The 62-year-old does his work in Farmingdale, Maine, and was recently featured in a story that appeared in Kennebec Journal. He has number of restored pieces of farm equipment in his barn, including an old John Deere tractor.
One of Ellis' specialties is working on antique engines. He is a member of Maine Antique Power Association acting as its secretary. Ellis has also served as the organization's president.
"My interest started with a one-cylinder gas engine popular between 1905 and 1940," Ellis told the Journal.
The antique engines used to be employed in a variety of tasks, including running mills. Along with the engines and tractors, Ellis' collection features water rams, which were used to bring water to farms.
Ellis' son, William Ellis II, has also gotten in the act through collecting kick wheels. The wheels were operated by people in order to power things like dentist drills.
The elder Ellis isn't alone when it comes to his love for antique power. Recently, the Illinois paper the Tinley Park SouthtownStar featured the efforts of Terry Welshans, who has been restoring antique farm equipment for about a decade.
