Inside The Secret Underground Laboratory

[Bruce Johnson]

I think you need to find an old hit and miss engine to drive the screw. Or at least make it look like it does.

Yes, back in the 1900's to 1930's era most machine shops were all lineshaft-driven. Almost all of the machines were connected by big flat leather belts to a complex network of shafts and flat pulleys up on the ceiling. A mess of shafts and belts going everywhere. The big wood levers hanging down would shift belts and clutches to turn individual machines on and off. The whole network of overhead shafts would run continuously, all day. Noisy, messy, and dangerous. Somewhere in the corner, or an outside shed, a single big engine would be driving all the shafts.

In the early days, the power source was a steam engine, driven by steam from a boiler burning wood or coal. Then they started using internal combustion engines, such as hit 'n miss engines and early diesels. By the 1930's, shops in the big cities were starting to go electric, with a single giant electric motor driving the whole line shaft network.

In 1910, you could buy a milling machine with its own electric motor attached, but it was huge and quite expensive. And the heavy electrical power wasn't yet available in most areas. The big power plants and grids didn't get built until the 1930's and 1940's. By the 1940's, electric motors were being mass produced much smaller and cheaper. By then, almost all machines were shipped with their own electric motors on board. The overhead line shafts got torn out and replaced by a network of heavy electric wires. Much safer and more efficient power usage. And much quieter! But not as cool.

I plan to rig up all my old Dinosaurs with overhead wood frames that have the big flat pulleys and leather belts simulating sections of the line shaft. Each section driven by its own hidden electric motor, so each machine can be turned on individually. The look and feel of a whole line shaft rig, but safer and more practical.

 

[farace]

In the early days, the power source was a steam engine, driven by steam from a boiler burning wood or coal.

My partner tells me that a few decades ago there was still a factory where she lived in Rhode Island driven by a mill wheel. Used to be quite common here in New England, and the rivers determined where industry settled.

 

[TinIndian]

Yes, back in the 1900's to 1930's era most machine shops were all lineshaft-driven. Almost all of the machines were connected by big flat leather belts to a complex network of shafts and flat pulleys up on the ceiling. A mess of shafts and belts going everywhere. The big wood levers hanging down would shift belts and clutches to turn individual machines on and off. The whole network of overhead shafts would run continuously, all day. Noisy, messy, and dangerous. Somewhere in the corner, or an outside shed, a single big engine would be driving all the shafts.

In the early days, the power source was a steam engine, driven by steam from a boiler burning wood or coal. Then they started using internal combustion engines, such as hit 'n miss engines and early diesels. By the 1930's, shops in the big cities were starting to go electric, with a single giant electric motor driving the whole line shaft network.

In 1910, you could buy a milling machine with its own electric motor attached, but it was huge and quite expensive. And the heavy electrical power wasn't yet available in most areas. The big power plants and grids didn't get built until the 1930's and 1940's. By the 1940's, electric motors were being mass produced much smaller and cheaper. By then, almost all machines were shipped with their own electric motors on board. The overhead line shafts got torn out and replaced by a network of heavy electric wires. Much safer and more efficient power usage. And much quieter! But not as cool.

I plan to rig up all my old Dinosaurs with overhead wood frames that have the big flat pulleys and leather belts simulating sections of the line shaft. Each section driven by its own hidden electric motor, so each machine can be turned on individually. The look and feel of a whole line shaft rig, but safer and more practical.

I've never seen one of those older factories in person, but I have seen a great many pictures.

Really Cool, Really Dangerous! the way all the belts and pulleys seem to be just everywhere.
I find the old hit 'an miss engines fascinating.

 

[Jon Clegg]

I think you need to find an old hit and miss engine to drive the screw. Or at least make it look like it does.

Yes, back in the 1900's to 1930's era most machine shops were all lineshaft-driven. Almost all of the machines were connected by big flat leather belts to a complex network of shafts and flat pulleys up on the ceiling. A mess of shafts and belts going everywhere. The big wood levers hanging down would shift belts and clutches to turn individual machines on and off. The whole network of overhead shafts would run continuously, all day. Noisy, messy, and dangerous. Somewhere in the corner, or an outside shed, a single big engine would be driving all the shafts.

In the early days, the power source was a steam engine, driven by steam from a boiler burning wood or coal. Then they started using internal combustion engines, such as hit 'n miss engines and early diesels. By the 1930's, shops in the big cities were starting to go electric, with a single giant electric motor driving the whole line shaft network.

In 1910, you could buy a milling machine with its own electric motor attached, but it was huge and quite expensive. And the heavy electrical power wasn't yet available in most areas. The big power plants and grids didn't get built until the 1930's and 1940's. By the 1940's, electric motors were being mass produced much smaller and cheaper. By then, almost all machines were shipped with their own electric motors on board. The overhead line shafts got torn out and replaced by a network of heavy electric wires. Much safer and more efficient power usage. And much quieter! But not as cool.

I plan to rig up all my old Dinosaurs with overhead wood frames that have the big flat pulleys and leather belts simulating sections of the line shaft. Each section driven by its own hidden electric motor, so each machine can be turned on individually. The look and feel of a whole line shaft rig, but safer and more practical.

I remember going to the Smithsonian some years back and they had a lineshaft display set up with various industrial machines like this. It was quite impressive, and yeah I could see things getting pretty dangerous when things went wrong. I've also been in some old buildings that have been converted from factory space to office spaces where you can still see evidence of the fittings that were needed for the lineshaft to power the machines.

 

[herndonbassist]

Yes, back in the 1900's to 1930's era most machine shops were all lineshaft-driven. Almost all of the machines were connected by big flat leather belts to a complex network of shafts and flat pulleys up on the ceiling. A mess of shafts and belts going everywhere. The big wood levers hanging down would shift belts and clutches to turn individual machines on and off. The whole network of overhead shafts would run continuously, all day. Noisy, messy, and dangerous. Somewhere in the corner, or an outside shed, a single big engine would be driving all the shafts....

The picture I posted is from the Harper's Ferry WV museum, but it was the same process, you can see the mess of leather belts and big wooden levers. Crazy to see one of these in operation (I got to see it when the finished the restoration of the Springfield Armory... I'm actually in the Visitor's Center movie in that museum).

 

[wagdog]

I think you need to find an old hit and miss engine to drive the screw. Or at least make it look like it does.

We use to call those one-lungers.

 

[5tring]

They are similar, but not quite the same. Power broaching machines are more "modern", like 1940's. But they both operate in a linear reciprocating motion. A broach is a long bar of tool steel with a whole row of teeth. Along the length, the teeth gradually increase in height. Think of it as a special file that tapers in height. As you push the broach through a hole or along a path, each tooth in line takes a small bite. As you reach the end of the broach, the hole is at the full size. The whole cutting operation is done in one long stroke. A power broaching machine pushes the broach through the part in one powerful stroke. Very fast in mass production. Complex forms of power broaching are used extensively in automotive plants. For some operations, they are much faster than even CNC machines.

In comparison, a metal shaper has a single tooth that is pushed forward across the part, dragged back, pushed forward, dragged back, etc. Very slow.

There's a few videos on YouTube showing Rhodes shapers like mine in operation. Search for Rhodes Metal Shaper, by 175leutennant2, for a good quick one.

I watched the video, cool machine. I like the way it indexes

 

[Bruce Johnson]

Here's a quick look at Dinosaur Row, while we have some afternoon sunlight coming in through the windows.

A whole bunch of machines, tucked tightly into a corner. There are a few misc machines in the foreground, but all of them around the back are from 1900 to 1930. There's 9 drill presses crowded in there!

A couple of my prize machines:

This is a 1907 Knecht Bros drill press, which has a wild Patented double-cone variable speed drive. Only two are known to still exist, and mine is in better condition than the other. I've got it partially restored. It gets a leather belt drive, bending over a pair of idler pulleys. I've got Patent documents and reprints of catalog pages for it.

In the foreground, a 1907 Bardons & Oliver #0 Turret Lathe, the smallest size they made. This little lathe was advertised as being capable of turning out 8000 bicycle wheel spoke nuts per day! A heavy duty high speed production lathe for making small parts. Only one other is known to still exist. Bardons & Oliver Co is still around today, making CNC lathes. They have one of these #0 Turret Lathes, beautifully restored, in their main conference room. Mine is in great shape overall. I'm going to restore it and make it fully operational. I plan to set it up to make small instrument parts like aluminum inlay dot rings.

Behind it is my 1906 LeBlond #0 Horizontal Milling Machine, the smallest size milling machine that LeBlond made. Mine is the last one known to still exist. I've owned it since 1983, my first antique machine.

A cluster of drill presses, mostly from the Buffalo Forge Company. In the front row are three Buffalo 10" Bench Drills, from between 1900 and 1930. The shorter red one is an early prototype from around 1900. They've all been modified some to be powered by electric motors, but they originally ran from overhead 1" wide leather belts. I'm going to restore them, paint them all back to the original black, and mount them in a row on bench with an overhead leather belt drive system.

Down on the floor are two Buffalo "Junior" Bench Drills, the smallest bench model.

In the back row are three of the big 20" Drill Presses. The green one is a 1930's Buffalo Forge 20, the basic model, in real nice running condition. All it needs is to be hooked up to a motor. I got it for $100 about 5 years ago. I'm planning to eventually move it into my woodworking shop to be my Heavy Wood Drill Press. It'll be perfect for big Forstner bits.

The blackish one in the middle is a 1910 era Buffalo Forge 20 with the full power feed drive. It needs a lot of work to get it operational.

On the right, partially disassembled, is a 1920's Royersford 20. A similar machine to the Buffalos, when it's all put together. It was in running condition when I bought it, and I have it about halfway restored. Then I found the beautiful 1945 Royersford 21, in mint condition, that I have over in the machine shop and use daily. So, the poor Royersford 20 is sitting in parts.

My overall plan is to get all these machines, plus the new Rhodes Shaper, nicely restored and running. I want to arrange them in this area, all driven by leather belts from overhead. A nice little 1920's machine shop. For my own enjoyment and use!

This is my side hobby.

 

[farace]

I'm going to restore them, paint them all back to the original black, and mount them in a row on bench with an overhead leather belt drive system.

I'm curious--would these have been painted, or japanned? I only recently learned a little about this when I was restoring an old plane of my grandfather's. (In the end, the finish was good enough that it better I didn't touch it.) Re-japanning seems like a real endeavor.

 

[Bruce Johnson]

I'm curious--would these have been painted, or japanned? I only recently learned a little about this when I was restoring an old plane of my grandfather's. (In the end, the finish was good enough that it better I didn't touch it.) Re-japanning seems like a real endeavor.

Most industrial machines like these, back in the 1900-1940 era, came from the factory painted black or a very dark grey. It was a thick, heavy oil-base enamel, I believe. On some machines, they used a thick asbestos-filled base paint to smooth out the roughness of the sand castings. It's almost like black tar, 1/8" thick. Nasty stuff to remove and clean up. I've run into it on a few of my machines. The tool to clean up those old castings is a pneumatic needle scaler. And a full respirator mask! The scaler gets most of it off; then power wire brush wheels. Cleaning up the castings to prep for painting is hot, messy work.

The pros will usually repaint machinery with epoxy paint. I keep it simple and paint my machines with good 'ol Rustoleum. Simple and durable and easy to touch up. I'll usually brush on 2-3 coats, then use a small gun to spray over some of the larger areas to smooth them out. Prepping and painting an old machine is a lot of work. Then there's the mechanical repairs and fabricating missing parts. And then assembling, testing, truing up. A lot of work. But it's tremendously satisfying to fire up a 100+ year old machine that hasn't run in many decades.

Anyway, the color scheme for most 1900-1940 metalworking machines is gloss black with shiny oiled iron on the working surfaces and cranks. And old grimy brown leather belts. Very classy looking, in my opinion. If you look at pictures of shops and factories from that era, almost all of the machines were black. I'll be painting all of my machines black.

Starting in the 1940's, they got more colorful. Industrial machines started to be painted grey, and some companies even went to dark blue or green. By the '50's, nobody painted machines black anymore. It went out of fashion. Today, anything goes, even metalflakes and chrome trim. It's funny that in the 1870's to 1900's era, some machine tools were painted up quite fancy, with bright colors and gold pinstriping. But the 1900-1940 era was black and shiny iron.

 

[Bruce Johnson]

I haven't really shown you guys my main working machine shop yet in much detail, but here's my Royersford 21 drill press. This machine is a large "camel-back" style drill press, similar to the three big ones I showed above, but newer and in near-mint condition. It's from about 1945, when they were available with a long base and mount for its own electric motor. That's the original 1945 Wagner motor on there. Note how it uses twin V-belts for the motor drive down to the lower countershaft, but still uses flat leather belts for the main drive and the power feed drive. A hybrid of an old-style machine and a new drive system.

After the war (WWII), Royersford was the only company still making these camelback-style drill presses. Everyone else had switched to the configuration that you see today, with the motor mounted vertically on the back, driving the spindle with a V-belt.

Believe it or not, this machine showed up on Ebay here in the Los Angeles area about 7 years ago. For $399!!! I was the only bidder, and I won it for that price!!! It was at an old machinery rebuilding company in LA. The owner had passed away, and the sons were cleaning out and reorganizing the company. They found this drill press in a back room. Dad had bought it around 1950, and put a tarp over it. It was hardly ever used. The sons were thrilled to sell it to me, because I knew exactly what it was, and fully appreciated it. They even delivered it to me for free! It weighs 1200 lbs.

These pictures are from my Burbank shop, just after I got it. A magnificent piece of machinery, and fully functional.

Here in Fillmore, it has a prime spot in my working machine shop. I use it almost every day. It's a powerful brute, rated to drill a 1 1/2" hole through steel. But it's so precise that it's also great for some delicate instrument jobs. In the lowest gear, it will go down to 17 rpm. I normally run it at 170 rpm. It's wonderful for drilling through thin materials with large Forstner bits.

And yes, I also have a fair collection of large drill bits to fit these large drill presses. They are Morse Taper (MT) shaft. This Royersford 21 has an MT4 spindle, same as the tailstock on my big LeBlond 17 lathe. That's handy. I've used the Royersford to drill 1 1/2" holes in aluminum blocks. A very calm and satisfying experience. These old camelbacks use slow speed and torque to peel out the metal.

 

[delta7fred]

It's good to see these wonderful old machines being saved from going to the smelter.

A neighbour of mine has a machine shop, that I am free to use, that has 5 drill presses, a vertical mill and a small lathe that are from a similar era. They were originally driven from an overhead shaft but they have been adapted to each have it's own electric motor.

I remember a metal shaper in the apprentice training machine shop (back in the 60's). We were shown it in operation and told that they were a thing of the past and it only survived because the instructor thought that it would benefit us apprentices to see how things were done before CNC took over.

 

[Beej]

Man, you have the best toys...

 

[T_Bone_TL]

Just two words (from a guy with 3, or is it 4? flat belt drive lathes in various states of whatever) - Belt Guards. They are not period correct. They may be unsightly (but I'm sure you can manage to avoid that.) They are worth their weight in fingers.

 

[dloase]

Thanks for sharing Bruce. Your shop and the tools you use are amazing.

 

[BishopJP]

That Royersford is amazing!
I don't know much about vintage power tools; I'm guessing the stepped drive wheels allow for gear/speed change without needing to re-tension the drive belt?

 

[basshack]

Still floored with awe every time you post pictures of your shop. You sure you don't need a 53 year old apprentice? I am very good with sweeping floors and getting lunch orders, making coffee, running errands.

 

[Bruce Johnson]

By the way, for any of you who are drooling over my Royersford 21 drill press: There's one for sale on CraigsList right near me for $300. The exact same machine as mine, fully running and functional, not as pretty. Needs a cleaning and repaint. He was listing it for $500, and has now reduced it to $300. So, it's going to the scrap yard soon if someone doesn't grab it. Look on Ventura County CraigsList, for Royersford Drill Press.

 

[Bruce Johnson]

Just two words (from a guy with 3, or is it 4? flat belt drive lathes in various states of whatever) - Belt Guards. They are not period correct. They may be unsightly (but I'm sure you can manage to avoid that.) They are worth their weight in fingers.

No question about it, all those exposed belts and gears are the main reason that these fine old machines are getting scrapped. They don't meet modern safety standards for use anywhere with employees or students or the general public. To meet OSHA standards, you have to build a cabinet or cage around most of the machine. The Royersford 21 that I pointed to in the CraigsList ad has a cage around all the belts. Changing speeds or doing the daily oiling becomes a hassle. Most companies won't have old machines like this any more. That's why they are being sold for scrap prices these days. Only a few dedicated hobbyists/collectors like me will buy them.

I'm not going to put big cages and guards on my machines. That's my decision, because I have these machines primarily for their historic value. I want them to be in their original working form. Other than the Royersford 21, these machines aren't going to be daily workers for me. And I'm going to be the only person running them.

In general, flat leather belt drives aren't as dangerous as they appear in pictures. They run pretty slow. Overhead lineshafts are typically set up to run 200-400 rpm. That big main drive belt on my Royersford 21 is going 150-400 rpm on the pulleys. Much lower tension than a modern V-belt; they are stretchy and springy. Bumping up against the belt itself isn't going to hurt you, other than a skin burn or a cut from the Alligator (joint) clip going by.

Of course, you don't want to get a finger in the pinch point where the belt goes around the pulley. I may add small blocker bars/plates on a few of the most exposed pulley pinch points. I've got some ideas on how to do that discreetly.

 

[Bruce Johnson]

That Royersford is amazing!
I don't know much about vintage power tools; I'm guessing the stepped drive wheels allow for gear/speed change without needing to re-tension the drive belt?

Yes, the stepped flat belt pulleys are for changing speeds. The pulleys are in pairs, one on top and one on the bottom, with the steps reversed. The diameters of the steps are worked out so that the belt length is the same for each of the positions. Normally, you change speeds by manually sliding the belt (with the machine shut off!!!) from one step to the next. Usually, there's no need to adjust the tension when changing speeds. It's easier than it looks to slip the belt from one step to another.

These leather belts have much less tension on them than you need to have on a V-Belt. The leather is fairly springy, like a big flat rubber band. These flat belt drives work best when there's a fair distance between the two pulleys, like 6 feet or more. The longer distance allows more stretch in the belt, so it gets better traction on the pulley and stays centered better. Closer together, and it's tougher to keep it all aligned and together. In line shaft shops, you'll see flat belts running between pulleys that are 10 or 20 feet apart.

You'd think that the belts would always be running off the sides of the pulleys and flying off, but they are designed to self-center as they run. Look close at the pulleys and you'll see that the steps aren't flat; they actually have a slight crown. The belt stretches to balance itself on that crown to stay centered.

The belt tension isn't very fussy, and is adjusted by fairly crude methods. On the big Royersford, the tension of the main belt is adjusted with shims under the yoke that holds the lower jack shaft. It's bolted down on the base, and the shims go between the yoke and the base. When I fitted a new belt on it, I first put some scraps of 1/4" aluminum plate under the yoke to raise the whole jack shaft up 1/4". I measured, cut, and joined the belt to be a snug fit around the pulleys like that. Then I took out the aluminum and tightened the yoke down onto the base. Stretching the belt 1/4" centerline to centerline (1/2" total) worked out just right for the tension.

In a line shaft shop, belt tension is mostly adjusted by sliding the machine an inch or two on the floor. Note that the belts going up to the overhead shaft are usually going up at a small angle, not straight up. That's so you can adjust the tension by moving the machine.

About the belts themselves: Genuine traditional leather belts are cut in a strip right down the center of a hide, so that they stretch in a straight line. That's important, and it also makes them expensive these days. That 2" x 14' belt on the Royersford is almost $200! Fortunately, the guys I bought the Royersford from put it on there! The ends are joined by Alligator Clips, soft metal strips that attached to each end with a hammer and a vise. A steel pin connects them together. That's nice, because you can easily pull the pin and take the belt off a complex pulley system. It's the Alligator clips that make the traditional click-click-click when these systems run.

Belting up a shop full of line shaft machines today in genuine leather would get quite expensive! But fortunately, technology has come to the rescue! These days, they make synthetic flat belt stock which works much better than leather. Fiber reinforced, better stretch characteristics, much better traction on the pulleys, and much less expensive. And, they make it in brown which even looks like leather! A synthetic 2" x 14' belt for the Royersford is about $40. So, as I put together my collection of old machines, I'll be doing it with synthetic belts.

The Royersford 21 has 8 speeds total. There are 4 positions of the main belt on the step pulleys. Plus, on the upper shaft, just in front of the step pulley, is a back-drive gear set transmission. Direct drive or down into Low Range. So you get 4 speeds in Direct and 4 in Low. I forget all the numbers, but the lowest speed is 17 rpm and the highest is about 480 rpm. Back in those days, drill presses ran much slower because the metallurgy of drill bits wasn't as tough as it is today. In 1920, you'd drill a 1" hole in steel plate at 170 rpm with a big old machine like this. I've done it, and it isn't as slow as you'd think. High downward pressure and high torque in place of high speed. The steel comes out in a big spiral.