Old Time Steam Powered Machine Shops & Some Modern Shops

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This is the first video Dave Richards posted on his channel. It's from June 13, 2015. Both he and his channel are still going strong.

OLD TIME STEAM POWERED MACHINE SHOP​


This and other videos on my channel are intended to demonstrate how industry, particularly a machine shop would have operated under steam power and flat belted line shafts in the early 1900s. I welcome any comments, questions or discussion. 22:09

Channel:

 
That was an amazing video! I enjoyed it immensely. As a mechanical engineer, I had a machine shop at my disposal for 14 years between 1985 and 1999. I had two machinists and one machinist's helper to man the shop at all times. Their only job was to make whatever came off my drawing board. We were a Research and Development lab for the feds. We never created anything that already existed and we never made anything twice. It was mostly fun.

My main machinist's favorite lathe was an ancient Hardinge that dated back to 1942. I once broached the subject of replacing it with a newer lathe since we had some money in the slush fund and he told me he would quit on the spot if I replaced it. :ROFLMAO: He got his way. Good machinists were plenty hard to find back then - I'll bet they're damned near impossible to find now.
 
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In Albion, Pennsylvania (rural part of Erie County) there was a plant...the Swanson Boat Oar Manufacturing Company...that was entirely powered by a large single-cylinder steam engine. I had a look at it in operation, and shut down (two visits, same day) for reasons I won't get into...when I was twelve years old, about 1970.

The cylinder on that steam unit was about as big around as a small locomotive's smokebox. The flywheel was about 6-8 feet diameter; powering a line shaft...SET of line shafts...everything in the plant, except for the varnish line, was powered off that.

The boilers (there may have been more than one) were powered by scrap and shavings in milling the boat oars. As you can imagine, there's a lot of waste in turning a log into a one-piece boat oar.

I think the steam engine was a Skinner. Had a manufacturing date on it, the 19th Century. Had a fireman/engineer crew just to manage it in operation...lubrication, boilers, stoking, etc.

The plant burned down about 1974 - from the varnish shed, where they dipped freshly-cut oars and dried them by hanging them out. Burned to the ground. My old man was curious, and when we were in the area again, he went (out of our way) to see the plant.

The company had rebuilt, on a smaller scale, with new equipment. The steam engine was still in its bed, unrepaired, but with a plastic canopy. Not just a tarp, but with a crude frame. As if they wanted to preserve it, while figuring out what to do with it...but it had been there two years, it probably wasn't salvageable at that point.

The boilers, stacks, that whole section of the plant, was just a pile of rubble. Recognizable boilers sitting there, rusting, alongside the collapsed brick smokestacks.
 
Bump.................

OLD TIME STEAM POWERED MACHINE SHOP 2​

Jun 26, 2015


27:08

The second in a series demonstrating how small industry and machine shops operated under steam with flat belt line shaft power transmission.
 
What I really want to see is An Old Steam-Powered Time Machine Shop.
 

OLD STEAM POWERED MACHINE SHOP 3 1/2 The Engine​

Nov 14, 2015

32:50

One of a series showing how a 1920s line shaft driven, steam powered machine shop would have been operated and maintained. It's probably the only revenue generating steam powered shop in the U.S. Discussion, comments and questions about vintage machine work, old machines, and steam power are always welcome here. Thanks for watching.....Dave
 

OLD TIME STEAM POWERED MACHINE SHOP 4​

Aug 13, 2015


29:34

Fourth is a series from a steam powered antique machine shop created to depict operations and techniques of a 1925-line shaft shop. I welcome your comments, suggestions and questions.
 
This isn't one of the steam shop vids. It's just an older shop vid I enjoyed. If you watch on u tube there's a bunch of links under the vid. I'll post another steam vid in January unless someone beats me to it.

Machine Shop Time Capsule! Treasure Hunt - Before it's Gone!​

Dec 28, 2023


9:04

Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ThePostApocalypticInventor/videos
 

OLD TIME STEAM POWERED MACHINE SHOP 5 Frick Valve Rod​

Fifth in a series of videos (except for #3 which was accidentally lost in cyberspace for ever, maybe you saw it before it vaporized). The shop was created to demonstrate the early machining techniques on machines built before 1925 and power transmission by flat leather belts and line shaft under steam power.


31:43
 

OLD TIME STEAM POWERED MACHINE SHOP 6​

Number 6 in a series of videos created to demonstrate how machine shop work was done in the 1920's powered by flat belt line shafts, leather belts and steam power. All comments and discussion of old techniques are welcome.


36:55
 
This one is different. It's a look at a modern-day machine shop.

No Mentor, No Problem, He Taught Himself Everything​

We took a tour to Protodyne Manufacturing in North Carolina and visited the self-taught machinist whose specialties center around mechanical development and design; 3-, 4- and 5-axis CNC machining; fabricating; and TIG and MIG welding!

Hailing from Illinois, Kyle Hill, once a sprint car racer, found his groove in welding during his youth. In high school, he hit up Danville Area Community College to hone his welding skills, paving the way for a future in engineering. After shifting gears to Charlotte, NC, in 2004, he bagged a Mechanical Engineering degree from UNC Charlotte in 2009, all while working hands-on as a machinist.

Before kickstarting Protodyne in June 2010, Kyle clocked in hours gaining engineering stripes. From testing vehicles at John Deere and the Electric Power Research Institute to rocking it at Duke Energy as a Mechanical/Electrical Engineer. Now at Protodyne, he's the captain steering a manual machine shop ship, diving into everything from mechanical development to CNC machining and welding.


15:07

To learn more about Protodyne Manufacturing, visit http://protodynemfg.com/

Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PracticalMachinist/videos
 

The Machines They Have Are Anything but Ordinary!​

Feb 23, 2024
Join us for an exhilarating voyage with David, the mastermind behind Engineered Machining Solutions (EMS), a beacon of excellence in aerospace manufacturing.
From their modest beginnings to becoming a cornerstone in precision engineering, witness their unwavering dedication to quality and innovation.
Join us as we uncover the secrets behind EMS's rise, from the daunting purchase of their first CNC machine to producing flight components for industry giants.
Explore the intricacies of machining, from titanium challenges to laser engraving, and learn how EMS's commitment to excellence has propelled them to the forefront of the industry.
18 mins long.
 

OLD TIME STEAM POWERED MACHINE SHOP 7​

Video #7 in a series of my steam powered line shaft driven machine shop built to depict a small job shop of 1925. Fueled with junk wood, scrap, occasionally some soft coal and rain water from the roof. Work done here is for myself and a few patient customers.


34:45
 
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