Photo Index - Enterprise Co. - Variety Woodworker

Machinery Photo Index

Manufactured/Badged by:
Enterprise Co.
Columbiana, OH

Machine Specifications
Machine Class:	Wood Working Machinery
Machine Type:	Combo Machine
Machine Size:	12"
Submitted By:	Dick Streff

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	Variety Woodworker
Date of Manufacturer:	?
Serial Number:	1009
Last Updated	1/7/2008 12:00:00 AM

Comments:

This machine came courtesy of an OWWM lurker who offered it up for sale in the classifieds some time ago. I had an interest in the machine but the distance from Omaha to the Columbus, OH area precluded me picking up the machine immediately myself. After several fits and starts of having the machine ruckered over the course of several months I finally had cause to head through that area of the country in concert with some other machinery deals and made the trip right after the New Year.

All variety woodworkers are pretty unique machines. This one so far to me is one of a kind. I have never seen another Enterprise woodshop machine from this era of machinery. They were well known for their sawmill equipment, but the only woodworking machinery I am familiar with was from their later aquisition of the heavier Crescent goods in the early 1950's.

The overall design of the machine suggest it might be from the early part of the century. I have not removed the head from the machine though and at a glance it appears that cutterhead shaft rides on ball bearings. Their is a babbit bearing at the far outboard end of the shaft beyond the drive pulley. But the removable support on the front and the back bearing housings both look like ball bearing fixtures and have grease zerks.

The machine took a catastrophic shot to the base at one time and you can see the crude but effective fix put on it at some point. The machine is attached to a thick piece of steel plate and has a couple "peg legs" holding it up on the outfeed end. Amazingly the rest of the castings are sound with no evidence of any damage.

There must have been a rear boring table setup at one time that is lost to history. The ways and raising screw are still present.

The tables have a somewhat unique adjustment mechanism. The large left and right handwheels operate the screws for the table wedges through bevel gears. There is a locking handwheel missing on the infeed handwheel that when tightened would lock a clutch in the raising shaft mechanisms and operated the screws for both beds simultaneously for molding operations. Each table is independently adjustable fore and aft also. The lower handwheel on the infeed side of the base raises and lowers the rear support table through another series of bevel miter gears.

I need a machine like this like a hole in the head, but the coolness factor of all the adjustments, etc. was too much to pass up. That combined with the oddball status of the machine made it irresistible. If any member can add to the meager amount of Enterprise dirty paper on the mothership and could add any more info about this unique machine I'd much appreciate it.

Photo 1:

Comments: Front of machine
Source: my Coolpix

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Photo 2:

Comments: Rear of machine
Source: my Coolpix

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Photo 3:

Comments: Maker's badge
Source: my Coolpix

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