A DEMONSTRATION OF INTERESTING MACHINE TOOLS.
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We, have heard much lately of high-precision work, and it must be conceded that the first-class quality of finish which now obtains in engineering establishments and the up-to-date methods which are employed for the production of component machined parts on economical lines is to a very great extent attributable to the automobile industry.
With the idea of bringing before the chassis manufacturer the latestexamples of machine-tools and appliances, the well-known house of Buck and Hickman. Ltd., 2 and 4, Whitechapel Road, London, E., has installed a varied and interesting range of many of the icading makes of machines which the loncern markets in this country. These machines have been fixed up so that they can be run under ordinary working conditions in order to demonstrate to those interested the work which they are capable of handling. Buck and Hickman, Ltd., is sole British agent for the Brown and Sharp Manufacturing Co., Bullard Machine Tool Co., Pratt and Co., Whitney and Co., Fitehbourg Machine Works, Gleason Works, FooteBurt Co., Ker Machine Tool Co., American Tool Works Co., etc.. and several specialities of these manufacturers are installed at the demonstration room situated in Whitechapel Road. A representative of The " CM." paid a visit there recently and found upwards of 60 machines installed. Many of them were working and demonstrating really good depths of cut, emphasizing " feed and speed," as characteristic features.
The range of machines on view includes the Bullard New Era vertical turret lathe, Brown and Sharpe constant-speed-drive milling machine, the Ingle gearchamferer, the American Tool Co.'s patent gearedhead high-duty lathe, and also one of this company's latest type of all-geared lathe, which machine at the time of our visit was taking cuts of 5-32 in. depth from a mild-steel bar 9 ins. in diameter.
Two of the latest installations on show, particularly suited to theautomobile and kindred industries, are the Gleason automatic bevel-gear planer, and the
Gleason gear-tempering machine. The principal feature of the planer is that the machine operates with a pair of cutting tools which finishes the opposite, sides of the same tooth in alternate sequence. While, one tool is on the forward stroke the tool to generate the opposite side of the tooth is on the reverse. This. method doubles the speed of cutting.
The other Gleason speciality has been evolved for' the satisfactory hardening of crown bevels of largediameter, great care being taken to prevent all possibility of distortion during the tempering process. For this purpose the gear wheel is placed between two jigs suitably faced, and the whole part is then sub
jected to considerable pressure, and whilst in this condition is immersed in the oil bath, the teeth to be hardened, of course, being the only parts exposed. By this means uniformity in tempering is guaranteed, and is, of course, done at one process. The capacity of the Machine reaches from 15 per hour of the largest bevel driving gears to 30 of the smaller types.
Another machine tool which will appeal to our readers is the Foote-Burt eight-spindle valve grinder, of which we reproduce a photograph. This machine enables valve-faces of two sets of four-cylindered engine units to be operated at one time. Another outfit which interested us was a power-driven hacksaw machine, the cutting tool of which at the time of our visit was making no fewer than 125 strokes per minute—another example of "feed and speed."
Manufacturers who are considering making additions to their present machine-tool plant will be interested to hear that Buck and Hickman, Ltd., is prepared to demonstrate the capabilities of any of the machines on view by operating on visitors' own samples of component parts, and, moreover, will he pleased to furnish all information as to the possible production or output of any machine-tool which the concern markets.