My Hobbies A1

[loftyhermes]

After following and talking about the thread, Another new toy, I had a nice surprise for my birthday at the end of July, No.1 son and his family bought me a Hobbies A1. A quick blast with a bit of WD40, the old grease removed and re greased. New wooden links made, cleaned the paint off and polished the table. It now works like a dream so I’ve gone as far as I’m going to with restoration, leaving it just as it is, the wife wanted me to strip it down so she could repaint it but that’s not going to happen. Clicking the photo will give you more pics.
happy scrolling
Steve

 

[martinka]

Looks very much like my older one. Maybe the only difference is that mine has a blower, or what's left of one.

How close is the belt to the front leg? I have a problem where the top pulley is out of line with the big drive pulley. Any chance of a photo from the same direction as the one in your post but from lower down and to the right, so that I can see the pulleys in line with each other? Thanks.

 

[powertools]

As Martin says that is an early version of the A1. It looks to be in good usable condition the metal support straps for the arms look tight and unlike mine the arms look straight and not warped.
I really must find time to continue with mine.
Nice present and will outlast the usual pile of socks that normally turn up on these occasions.

 

[scrimper]

Very interesting, my A1 is exactly the same except that it is in the original black finish. Don't often see these with the older style spoked hand-wheel and as said above they are early models.

 

[loftyhermes]

Martin, I've took a photo for you the camera is in line with the big wheel and the wheels are not in line, in fact the little one is 3/4" over and the belt is 1/4" away from the frame.
happy scrolling
Steve

 

[martinka]

Thanks for that, yours is very similar to mine in that respect. It's just that I can't for the life of me imagine them manufacturing the saw with the pulleys out of line. On mine, at the top of the right leg, as you are facing the saw, a small flat has been put on the leg to allow room for the belt. Is yours the same? If you aren't sure what I mean, let me know and I'll get mine out of the inspection pit and take a photo.

Scrimper, my saw also has the spoked handwheel. I've painted mine black, but it looked like it might have been green originally. I might have left it if it hadn't needed something doing about the rust.

I've been trying to figure out what the saw is that the chap in York, cutting name plaques, uses. It has a built in seat, pedals instead of a treadle and says 'Patented 1876' on the frame. Looks like he made, or had made, new arms and table for it recently.

Martin.

 

[powertools]

I've been trying to figure out what the saw is that the chap in York, cutting name plaques, uses. It has a built in seat, pedals instead of a treadle and says 'Patented 1876' on the frame. Looks like he made, or had made, new arms and table for it recently.

Martin.

Looks very much like this one

http://www.americanartifacts.com/smma/barnes/b2.htm

It was being imported into the UK after 1897 by the company that eventually became Hobbies.

 

[bugbear]

After following and talking about the thread, Another new toy, I had a nice surprise for my birthday at the end of July, No.1 son and his family bought me a Hobbies A1. A quick blast with a bit of WD40, the old grease removed and re greased. New wooden links made, cleaned the paint off and polished the table. It now works like a dream so I’ve gone as far as I’m going to with restoration, leaving it just as it is, the wife wanted me to strip it down so she could repaint it but that’s not going to happen. Clicking the photo will give you more pics.
happy scrolling
Steve

Utterly different table support from mine.

BugBear

 

[scrimper]

I don't think they made them perfectly in line TBH, mine is out of line too but considering way the machine works i.e. slowly with pedal power I don't think it makes too much difference to the operation of the fret-machine. It's probably the reason that the driving pulley has those large teeth on it otherwise the belt would be thrown off with it being out of line?

AFAIAA all the A1 machines were supplied in black finish originally certainly all the earlier ones. Gems were often blue.

Hobbies did actually market a 'Bicycle fretmachine in the 1950's, it was said to be designed to meet the needs of Occupational therapy centres and assisted those who have injuries to their limbs. It cost £19-19-0 (£19.95) in 1952 which was a lot considering the average wage at that time, at the same time an A1 cost £7-2-6 (£7.12) I don't think the cycle machine was a success as it had disappeared by the late 1950's, I have only seen pictures of it.

 

[martinka]

I've been trying to figure out what the saw is that the chap in York, cutting name plaques, uses. It has a built in seat, pedals instead of a treadle and says 'Patented 1876' on the frame. Looks like he made, or had made, new arms and table for it recently.

Martin.

Looks very much like this one

http://www.americanartifacts.com/smma/barnes/b2.htm

It was being imported into the UK after 1897 by the company that eventually became Hobbies.

I just found his website and read that it is actually a modern copy and is made from aluminium. I noticed that yesterday by the colour of the metal on the places where paint was missing from the frame, but for some reason it didn't sink in.

Martin.

 

[loftyhermes]

Martin, yes mine has a small flat on the leg as well, never noticed it before you mentioned it.
The No.1 Velocipede fret machine was sold for £2. 7. 6d in 1887 but didn't have a seat.
happy scrolling
Steve

 

[powertools]

I've been trying to figure out what the saw is that the chap in York, cutting name plaques, uses. It has a built in seat, pedals instead of a treadle and says 'Patented 1876' on the frame. Looks like he made, or had made, new arms and table for it recently.

Martin.

Looks very much like this one

http://www.americanartifacts.com/smma/barnes/b2.htm

It was being imported into the UK after 1897 by the company that eventually became Hobbies.

I just found his website and read that it is actually a modern copy and is made from aluminium. I noticed that yesterday by the colour of the metal on the places where paint was missing from the frame, but for some reason it didn't sink in.

Martin.

That is amazing that he has had a modern copy made from the original design I wonder if there would not be a small market for for modern reproduction saws of that type.

 

[martinka]

That is amazing that he has had a modern copy made from the original design I wonder if there would not be a small market for for modern reproduction saws of that type.

I thought it unlikely that he personally had it made, and after a quick search I found a 2 year old ebay auction for one that says there were around 240 reproductions made in the USA. They sold for 1199 dollars. I prefer the idea to the treadle setup.

Martin.

 

[martinka]

How are the stays across the bottom of the legs fastened on your A1? On mine, where they meet on the single leg, they are fastened with a bolt and a bracket, but on the two front legs, mine appeared to have been fastened with wire that had rusted away. It also looks like someone tried to weld them to the legs at some point in the past. The two stays I have seem to be too short so I need to find some 1/4" round bar.

 

[loftyhermes]

No stays on mine so I screwed the legs to a piece of ply so as to stop the saw walking away from me and slackening the belt off because the back leg would stay still.
happy scrolling
Steve