Re: Introduction and awaiting my first Wheeler and Wilson
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Carolyn; I hate to be the bearer of Bad News, However;? A W&W 9 machine is not an easy machine to convert to handcrank. If you go to the photo section on page 9 I have submitted pictures of two original W&W hand machines. One is a #9 with free standing crank, the other a D-9 with pillar mounted crank. I cannot recall seeing either of these crank assemblies available for sell separate & apart from the machine on which they were mounted.
The only Generic crank assembly I am aware of being offered at present is for Singer machines. Problem with these is even if you successfully managed to engineer a mounting system for the #9 they would turn the machine the wrong direction. In sewing the handwheel on the W&W 9 machines turns away from you, on the Singer it turns toward you.?
W&W got around this on the free standing crank by adding a third (reverse) gear to the gear train.? On the pillar mounted crank for the large drive gear they used an internally toothed gear with a regular external tooth spur gear on the machine main shaft. With either of these set-ups the machine turns the same direction as the crank. On the Singer crank the machine turns in an opposite direction from the crank.
Turning a crank back towards you is very tiring if any amount of sewing is to be done with it. One possibility is to rig up a belt drive but to get a good speed ratio one would be looking at about a 9" pulley for the drive pulley or an extra shaft with compound belting.
Offhand I do not recall the exact measurements on the W&W bed. A possibility is a secondary board to mount the W&W 9 on which would set in where the Singer fits. I am somewhat afraid though there is not enough difference in sizes to make this practical as would leave the rim around the machine to thin for proper support. You could look into this though for mounting in the treadle. Miller/TN
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