Wooden Cabinet Makers

[camtechman]

Most of my collection of transistor radios consist of plastic cased radios but I do have some rexine type covered wooden (plywood) ones.

On some of these wooden ones, the manufacturer's name has been stamped inside and two names seem to be common: Vic Hallam Ltd & Taylor Made.

I've obtained the history of Vic Hallam online but I've not been able to do the same for Taylor Made, so any info on this manufacturer would be welcome.

Besides these two manufacturers and in house made cabinets, were there any other third party companies that made wooden cabinets for radio manufacturers?

My latest acquisition is a Decca TP75 Debutante, stamped on the inside with Vic Hallam Ltd and with a very helpful date: 11 October 1962.

Why is this helpful?.....because it indicates that the Decca chassis is an early production version that uses Texas Instrument transistors, instead of the Mullard OC range and also has a different pcb track layout than that shown in R&TV Servicing & ERT (from 1964).

[Herald1360]

Originally Posted by camtechman

Why is this helpful?.....because it indicates that the Decca chassis is an early production version that uses Texas Instrument transistors, instead of the Mullard OC range and also has a different pcb track layout than that shown in R&TV Servicing & ERT

Hmm, haven't you already noticed the transistors even before you read the case label?

Though it could confirm that the set has its original cabinet.

[Paul_RK]

Taylor Made, that rings a bell - I'm thinking they were responsible for the cabinets of Ekco's first transistor model, the BPT333.

The Roberts company history relates a long-term relationship with A. E. Kevern Ltd. of Haverhill, Suffolk, who made Roberts' cabinets from 1932 until 1977 when Kevern's were ready to sell up and Roberts bought the company.

I do believe I've seen a Schrieber stamp on one or two early Fidelity sets, perhaps the Florida model.

Paul

[camtechman]

Originally Posted by Herald1360

haven't you already noticed the transistors even before you read the case label?

My sister bought the radio at a local second hand/junk shop for £2.00 and it's a wreck & a beautiful 'tan' colour, no, not a real tan colour but underneath the years old thick nicotine coating, it's mushroom colour.

So, I only gave it a quick glance, also noticing the wrecked tuning dial & pointer and, at that point, I had a quick look inside and that's when I saw the cabinet stamp but, as the nicotine smell overcome me, into a zip close plastic bag it went.

It wasn't until yesterday that I printed out the ERT service sheet from Paul's Service Data DVD and curiosity overcame me and I took a closer look inside and saw the transistors and checked with R.Morg and found Howard Craven's file on the TP75 where Mullard OC transistors are fitted.

The main problem with this radio is that someone has had a go at trying to remove the stuck fast tuning knob and has damaged it & the tuning pointer and, in doing so, has over turned the dial past the tuning capacitor's stop points and badly damaged it.

So, this morning, I removed the compact dialectric VC and set about taking it to pieces, the results of the 80 odd parts can be seen in the pic below.

Originally Posted by Paul_RK

I do believe I've seen a Schrieber stamp

Paul, I seem to remember one of my other radios has that too!

Tony

[Nickthedentist]

I have a Hacker Mayflower (the rarer MkI version) whose cabinet is stamped as being by Schreiber too.

[Herald1360]

A company trading as Taylormade still exists- no idea if it's the same one.....

http://www.yell.com/biz/taylor-made-...ywood-4359384/

Also seems to be known as Paul Taylor cabinet makers.

[Panrock]

Don't know if they were significant players in the field, but "Messrs. Tallon of Rugby" were cited by Practical Television as a supplier of cabinets for their Argus television kit.

Steve

[AC/HL]

Depends on how far you want to go back. Peto Scott made cabinets for the Cossor Melody Makers.

[vidjoman]

I remember a firm called P A Glock in Crayford, Kent back in the 60's that made cabinets for Vox guitar amps and also made some for a range of audio mixers that we made. They may also have made cabinets for radio's as well.

[terrybull]

Vic Hallam is a name very familiar to me and I am sure one of my uncles worked there. He will have long since passed away but I will ask my 90 year old mother why I know the firms name.

[audiomagpie]

Originally Posted by Panrock

Don't know if they were significant players in the field, but "Messrs. Tallon of Rugby" were cited by Practical Television as a supplier of cabinets for their Argus television kit.

Just been talking to a chap I know who 'served his time' at Tallon in Rugby during the late 50's. He tells me that they had a very good reputation as cabinet makers and made many cabinets for GEC who were making radio and TV sets 15 miles away in Coventry. It was a good business until the founding owner retired, his son took over and within a short time it went bust! Allegedly!

Greg

[Nickthedentist]

My newly-acquired Ekco A277 has "Pan Brit" stamped on the inside of its cabinet.

Nick.

[yestertech]

Found this in my archives from many years back :

Bush VHF 64/94 Cabinets by HOLBRO =
Holmes Brothers , London ( Walthamstow ? )
Dates stamped in VHF 94 cabinets :

Ser # 00720 8/1960
Ser # 01402 3/1961
Ser # 01625 4/1961 equates to c.900 sets in approx 8 months or around 110 sets per year hence very low production run ??

Superb cabinets !

Andy

[Jeremy Lefever]

Originally Posted by Nickthedentist

My newly-acquired Ekco A277 has "Pan Brit" stamped on the inside of its cabinet.

Hi Nick

Pan Brit was The British Panel Company and was a company belonging to my grandfather & father (for those really interested; Charles William Lefever (1890 - 1967) and Leslie Charles Lefever (1928 - ?? respectively). They both changed their names every now and again to Lefevre. The company was wound up in the late 50s or very early 60s. I remember going there a few times when I was 5 or 6, but I've yet to find anything about this company at all, or where it was exactly.

When wooden cabinets went out of fashion (and were regarded a bit dangerous with valves getting quite hot, and mains dropper resistors doing the same), the TV and radio manufacturers went with other materials.

The company tried to diversify making tables and chairs, similar to what Habitat were selling years later. They used to buy in veneers, mainly from France and glue them together and bend the wood sheets (like plywood) on steam rollers and presses. Hence the round shapes.
Regards

[Edward Huggins]

When I was a Product Designer for Pye we used a large factory called "Cabinet Industries" on the A10 near Enfield for much of our production. The average batch size was usually quite large. They were still in production until about 18 years ago, but not sure if they are still going or have changed name. Edward

[Nickthedentist]

Hi Jeremy and thanks for getting in touch. It's always very interesting to hear from people who have first-hand information about companies involved with radio manufacture (which is why Edward's posts are often fascinating too)

You can see more pics of my Ekco in this thread:https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...d.php?t=117195

And this is the Pan Brit stamp: https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...1&d=1433848349

I presume your father is still with us. Do you know where in London the company was?

N.

[Andrewausfa]

Camden High Street per Companies House, maybe that was just offices.

Andrew

[Nickthedentist]

Thanks Andrew.

[Ex Greeny]

With regard to Wooden Cabinet Manufacturers. A post by Yestertech on 7th March 2014, stated that Holmes Brothers of London made Bush VHF 94 cabinets in 1960 and 1961. I have a 1936 Pye T17 with a beautiful veneered cabinet made by the same Company, it is the best radio cabinet that I have yet encountered. All credit to Holmes Brothers as they seemed to have been in that business for a good number of years.

[Vintage Engr]

I also remember Cabinet Industries, they also had a factory in Billet Road Walthamstow.
They manufactured cabinets for a vast range of radio & TV companies.
One reason for my remembering where they were, was that in the early '60's when I was in the R&TV servicing business we used to have horrendous interference problems in that vicinity (VHF TV), because they used RF heating equipment to bend some of the plywood cabinets.