The machinery collection at the Museum of Making contains examples of several types of machine tools dating from the 1840s to the end of the First World War, when self-contained electric motors began to replace steam engines as motive power. It includes lathes, drills, shapers, planers, and milling machines as well as associated tooling and, although mostly from the UK and the USA, contains several unique Canadian-made machines.
Many of the machines in the collection would have originally been belt-driven from a central steam or hydraulic power source. Most of these are now connected to a system of line shafts within the museum that allows them to be demonstrated in motion. Almost all of the machinery exhibits in the collection have been restored to near new, working condition, many having been in everyday use until acquired by the museum.
As a not-for-profit organization, the Canadian Museum of Making widened its scope to include pieces from the earlier Industrial Revolution in Africa. African metalworks are displayed that span from practical to ceremonial and ornamental, often demonstrating the connections between the two. The Museum’s African collection provides examples of the many ways metal was used in these early-Revolution cultures, including:
Though the Museum uses these categories to organize the gallery, they are all interwoven and intrinsically connected to one another. The value of these objects was determined by their complexity, utility, and mass, meaning farming implements, weapons, jewelry, and ingots could all be used as currency. Small coins and ingots were used for everyday transactions, whereas tools and ornamental items represented considerable wealth that rarely changed hands.
Hundreds of these artifacts have been carefully documented and preserved, providing a one-of-a-kind exhibition of this often neglected segment of industrial history.
The Museum is host to one of the most comprehensive collections of steam indicators in the world. These instruments were used to set-up and maintain steam engines. 500 indicators representing most of the commonly used instruments during the period 1850-1930, reside at the Museum of Making.
At the heart of the collection is ‘Mary’, a tandem-cylinder, horizontal steam engine. Built at the end of the 19th century, she powered a weaving mill in Yorkshire, England for more than 70 years and represents the zenith of stationary steam power.
The Museum maintains a small collection of vehicles which include: automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, steam tractors and horse drawn vehicles, as well as one of the first electric cars.