1 Attachment(s)
Truck wooden cab and body fabrication in Britain during the 1940s
Just general information that might not be available in the not too distant future.
I apprenticed as a truck cab and body builder (after working in the drawing office as a draftsman for about one year) at the firm of Oswald Tillotson in northern England, from 1947 to 1950. Cabs and Flat Bed Bodies were hand built of wood with only minimal metal work at that time (the cabs were finished with sheet metal - van and panel truck bodies were just starting to be built using extruded aluminum sections and sheeting). I worked mostly in the cab shop doing joinery and door making/installing, although I occasionally built flat bed truck bodies (under the watchful eyes and guidance of senior craftsmen) as did all apprentices, from time to time.
Unlike building cabs that required considerable skill, building flat bed truck bodies was simple and straight forward - it was more akin to carpentry than fine woodworking (and something like kit building). Because of this, some basic flat bed truck body building was assigned to apprentices who could thereby hone their skills under the watchful eyes of senior craftsmen. Quality of work was the guiding principle.
I think Tillotson's physical plant was typical of similar British manufacturing businesses of the period. There was no compressed air system in any of the woodworking shops and therefor pneumatic tools were not used. There was overhead electric and natural lighting throughout and electrical outlets were provided in most shops. The Mill Shop had electrically operated machinery: circular saws, band saws, planers, sanders, drilling machines, shapers/routers, etc. There were no individually owned electrical hand-operated tools used such as circular saws, screw drivers, jigsaws, sanders, glue guns, nail guns, routers, etc.
Tools and equipment
I used a pretty basic tool kit when building flat beds. Other apprentices used a similar selection of hand tools as depicted here. Upon being given the assignment, I would usually take my tool box, and/or a tote containing the tools I anticipated using, to the job site and set up a makeshift work bench using heavy boards on two saw horses.
Rip hand saws and jointer/jack bench planes were not needed as all lumber had been sawn and planed straight and square in the Mill Shop (but not cut to length) and so only smoothing and block planes were needed to dress up joints, etc.
Specialized tools such as Rabbet planes, Industrial electric screwdrivers, etc. were checked out of the stock room as needed.
Equipment: There was always plenty of company owned communal equipment available for anyone's use in all the shops.
- Water trough grindstone.
- Saw benches/horses - standard shop equipment.
- Glue pots - Double boiler.
- Sash/bar clamps (cramps - Brit.) - various capacities.
- Squaring sticks - standard shop equipment.
- Body rollers - 6 ft Lengths of 3" diameter heavy pipe.
- Wooden step-stools and folding ladders - standard shop equipment.
