Ohlsson & Rice: Sugar Bush Supplies Co Quick-Tap Drill

[CNew 404]

Here is my newest addition. I picked up this Sugar Bush Supplies Company drill for tapping Maple trees. This company was based out of Lansing, Michigan.  The gentleman I bought this from was super nice and knew a few things about it after he contacted the company. This may be 1 of only a few made. It has the original box and an interesting modification to the carburetor choke lever. A little lever has been attached to help with accessing it since the motor is really crammed up inside the housing. I cleaned out the gas tank today as it was full of sludge and some rust. I’ve got more photos but I’ve hit the limit for file size.

Edited August 24, 2019 by CNew
Title change

[pmackellow 2,738]

Thats very nice !!!

 

Good find

 

[factory 487]

Nice find, looks to have been well looked after too.

The gearbox looks very similar to that used on the earlier Drillgine drill or the Comet version, I never noticed before that the later ones are slightly different.

Does it still have the instructions that the storage box refers to?

 

David

[CNew 404]

Overall I think it's in pretty good shape. It needs the typical thorough going through and carb rebuild.  I'm sure the gear box grease is all gummed up too.  It's a really neat unit.  Unfortunately the only instructions are on the pink piece of paper glued to the inside lid of the box.

[Wallfish 698]

What a great find. Always nice to see an unknown tool show up.

 

On 8/24/2019 at 2:42 PM, CNew said:

I’ve got more photos but I’ve hit the limit for file size.

Become a supporter and have unlimited space. It's a small investment to help keep the lights on around here. Karl hosts the site and it costs money to do it and he doesn't go the advertising route, as so many places do. Click the "STORE" button up in the yellow banner

[CNew 404]

Thanks Wallfish - I will look into the Supporter option!

[JUST O&R 237]

That's nice, great shape. No that's better then great shape. like the instructions ( READ INSTRUCTION AGAIN ) It would

be nice if some of my customers would do that.

[factory 487]

Instructions!!!  very little seems to come with those these days, usually only get a few pages of elf & safety information, how to recycle/dispose of it, sign up here for extended guarantee (no thanks) and nothing on how to actually use it.

 

Sugar bush seems to be the name given to farms with a lot of maple trees producing maple syrup, sugar bush farms may have anywhere from a few hundred to many thousands of maple trees, which may explain the larger than normal gas tank.

I've not found anything on this drill yet but have found several power tapping products made by other companies in the 1960's, including a larger 2¾HP engine powered version and a battery powered electric version.

 

David

[factory 487]

Found a 620RPM KING Drillgine (re-branded) in the Maple Syrup Digest (Jan 1964) on page 15;

http://www.maplesyrupdigest.org/?p=125

It seems the Sugar Bush Supplies Company had much smaller ads than competitor Geo. H. Soule Co. Inc.

 

David

[CNew 404]

That’s awesome David - thank you for all the great research and info!

[K-TRON 24]

That is really neat. I have a G.H. Grimm tree tapper. It is nothing more than a backpack frame and a Power Products AH-36 engine with a Jacobs chuck on the crankshaft. I gather that this was a two person operation and the guy wearing the backpack was directed backwards to drill the trees by his partner. At 1.5hp it sounds sufficient in power. I did not know that there was an O&R gas powered drill other than the Drillgine. I have heard of a Homelite XL-12 powered drill, but I have never seen one.

 

Chris

[CNew 404]

Your GH Gimm Tree tapper sounds pretty cool. I feel pretty fortunate to have come across this O&R drill. I hadn’t ever seen anything other than the Drillgine either. I noticed this Sugar Bush one also has a couple brackets on each side that look like they were intended for a neck strap harness or something.  This is my first O&R tool that is a bit unique.

[CNew 404]

I couldn’t find much info on the GH Grimm drill. I’d love to see some photos - feel free to PM me.

On 8/26/2019 at 8:14 AM, factory said:

Found a 620RPM KING Drillgine (re-branded) in the Maple Syrup Digest (Jan 1964) on page 15;

http://www.maplesyrupdigest.org/?p=125

It seems the Sugar Bush Supplies Company had much smaller ads than competitor Geo. H. Soule Co. Inc.

 

David

 Finally had a chance to look this up. Nice find David - I don’t know how you find this kind of info.... Always very much appreciated.

[factory 487]

On 8/31/2019 at 4:57 AM, K-TRON said:

I have a G.H. Grimm tree tapper. It is nothing more than a backpack frame and a Power Products AH-36 engine with a Jacobs chuck on the crankshaft. I gather that this was a two person operation and the guy wearing the backpack was directed backwards to drill the trees by his partner. At 1.5hp it sounds sufficient in power.

 

Is it anything like the backpack tapping machines shown on page 12 of the 1961 catalog archived by Dominion & Grimm here?:

http://www.dominiongrimm.ca/en/liquidation

 

Also a similar machine which was invented & patented by R.L. Soule and E.I. Soule, known as the King portable power tree tapper, see about 2/3rds of the way down the page here;

http://maplesyruphistory.com/2019/03/23/evaporator-company-histories-george-h-soule/

 

David

[K-TRON 24]

I have physically seen the King Portable Power Tree Tapper before, it is quite the setup for tapping trees

 

Chris

My G.H. Grimm is sadly not as intriguing, it is literally a backpack frame and an engine with a Jacobs chuck on it. It must have been the poor mans model of the King tapper. If this did not have a G.H. Grimm tag on it I would have chalked it up a homemade.

 

Chris

[factory 487]

On 8/31/2019 at 4:57 AM, K-TRON said:

I did not know that there was an O&R gas powered drill other than the Drillgine.

 

There are at least two more O&R powered drills, the Petro Chug-A-Drill and the 3 speed Bridges Mini-Mota drill.

https://myoldmachine.com/topic/1404-bridges-mini-mota-3-speed-drill/

https://myoldmachine.com/topic/1375-restored-petro-drill-chug-a-drill/

 

And another, the Savidge Drill mentioned in one of the magazine articles in the 'sticky' thread, we haven't seen one of these yet as far as I know;

Popular Science January 1962 pages 191 & 192, 194 & 214 Savidge Drill.

 

David

[factory 487]

7 hours ago, CNew said:

Finally had a chance to look this up. Nice find David - I don’t know how you find this kind of info.... Always very much appreciated.

 

Well I googled the Sugar Bush Supplies Co which eventually lead me to the archive for the Maple Syrup Digest, I spent a while looking through all the 1960's editions and could only find the one O&R (the King Drillgine).

 

53 minutes ago, K-TRON said:

My G.H. Grimm is sadly not as intriguing, it is literally a backpack frame and an engine with a Jacobs chuck on it. It must have been the poor mans model of the King tapper. If this did not have a G.H. Grimm tag on it I would have chalked it up a homemade. 

 

G.H. Grimm of Rutland Vermont & Geo. H. Soule. of St Albans Vermont seem to have had some similar products.

The G.H. Soule. Queen tapper looks similar but not identical to your G.H. Grimm tree tapper, I'm not sure if the engine is the same either, see page 10 of the Maple Syrup Digest from Jan 1962.

http://www.maplesyrupdigest.org/?m=196201
 

David

[CNew 404]

2 hours ago, factory said:

And another, the Savidge Drill mentioned in one of the magazine articles in the 'sticky' thread, we haven't seen one of these yet as far as I know;

Popular Science January 1962 pages 191 & 192, 194 & 214 Savidge Drill.

 

David

 

That Savidge drill would be really neat to see!