Old Woodworking Adverts

[Trevanion]

I bought a quirky little book off eBay not too long ago, "How to work a spindle moulder" by W.J. Blackmur. I have no idea of an exact date for the book, probably 1930s. But inside it has a few old adverts for woodworking machines that I thought I'd share here because there's a few old machine and old advert/catalogue geeks knocking around

Never seen or heard of Haighs Moulders or Hoe Saws. Learning something new all the time!

 

[Fitzroy]

I like the safety planer blades, I can only assume that prior to the planer we all know there was a planer machine even more dangerous and terrifying!

F.

 

[custard]

Thanks for posting. Sounds an interesting book, I'll keep an eye out for that.

 

[Droogs]

Is it just me or is the "robinson & sons" really pretty

 

[Doug71]

Never seen a double spindle moulder before, what is the idea behind that?

 

[AES]

Yes, agreed, very interesting. I'm by no means a tool collector (my tools must "work" for their living!) but nevertheless, I do like these old machines of all types.

Just wondering, simply from the looks of those adverts, the companies advertising look to be small firms, so I wonder if, like today, there was any "badge engineering" practised back then?

 

[Sgian Dubh]

I like the safety planer blades, I can only assume that prior to the planer we all know there was a planer machine even more dangerous and terrifying! F.

Modern surface planers or planer/thicknessers are mild mannered compliant pussycats compared to one or two old style machines. I saw running, only once, a surface planer with a square cutter block - imagine the regular gap that opened up between both the infeed and outfeed tables as the block span and the corners passed by the start and end of each table. I can't recall the make, but it was over 100 years old when I saw it in the late 70s or early 80s. The noise alone as the block rotated and moved air was enough to scare the living daylights out of most people (myself included), and this was compounded by the lack of what were even then, by the mid-twentieth century, pretty standard and reasonably effective guarding, e.g., bridge guard, enclosed belts and pulleys, etc. Slainte.

 

[Trevanion]

Never seen a double spindle moulder before, what is the idea behind that?

I've never seen one in the flesh, but from what I've read from old books is that they were usually set up identically with the same cutters but they rotated in opposite directions. This enabled the operator to complete curved components without going against the grain, So they'd do one part of the curve until it's reached the point that it would be cutting against the grain and then they'd run over to the other side and run the other side of the curve.

I buy up these old machining books as there are usually some really good, lost techniques still in them. Although I'm not sure if I'm mad enough to pull out the square blocks yet :shock:

 

[AndyT]

Nice one!

The British Library catalogue gives a date of 1925 for that book.

(The square brackets in the catalogue entry indicate that the date wasn't printed in the book. The BL catalogue is a useful way to date such books.)

 

[Trevanion]

The British Library catalogue gives a date of 1925 for that book.

Thanks Andy! It's a little older than I initally thought then!

 

[Trevanion]

Found these in the back of a slightly more modern book, Woodworking Machinery by H.R.Hudson 1953

 

[wallace]

Yes, agreed, very interesting. I'm by no means a tool collector (my tools must "work" for their living!) but nevertheless, I do like these old machines of all types.

Just wondering, simply from the looks of those adverts, the companies advertising look to be small firms, so I wonder if, like today, there was any "badge engineering" practised back then?

Robinson and Sagar were the big boys at that time and even Wilson was a big concern, Wadkin were a relative youngster having only been around for 28 years whereas Robinson had been making machines for over 60 years

 

[AES]

OK, thanks Wallace. I did start to wonder when the 2nd lot of adverts were posted - someone (I forget who) had their Head Office in Africa House, Kingsway, WC1, so obviously a big company. But I did wonder about some of the companies in the 1st lot of adverts - easy enough for a big-ish machine tools dealer to go to a bigger manufacturing company and say "I'll buy X of your machines if you put my company badge on them". As said, pure idle wondering on my side about when that sort of practice first started in industry.

 

[AndyT]

Re "badge engineering"/OEM manufacturing - I reckon the practice goes back as far as mass production of machine tools.

If you look at catalogues from the big nineteenth century retailers, firms like Melhuish or Nurse in London or Gleave in Manchester, they will include own brand or unbranded lathes, drilling machines etc. I'm pretty sure that they didn't have the manufacturing capacity to make big castings and forgings themselves; so it would have been natural to go to a "real " manufacturer and contract for a range of kit at various price points to suit the marketplace. Just like happens today.

 

[Bm101]

someone (I forget who) had their Head Office in Africa House, Kingsway, WC1, so obviously a big company. .

It's still common practice to pay for a postcode. I clean the windows at a building on Regent Street that looks like a big company office. Its right next door to Hamleys. Security guards 24-7 on the main reception.
But it's empty 95% of the time. What they actually do is rent tiny spaces out to micro businesses who want a W1 Regent Street postcode. It's a cast iron guarantee for most customers, a Regent Street postcode. What it really is in truth is a confidence trick.
Prestige is an illusion easily bought but harder sold.

 

[AES]

Thanks to both Andy T and Bm101 for the info,

 

[Trevanion]

Never seen or heard of Haighs Moulders

Speak of the Devil... Not a moulder (technically you could fit moulding knives to it) but a very beefy looking P/T. Never seen anything Haigh before now.

I've also got some more pictures of old ads out of books I'll have to get around to uploading 8)

 

[Trevanion]

 

[Ttrees]

Imagine... folks probably met up, rather than logging in online.
Those heated sharpening debates we've seen here, were probably nothing, compared to the arguments that they got into, back in the day...

Seems circular saw blade design would've been well up there.
And they probably brought a wee drinkey along too, having arguments, whilst glaring with beady eyes at the others from across the room ..
Must've been fun

 

[Vann]

Never seen or heard of Haighs Moulders

Speak of the Devil... Not a moulder (technically you could fit moulding knives to it) but a very beefy looking P/T. Never seen anything Haigh before now...

I spotted that too.

I've a mate over here who has a Haigh bandsaw (but bandsaw guards usually ruin the looks of any bandsaw ).

I've also spotted a couple of Haigh chain & chisel mortisers.

Thanks for posting the adverts.

Cheers, Vann.