Wilson woodworking machines

[Tim Britton]

Good evening forum members,

I guess I'm like most people here and have joined because I need some information. Aattached is a pic of my 1902 Wilson No2 patented centre motion mortice machine. What I'm after is a manual for said machine. It has been in the family for a considerable number of years - probably nearly 70 years - and yes I still use it to chop mortices.

Tim

 

[Trevanion]

I have my doubts that they would even come with a manual back then, I would assume you were shown how it worked and that was that.

This might be of interest:

 

[Tim Britton]

It is of interest and thankyou for replying. Sadly for me, in the way of dads and lads the world over, I didn't pay attention when dad was using this machine...it was old fashioned you see and not a patch on my hollow chisel version.

 

[Droogs]

hi and welcome to the forum, I'm sure some one here will be able to help you. Until then, some of us tool pervs are a little short -sighted so get closer and show us more =P~

 

[AndyT]

This image is from a 1905 catalogue by Richard Melhuish who were a big London tool dealer. They generally didn't give makers' names in their catalogues, but this looks very much like your machine to me - the arrangement of the three wheels is the same, the rear fence has distinctive curves on either side and the legs splay out the same way.

Do you happen to have the boring attachment or the special punch for making venetians blind?

The rest of the catalogue is here
https://archive.org/details/MelhuishCat ... 3/mode/2up

 

[Tim Britton]

hi and welcome to the forum, I'm sure some one here will be able to help you. Until then, some of us tool pervs are a little short -sighted so get closer and show us more =P~

OK, here's a pic a little closer

 

[Tim Britton]

This image is from a 1905 catalogue by Richard Melhuish who were a big London tool dealer. They generally didn't give makers' names in their catalogues, but this looks very much like your machine to me - the arrangement of the three wheels is the same, the rear fence has distinctive curves on either side and the legs splay out the same way.

Thanks for that, there's a lot of useful info in the catalogue

Do you happen to have the boring attachment or the special punch for making venetians blind?

The rest of the catalogue is here
https://archive.org/details/MelhuishCat ... 3/mode/2up

 

[Tim Britton]

still learning the reply system here... all I have is most of a set of chisels and boring the bulk is down to my brace and bit...

 

[AndyT]

So, what's it like in use? Is it more or less effort than a powered mortiser? I imagine that solid old machines like this must be pretty well everlasting.

 

[Tim Britton]

Andy, not a simple thing to answer, it is different to the hollow chisel and chain mortisers I've used in various workshops since I served my time. Boring out the bulk of the mortise with a brace and bit - 7/8th mortise = 3/4in bit - then cleaning up the mortise with the chisel went quite easy and the four mortises I chopped took 3/4 of an hour from marking to ready for the tenon but I did have to study the manual for my brace and bit as it's a long time since I used them...
The chisel being sharp meant it cut through the pressure treated soft wood easily though I've not used it on hardwood yet. I was going to say it was harder to use than a hollow chisel machine but once I become more used to it I think it will just be different... it is a little more effort to use but not overly so. I feel it needs to be higher up off the floor for me as I'm 6ft tall. My other half did a video clip of me using it and put on my business facebook page.

 

[MikeG.]

I love the scratches on the floor where this has been dragged into position for the photo! It's obviously quite a heavy lump.

 

[johnnyb]

I watched a good episode of the woodwrights shop. all the featured machines were hand powered. including a router/ moulder. I think it also visits a victorian sash window factory. it's like Wallace and grommets cheese dream!

 

[MilesH]

.................

This might be of interest:

What book are those extracts from Trevanion?

 

[AndyT]

I found this picture yesterday. It's not exactly the same machine but it's very similar, still on sale in 1940. The picture is from a catalogue of tools from Gardiner of Bristol. For a tool to stay in production that long the original design must have been sound.

But clearly there was change in the wind. If you were feeling flush with the cash and wanted to go all modern, you could get what looks like the same basic machine but with a big electric motor bolted on the top:

(Though tbh, by then you probably had to have a chit from the Ministry of Supply to say it was needed for the war effort . Just liking rugged old machinery probably wasn't enough to get the right permissions. :| )

 

[AndyT]

I watched a good episode of the woodwrights shop. all the featured machines were hand powered. including a router/ moulder. I think it also visits a victorian sash window factory. it's like Wallace and grommets cheese dream!

I think you mean this one - well worth watching.

https://video.unctv.org/video/woodwrigh ... -machines/

 

[Trevanion]

What book are those extracts from Trevanion?

Morticing, Tenoning and Boring by A.H. Haycock

 

[toolsntat]

Hi Tim, in softwood at least I have had very good results without the need to pre bore the mortice.
I have failed to upload video of me working on a bit of rough softwood. Hopefully this link works
If you scroll to the right another snippet is their from a different angle
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8IHfDBAXWn/
Cheers Andy

 

[johnnyb]

sorry they must have been separate episodes of the woodwrights shop. I promise there is an episode in the studio where he demonstrates man powered machines including a morticer like this one.
jb

 

[AndyT]

sorry they must have been separate episodes of the woodwrights shop. I promise there is an episode in the studio where he demonstrates man powered machines including a morticer like this one.
jb

Sorry, I should have checked more carefully. I think maybe you mean this one, which features a fine old mortiser with lion's feet, at about 21 minutes in.

https://video.unctv.org/video/woodwrigh ... -machines/

 

[johnnyb]

the funniest line concerning the treadle powered saw is" this one is so advanced the motor instantly detects contact with human flesh"