High-quality black-and-white photographs of large old machines and tools

[Toolmaker51]

There is so much going on here. Fascinating to imagine all of the thought and hard work that went into making all of the industry that build our society, and how easily it is lost.

Attachment 41333

As I posted elsewhere, it was not lost.
It was not surrendered.
It was not outmoded.
It was given away.

[Jon]

Boring mill. Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad Company. July, 1904.

Fullsize image: https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/h...l_fullsize.jpg

[Isambard]

That's a Betts Horizontal Boring Machine. Betts Machine Co. of Wilmington, Del.
It looks like Manning, Maxwell & Moore supplied it.

[Toolmaker51]

re post * 642;
Boring mill yes, but quite small. In this photo, not set up for boring, that is a 'trip wheel facing head' mounted on the spindle. The 3 pronged "T" is tripped into partial rotation as it swings arc, turning the lead screw, barely visible inside the base [looks like a drill press vise].
The machine itself is larger yet, this housing is mounted on a accessory table to provide X axis across spindle. farther down is driving end of a Morse Taper line boring rig; and isn't that the planer in the background from several posts back?



Here is a larger model from Giddings & Lewis, fits a 3" boring mill. 5-star and 1/2-13 thread lead screw; results in 0.0153 per revolution from 0.0769 thread pitch/ 5. Changing lead screw alters pitch, after consideration of part size, tool bit radius [or form], material and rigidity of setup. The tool block holds a conventional square bit, presenting it right or left hand, or angular position for shoulder or undercut. That's when attention level has to be 101%, stopping rotation properly, compared with unobstructed facing work.

PS, edit. Looking at the post, it struck me what's transpired historically; between that tool, almost 100 years old, and taking it's picture with a telephone....

[marksbug]

yup the telephone brings a little perspective to Eveolution.

[Isambard]

Not wishing to be pedantic, but Betts like others called it a boring machine,
the term boring mill relating to those of the vertical persuasion...

BTW Did anyone pickup on the dog's breakfast of the work-piece setup?

[hemmjo]

I had to look up "pedantic". I try to learn something new every day. I always do visiting here.

[Jon]

Mesta bar mill.

Fullsize image: https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/h...l_fullsize.jpg

[Jon]

10,000-ton forging press. Homestead Steel Works. 1890s.

Fullsize image: https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/h...s_fullsize.jpg

[Toolmaker51]

10,000-ton forging press. Homestead Steel Works. 1890s.
Not awfully different from the press at Long Beach Naval Shipyard; despite promotion as property in one of US largest ever auctions, availability, fully operative condition and incredibly low price it went unsold and scrapped.

That set of conditions dovetails tightly with response found in post *641. That lamentation is somewhat past-tense, worse now than even possible before.