Dening & Co, Chard, Somerset

[Trevanion]

I recently acquired this catalogue from a very obscure woodworking manufacturer based in Chard, Somerset. Looking online, Dening & Co were founded in 1828 and were more known for their agricultural implements rather than their woodworking machinery, which I think is evidenced by the fact there are so few surviving examples of their machinery to be found, with only a selection of circular saws and one bandsaw existing in picture form online. There are some quite interesting-looking machines in the catalogue, the circular saw and bandsaw combination machine in particular looks like it would be very handy.

 

[AndyT]

Chard has quite a surprising amount of industrial history, including experimental steam powered flight.

There's a pamphlet about Dening's from the local industrial archaeology society that might be worth risking £4.50 of your book fund on - scroll down on this page to no 6:

http://www.sias.me.uk/publications.html

 

[AJB Temple]

I remember seeing a Dening machine mounted on the back of a trailer at the Guildford County Show several years ago. I took several photos that I will try to find. It was a very large circular saw, with no guards whatsoever, and was being demonstrated cutting large tree trunks into planks using a roller conveyer at each end.

 

[droogs]

Pre-war machinery is so much prettier than modern ones in regard to the aesthetic but they do look dodgy as **** to use safely though

 

[clogs]

I had one of their huge circ saw benches......
the wife made me put a gaurd on before using it.....for some reason....lol.......
the blade was the imp equiv of 750mm........
Man could that thing slice up oak ......
I converted it to be driven by a 50hp tractor.......
happy days.....lol.......

 

[AJB Temple]

Yes, the one at the agri show was driven by a steam traction engine if my memory serves me correctly. Scary tool, but the guys operating it were never near the sharp end.

 

[Alasdair]

When i started my apprenticeship in the mid 80s we had one of those solid chisel mortice machines, hated using it in the winter as that part of the workshop had not heating and your hand would stick to the cast iron handle.

 

[AndyT]

I remember seeing a Dening machine mounted on the back of a trailer at the Guildford County Show several years ago. I took several photos that I will try to find. It was a very large circular saw, with no guards whatsoever, and was being demonstrated cutting large tree trunks into planks using a roller conveyer at each end.

I wonder if it was this one, spotted at the Great Dorset Steam Fair in 2015?