The Watchmakers' Lathe; Its Use and Abuse. a Study of the Lathe in Its Various Forms, Past and Present, Its Construction and Proper Uses. for the Stud

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1903 Excerpt: ... after questioning all the old employes at Waltham, says: "But one man comes out strong on the question, P. McNamee, a jeweler. He states that the principle of the swing caliper was known and that the first one for jeweling was made about 1860, in the machine shop of the company, by Deacon Farmer (he was a regular tool maker), and when done was put in his (McNamee's) hands and proved a big success. He also states that the end shaking tool was designed by Sherwood and the first one made under his supervision, and when done, came to McNamee to use and that was a success." This leaves the matter in doubt as to whether Howard invented the caliper for a different purpose, Sherwood adapted it and Farmer made it, or whether the credit of the initiative as regards its present use in jeweling should be given to Farmer. Sherwood is credited with its application in jeweling in the "American Horological Journal," in 1872, while he himself, in "Watch and Chronometer Jeweling," which was written by Sherwood and first published in that paper, in serial form, in 1872, credits the invention of the swing rest to Mr. Howard and states that it can be applied in many ways. Its application depends upon the fact that angular measurement, considered with reference to linear measure, is a variable quantity, and thus the actual size in inches or meters of a given angle depends upon how far from the center that distance is taken. This will be made clear if we will place a watch dial over the center of, say, a ten-inch clock dial, so that all figures will be in line with each other and the center when a rule or straight edge is laid over them. The minute in each instance equals 360 degrees divided by 60 or six degrees, while the hours equal 360 degrees, d...