Mills machine w/hideaway base

[Bucky]

I don't know the name of this type of machine. I just found it at a local flea market. Supposedly the base is such that you could "hide" the machine if the local tax collectors came by. Still available when I left. I got the spiel that it was "perfect", but it needs a little tweeking of the mechanism to get the third reel to spin properly. Not bad shape, but the base had a rust hole.

Also was told he turned down 1500, but was asking 1680. Weird price, but oh well.

[WS65711]

I don't know the name of the machine, but I've seen one before (in pictures) probably on this site.
My Bronze Chief came with that exact same base when I bought it. I don't know what would make it "hideaway" though.
I had sent pictures of the machine and base to Don Creekmore before I bought it. He told me that the base was an original option when the machine was new. I've since seen the base in advertisements in some of those old slot periodicals (can't recall name) that I found online. I had not heard of it being referred to as "hideaway" up until today...

[TheFatman]

I have heard it called a "Jack in the Box". A cabinet with hydraulics(I am wrong) a hand crank, that will allow the machine to be lowered into the stand and be hidden inside. The machine looks like a Black Cherry Mills. The stand has the Mills Owl logo on it. They also made basically the same base without the ability to be lowered as well. Thanks for the hydraulics correction.

[Bucky]

The gentleman that had it said it could be lowered into the cabinet and hidden. It involved a lock on the rear of the cabinet (he did not have the key). Beyond that, I did not get specifics as to how it was lowered.

Here is a close-up of the owl. Funny that you would make the machine able to be hidden, but then put your trademark on the cabinet itself.

[WS65711]

I know that my stand does not contain any hydraulics, and I doubt that it ever did. As you can see from this rear view picture, there would be no possible way to lower the Jennings or Mills or anything else down inside the base. Maybe that's an old Gambler's tale?

[Bucky]

No, I don't think it was a tale. The payout tray was integrated into the base (top) of the cabinet, and visually, it looked like the machine would go down into the cabinet. There was no way to lift the machine off of the top of the cabinet that supported it.

[WS65711]

I'm certainly no expert in these matters. Maybe these stands could be modified in such a way as to allow the machine to be lowered down into the stand. But the stand I have (and is shown in my picture) appears to be unmolested. There is a cutout in the steel panel that is under the plywood piece and the two wooden strips on my stand, but that cutout is much smaller than my Bronze Chief. Unless the Mills machines are considerably smaller than the Jennings I just don't see how it could be lowered into the stand.

[watlingboy]

These box stands were made by Mills and Watling and possibly other. Most were just a black box with a sliding bar on the back to lock the machine in. The base was empty and was could be filled with sand bags or cinder blocks to make sure it stayed in place. Mills and at least one other company did make a stand where the machine could be lowered down into the stand with a crank, no hydraulics and it was called a Jack in the Box. I will have to talk to Dave to find out how to post a picture of it.

Watlingboy

[watlingboy]

We'll see if this worked.

Watlingboy

[WS65711]

These box stands were made by Mills and Watling and possibly other. Most were just a black box with a sliding bar on the back to lock the machine in. The base was empty and was could be filled with sand bags or cinder blocks to make sure it stayed in place. Mills and at least one other company did make a stand where the machine could be lowered down into the stand with a crank, no hydraulics and it was called a Jack in the Box. I will have to talk to Dave to find out how to post a picture of it.

Watlingboy

That "black box with sliding bar" type sounds like what I have... although mine is missing the sliding bar.

The other stand in your picture is definitely different from my stand. The one in your picture appears to have a key-lock on the front, and obviously must have a hole at the right side top front corner for the crank to be fitted. My stand has neither of those features.