Let's Get ‘Em Out of the Barn!

	Note the small generator located opposite the Hercules engine. It is an Auto-Lite generator used in early car lighting systems. The company eventually became the Autolite Co. of spark plug fame.

Two Enthusiasts Build an Impressive Line Shaft Display Wagon

By Kirk Unzelman and Mike Intlekofer

We have been collecting belt-driven equipment for years, simply because we have a weakness for anything with a pulley on it. The equipment we've collected had been stored in our barns and garages, gathering dust while we waited for an opportunity to use them. That opportunity finally came along in the form of a steel-wheeled wagon we acquired from an acquaintance in Oregon. The wagon provided a perfect base for mounting our assortment of equipment, and for supporting the line shafts to drive it all.

The result is a working display of belt-driven tools that dynamically demonstrates how various equipment was powered before the electric motor came along.

An advantage of the wagon display is that we can roll it off a trailer and into position, and it's ready to show – no tedious lugging of materials to set up, and no unpacking.

At the heart of the display lies a venerable 1919 Hercules 1-1/2 HP Type E engine. The main drive belt runs from the engine pulley to line shaft pulley. When the clutch lever is pushed, the engine rolls forward, putting slack in the belt and stopping the shaft. Note springs under the engine to tension the belt.

It took us an entire winter to build up the display, as we had to restore each piece of equipment to some extent, mount it on the wagon, then adjust it for proper operation. The line shafts are 1-1/2-inch cold-rolled steel, supported on ball bearing pillow blocks. To improve visibility and give adequate pulley clearance, we placed the shafts on top of steel pedestals, which are bolted and braced to the wagon top.

The power source is a 1919 Hercules 1-1/2 HP Type E hopper-cooled engine with a Webster Tripolar Oscillator magneto. This engine is old but eager, and will run almost everything on the wagon at once, and at about 400 rpm. The Little Wonder feed grinder takes quite a bit of power, so we have to unbelt a few other tools when we use that particular piece.

Putting Things Together

We had to make several important decisions in the proc.. your own belts. Belts also show up at swap meets, but of course you have little control on size or length.

“How are the belts spliced?” Answer: We use a material called Clipper lacing. It consists of a row of stainless steel hooks, and is sold in 12-inch lengths. It is cut to length and applied to the belts with a tool called a belt lacer, which does a neat job of installing a row of loops to each end of the belt. Then, a steel wire is run through the interlaced loops, completing the belt.

A David Bradley “Little Wonder” feed grinder. Behind it is a B.F. Sturtevant centrifugal blower.

“Why do you use a chain to link the two line shafts?” Answer: Three reasons: (1) the chain and sprockets take up less room on the shafts than a belt and pulleys, (2) the chain and sprockets cost less than a corresponding belt and two pulleys (if you have to buy the pulleys), and (3) it is educational to show another form of power transmission. Note the chain never slips and never runs off the pulleys.

“Do the belts ever slip?” Answer: If the belts and pulleys are properly sized for the job, then slippage is rare. If a belt tends to slip, we increase tension, cross the belt for more contact on the pulleys (note this reverses direction of rotation), or we apply a belt dressing spray.

	A Champion Forge & Blower Co. bench grinder. The chain and sprocket assembly linking the two line shafts is visible in the background.

“Where do you get pulleys?” Answer: Used pulleys can be found at all the usual used hardware places. New ones are available from industrial suppliers and some Gas Engine Magazine advertisers. We have also made our own pulleys from aluminum and wood. A split pulley is especially valuable, since you can mount it on a shaft without removing all the other pulleys and bearings.

One of our goals was to have every tool operational, so we have some light bulbs glowing on the generator and a block of wood to drill on the drill press. The only tool we haven't done something with yet is the air compressor, which we intend to have blowing up balloons or tooting a whistle – after all, we need some more projects for this coming winter. …

Contact engine enthusiast Kirk Unzelman at: 4635 130th Ave. S.E., Bellevue, WA 98006. Contact engine enthusiast Mike Intlekofer at: 4472 119th Ave. S.E., Bellevue, WA 98006.