Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-09-18
THOMAS BLANCHARD.
The Inventor OF Machines for Turning
Irregular Forms.


bination for turning irregular forms.
who died at Boston in 1865, has Just
been issued. The writer, Asa ii. Waters,
says that although the name of Thomas
Blanchard is not so popularity known IA
many others who have achieved fame
from single inventions, the writer boldly
asserts that 1T may be questioned
whether another inventor can be named
in this country or in Europe, during the
last century, who has produced so many
different labor-saving machines, applica-
BILE to such n great variety of uses and
which have contributed so largely to the
common necessities, comforts and econ
omies of life. This language may seem
extravagant, but il must be remembered
that not an armory exists in this coun-
try or in England where guns are made
hardly "A human being that wears boots
or rshoes-scarcely n vessel that sails upon
the ocean-not school where states are
used-not carpet laid down, but that
owes tribute to the genius of Thomas
Blanchard for producing articles cheaper
and better. The same may be said of
carriage wheels, plows, shovels and
various articles OF furniture. Latterly,
his machines have been applied to cary
ing, to architectural designs and even to
statuary-much to the surprise of artists.
Indeed, there seems to be no limit to the
uses made of Blanchard's inventions, and
it is impossible at present to enumerate
them. One can hardly 90 into n tool
shop. n machine shop, or workshop of
any kind, wood or iron, where motive
power is used. in which he will not find
more or less of Blanchard's mechanical
motions.
Blanchard was native Of Sutton,
Mass. and was born June 81, 1888. His
father, Samuel, was n farmer, and lived
on u poor, remote strip of land, where
there was absolutely nothing to suggest
a mechanical motion. While on the
farm Thomas gave little if any promise
of the latent powers within him. There
was nothing in his surroundings to ex-
cite them. He was misplaced; schools
were remote and he seldom attended.
for he was afflicted with a perverse i'm
pediment of speech, so that the boys
called him - Stammering Tom At the
age of eighteen he was engaged by his
elder brother, Stephen, to assist him in
his tack mill. which he had Just started
in West Millbury. Young Thomas duty
was to head the tacks in q vice, with
hand hammer, one by one. Once in n
mechanic shop his dormant genius began
To wake up. Ere he had spent many
months heading tacks, one by one, he
had desigued, constructed and put in
operation n machine which would cut
and head them at one motion twice as
fast rs the ticking of a watch, and better
finished than those made by hand. So
perfect was il in design and construc-
tion it was continued in use more than
twenty years. 1t Is said To be still In
existence, and experts who have seen it
been made upon il. The reputation of
the boys success in his brothers tack
factory led Mr.. Asa Waters, who had in
the same town Of Mi.lbury an armory,
where he manufactured arms for tho
government, to send for the budding in
ventor, and there young Blanchard, nj
almost glance Mt the old processes for
shaping gun-barrcls. suggested an i'm
provement by which the irregular butt Of
the barrel could be turned hy machinery.
and afterward produced machine for
turning out the gun-stock. The germ Of
the stocking machine lay in that calm
motion. and ii was then and there, as he
afterward said. that the idea of his
world-renowned machine for turning ir-
regular forms first flashed through his
mind, although it required some months
TO elaborate and bring it out. Blanch-
ard was afteTward called to the Spring
field armory. where his machines were
introduced and adopted by the govern
ment. His machine for producing ir-
regular forms was applied TO a vast num-
ber Of special purposes. Unlike many
other inventions, this was really the dis
covery of n new principle in mechanics.
whereby the machine is made the obedi-
ent, faithful servant of man, to work out
his designs after any given model. be il
round or square, crooked or straight.
however irregular. and made 10 repro.
duce the original shape exactly. every
time. This perfect uniformity Of Blanch-
ards work suggested the idea of having
all the parts of the guns made at the ar
morics perfectly uniform, so rs to be in
terchangeabe. Hitherto they had been
fitted separately, like Swiss watches
and carefully lettered or numbered.
This is the method in all our workshops,
even to the bolts of a carriage or com
mon bedstead. and woe to him who mis-
placed one. II was Blanchard who first
rendered possible the accomplishment of
the desired result with respect to arms.
and to him the writer gives the credit Of
the origin of the uniformity system
which has revo!utionizPd mechanic pro-
cesses in all our workshops; perfected
and greatly cheapened mechanic pro-
ducts, and driven from use the old sys-
tenn OF numbering.
Blanchard realized but little pecu-
niarily on his patents, for they were so
pirated upon that he had to spend many
thousands Of dollars in defending his
rights in the courts. He succeeded in
getting an ex lsion of his patent for
producing irregular forms. but at the
end of the extension he had made nrac-
tically nothing on it. and began 10 think
of trying for n second extension; but
such thing was unprecedented. and
Blanchard, knowing that great opposi-
tion would be made to another renewal.
thought he would resort to little strata
gem. He fittedu machine for turning
busts from marble blocks, took il TO
Washington, obtained plaster casts Of
the heads of Webster. Clay, Calhoun
and others, and exhibited the busts In
the rotunda Of the Capitol. The mem
bers were quite astonished when they
found that these busts were wrought
L. n. Al Al