Slotting Machine

Slotting machine, c.1830. Vertical fluted pillar, 10' 9" high (328cm). Supporting cutting arm driven by three step pulley with flywheel on same shaft. below, table to hold work piece, adjustable for height with rotating face plate to which work was bolted. Date unknown but thought to be around 1830 based on the design. Small base with bolts to secure it to the floor. With plate at left to secure it to the beam. Floor area needed 3' x 3' (90 x 90 cm).

There are no maker’s identification marks on this slotter, and its origins are unknown although it is thought to date from the 1830s. It is made from cast iron, and features the decorative fluted column often found on machines from this period. The slotter’s gear teeth are hand-cut, which tended to be irregular and prone to wear and break. Several teeth on this machine have been replaced by pegs. The reason that this machine like so many others bears no makers name is that many engineering firms made their own tools. This was common practice throughout the nineteenth century, as was the method of repairing broken gear teeth with shaped pegs.