The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-01-16
wonders of the Tools of Today.

tools and engines with which "a modern
mechanic executes his work and those
which were used only so long ago as when
men now elderly were young, was brought
out in an address delivered recently by
President John Fritz at meeting of the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Mr. Fritz was well qualified to treat such
subject, for he began work in a country
shop sixty years ago, and making his own
way, first as mechanic, and then as an
engineer has risen to the engineering con-
troll of one of the greatest iron works in the
world at Bethlehem, Pa, and has acquired
the complimentary title of ''Dean of the
steel trade His address was upon .The
Progress in the Manufacture of Iron and
Steel in America and the relations of the
Engineer to it. =
"My memory of machine shops dates
back, he said, ITO 1892 Within
short distance from my house there were
three cotton miIls-and large ones for those
days-two woollen mills, two carding mills,
and several grlst mills. At one of the
large cotton mills they had machine shop,
where the principal repairs for all the mills
Of the neighborhood we're generally made.
Ny father, being millwright and machin-
ist, as well as a small farmer, did all the
important repairs for all the mills In
this shop, consequently, | spent all the
spare time I could get off the farm, and it
was rare treat for me to get there.
''The tools consisted of two small lathes
for turning iron and one for turning wood,
a machine for cutting light gears (Which
was to me great curiosity, several vises,
and a lot Of small tools. One of these
latter was called doctor. 1t was used
to correct drunken threads, as all screws
of any Importance were then cut with the
chaser The lathes were all made with
wooden shears or beds. In 1888 | went
to learn my trade. In the machine shop
where | was apprenticed there were about
the same number and character of lathes
as in the mill shop, but they were larger,
and one of them was a double-ender for
the purpose Of boring out wheels that were
too large to swing over the shears. There
was also drill press, made out of a lathe
head casting, bolted against 12x12-inch
wooden post. This was not very slightly
machine, but it did good work. We emade
small brass castings, built small boilers and
engines and did all kinds of country
machine and blacksmith work and made
our own patterns for casting without any
drawings.
Here, he continued, bringing forth
tool, sis the very hook-nosed lathe tool
with which | did work sixty years ago.
How many are there Of you now who could
even show me how to hold it? Here, "
he continued, is tool which belongs in
the lathe, the drawing of which you see
in full size over my lead -
The tools were laid side by side. The
older had cutting part made of bar Of
steel half an inch thick and three-fourths
of an inch deep, and this was set in
round handle of wood The handle was
perhaps Is inches long by an inch and a
half in diameter, and near the end where
the tool was inserted was a side handle
which was clamped on so that it hung
downward near the tool rest when the tool
was in use The new tool, on the other
hand, was of bare steel four feet long,
four inches deep, and half an inch wide.
1t was curious to note that the form of the
cutting ends of both tools was alike. The
drawing to which Mr.. Fritz referred was
of lathe used at the Bethlehem Iron
Works to cut up ingots Of steel into por-
tions to make steamship shafts and other
big articles, or for cannon, and it is capa
BILE of receiving, turning, and cutting up
ingots which weigh 200, 900 pounds. 1t
was depicted as holding an ingot Of 50
tons, and the drawing extended clear across
the wall back of Mr.. Fritz for number Of
feet on each Of the two side walls. There,
too, were shown the enormous tool posts in
which the four foot long tool exhibited
would be clasped instead of being held to
its work as of old in the hands OF the work
man, and the lathe was provided with posts
enough to have fourteen Of these tools at
work at once.
II look back, too, said Mr.. Fritz, 'to
my early days and call to mind the equip
ments in the shop for making drawings,
and compare them with those of today.
Today every shop of note has a great
drawing room equipped with tables and
tools of every needed sort, and with facili-
ties for producing blue prints by the score.
Our facilities for making drawings sixty
years ago were very different. The COM
plete shop outfit consisted Of board, a
carpenter square, pair of compasses, a
bevel, lead pencil, and piece of chalk
and jack plane with which to prepare the
surface of the board for fresh drawing.
After time we adopted the plan Of max
inc models in skeleton of full size, espec-
tally when any motion was TO be worked
out, and also made, when it was possible,
all the drawings of full size, and this prac-
tice | am not ashamed to follow at the
present time, as it has many advantages.
1.-The machine,shop of today is marvel
in completeness of equipments for doing
work correctly and with rapidity, having
special small tools for all purposes. The
accuracy with which their round gauges
are fitted up is such that machinist of
fifty years ago could not possibly realize.
Suppose that in his presence you had sep
arated one-inch gauge and held the plug
to warm in your hand for few minutes,
without calling his attention to this, and
then handed it to him with request to
put it in its place again. He would have
thought there were witches about when he
found it would not go back.
''The invention and construction of in
struments of precision and the methods of
celebration and adjustments which enable
measurements to be taken within the so,
000th part of an inch; machines which
enable the mechanic to fit taper work with
almost the same facility and accuracy as
straight work, are refinement of practice
of which mechanic of fifty years ago
could have had no conception.
Advanced Backward"