[SEL] Fw: Large scale machining in the 50's

[Listerdiesel]

2009/6/18 R & M Ingold <randmingold at hotkey.net.au>:
> I was totally awed by the crankshaft building, although the whole set of
> pics made me feel very humble in my small efforts.
> I cannot imagine me standing on MY lathe cross slides!!
> Reg & Marg Ingold.

The main proposition is that nearly all of the engine was made by the
company in-house, with very little bought-in. Flame-cutting the
crankshaft webs, marking them all out by hand (no DRO's or CNC in
those days!) and doing all of the machining, meant that the
value-added content made more sense financially then.

The other point is that you can see why the British machine tool
industry collapsed, as one Doxfords and their like closed, the huge
numbers of machine tools that became available saturated the markets,
and of course there were no replacement companies to buy more.

Asquith radial drills were in use up until the 1980's or so, they
still come up for sale on one of the machine tool flyers we get
monthly.

Ward capstans were in the pictures, they have gone, and so on.

Very nice pictures and a good example of what we used to be very good
at in the 1950's.

Did you see the Atkinson truck in the first picture?

Peter
-- 
Peter A Forbes
Email: listerdiesel at gmail.com
http://www.oldengine.org/members/diesel
http://stationary-engine.co.uk
http://www.oldengine.co.uk