The world was in turmoil at the beginning of the 1940s. The U.S. was committed to a policy of neutrality until its ships were attacked and sunk, at which time war was declared against Germany. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the War Production Board in January 1942, causing U.S. companies to shift to the production of materials that would contribute to the war effort.

Although not all companies changed their production, many did. For example, Ford Motor Co. produced B-24 Liberator bombers, eventually at the rate of one bomber every 63 minutes. Lionel Toy Train Co. made items such as compasses for ships. Alcoa Aluminum Co. built airplanes. General Motors made a wide variety of things such as tanks, machine guns and trucks. Smaller companies produced essential items in smaller quantities.
Little-known fan part of the war effort
Charles H. Ferguson of Port Chester, New York, invented a lightweight portable gasoline-powered electrical generator in 1921. He formed Home Electric Lighting Co. (later Homelite) to market his generators to home owners and farmers in rural areas not served by electric companies, and sales were brisk.
In 1946, Homelite introduced a chainsaw, followed by the first one-man chainsaw in 1949 and a lightweight chainsaw based on a magnesium-alloy frame in 1963. In the 1970s, Homelite expanded its offerings to include lawn and garden products such as string trimmers, leaf blowers and hedge trimmers.

Homelite was acquired by Textron in 1950. The company was sold to John Deere in 1994 and John Deere sold the company to Techtronic Industries in 2001. Homelite products were famous for their durability and reliability. This changed somewhat with the company’s sale to Techtronic and production was limited to consumer-grade lawn and garden equipment and light-duty chainsaws. Techtronic Industries is based in Hong Kong.

During World War II, Homelite made thousands of electrical generators that were fixed installations in tanks and bombers. Portable units were used to start aircraft or power radio equipment. Less familiar portable fans were used in facilities such as command centers and field hospitals and in situations where it was essential to eliminate toxic fumes as rapidly as possible.
Elevated to heirloom status
Allen Becker has lived his entire life in Boerne, Texas, in the scenic central Texas Hill Country. Although now retired, for over half a century Allen ran a home-based business repairing lawn mowers and other small-engine equipment. Approximately 30 years ago, he purchased a Homelite portable fan from an elderly customer. After an initial period of interest and attention, the fan was stored away in a shed where it resided until recently, when it came to mind and Allen retrieved it to show to friends and family members.

Although portable, the fan is constructed of cast iron and sheet metal and significant effort is required to carry it around by a handle mounted on the housing over the end of the crankshaft connecting the engine to the fan.
A brass tag riveted to this housing reads: “Homelite Blower. Serial No. 42F-10159. Homelite Corporation Port Chester N.Y. U.S.A.” A squirrel-cage fan is rotated by a 1-cylinder, 2-cycle gasoline engine. Information on the gas tank reads “Mix thoroughly 1/2 pint SAE 40 motor oil with each gallon gasoline before pouring into tank–ratio of mixture 1 part oil to 10 parts gasoline. For best result use Macmillan Ring-Free Motor Oil. For other satisfactory oil see Instruction Book. Use Champion C-7 Spark Plug. Magneto breaker point setting .020″. Homelite Corporation Port Chester N.Y. U.S.A.”

A choke lever and simple speed adjustment are mounted on the carburetor. Speculation is that the fan was run at a consistent speed and that when running it was loud enough to “wake the dead.” The fan is in original condition with one minor exception. A push-button similar to those used with door bells is mounted on the gas tank to serve as a “kill-button” and short-out the motor. The fan rests on four coil springs intended to dampen the considerable noise and vibration generated when the motor is running.

After being forgotten for decades, Allen’s Homelite fan has now assumed its role as a significant family heirloom.
Glenn Thompson, professor emeritus from the Wisconsin University System, was born and raised on a farm in South Dakota. In addition to other pursuits at his home in Texas, Glenn rides herd over “an eclectic collection of dead and dying riding mowers and compact tractors.” Email him at uffda@beecreek.net.