From April 1942 Tool Engineer

Cullman Wheel Co. was established in 1893 by German immigrant Philip Cullman and sons Otto and Philip, Jr. They began with by manufacturing bicycles and bicycle wheels but by the late 1800s their primary product was sprockets. The original factory was at 554 Larrabee St., Chicago, and in 1903 moved in to larger premises at 1344-1354 Altgeld St. The business incorporated in 1904. At some point the senior Cullman died and Otto Cullman became president. Under his guidance the company expanded substantially.

In 1930 the company began making drive units to convert flat-belt lathes and other machine tools to electric motor drive; this business continued until the end of World War II when the demand dried up. They continued to be a major manufacturer of chain drive sprockets, differentials, and roller chains for early trucks, tractors, and other vehicles. In later years they would diversify into other products, such as well pumps. The company survived until about 1983 when it went under.

None of the above-mentioned products really qualify listing this company on this Vintage Machinery website. However, we have seen several lathes identified as made by Cullman Wheel Co.; in fact, we are fairly certain that all those lathes were manufactured by various other firms and had after-market drive units applied to them. Since the drive-unit based have the Cullman name prominently marked on it, a casual observer may assume that Cullman made the whole machine.

Information Sources

• 1918 book Manufacturing and Wholesale Industries of Chicago has a writeup on the Cullman Wheel Company and a biography of Otto Cullman. This source confirms the founders, the date of founding, original address, date of incorporation, and notes a bicycle-hub patent granted to Otto Cullman.
• 1924-08-16 Domestic Engineering/a> has an ad for a deep-well pump from Cullman Wheel Co., 1342 Altgeld Street, Chicago.
• December 1930 Machinery, vol. 37 p. 312.

  Lathe Drive Attachment

  Announcement was recently made that an individual motor unit which can be quickly and easily attached to cone pulley lathes of from 14 to 36 in. swing had been placed on the market by the Cullman Wheel Company of Chicago.

  This drive unit is supported by means of a bracket mounted at the rear of the headstock and secured to the lathe by four clamping bolts. At the upper end of this bracket is mounted a shaft on which the driving mechanism bracket pivots. On the latter bracket is assembled a motor and a Cullman speed reducer having a shaft extension for the driving cone pulley. The motor is provided with a reversible drum switch, which has an extension located conveniently for the operator. An adjustment for obtaining the proper belt tension and facilitating the shifting of the belt is obtained by means of a short lever which serves to move the entire unit up or down. The driving cone pulley is the one used originally on the old countershaft.

• November 1945 Machinery.

  Machine Tool Drives—Cullman Wheel Co., 1352 N. Altgeld St., Chicago, Ill. Bulletin on machine tool drives consisting of individual electrical motor units designed to eliminate countershaft and overheld belting arrangements, and adaptable to engine lathes, bench lathes, shapers, milling machines, screw machines, punch presses, and other machine Tools...
  Sprockets—Cullman Wheel Co., 1352 N. Altgeld St., Chicago, Ill. Catalogue 21. (79 pages, 8 1/2 by 11 inches), containing complete tabulated data on block and roller sprockets and chains, hubs and flexible couplings, silent chains and sprockets, and machine tool drives; also includes horsepower tables and sprocket diameter tables. ...
  Speed Reducers—Cullman Wheel Co., 1352 N. Altgeld St., Chicago, Ill. Catalogue 9, covering speed reducers made in single- and double-reduction types for motors from 1/4 to 15 H.P., and with adjustable motor bases or for use with standard flange type motors.

• A 1989 appeal of a divorce judgement provides some small information on the later company history.
• Company registration information indicated that Cullman Wheel Co. was involuntarily dissolved on 1983-11-10.
• Known from a couple of examples of a cast-iron lathe with the name cast into the drive housing. One example we have seen pictures of is of a bowl-lathe form (i.e., no bed or tailstock), but is likely intended for facing wheels.
• We have multiple reports of lathes manufactured by this firm but the name is always on the drive unit, not the lathe. We find no evidence that they ever manufactured lathes or other machinery other than the motor-drive conversion units.
• A correspondent says he purchased a metal lathe with a Cullman Wheel Co. drive unit type 400L, serial #21885, drive shaft speed 153 RPM, 2 HP motor, 1800 RPM.
• A bicycle history website lists Cullman Wheel Company as manufacturing bicycles 1895-98.
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• A website on bicycles lists this firm as a maker of bicycles from 1895 through 1898.