based … I was only vaguely aware of them but apparently a well known tv programme in the US.

If you are into music I’d also recommend the RCA Studio B tour - it’s a great city to spend a few days in.

Brill that’s great thanks, I haven’t really started to dig yet as to what to do with myself.
Ian

 

[meccarroll]

Looking at these old machines reminds me of when I was a young man contenplating buying my first woodworking machine.

Not many tradesmen had woodworking machines back then (late 1970's) and battery tools were not seen on building sites either.

Now some of the younger generation would not know how to manage without power tools or even know how to use some of the hand tools people have on here.