In the machine shop of Knight Foundry here in Sutter Creek we have a Gray planer, flat belt drive from a line shaft. Its serial number is 1466. Anyone have any serial number information that covers this?
My 10th edition of _Serial Number Reference Book_ only goes back to s/n 6315 and the year 1922 for these.
David
When one cannot track the machine, track the company and what other people had to say about them.
P. 196-
"Endless Novelty: Specialty Production and American Industrialization, 1865-1925", Philip Scranton, found with a Google search, shows Gray had been Superintendent of Niles Tool Works before starting his own firm, 1880. The adoption of William Sellers' spiral gear drive as an 'option' came 1890, independent electric motors advertised 1892 onward, also an 'option', I am confident.
Google also finds line-art you might compare, "Railway Age Gazette" of 1910.
You can take it from there if you have not already read those.
Just a WAG, I'd place your one prior to WWI but perhaps not prior to 1900. The gap in serial # is a rather large one, but there had been a couple of economic downturns, end of the 1800's, and slow sales for new machinery after the war ended.
It may have taken some time to surpass the first 1000 planers, more yet to 6315, if even there were not numbering-system re-starts for version changes.
Also "If even..." the first one sold didn't already start with "1000" to make number sequencing easier, or to separate Gray's planer S/N from Gray's lathe S/N.
