3-Way Table

Daniel Scully

PCS Member
Super Site Supporter
Got it all to work and was able to have new bushings made , now back together.
 

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Nice work! My '56 Superior has what would appear to be the same track system and a "Manual Mound" arrangement. I don't have a table for it and I can't seem to find any details on it. Have you ever seen one for sale, and/or would you be willing to post some dimensions, etc. so I could build one?

Thanks!
 
Table

Tim , As far as I know Superior used the same table from the early 50,s up to 76. S&S used the same table in the 50,s and early 60,s.
 

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Thanks, Daniel; great information, and it gives me some hope that I may find one! Just for clarity, are the S&S tables from the '50s and earl;y '60s the same table as used in the Superiors?
 
Thanks, Daniel; great information, and it gives me some hope that I may find one! Just for clarity, are the S&S tables from the '50s and early '60s the same table as used in the Superiors?
 
Tables were unique to individual coach builders. As Daniel mentioned, Superior's tables remained the same in both overall size and castings used for multi-year period. Finishes changed with the times and roller/runner placement on them did vary up however.

No need reinventing wheel building a table from scratch. Superior tables aren't that difficult to find. (Not like you need a Eureka table!) Becomes more of a logistical issue finding one in closer proximity. Besides, although coming up with rollers & runners to fabricate a table is easy, securing cast handles and other edge pieces are not. Even a table having rotted wood would provide template and necessary components to then ultimately finish as desired.

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With all due respect, throughout the Fifties and into the early Sixties both Superior and S&S acquired their three-way tables and mechanisms from Eureka - the sole surviving original Heise patent holder. You'll note the similarities in the pictures shown of the Superior and S&S tables shown above. When Eureka went out of buisiness, Superior bought the firm's assets - including the rights to the Eureka tyhree-way table. Superior went on to improve on the original design and S&S perfected their own table based on the earlier Eureka designs. Miller got their tables and mechanisms from Henney so, when Henney went under, they were forced to develop their own tabes. I vividly remember seeing these tables being assembled in the Piqua plant in the late Sixties and the early Seventies.
 
Table

With all due respect, throughout the Fifties and into the early Sixties both Superior and S&S acquired their three-way tables and mechanisms from Eureka - the sole surviving original Heise patent holder. You'll note the similarities in the pictures shown of the Superior and S&S tables shown above. When Eureka enet out of buisiness, Superior bought the firm's assets - including the rights to the Eureka tyhree-way table. Superior went on to improve on the original design and S&S perfected their own table based on the earlier Eureka designs. Miller got their tables and mechanisms from Henney so, when Henney went under, they were forced to develop their own tabes. I vividly remember seeing these tables being assembled in the Piqua plant in the late Sixties and the early Seventies.

I would assume that is what this tag means?
 

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Daniel, the answer to your question regarding the Superor tag on the table is...yes and no. The three-way or side-servicing table had a long and complicated history. Side servicing was invented by Wilbur Myers and introduced in 1926 on Eureka products. Three-way servicing was conceived by Bill Heise, patented and placed into production by Henney in late 1927. Eureka later revised its mechanism to offer three-way servicing. Henney sold three-way mechanisms and tables to A. J. Miller and Cunningham while Eureka sold them to Flxible, Meteor, and S&S. This eventually led to a protracted and rather nasty law suit with Henney sueing Eureka and its customers. In the meantime Henney and Heise continued development on these tables and Earl Schofield - who worked for Henney - developed a power assisted three-way table which Henney patented and placed into production. The law suit was eventually settled in Henney's favor but, an agreement had been reached between Henney and Eureka. From then on, Eureka contiinued to supply tables and mechanisms to Superior, S&S and Meteor while Henney sold these to Flxible, Miller and Cunningham. When Henney went out of business in 1954, and after halting the production of three-way tables, most manufacturers sourced these from Eureka but, the original patents awarded to Myers, Heise and Schofield still applied. When Eureka went out of business in 1964, Superior purchased the defunct firm's parts inventories and the rights to the tables and continued producing them - making significant improvements over the years. As I said, it's a long and complicated story but, the tag on your table does have historical significance - but perhaps only to us professonal car enthusiasts. The full history of this table and the complications and legal aspects of the invention can be found in McPherson's Eureka and Henney books.
 
Having diligently read (and understanding) shared table supply, exposed finished products still differ and were tailored to coach builder. Overall dimensions, runners, pins, tracking, solenoids, switches, etc. are communal. Rollers, handles, and edge castings are not.

Note those discrepancies between Superior table shown above and Eureka table.

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Thanks, gents; very helpful. I'll keep checking the forum periodically for compatible tables for sale. If anyone comes across one, please let me know!

As Attila mentioned, it probably is a fool's errand to try and piece one together, but refurbishing a rough one could be a fun project!
 
By the way, does anyone have a picture handy showing the complete underside of a casket table? I have a fair idea of how my manual one would operate mechanically but I'd like to have a complete mental picture.
 
Pics

The Superiors have 2 plates on the bottom with rollers.One is like a guide and other is the pivot point. The head that controls which way it goes out is the clever part of the design. Same design either power or not.
 

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Thanks again, Dan. So I guess the front roller would go to one side of the track or the other, and the rear one would stay in the center, correct?

My table track is manual - would the direction the table goes out just depend on which side you're pulling from?

"The head that controls which way it goes out" - is that the chrome mechanism at the front/center of the track? What part of on the underside of the table does it engage? Mine has a patent plate that says "Manual Mound" near it.

I hope I'm not missing more pieces than I thought...

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Table

Looks like from the pics only thing missing is the table and the shuttle bolt that goes thru the table an into the shuttle track. When you pull the cable from either lt or rt the catch comes down and only lets the table go lt or rt. When it is pushed back in it hits the round knob in the head piece and it lets the track head to pop up and lock the table in place.
 

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Great! Can you provide any details about the shuttle bolt? Looks like it would be located close to the innermost hole of the bier pin track?
 
Thanks for sharing

Thanks to all of you who have contributed to this thread. I feel like I'm watching an episode of "How It's Made." Always wondered what was under the table and how it was guided. Thanks again!
 
Dan, could you list what color wires are on the motor and where they go? That motor and mount looks like the one that is in the '60 handicap limo I have.
 
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