T. R. Whiteman |
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Thornt, Son Robert, and Martha Whiteman (1944) |
Whiteman's Cabinet Shop, located on South Henry Avenue on the south side of the railroad tracks, was built between 1905 and 1908. The shop was built by Thornt R Whiteman who moved to Elkins in 1905 at the age of 31. Mr. Whiteman was born in Hampshire County, WV and worked as a carpenter for ten years prior to coming to Elkins. Whiteman teamed with Eugene D. Liller, an architect, in 1906 forming the firm Liller and Whitman. Together they gained a number of building contracts in the Elkins area and their knowledge and craftsmanship soon became well known throughout the area. Whiteman possessed the talents of a fine carpenter as well as the abilities to become a professional contractor. The combination lead him to build over 127 major buildings and houses in the Elkins area between 1905 and 1943. The list of buildings and homes include some of the finest that can be found in our area. Whiteman was married to Martha Gank and together they had 12 children (four boys and eight girls). In 1928 he built his family their own magnificent home on the corner of So. Henry Avenue and 13th Street where he and Martha raised their family. Whiteman was one of those men who loved the work he did and did so from early morning well into the evenings, whether he was on a building site, or working in his Cabinet Shop. In 1959, Whiteman turned the Shop over to his son Robert who continues the operation on a part-time basis today. In 1988 T.R. Whiteman died one month prior to his 92nd year.
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The Whiteman Home built in 1928 |
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| As you first step into the shop (below) you enter the finishing room where the fine cabinetry was assembled. A generous assortment of glue clamps hang on the walls along with the fine tools used for cabinet finishing. |
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| Working from left to right below, the first picture shows a depth view of the shops interior. The next picture shows a variety of cutting blades used to shape the wood. The picture on the right shows son Robert who continues the shop's tradition. |
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| The first picture below shows a rack with various pieces of lumber which have been sized and shaped. The second picture shows the very long radial arm saw table which is utilized for many different woodworking functions. |
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| The picture below shows a sanding machine built by Mr. Whiteman when he was 80 years old. If you would like to view a short movie of this machine in operation "click here." Please note that the video will load in a new window allowing you to continue looking at this page while the video loads onto your computer for viewing. As you watch the video take notice of the mechanism under the table that pushes the small cylindrical sander up and down approximately 1 1/2 inches. This keeps the wood from burning caused by sanding too long on one section of the disk. As you can see, making all these mechanisms work together and efficiently takes a certain type of mind. T.R. Whiteman had that ability. |
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pictures below show a variety of tools and the belts used to power the various pieces of
equipment. All the tools shown are run from a single motor. Today's motor is
electric, but over the years the equipment has been powered by gasoline engines and, in
the 1940's, it was powered by a natural gas engine. The first three pictures show the jointer, the tenon machine and the mortise machine. The tenon and mortise machines were used to make the wood panels in cabinets "fit" snugly together. Note in the second picture the wheel at the bottom right of the picture. The wheel has a chain wrapped around it with a weight hanging from it. The purpose was to put tension on the belt which ran this particular machine. The only way to turn the unit off quickly was to kick the weight to remove the pressure on the belt. Today there is an electric safety switch. |
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| The final three pictures give a better idea of how the tools are powered. The first picture shows the power belt coming from the main ceiling shaft down to the floor transfer unit. Here the power is channeled, by a shaft, pulley, and another belt to the jointer. It is important to remember that certain woodworking machines require certain amounts of Rpm's. Pulleys must be sized properly in order to attain the best possible speeds. The second pictures shows the main overhead shaft with wooden pulleys that transferred the shafts power to the various machines below. Note the tar on the face of the pulleys. Tar was used to give the slipping belts better traction, but in time, they had to be scrapped clean. The final picture shows a close-up of the shaft, a bearing joint, and a pulley. |
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