Re-winding a motor is one of the most challenging aspects of any antique fan restoration. Not only is it difficult mechanically, it's also a challenging concept to grasp to anyone not already familiar with electric motors and their design and engineering.
Fortunately in the antique fan world we are not design motors from scratch, we are simply reproducing something that was already there. All the information needed to successfully complete a re-wind is already included right there in the motor that you're re-winding. The challenge is knowing which information you need and how to get it.
I frequently receive requests from people to explain "how" to re-wind a motor. I wish I could do that easily but the unfortunate part is there's just too much background information that one must learn first, before my own advise would be very valuable. As a result I'd like to recommend a few books to help the hobbyist interested in motor winding embark upon this challenge.
Electric Motors and Drives - Fundamentals, Types and Applications
by Austin Hughes
This is a modern text book written for non-students to learn the basic concepts and mechanisms behind electric motors. While nearly all antique fans utilize induction motors, this book goes well beyond explaining just induction motors and also includes multiple chapters about other more modern motor types. The first chapter is particularly useful for antique fan restorers, as it explains what an electric motor is and what physical principles are at work in this assembly. The chapter on induction motors is always very valuable.
The value of this particular text is that while written as a technical reference, it does so without requiring the reader to perform various mathematical calculations in order to grasp the concepts being written. While I highly recommend reading this book with a pencil and paper handy, you will not be crunching a whole lot of numbers in order to walk away from this read with a feeling of accomplishment.
This book can be purchased new from Amazon and while it does not explain how to re-wind a motor, it is the most modern and easiest to read book that I've come across that explains how motors function.
Electric Motor Repair
by Robert Rosenberg
This book could easily be considered the "must-have" if you're planning on re-winding and is recommended by our hobby's most accomplished motor winder, Sidney Lamb. The beauty of this book is that it will walk you through all of the various motor types, how they work and how to properly attempt rewinding them.
However it begins by introducing the concept of re-winding a motor first, explaining that collecting the critical data from the motor your attempting to re-wind is the most important step. It provides various forms that one can copy, print out and use to make re-winding motors simpler.
One of the best attributes of this book is that it is published in a double-spiral bound format. The figures and tables are in the left binding and the text of the book is contained in the right binding. This allows you to read the book and follow along with the figures. Be prepared to take lots of notes and don't be afraid to highlight or pencil in comments into the book itself.
This book is out of print but can be purchased from Amazon used. It is not always cheap but is worth it.
Rewinding Small Motors
by Daniel H. Braymer and A.C. Roe
This book was recommended to me by my friend Tom Newcity, and is one of my most referenced motor books while I'm performing or preparing for a re-wind. This book was written during the same era as "Electric Motor Repair," the 1920's and 30's, but is more concise and focussed for motor repair tradesman. Once you have read "Electric Motor Repair," this book will be really useful in providing advise on the mechanical and physical aspects of re-winding a motor. Questions like how to properly insulate a coil and what type of slot insulation is best used for different motor types and sizes are answered within this book.
One thing to note is that both this book and "Electric Motor Repair" are very old books; many of the materials that they reference are either obsolete or outright illegal to posses. References for asbestos are common. These materials have since been antiquated but that doesn't make the basic ideas and principles behind what the book is explaining valuable.
This book is out of print but is available used through Amazon or eBay.
Connecting Induction Motors
by A. M. Dudley
This book is a more focussed book about induction motors and their engineering and design. While it contains lots of practical knowledge for a hobbyist attempting a re-wind, its focus is more advanced then just this mechanical process. If you get into the hobby of re-winding antique fan motors, this is the book to read in order to learn how to modify your motors to develop the highest efficiency. Or maybe you want to re-wind that 133cycle fan you bought to work correctly on 60hz, this is the book for you.
While I would say the books above are must-haves if you are planning to do a re-wind, this one is only if you really get into this topic. I've found it extremely useful and would highly recommend it. It is available through Amazon or eBay as a used book, it is no longer in print.