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

**the harmonious blacksmith** · Apr 27, 2021, 01:18 AM

I think it is a "rapid traverse" screw.

**marksbug** · Apr 27, 2021, 09:08 AM

yup,I agree.or making soft serve icecream nozzels

**Jon** · May 2, 2021, 01:12 PM

Boring mill at the McKees Rocks Machine and Erecting Shop. Pennsylvania, 1904.

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

**Toolmaker51** · May 2, 2021, 07:30 PM

This ~60 incher somewhat like my Kansas job; besides straight rams, it was turret and full 6'. Like driving a really big tractor or something!
A lot of feature overlap in verticals, blurring distinct models. IMNSHO due to the space needed, not only machine, loading parts always need consideration. Anyway, logic tells me overlap is a sales pitch. Verticals aren't so rare, but a shop using them often have more than one, ranging in size. Part size (RPM/ FPM ranges) not so broad compared to engine lathes.

**the harmonious blacksmith** · May 3, 2021, 01:15 AM

General Iron Works in Englewood, Colorado had a vertical boring mill that "swung" 46 feet in diameter. They turned some kind of reactor weldments. They're gone, I don't know where it went after they closed. They also had a "pit lathe" - a horizontal lathe with a large T shaped pit. It would swing 27 feet in diameter at the face plate. Only ran it for a few shifts back in the early 70's, I don't know who made it, might have been "shop built".

**TheElderBrother** · May 4, 2021, 01:00 PM

That's not boring at all! Give yourself some credit. That machine looks incredibly exciting!

(Just in case the irony doesn't come across in print, I know what a boring mill is. It's just a Dad joke.)

**Toolmaker51** · May 4, 2021, 05:12 PM

It's so "Boring"........yup, Class A Dad joke. Horizontals aren't so exiting, but verticals are; something about mass of chuck and part turning demands a bit extra attention. I like good sized machinery, they'll be biggest I'll ever get to run, so thrill factor always there.
But my favorite Dad joke is this one; by of course MY Dad.....

Brought him in one day for a tour, walked the place; spun up spindles, cycled punch-presses, demonstrated variety of grinders, you know the drill [that one counts too!]. Asked lots of questions, especially Inspection area, surface plates, manual coordinate machines, instruments. They had a big J&L comparator, 30", he wanted to know "why do they have a voting booth?".

**marksbug** · May 4, 2021, 06:22 PM

the voting booth is to decide on weather somebody want that part or not...
Im reel good at serfacing plates, I just finished dinner and the plate is swarf free.....ok not a dad joke..sorry. my wife did tell my 86 year old mom a joke tonight at dinner.... little johnny was in school when the teacher was going over the male and female body posters she had put up...she then asked for questions after telling the class all men look like this and all females look like this....thats when little johnny took over and tole her she was rong....no johnny this is correct. He then informed her that his daddy had 2 of those!!! she replied thats impossible. he said no my daddy has one he pees through and one that mamma uses to brush her teeth with........ I thought my mom was going to keel over.