Well ,It makes me think!
- Thread starter john robert bould
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The thing I find amazing is the fact that true interchangeable parts in a manufacturing environment was only first achieved around 1805 by the British in the manufacture of pulley blocks for Royal Navy sailing war ships. Here in the States we like to claim that Eli Whitney did it with guns around 1803. But, Eli only did it with 10 firearms. The Brits actually developed machine tools, and that is really the key to the industrial revolution and the genesis of technology. They had 40 some odd machine tools that did 20 some odd separate machining operations.
About 30 tears later Steam engines were relatively common. 50 - 60 years after that we had the internal combustion engine. Less than 100 years after the Brits achieved interchangeable parts and modern manufacturing, the wright Bros flew. And 42 years later, we flew 1000 miles in a pressurized aircraft and lit up Hiroshima with a nuclear weapon.
My grandfather as a 13 year old, saw the Wright Brothers fly for the first time in England in 1906. 63 years later he sat in his living room in Louisiana, USA and watched man walk on the moon , live on his TV.
I'm amazed by all of it. When I work on my Commando its kind of like communing with forces that I don't fully understand. I'm in awe of the fact that someone developed all of these little systems and solutions and pieced them all together in a way that they work together reliably . I suspect that some of the "slop" contributes to the fact that they do work well in the real world.
BTW- I for one, think CNC machines and 3D printers and smart phones are probably all alien technology.
Cheers,
C
About 30 tears later Steam engines were relatively common. 50 - 60 years after that we had the internal combustion engine. Less than 100 years after the Brits achieved interchangeable parts and modern manufacturing, the wright Bros flew. And 42 years later, we flew 1000 miles in a pressurized aircraft and lit up Hiroshima with a nuclear weapon.
My grandfather as a 13 year old, saw the Wright Brothers fly for the first time in England in 1906. 63 years later he sat in his living room in Louisiana, USA and watched man walk on the moon , live on his TV.
I'm amazed by all of it. When I work on my Commando its kind of like communing with forces that I don't fully understand. I'm in awe of the fact that someone developed all of these little systems and solutions and pieced them all together in a way that they work together reliably . I suspect that some of the "slop" contributes to the fact that they do work well in the real world.
BTW- I for one, think CNC machines and 3D printers and smart phones are probably all alien technology.
Cheers,
C
SteveBorland
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Slightly off topic, but in the early 70's I recall my father telling me of a flycutter, built prior to the First World War, which was still used for surfacing some rather large forms used in the production of Masonite or chipboard. It was reputedly the only machine tool in South Africa at that time which could cut 1/10 thou off the top surface of a steel plate some 5m long.
john robert bould said:Andy , started my apprenticeship in 1965, then the company had inspectors, you didint get paid untill they signed off the [your] work sheet..the inspectors where GOD, no one wanted to rub them up the wrong way.
As you say the operators today check there own work..and let the products go if slightly over the tolerance..."it il be alright" well so it goes. The firm that just balls up my parts have a inspection room..with a CNC measurer..but its not used much.
I had some Norton fork top bushs..EBay ...the top flanged bush was three thou tapered..started on but went tight. Really surprised the guys in India dont have CNC inspection :lol: What pissed me off the tw*t who retails them said i didit know what i was talking about..he had been selling them for years..when i asked if he had ever measured one..no reply...its OK sticking stuff in jiffy Bags..making parts is a new ball park.
You have highlighted a problem with Indian made components as most of their work is churned out on second hand machines – I think I am right that all the components for the Indian Enfield’s are made this way, some in “backstreet workshops” that the Indians on this continent are apt to do. Some of these backstreet workshops are their backyard as I have seen on T.V. there is only a makeshift roof, when the monsoon comes, water pours onto the machine :!: :shock:
I left school and started work as an indentured engineering apprenticeship at first on a Horizontal Milling machine that I think was made for production during the First world war, so it was pretty well worn out, as were a whole line of 9 of them, but they did the work satisfactory, the company was reluctant to spend on lathes and milling machines as they were on good grinding machines that produced the finished produce. Needless to say all our produces went through an inspection office so you couldn’t get away with anything- that is why companies came back to us with repeat orders again and again
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apprentice ... ed_in_1964
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Bernhard said:
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=the+ ... 66&bih=609
Production demands meant a new factory but the original is maintained.
Dare I suggest more skill orientated than a lot of other contemporary manufacturers.
Visiting a "precision engineering" company in the 70's because of quality problems, a talk with a new inspector sorted the problem. Keen to demonstrate his technique, he whipped out a wooden ruler.... (machining sub-parts for the car industry, yeah right!).
The lack of interest in what went on on the shop floor by management, and the lack of knowledge of the problems the workforce tried to solve was palpable.
Other have related their stories of knackered machines and inadequate facilities, all consistent with my experiences. When money was spent, it was usually spent on some "ego" project, and more often a failure.
The lack of interest in what went on on the shop floor by management, and the lack of knowledge of the problems the workforce tried to solve was palpable.
Other have related their stories of knackered machines and inadequate facilities, all consistent with my experiences. When money was spent, it was usually spent on some "ego" project, and more often a failure.
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Our beloved Commandos engine have been heated,cooled and reheated many hundreds of times..this alone cause's distortion ..so any machine error could edge towards nearer or further mis-alignment...Many moons ago iron castings where seasoned by outside storage...for a year ...today heat treating [normalizing] is used...where commando case's treated this way? or straight from the foundry onto the milling machine. I dont think i needed to ask that :roll:
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