318949.0167 Cyclegraph of a person drilling latchhandles on a drill press. Similar set up to 610-G37--same arm, possibly same subject. One cycle. Note latch handle boxes are at the same height, and looks like both are on the left side, not yet sloped (...
odd: label: General note
content: Card Number: 238
label: General note
content: Category: machine shop study
label: General note
content: Collection: NMAH
label: General note
content: Copy negative: 80-20583
label: General note
content: Gilbreth image: c. 610-G37
label: General note
content: Job name: New England Butt Company
label: General note
content: Job number: 610
label: General note
content: Related captions: "This series started in 1912 [1913?] and continued from time to time until 1915. The original conditions required a fast workman nine and one-half seconds for all the motions necessary to countersink a hole on a latch handle for a braider, and more often the time was fifteen seconds than nine and a half, the best times that we found, being nine and one half seconds, which was eventually reduced to four and one half seconds. The toteboxes were supported by any means whatever without any attempt at standard location, and the piece was usually picked upin the left hand and countersunk, and then passed to the right hand, which threw it on the right hand side, while the left hand proceeded to pick up another piece." Drill Press captions, NFile 1/0019, vol. 1 part 1 of 2, p. 1.

"The adaptation of these cyclegraphs to the work has resuted in some of the most unexpected economies, not the least of which are the direct results of invention, which is suggested as a direct result and also as a byproduct of this method of visualization, analysis, and measurement. In 1913 I took a number of records of different kinds of workmen operating a drill press. The operation consisted of drilling cast iron latch handles for braiders manufactured by the New England Butt Company. The usual thought in connection with such work is that the material should go into one side of the machine and come out the other end. The investigation proved this a mistake, and that instead of having the thought of a continuous straight line moving the thought should be the functionalization of the hands.

"610-G148 is a cyclegraph of an operation on these latch handles. The man is one of the most expert workmen in the entire factory, and his function is that of a teacher. He is also a man who sees that the various machines run at the speed called for by the planning department. BNote in this picture that the portion of the cyclegraph that jumps up in the air is coincident with the dropping of the finished latch handle into the box the line is very wavy, and after it is dropped, the line is quite as straight. The man is an Italian American, and has all the peculiarities and virtues popularly believed to be found in that race. His motions are extremely quick, and he has had but one short practice in making decisions, and you will, therefore, notice that the light at the bottom of the cyclegraph, where he picks up the latch handle, shows a mental process similar to the traditional animal between the two bales of hay, and starved to death because he could not decide upon the sequence in which he should eat the bales of hay. Here is apparently great indecision, although there is no reason whatever for choice. This same indecision is shown in all the pictures of this man taken at this time, but was afterwards completely removed, as is shown in photographs taken of the same man on the same operation a few hours, a few days, and also a year later. Examination of these cycles immediately suggested that the length of motions should be reduced by having a higher table, and such a table was temporarily secured by bolstering up the totebox as shown in 610-G37. Still further examenation of these cyclegraphs showed that the orbit could be very much reduced by having the incoming latch handles in a box that titled about thirty degrees toward the operator, this, because the latch handles should always slide to the lower end of the box so that they can be found in a constant location without calling for the eye as well as than hand of the worker to find them. Immediately after the hole was countersunk the fingers opened, and it catapulted sideways down the inclined table in use, and into a box on the floor. This cut the time of the operation from approximately nine seconds to four and three quarters seconds with much less fatigue to the workman. The arc of light running in the direction of the upper left hand corner from the visor of the worker's cap shouws the light on the finger of the right hand which operates the lever of the drill press. This is shown in 610-G146."

Gilbreth Papers, Purdue, NFile 1/0019 vol. III. Decription of Photographs sent to Mr. Robert Moulton; typescript MG 1/30/15.

"610-G131. This picture is a double cycle of the spped boss at the New England Butt Company. This picture is interesting for several reasons. One is as follows: The cycles are almost exactly alike. The dropping of the latch handle makes the same upward wave in each one, and the upward course of the motion shows the extreme evenness of great skill and practice, and the downward course shows the unevenness that attends mental operations, such as attention and decision. It will be seen that up to the time that he drops this into the box the line is very wavy, and, after they are dropped, the line is quite as straight as the upward curve. This man is an Italian American, and has all the peculiarities and virtues popularly believed to be found in that race. His motions are extremely quick, but he has had short practice in making deciions.....[repeats above anecdote about hay]" Gilbreth Papers, Purdue, NFile 1/0019 vol. III. Decription of Pictures sent to Mr. Lewis Ellison; typescript MG 12/9/15
label: General note
content: Location of subject: New England Butt Company, Privodence, RI.
label: General note
content: Subject names: Tommy Perrotti?
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Perkins, James Secor
label: Collection Creator
content: Gilbreth, Frank Bunker, 1868-1924
label: Collection Creator
content: Gilbreth, Lillian Moller, 1878-1972
setName: label: See more items in
content: Frank and Lillian Gilbreth Collection
label: See more items in
content: Frank and Lillian Gilbreth Collection / Series 2: Glass Stereo Slides (Positive) / 2.1: 318949.0001 to 318949.0180
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1913
container: label: Container
content: Box 3
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Negatives