W.B.Haigh & Co Ltd Mortiser

[ab1]

I thought I would share some pictures of a mortiser I purchased off Ebay a while ago.
It currently holds a 1 1/2" chisel.
The pulley at the top drives the auger in the chisel. The pulley at the bottom drives the chisel into the timber. When the lever (foot pedal) at the front is pressed, a clutch is engaged and the chisel driven into the wood. There is an adjustment lever on the side which I believe changes the depth of the stroke.
The machine is very solid and very heavy considering it is not overly large in size.
I plan to get it operational sometime soon. I am considering mounting 2 motors. It would be a shame to do this, however, I have no plans on setting up overhead line shafts.
Andrew.

[sion.dovey]

Wow, that's a rare beast! I like to see Haigh machines, anything of their name seems to be few and far between. I think they were big makers in their time but the traces have all but vanished. It will be fantastic to see it going however you choose to power it, but personally i hope you manage to keep it as original as possible, flat belt machines are more fun!

[camoz]

Andrew,

Great find. As Sion mentioned not a lot seen. They were established in 1854. In their 1924 catalogue their claim is "We make only one quality of machine, namely - The Best!".

From the pictures, I think your machine is a type "IKA" Automatic Horizontal Hollow Chisel Morticing Machine.

At 813kg's she is no light weight. She is capable of Morticing up to 1 1/4" in hardwood, and 1 1/2" in softwood with a variable stroke of between 3 1/2" and 6" and is capable of accepting timber up to 11" wide by 6" deep. With fast and loose pulleys of 12"(d)x4 1/2"(W), it was designed to be run using a 7B.H.P with a countershaft speed of 850RPM.

I assume the second last photo shows the quick return mechanism?

I am looking forward to seeing how you progress.

cheers,

Camo

[ab1]

Thanks Camo, that is great information. It will help in selecting the motors to run it. As I said earlier, I would love to keep it original, however, I need to have the ability to wheel it out when needed. I'm thinking about fitting a 2hp 3ph motor on top to run the auger. This may bolt to the top slide and move with the chisel. I have not yet figured out the 2nd motor yet. I have my old Wadkin mortiser to restore first.

[L.S.Barker1970]

Hi Andrew,
I am very familiar with your W.B.Haigh
Mortiser, as my brother and I picked it up for the previous owner many years ago.
We picked up the mortiser and a 32 inch Cresent bandsaw for my Dad, all from the same seller.
As I recall, the owner before him said it came from the Jas Smith factory in Ballarat, they were well known for their manafacture of agricultural machinery, wool presses in particular.
Have you had a good inspection in behind the inspection cover ?
I remember there were some teeth missing or broken on the rack system ?
An easy fix, if you have a good welder and small angle grinder.
Hope you got all the chisels with it to, there was a good selection.
Glad you ended up with this machine well done !

Melbourne Matty.

[ab1]

Hi Matty,

It is a small world isn't it. I got about 5 or 6 inch and half chisels with it. More than I will ever need.

I have not had a good inspection under it yet. It is currently sitting in the shed gathering dust. I plan to get it going one day, however, it will probably only ever happen if I get a use for it. If I happen to suddenly open up a post and rail fence business, it would be perfect.

I like the idea if welding on some new teeth. It makes sense. I would never have thought of doing that. Next time I need to move it, I'll have a look under it.

Cheers,

Andrew.