Helen Howes Sewing Machines

How To Mend a Pitman

The Pitman - the Missing Link...

Page written and samples made by John Stormes

The pitman is the link between the treadle plate and the wheel, they can be either wood or metal, but the fittings are different so they can't be swapped over. This Howto shows how to repair a broken wooden pitman. You could use the same methods to make a complete new pitman if your treadle does not have one, but you would have to make, or find alternatives for the adjuster screws.
Wooden pitmans often get damaged, if the treadle plate, or the drive wheel are removed, without disconnecting the pitman, the weight from either can break the pitman.

Tools and materials

You need some woodworking experience to do this, it can be done with hand tools, but it will be difficult to drill the large holes accurately without a pillar drill ;

Beech or suitable hardwood
Thin dowel 1/8 inch or 3mm
A fine hand saw
coping saw or fretsaw
sandpaper and sanding block
Good quality wood glue
Ruler
clamps
Drill and drill bits - Forstner bits are best for the large holes
Scrap wood and dowel to make a jig
Wood dye and wax or equivalent

I give very few dimensions in this Howto, measure them from your pitman, and the treadle. Any dimensions I give are the same on most treadles, but check anyway - measure twice, cut once, swear less.

This is the original pitman, it had a split through one end which had been glued back together with the pieces slightly misaligned.
This pitman came from a Jones treadle, but this page applies to any Pitman with the same type of adjuster. most Singer wooden pitmans have a plain hole at the bottom and an adjuster at the top

A new blank was cut from recycled beech, it is large enough to completely replace the split part.
The angled cut gives a larger glueing area between the new part and the old and the glue joint is stronger than an endgrain joint would be.
The shape of the original end was traced on to the blank and a hole drilled where the shaft sits, this makes it easier to line up the two halves of the Pitman.
Drill a hole through the end of the blank, for the adjuster, it needs to line up with the centre of the shaft. The hole should be a tight fit on the adjuster screw to hold it in place.
This can be done later, but the blank is easy to clamp down, and short enough to fit on a pillar drill.

Adjuster with new block

A jig was made from scrap wood and two short pieces of half inch steel rod, dowel would work just as well. The rods need to be long enough to put the blank on top of the pitman.
Pitmans are often thicker in the middle than at each end, so a piece of ply was added to each end, around each rod, so the ends are supported.

Place the pitman on the jig, and put the blank on top. line up the blank with the pitman, it may help to draw a centre line on the blank.
Using the blank as a guide, mark the diagonal line on the pitman for cutting.

Cut through the pitman, try to keep the cut vertical. Cut just outside the line.
Put the blank and the good part of the pitman on the jig, make sure that they sit in line and that the join touches all the way round, sand the pitman and blank as needed.

Glue the two parts together, use enough glue for it to squeeze out all around the join.
I have used a scrap of plywood and a wood screw to hold the pitman flat onto the jig. Clamp the two parts together, and leave them until the glue is dry, usually 24 hours, check the instructions on the glue if you are not sure.

Cut two short dowels, about 3mm or 1/8 inch diameter and drill two holes through the blank, into the pitman. The holes should not go all the way through, use masking tape on the drill bit, or set the depth stop on a pillar drill, to get the right depth.
Glue the dowels into the holes and leave to dry.

Drill the large hole for the adjuster, then use a coping saw or fretsaw to cut out between the holes, making a keyhole shape.
Sand the sides to match the adjuster block, if you don't have a block, make one and use it to test the fit.

Cut the blank to shape, take a pattern from the other end if you don't have a damaged one to work from.
Sand or carve the final shape, smooth over the join last.

I have deliberately made the new end slightly wider to give more strength, it cannot be made thicker as it won't fit on the drivewheel crank or on the shaft on the treadle plate.

Colour the pitman, I used fine sandpaper on the whole pitman, then a black spirit dye to give the same finish all over. When the dye is dry, I wax the surface to protect it.

The finished pitman with adjusters fitted, the join can only be seen if you look very closely.

This pitman had a damaged adjuster block, so I made a new one.
They are best made in pairs, the blocks I made are half an inch square and about 3/4 inch long.
Start with a strip of wood 1/2 inch thick and at least 3/4 inch wide, drill a half inch hole in the middle - this gives the curve at one end of the block.
Cut the sides down to give the right width, and sand smooth.
Drill a hole to take the end of the adjuster screw, this can go all the way through, as the hole in the curved space will act as a grease reservoir.
Dye the outside faces to match the pitman, and cover the curved bearing face with grease.

I no longer make these to order, sorry. If there are any in stock they will be HERE

My address is:-
Helen Howes
Helen Howes Sewing Machines
1 Castell Farm Cottages, Thurlton Road, Raveningham, Norfolk NR14 6NY. UK
07914 676182
Email me here - helen@helenhowes-sewingmachines.co.uk
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