Photo Index - Cowan & Co., Ltd. - Cowan 288 Hollow Chisel Mortiser

Machinery Photo Index

Manufactured/Badged by:
Cowan & Co., Ltd.
Galt, ON, Canada

Machine Specifications
Machine Class:	Wood Working Machinery
Machine Type:	Mortising Machine
Machine Size:
Submitted By:	Greg Hansen

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	Cowan 288 Hollow Chisel Mortiser
Date of Manufacturer:	Pre-1957
Serial Number:
Last Updated	4/7/2006 7:41:58 PM

Comments:

This is a Canadian-made mortiser from Cowan mfg. in Galt, Ontario. I bought it at a government surplus sale. It was used in the Shipwrights and Joiners shop at the Canadian naval base in Esquimalt, BC. (Canadian minesweepers used to be made out of top quality mahogany planking, and this machine probably played a part in maintaining them). It appears to have received a thorough rebuild before being declared surplus. It's got a 5" x 36" X/Y table, 24" vertical stroke, 14" horizontal stroke. The chuck accepts 3/4" o.d. bit bushings and 1 3/8" o.d. chisel bushings. 2hp 3 phase motor by English Electric, but could be easily replaced with any 56 frame single phase motor. It's foot operated: the large pedal raises the table, and gravity lowers it. The smaller pedal lowers the table if the chisel bogs down in the work. Relative pedal position is adjusted via a crank at lower right (removed in the photo). Four shots of WD-40 were enought to loosen up the mechanism. The table can now be raised without much effort, and is nicely counter-balanced so that it returns easily to the rest position. The table stop-rods and lower gearbox cover are missing but will be easily fabricated.

I'd like to hear from anyone having like machines -- and especially would like to find any old paper on it. Another one like it was recently sold at auction in Halifax, also from the navy dockyard.

Photo 1:

Comments: Cowan 288 before cleanup.
Source:

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Photo 2:

Comments: Da proof's in da puddin'.
Source: Greg Hansen

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