Photo Index - Rowley & Hermance Co. - "Sweepstakes"

Machinery Photo Index

Manufactured/Badged by:
Rowley & Hermance Co.
Williamsport, PA

Machine Specifications
Machine Class:	Wood Working Machinery
Machine Type:	Planer, Wood
Machine Size:	24" X 6"
Submitted By:	Eric LaVelle

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	"Sweepstakes"
Date of Manufacturer:	1884
Serial Number:
Last Updated	9/29/2007 5:32:59 PM

Comments:

I bought this machine from a friend of owwmer Dave Heinlein and picked it up at West Hurley, NY in late May of 2003. It has since been named "Lucky".

Lucky had the following problems:

Heavy rust on the bearing areas of the cutterhead shaft, and both countershafts from being left under a tarp after removal from the machine.
Worn out cutterhead bearings, and 8 worn out feed roll bearings.
Cracks in the long unmachined section of the table, in one of the 20" pulley spokes, and in the t-slotted hold down part on the outfeed end of the machine.
Worn shaft that holds the geared feed roll pulley.
General dirty condition with adjustments hard to turn and caked with dried oil and sawdust, all machined parts rusty but not pitted, and the old paint job was just about gone.
Entire molding head assembly missing (4th head on outfeed end).

I have done the following restoration work:

Total disassembly, cleanup, repaint, and reassembly including reproduction of the original paint job as closely as possible.
Repouring of 10 bearings which include all 8 feed roll bearings and the cutterhead bearings.
Scraping of the cutterhead bearings (not quite finished, but close).

Others did the following work for me:

Cleaning of rusty shafts on a metal lathe.
Brazing of all cracked parts.
Weld and remachining of the geared feed roll pulley shaft.

I will be updating this as the work is completed.

Restoration was finished and planer running as of July 2007.

Photo 1:

Comments: Entire machine
Source: myself

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Photo 2:

Comments: Outfeed end with closeup of paint scheme
Source: myself

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