Keuffel & Esser Dividing Engine Used in Manufacture of Slide Rules
date: label: date made
content: after 1900
name: label: maker
content: Keuffel & Esser Co.
notes: label: Description
content: This is one of two linear dividing engines presented to the Smithsonian in 1971 by Keuffel & Esser Company of Morristown, New Jersey. It is a precision machine for the graduation of the finely ruled lines on slide rules. It was built by Keuffel & Esser after 1900 and was used in their Hoboken, New Jersey, factory through 1970.
label: Description
content: According the accession file, W.L.E. Keuffel thought it would be useful to manufacture slide rules in the United States rather than importing them from Europe. He and his colleagues designed this instrument, which was built at Keuffel & Esser.
label: Description
content: The cast iron stand measures 71.1 cm. long x 67.3 cm. d. x 91.4 cm. high. A mark on the front of the stand reads: 197. The object has three specially shaped knives that serve as scribes and the table holds three slide rule blanks. A cam on the left side determines the length of the line cut. A cam on the back right determines the spacing of lines.
label: Description
content: The engine is driven by a belt and pulley drive train in a gear box marked: D. O. James Mfg. Co. Chicago, U.S.A. The motor, which at one point was removed from the engine is marked: Alternating Current Motor (/) Serial No. 102770 (/) Type S Frame & H.P. 1/6 (/) Volts 220 R.P.M. 1750 (/) Amperes 1.25 Cycle 60 Phase 3 (/) STAR Electric Motor Co. (/) Newark, New Jersey, U.S.A.
label: Description
content: Four metal discs that serve as feet for the engine are stored separately.
label: Description
content: Compare MA.335266.
label: Description
content: Reference:
label: Description
content: Accession file 306012.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New Jersey, Hoboken
topic: label: Subject
content: Ruling and Dividing Engines
label: Subject
content: Mathematics
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Keuffel & Esser Company
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.335265
label: catalog number
content: 335265
label: accession number
content: 306012
objectType: label: Object Name
content: dividing engine
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 146.5 cm x 104 cm x 88.5 cm; 57 11/16 in x 40 15/16 in x 34 27/32 in