Line-Shaft

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

In my basement I have a 1908 Brown & Sharpe Milling Machine that will 
soon celebrate  its 100th birthday.  When it was installed at a new 
Chicago Technical High School in 1908, the whole class room was run by 
Line-Shaft from one electric motor.  In 1935, they built a new larger 
(4000+ student) building further to the northwest in the city.  Rather 
than replace all the machinery, the Bd of Ed ordered special units from 
the Cullman Wheel Co.  These units were mounted  right on top of the 
mill.  It consisted of an electric motor driving a step pulley and the 
leather belt to the machine,  You move a lever to put the belt in 
tension.  These type of units were a common Line-Shaft replacement on 
many machines in the 20's and 30's.  Since I moved the mill out of the 
school in the late 70's, it has worked great for many of my projects.

I have some photos of this mill and the old classroom posted on the 
Yahoo Brown & Sharpe site.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BrownandSharpe/


Ron Peisker