Montgomery Ward badged 1886 ? Machine
 

I just bought an antique treadle machine badged Montgomery Ward and Company Improved High Arm with gorgeous cabinetDefinitely not a Singer knock off. Patent date on front slide 1886, tensioning arrangement center top. Since it has never been electrified is there a way to add a hand crank?
[ATTACH=CONFIG]615794[/ATTACH]

I have this MW made by National. I use mine in a treadle no way to add hand crank. It would take a major modification to add one. Sorry

Yea, it is hard to find any hand cranks that aren't Singers and many machines don't have mounts for them.

Can’t bring myself to damage the machine. There are new hand cranks available, but there has to be a threaded hole in the column to hold it to the machine. Not there, and not going to be one.
Glenn, I need a manual or something that shows me how to thread and work the machine. Fortunately it came with a set of feet, needles, and the cabinet. I wish I could post a picture, but I get a message that the .jpeg won’t load. Any idea why?

I though this was probably a National. Do you have a manual or instructions for it? I have feet and needles which were in the cabinet, All in nice shape in a black box lined with velvet

good choice not to try to adapt it. It isn't just the screw hole. The boss is a protrusion with hard sides that the crank has to fit so it won't slip sideways., Also it would have to be set nearly perfectly in place on both axises. QB likes very small pics. redu[ATTACH=CONFIG]615805[/ATTACH]ce your and re-try.

Being a rectangular bed, it's more likely to be in the early 1900's for age.

This is an early National - yours looks quite similar.

https://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c...pscncruldn.jpg

This is an earlier Eldredge machine - made before National was formed.

https://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c...psjwxgppqg.jpg

https://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c...psfawcfj59.jpg

It looks almost exactly like my mother's New England Queen, made by National out of Illinois, but not sure of spelling of town, but Belvedere maybe? I still use mother's treadle, and have a UFO that I started on that machine. The quilt top is 3/4 way pieced.

Yep, Belvedere. One of mine was 12" away when I read this.

MW badged 1886 in full cabinet
 

How do I upload pictures from my phone?