Old Welch electric motor w/variable speed/direction transmission

Old mid-century vintage laboratory experimental electric motor with a 90 degree variable speed traction drive transmission. This unit was made by The Welch Scientific Instrument Co. It combines a General Electric 1/20th horse power 115 vac electric motor with a 90 degree variable speed and direction traction drive transmission. The motor with the transmission is also mounted on a heavy cast iron base.

The motor is rated for 1.4 amps and 1725 rpm. The transmission output coupling has in inside diameter of 1/4". This is a 90 degree variable speed and direction traction drive and allows a large amount of flexibility for setup and use. The angle of the output shaft is adjustable by rotating the transmission housing relative to the motor shaft and by adjusting the screw on the end of the housing, you can change the speed and direction of rotation of the output shaft, but we're not sure of the exact maximum and minimum ratios.

We're not sure of the exact age of this as there is no date, but we're guessing about 1930 to 1960. Welch Scientific was formed under this name in 1908 and merged with Sargent to become Sargent-Welch in 1968.

This is in nice vintage condition and runs well, but there are only pigtails of wiring on the motor.

If you're interested, we've tried to explain how this transmission works below.

It consists of the motor shaft driving a disk on the end and there is a wheel attached to the power take off shaft that runs along on the face of the disk. As you move the wheel side to side across the face of the driven disk the speed of the power take off shaft changes because the wheel now runs on a smaller diameter circle. When the wheel passes over the centerline of the turning disk, the direction of the power take off shaft reverses because the wheel now runs backward.