Emett's Crates

In Leeds there is a second collection of Rowland Emett creations that doesn't normally find its way into public display but they are still, in their way, a work of art. This is the set of eleven crates that Emett designed to allow safe transit of his machines around the world.

The crates in storage in Leeds.

We have avoided using these before as they are heavy and complex and, for short distance moves within the UK, careful handling and packing of the individual parts outside the crates can be potentially less hazardous. Solid looking crates can be an invite to careless handling and, unless everything in the crates is very well restrained sudden jolts can be very damaging.

Careful instructions.

For the move south on this occasion it was a requirement of the insurers that the machines should be in their crates. Only the prospect of form filling prevents us from claiming for the bits that did shake loose in transit!

A day becoming familiar with Emett's crates is a prospect both daunting and exciting. A preliminary investigation on their internal working made it obvious that Emett thought of everything. But that still doesn't prepare you for just how well thought out these packing cases are. On first inspection they are a random collection of brackets, pads and ties but, as you load them, the purpose of each of these becomes apparent. Some of the crates are illustrated with drawings carefully listing everything and the order in which items should be installed others offer little explanation but manage to become obvious as they are used. 

The simpler crates belong to the Chitty machines. This is presumably because this set was intended for the UK tour and the importance of dotting every 'i' and crossing every 't' was less pressing. Emett was very aware that the, sometimes novice, operatives unpacking and assembling his machines on the other side of the globe needed foolproof instructions unless a very expensive personal visit was required. He was also very aware that they may not speak English so he used visual clues.

A tight fit.

The Chitty machines all fit their cases snuggly, as the photographs illustrate, sometimes very snuggly. Most of them consist of a base fitted with castors onto which the machine is secured and an enclosing case split longitudinally in two. This allows easy access to the machine and, we realised later, the ability to get the cases themselves through a single door.

The Fairway Birdie.

The Fairway Birdie was the simplest of the bigger machines to dismantle and crate. The main element wheeled in through a door at the end of the crate, its wheels running in timber channels until engaging with a pair of galvanised steel half hoops that held them in place. A bolt on-bracket then clamped the other end of the machine firmly. The parts that had been removed each had their own purpose built brackets or containers, sometimes labelled but, anyway, obvious in their intended use.

Oh. OK then

The Exploratory Lunacycle has two crates. A large, long case with end doors that houses the main frame and a few of the smaller parts and another, smaller, case for the remainder of the machine. The large case is accessed from the end so that the cycle can be wheeled in and secured. On either side of the case, half way along, are two hatches which, when opened, give access to clamps that secure the outriggers in place.

The smaller case is a work of art. Each of he parts has its own place and a method of fixing tailored to the way that the machine assembles. The slots, threaded rods and mounting holes that are used to assemble the cycle are all re-used to mount them in the crate. To make it clear which piece goes where, and in what order, Emett drawings are pasted to the lid and the part is shown in silhouette behind its intended position.

The Humbug Major

The Featherstone Kite, being the most complex machine, has three boxes. The main one takes the frame, secured in the same way as the Fairway Birdie and some of the other components, again bracketed, annotated and illustrated. For good measure there is a warning over the doors to the case warning of the tight clearance when the frame is inserted. The other two cases are similar to that for the Lunacycle with a place for everything and everything in its place. This was brought home by the mounting for the two halves of the butterfly propeller. This is held in place on the machine by wing-nuts and in the box by slots and a clamp. A note in the instructions warns that the wing nuts need to be aligned vertically and it then became obvious that he had provided two slots to house the protrusions.

A crate of Kite parts.

Three of us took six hours to completely dismantle the machines, manouvre the crates into place in a tight space and pack the machine parts safely away. It was an entertaining and educational experience. Entertaining because the discovery of the function of seemingly arbitrary brackets would raise a smile. Educational because we now have an even deeper respect for Emett's ability to think things through.

The Featherstone Kite.