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Snow & Co. Machine Tool Builders


Guest Falls

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Hello,

I'm intested in the history of Snow & Co. They were a company that built machine tools, principly surface grinders.

Their registerd office was originally 20-22 Stanley Street but the works were over on Andrews Street. The company was a family run business but in the 1970's it was sold to Elliot Machine Tools.

The works eventually closed but the buildings were only demolished about 2-3 years ago to make way for the new link road crossing the Wicker.

Regards

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Guest Old Canny Street Kid

Hello,

I'm intested in the history of Snow & Co. They were a company that built machine tools, principly surface grinders.

There registerd office was originally 20-22 Stanley Street but there works were over on Andrews Street. The company was a family run business but in the 1970's it was sold to Elliot Machine Tools.

The works eventually closed but the buildings were only demolished about 2-3 years ago to make way for the new link road crossing the Wicker.

Regards

I remember an old pal of mine called Keith Armitage served his apprenticeship at Snow's, and worked there in the 1950s. He was later with the Sheffield Twist Drill Co. As I recall, he always said that Snow's was a great place for a youngster to learn his trade, and certainly the firm had a very good reputation.

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Hello,

I'm intested in the history of Snow & Co. They were a company that built machine tools, principly surface grinders.

There registerd office was originally 20-22 Stanley Street but there works were over on Andrews Street. The company was a family run business but in the 1970's it was sold to Elliot Machine Tools.

The works eventually closed but the buildings were only demolished about 2-3 years ago to make way for the new link road crossing the Wicker.

Regards

Hi,

Hope you receive this message, as it's just about a year ago that you asked for help !

My Dad used to work at Snow's - just spoken to him about this, and after seeing you're from Canada he mentioned a job that 2 of his work mates travelled over there to do - Trevor Kirk & Harrold Freeman.

Just wondered if you did ever find anything out about Snows, as I've googled but not found anything.

WOuld love to hear from you if you have any information.

Best wishes.

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Bentley Bros had a Snow & Co surface grinder. I worked in their engine shop on Saville Street and spent many hours pushing and pulling cylinder heads backwords and forwards until they were level. At one time we had a lot of problems with our recon Bedford 300 diesel engines blowing head gaskets. Vauxhall Motors said it was our surface grinder that was at fault, until that is, they were told it was made by Snow. It turned out that we had been given wrong info from the factory regarding the fit of the dry cylinder liners. W/E.

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Hi,

Hope you receive this message, as it's just about a year ago that you asked for help !

My Dad used to work at Snow's - just spoken to him about this, and after seeing you're from Canada he mentioned a job that 2 of his work mates travelled over there to do - Trevor Kirk & Harrold Freeman.

Just wondered if you did ever find anything out about Snows, as I've googled but not found anything.

WOuld love to hear from you if you have any information.

Best wishes.

Hello,

Tried sending you a PM but the SH system doesn't want to oblige. This has been an ongoing problem. As for Snow's, my interest was strictly personal.

Both my parents worked there and I grew up on the works (1937-1960). My best recollections are for years 1940-60. If your dad worked there in those years, perhaps we knew some of the same people.

The managers in my years were: Arthur Smith, Mr. Noble and Arnold Thompson.

The formen were: wee pipe France, George Wilkinson, Jack Shirtcliffe, George Rhodes.

I never worked for Snow's. I had a better offer from Davy United.

Regards

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Bentley Bros had a Snow & Co surface grinder. I worked in their engine shop on Saville Street and spent many hours pushing and pulling cylinder heads backwords and forwards until they were level. At one time we had a lot of problems with our recon Bedford 300 diesel engines blowing head gaskets. Vauxhall Motors said it was our surface grinder that was at fault, until that is, they were told it was made by Snow. It turned out that we had been given wrong info from the factory regarding the fit of the dry cylinder liners. W/E.

Hello,

If the machine you were using was built like a table with the grindstone sticking up through a circular slot,. it would be a Snow's T14 or T20. The "T" was for Table and the numbers were the diameter of the grinding wheel in inches. The starter was usually at the front and it would have a hand wheel sticking up at the back for adjusting the projection of the stone above the table top. Any of this sound familiar?

Regards

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Hello,

If the machine you were using was built like a table with the grindstone sticking up through a circular slot,. it would be a Snow's T14 or T20. The "T" was for Table and the numbers were the diameter of the grinding wheel in inches. The starter was usually at the front and it would have a hand wheel sticking up at the back for adjusting the projection of the stone above the table top. Any of this sound familiar?

Regards

Hi Falls. Yes, it sounds very familiar. Ours would have been the T 20 as the circular grindstone was quite large. As you say the starter was on the front [i can hear it start up and smell the grinding dust even now] and the hand wheel would then be adjusted depending on how warped the cylinder head was, then gradually wound back down to get smooth level finish. Every now and again it would be my job to get rid of the grinding dust thet would build up inside the machine, though this was usually left until we had a job breathing. Thinking about it now, no mask, no safety glasses, no gloves, how have we survived ? Regards, W/E.

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Guest monktop

I remember an old pal of mine called Keith Armitage served his apprenticeship at Snow's, and worked there in the 1950s. He was later with the Sheffield Twist Drill Co. As I recall, he always said that Snow's was a great place for a youngster to learn his trade, and certainly the firm had a very good reputation.

I also served as an apprentice then returned after being in the

RAF for three years now an ex pat in south Africa

regards

Don Cross

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I also served as an apprentice then returned after being in the

RAF for three years now an ex pat in south Africa

regards

Don Cross

Hi Don and welcome to Sheffield History,

I noticed that you had a problem replying to the post,

so have inserted the text that we received from you.

If it is not correct it can always be edited or removed.

Steve

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Ronald G. Snow, Snow and Co. Ltd; homes :

53 Hampton Road, Crabtree (1911)

120 Union Road (1919 and 1925)

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Guest monktop

Hi

Thanks for your prompt reply ref Snows

I worked with Jack Ransom for a number of years

[OS54s open sides and V12 vertical grinders

Jack Shirtclif was the shop foreman

Sam and Lewie were the expert scrapers

Sid Little and I[joined the RAF together

later returned after four years to finish my training to fully skilled fitter

J remember a few more who [also worked there

best regards

Don Cr[oss

Monktop

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Guest monktop

Hi,

Hope you receive this message, as it's just about a year ago that you asked for help !

My Dad used to work at Snow's - just spoken to him about this, and after seeing you're from Canada he mentioned a job that 2 of his work mates travelled over there to do - Trevor Kirk & Harrold Freeman.

Just wondered if you did ever find anything out about Snows, as I've googled but not found anything.

WOuld love to hear from you if you have any information.

Best wishes.

I worked at Snows for a total of seven years man and boy\with a break of four years

in the RAF

i AM ON FACEBOOK AND MY E MAIL IS cross.donald@gmail.com

I lived in CROOKES IN sheffield 1932 to 1953

now in[ South Africa --Capetown

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Guest monktop

Hi,

Hope you receive this message, as it's just about a year ago that you asked for help !

My Dad used to work at Snow's - just spoken to him about this, and after seeing you're from Canada he mentioned a job that 2 of his work mates travelled over there to do - Trevor Kirk & Harrold Freeman.

Just wondered if you did ever find anything out about Snows, as I've googled but not found anything.

WOuld love to hear from you if you have any information.

Best wishes.

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Guest monktop

Hi

I WORKED AT SNOWS FOR 9 YEARS MAN AND BOY

AS A SKILLED MACHINE TOOL FITTER DURING THE WAR

LEFT IN 1953 TO NORMALAIR IN YEOVIL EXPERIMENTAL WORK

THEN LEFT FOR SOUTH AFRICA IN 1966

MY E MAIL cross.donald@gmail.com

ALSO ON FACEBOOK

BEST REGARDS

MONKTOP

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Guest monktop

Hi

My name is Don Cross

I started at the age of 14 at Snows

worked there approx nine years

left in 1953 with one break for RAF service

I worked with Jack Ransome building

OS 54s and V12 VERTICAL machines amongst others

T --TABLE MACHINES WERE BUILT AT SA WARD

Under contrct to Snow and Co

J remember quite a few of workmates there Jqack shirtclif

was the shop foreman at that time

I was promoted to install new machine when required

my e mail is cross.donald@gmail.com

J

I am 84 years old in July this year living near Cape Town

best regards

MONKTOP

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Guest monktop

Hi Don and welcome to Sheffield History,

I noticed that you had a problem replying to the post,

so have inserted the text that we received from you.

If it is not correct it can always be edited or removed.

Steve

HI

MONKTOP HERE

THANKS FOR THE REPLY

THE POST I SENT CAN REMAIN

I AM A BIT CONFUSED WITH TWITTER

FACEBOOK AND GOOGLE EARTH ETC ETC

BEST REGARDS

DON CROSS

MONKTOP

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Guest monktop

Hi my name is Donald Cross

I lived in Crookes at 24 truswell avenue off cross lane

I worked at snows during the war as a boy aged 14

for a total of nine years building os54 and v12 surface grinders

if you wish to know some of the histiry and people who

worked there contact me on e mail below

cross.donald@gmail.com.za

South Africa Cape Town

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Guest monktop

Hi

My name is don cross ex pat in South Africa Cape Town

My old address in 1940 was 24 Truswell Avenue Crookes Sheffield 10

I worked at Snows int twicker for a total of 9 years --man and boy

shift work nights and days during the war building os 54s and V12 etc

Jack Shircliff was the foreman

I recall many people I worked with

Contact me now if you wish

cross.donald@gmal.com.za

regards

MONKTOP

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Guest monktop9

I remember an old pal of mine called Keith Armitage served his apprenticeship at Snow's, and worked there in the 1950s. He was later with the Sheffield Twist Drill Co. As I recall, he always said that Snow's was a great place for a youngster to learn his trade, and certainly the firm had a very good reputation.

Hi

My name is Don Cross

I served my aprentiship during the war years

I now live in South Africa born in Sheffield 1926

emai cross.donald@gmail.com

ps I recall your pal

DON CROSS

WORKED WITH JACK RANSOME

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Guest monktop9

Hello,

Tried sending you a PM but the SH system doesn't want to oblige. This has been an ongoing problem. As for Snow's, my interest was strictly personal.

Both my parents worked there and I grew up on the works (1937-1960). My best recollections are for years 1940-60. If your dad worked there in those years, perhaps we knew some of the same people.

The managers in my years were: Arthur Smith, Mr. Noble and Arnold Thompson.

The formen were: wee pipe France, George Wilkinson, Jack Shirtcliffe, George Rhodes.

I never worked for Snow's. I had a better offer from Davy United.

Regards

I knew all the men at snows I worked there for years 1940 to 1953

cross.donald@gmail.com in South Africa born in1926 Sheffield 10

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Guest alberic

Hello,

I'm intested in the history of Snow & Co. They were a company that built machine tools, principly surface grinders.

There registerd office was originally 20-22 Stanley Street but there works were over on Andrews Street. The company was a family run business but in the 1970's it was sold to Elliot Machine Tools.

The works eventually closed but the buildings were only demolished about 2-3 years ago to make way for the new link road crossing the Wicker.

Regards

My father Stan Lilley worked there from being an apprentice fitter before the war (when he was in the RAF), to something grandly called European Sales Engineer - he left in the mid 1970's.

It was a remarkable firm: the MD in my Dads time was Jack Snow. He used to be very good friends with Arnold Thompson. They made the precision tools that ground the blades of the RB 211 rolls royce jet engine and were obviously a very high tech company in their time. My mum has photos of Dad showing round a Japanese trade delegation in what must have been the early 1960's. They did a lot of business re-building the French machine tools industry which had been "exported" to Germany during the war and my father often worked in Paris where he spoke French with a very Sheffield accent.

I remember it being a magical rather scary place when I was a child and the very international life my father seemd to live when British precision engineering was still very highly regarded everywhere. He worked in Spain, Czechoslovakia, the far east. Surface Grinding was the companies big speciliality and I believe in their time they were the best.

He always said the unions did for Snows (working class tory to the roots he was) and the company did have a bad time in 1970's meeting its orders and with increasingly poor relations between mnagament and unions especially when the paternalistic Snow family sold out to Elliot Automatic (and computer control was introduced). Who knows...

My father had had an exceptional engineering training (first at Davy United in the 1930s); at the end of his life he kept a workshop at the back of his garage were he made models of Machine tools (and spare parts for his cars). He was a lovely man and died in 2000 of motor neurone disease. Snows was the highlight of his working life and I think life there in the early years must have been wonderful and the loss of it all is a great sadness.

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My father Stan Lilley worked there from being an apprentice fitter before the war (when he was in the RAF), to something grandly called European Sales Engineer - he left in the mid 1970's.

It was a remarkable firm: the MD in my Dads time was Jack Snow. He used to be very good friends with Arnold Thompson. They made the precision tools that ground the blades of the RB 211 rolls royce jet engine and were obviously a very high tech company in their time. My mum has photos of Dad showing round a Japanese trade delegation in what must have been the early 1960's. They did a lot of business re-building the French machine tools industry which had been "exported" to Germany during the war and my father often worked in Paris where he spoke French with a very Sheffield accent.

My father had had an exceptional engineering training (first at Davy United in the 1930s); at the end of his life he kept a workshop at the back of his garage were he made models of Machine tools (and spare parts for his cars). He was a lovely man and died in 2000 of motor neurone disease. Snows was the highlight of his working life and I think life there in the early years must have been wonderful and the loss of it all is a great sadness.

Hello,

The name Stan Lilley sounds very familiar but i cant put a face to it I'm affraid. Interesting to note you Dad started at Davy United (D-U) and then went to Snow's while I lived at Snows and then trained at D-U. Talking about D-U, a genteman called "Lilley" was head forman in the 6 Bay installation shop at Darnall when I was an apprentice. Any relation?

Regards

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Guest alberic

Hello,

The name Stan Lilley sounds very familiar but i cant put a face to it I'm affraid. Interesting to note you Dad started at Davy United (D-U) and then went to Snow's while I lived at Snows and then trained at D-U. Talking about D-U, a genteman called "Lilley" was head forman in the 6 Bay installation shop at Darnall when I was an apprentice. Any relation?

Regards

My father was only ever an apprentice at D-U I'm pretty sure. He worked at Darnall I recall. He moved to Snows but hen he joined the RAF at 17 was a rear gunner in 101 squadron (and grew and maintained a very RAF moustache), then went to India and then returned to Snows in about 1947 asa fitter then onwards (Jack Snow took him under his wing), Such remarkable lives, I look back in awe. His father George called Jud was also a machine tool man; and his uncles (Juds brothers) Arnold and Lionel and Joel. Men I hardly knew, some of them meisters. Tough, tactiturn yorkshiremen of their time: they either drank or were religious (my Dad used to say), Jud who was by all accounts a very talented engineer but a difficult man may well have been Head Foreman (we have a photograph of him during the war showing Sir Stafford Crips round an experimental workshop staffed by women in special sterile kits - I ought to post it ), he was thin and boxed and emigrated to Australia in the 50's. I get the impression that if you worked for him you would not necessarily remember it that fondly!

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Guest sammyopisite

When I worked for "Pickfords" in the 60 s and 70s we used to deliver quite a few of their machines to customers all over the country and we usually installed them at the delivery point. If I recall correctly it was a fairly awkward place to reverse an articulated low loader into the loading bay as it was on the corner at an angle to Stanley Street.

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