Excelsior Henderson assembly line

[Greybeard]

Excelsior Henderson assembly line in their brand new factory built by Ignaz Schwinn in Chicago.

Photo courtesy of the Vintagent

[limeyrob]

Love the row of vices and work bench.  There were almost certainly some parts that were hand made or hand finished to fit.  My grandfather worked on the production of Vickers guns in WW1.  He could file a flat or square edge perfectly without any guide.  One day he filed a point on a screw and it was perfectly centered.

[Rex]

Most engineering apprentices were taught to file correctly and accurately though.
Marking out, cutting off and accurately filing a 1/2" circular disc to go through a similar hole in 1/2" plate with no light showing through the gap can be a killer though as the disc has to fit in any position.

[limeyrob]

I'm still getting counselling from the cone / triangle thing that had to be hand filed to fit a 1/2 thick plate with a square , triangle and round hole.  We were allowed about 10 thou, if it was wrong it went in the bin and you started again.  It took nearly a week to make one.  One of the worst parts was filling the flat on the bar but leaving the base round, one slip and it was in the bin.  I still have it in a box, in a box, in another box with 3 locks, just to be sure it never gets out.

[muskrat]

G'day Fellas.
Why do they build them upside-down? Ah, must be for the Australian market 
Cheers

[Klaus]

Frame is fixed in the tube for the saddle, in this position it is easy to fit all parts espectialy the fork and wheels.

cheers Klaus