Thread: Mortice Machine

That might interest both the antique machinery collectors and the Australian machinery collectors. It is at least 110 years old, probably older.

The manufacturer used the name Thomas McPherson and Son from 1860 to 1913. It changed its name to McPherson Pty Ltd in 1913.
Thomas McPherson & Son - Corporate entry - Guide to Australian Business Records

The morticer has had the electric motor ( single phase I think) and the whole chain assembly bolted on later by someone . Its not a hollow chisel type mortiser by the looks but the earlier solid chisel type and has a solid chisel in it now. The bevel gear was hand cranked I think and the hand crank is gone . Someone in Vintage machinery here was restoring one some time back with pictures included in the thread. The crank drove a drill bit and a solid chisel was used later I'm pretty sure. The Mcpherson badge has been placed over where the manufacturer badge was once rivet on by the looks.

Rob.

That's the thread . Its a different design , earlier again probably , but a similar vintage machine type.
Look at the right image in post 5.

FW Reynolds Imperial Drilling and Mortising machine

Hi Graeme,
Many thanks for your message. Something to consider.
Paul

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Hi Rob,
Thank you for the intel and thread.
Paul

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Hi Rob,
Thank you for the intel and thread.
Paul

Originally Posted by auscab

The Mcpherson badge has been placed over where the manufacturer badge was once rivet on by the looks.

Missed that, Rob, but obvious when you actually look.

McPherson Badge.jpg

Just raises yet more questions. Who was the original maker? Australia or overseas? What role did McPhersons play - importer, distributor, wholesaler, retailer? The only firm date is that badge is a type that McPhersons used up until 1913.

This is getting way, way beyond my knowledge level.

Paul - it might be worth contacting Glen Rundell at the Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades in Ballarat to see if they're interested in buying it?

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Just raises yet more questions. Who was the original maker? Australia or overseas? What role did McPhersons play - importer, distributor,

They are OS makes usually. I’ve never seen an Aussie one . I’ve seen Robinson and Mathieson makes as well as the Reynolds in that thread. There are plenty more makers of them.
Mcphersons was a big dealer / importer that also manufactured stuff here. Macson lathes I think were theirs.
Rob

I went to a guys house once to buy a bandsaw and he had three sitting in his garden. And I know a chair maker who still uses one on his tables. He drills a hole at the end and pushes the chisel into that moving along. He loves it.

Here’s a couple of old Mortisers sitting in the todoit corner, under the lineshaft.

One is a Sydney made thump job complete with a few chisels.
The other a Matherson hollow chisel from Glasgow which is a worn out but unbutchered lineshaft driven machine.

My first Mortiser I mounted a single phase motor with a Jacobs chuck on a roughly welded mount and bolted that onto an old lineshaft machine.
This was about 50 years ago and I remember how ‘Heath Robinson’ the drive was on this machine.
It was a great Mortiser and did a massive amount of work before I moved it on to that bloke in the ‘Gong who runs classes etc.
H.