Sippy Historic Machine Shop
Sippy’s Historic Machine Shop is only three years old, but it was built as a replica and from the contents of a 114-year-old Meadville machine shop (Foriska’s Machine Shop).
This machine shop is a great example to explain this year’s Tribune theme of “What Matters,” as the answer to “what matters” will be a personal, moving target; it will most likely be something that you have already achieved and that you are. now using to develop something new.
What matters to a homeless person would be housing, a hungry person would be food, etc. As needs are met, humanity continues to work on what matters, easily taking for granted what mattered yesterday.
Sippy Historic Machine Shop was created to preserve and showcase “what mattered” in the machining industry in the early 1900’s so that future generations will have a place to visit and learn how they developed the ideas of our ancestors in products and remember how our society achieved so much.
The first thing a visitor will notice is the number of windows, which matter since in 1910 there was no electric lighting. When you enter immediately, you notice the smell – lubricating oil and cutting oils – they are important, since during this period there were only caps and sleeves, pre-ball bearings. Then you’ll see the overhead line shaft full of wooden pulleys and leather belts driving the individual machines, with the single drive belt attached to the engine room, making the engine in there really matter.
The lathes and mills are second-generation equipment, not as crude as the earlier models, but still belt-driven. In this small shop in Meadville, Fred Davenport developed, patented, and built such items as machine tools and fixtures (a working Davenport Mill is shown), automotive and marine engine timers, fan blades, exhaust systems, expandable reamers, boring heads. , and boring machines.
You can see and explore Davenport’s original office and drawing board, filled with drawings, plans and patents. The office also displays the NTMA “Legends Series,” a collection from the 1990s honoring 20 of Meadville’s mechanization pioneers. Hundreds of technical books of the time are on display, and they were what mattered to these craftsmen who learned their skills as apprentices. Davenports first edition of the machinery handbook is shown, as well as the second, third, sixth, 10th, 14th and 18th editions.
Hookless Fastener Co. established operations in Meadville in 1913 and dominated Meadvillle’s manufacturing industry for 50 years. Two of the Talon “chain machines” developed by Gideon Sundbeck are shown, along with other Talon artifacts.
Obviously, what Lon Sippy cares about is that this Machine Shop story is not lost. He is developing a machine shop timeline to list all machine shops and tool makers in the Meadville area and needs your help. You are invited and welcome to come and take a tour by calling or texting (814) 671-4001.
