The sun., 1902-03-09

continuous process. For instance, the fol-
lowing may give you an idea as to the basic
principle: Where part of q watch hao
been made by. say fifteen or twenty proc
esses. brought all Of the processes to-
gether In one machine and finished the
work there without removing that part
from that machine.
when / took hold Of the tool making
proposition. made II my business to de-
wise tools for the making Of all parts Of q
watch. but In the actual manufacturing
Of the machinery. we began with machines
for making the moving parts For instance,
there was the machine for the making OF
what we call the fourth pinion.
| This pinion carries the second hand
Of a watch. Tho previous method OF max
ing II had bsen by separate and distinct
| operations to the number Of, perhaps.
! twenty-five or thirty. A man or woman
did Just one thing on the pinion. and for
that work got a certain price.
Il finally tinkered up q machine on which
the pinion was started In the rough, and
when II was turned out IL was ready for
hardening, the whole work being done at
less cost than the cost Of simply taking on
the burrs Of the pinion by the old method
Tell me something about one Of those
machines for making any one OF the NOV
ing parts Of q watch, and what It does.
suggested THE SUN man.
WELL said Mr. Church, i suppose
might tell you something about the ma
chine for making what We call the balance
staff. Under the old order OF things there
were, perhaps, twenty operations In the
making Of q balance stan, while now only
ore operation is required. and that is per-
formed by the machine. All that is neces-
sary is to polish tho pivots after the ma
chine does its work.
TO be a little moro explicit: The bal
anoe STATS are made from steel wire. In
lengths Of thirty-six inches. and about as
large around, speaking OF the average
siLes, as the lead in a pencil
One Of these wires II run into a hollow
spindle. itA free end bsing held in place
by what II known as a tail-stook centre.
In this position the wire Is worked upon
In suocession by six different turning tools.
each tool being attached to what We call
q revolving tool-post.
For instance, the first tool applied to
tho wire 10 what Is known as q roughing
tool. That does its work by removing a
large part Of the surplus stock from the
NhVs Abo -Pooe iVNoiNec bsNsOt eh&
another tool, called the first finishing tool,
Is applied to the rod.
THAT does it's work. and so. In success
sion. the wire 10 worked upon by all Of the
tools until II 10 turned out a finished staff,
pivots and all Some idea Of the flnenees
Of the work may be obtained when i tell
you that some Of the pivots. when they
leave this machine, are no larger than q
human hair
when you get through. II you did get
through, dsvising machinery for making
the moving parts Of a watch. what kind
Of machines did you nert turn your at
tention tor asked THE Sun man.
'oh, then began fussing with machines
for making plates and other things, and
the tools with which tho machines might
work. Take our plats-drilling machine.
for instance.
you know. before we made this machine,
the holes In a watch plate were drilled by
hand through what u known as Jig
A jig is q fat piece Of metal with holes
drilled through In corresponding positions
to the location Of the holes made in the
piece operated on. Tho piece to be operated
on is clamped TO the jig. and the holes are
drilled in II through the jig holes.
by the present method the jig il rendered
obsolete. and the holes in the watch plate
are made by bringing any determined point
on the plate over a revolving tool, which
centres 1t. and over another tool, which
drills the hole. By the old method enough
plates were spoiled In the drilling to cover
more than the cost OF the entire work as
done now.
But perhaps the machine which most
interests the ayman Of all those at the
works 10 the automatic plate-recessing
and facing machine. This machine Is
fitted with a certain number Of metal arms,
II you want TO call them arms. and the
arms fitted with metal fingers.
The machine Is SO constructed that the
first arm swings around to what we call the
magazine in which the watch plates TO be
operated on are stored. The plates In the
magazine are simply plain metal discs.
The first arm picks up one OF these discs
and carries 1t TO the first spindle, where it
Is held and rotated while being worked
upon by a turning tool
Held In this position the tool cuts from
the disc 40 much Of the metal In particular
place as is necessary TO make room for a
moving part Of the watch. When this par
ticular tool has done its work, another arm,
similar 10 the INST, Carrles the ulto 10
second spindle where 1t is held while being
worked upon by another tool, which con-
tinues the receesing work
when the plate is passed through the
clutches of the fingers of six Of these metal
arms It Is completely recessed on one side
and ready for all the moving parts that
belong to that side Of the plate.
The discs thus recessed are deposited
in another magazine, at the opposite end
OF the machine. and from this they are
picked up automatically by the arms OF
another piece OF mechanism. through which
they arc passed to be recessed on the other
side.
Speaking generally, ] might add: Prao-
tioally the only operation in the making
Of a watch that our machines at Waltham
do not perform Is the drilling Of the jewels.
We buy the jewels ready cut, and the holes
in them vary TO such an extent that wo
have to make pivots TO lt the holes,
But the time Ia coming when we will
have machine there for drilling the jewels
and then we viii start watch in one ma
chine and. generally speaking, not a hand
will touch it until Il Is turned out Of the
last machine, a completed watch
But the trouble We have to contend