This match-plate for the floor machines more precisely for the Rabbit-3 is almost 50 years old. It is one of the tool we no longer use.
Some of these tools are made from wood while others are made from aluminum. Originally it was used to make parts with sand casting method for the predecessor of the Rabbit-3 floor polisher.
Now, in its old age has been put away to one of the dusty Centaur warehouse shelf, yet it could become a great wall decoration in an office or somebodies home. That is if you like rustic appearance.
Although as of today the Rabbit-3 floor machine still our best seller but we use a different method to make them.
The story doesn’t stop here. I created Centaur Floor Machine on the strength of these tools. We became Canada’s most respected & innovative floor machine maker. Many of our floor machines produced from these plates after 50 years are still in use to clean offices and hospitals around the country.
I tell you more about these plates.
When these tools were made in the early 60’s one could buy a Volkswagen (the original one) for the price we paid for them. By the way, at one point we had a run-in with the Volkswagen people. Their lawyers sent us a letter telling that we can’t use the name “Rabbit” or “Rabbit-3″ on our machines. Obviously they did not know that unless THEY manufacture floor machines and named it “Rabbit”, they can’t stop us using the name. That settled the matter.
Unfortunately, after tools were paid, we couldn’t afford a good foundry to make the actual aluminum pieces. Our solution was to give it to a one-man operation hole-in-the-wall foundry. His name was Hans. His fame derived from the fact that he survived the 1941 winter battle at Moscow Russia at minus 40 degrees because the cold weather didn’t bother him. (Although it bothered Hitler a great deal after he lost the battle partially because he didn’t issue winter clothing to his troops and many of them froze to death) Needless to say that Hans had no heat or lighting in his foundry. He didn’t even wear shirt during the winter while working around the furnace.
But he was a good foundry man and he made our first thousand floor machine parts for us.
If you have a floor polisher with the date marked on the handle “60” then you have the machine made from these early times.