The History of Lathes Emergence

The lathe is an ancient tool, dating to the Egyptians and known and used in many states of ancient time. The origin of turning dates to around 1300 BC when the Egyptians first developed a two-person lathe. One person would turn the wood piece with a rope while the other used a sharp tool to cut shapes in the wood. The Roman improved the Egyptian design with the addition of a turning bow. Early bow lathes were also developed and used in Germany, France and Britain.

In the Middle Ages a pedal replaced hand-operated turning, freeing the craftsman’s hands to hold the woodturning tools. During the industrial revolution the lathe was motorized, allowing the working of metal. Today, most commercial lathes are computer-operated allowing accurate precision of production.

Wheel-cutting machines, dating from the 1700s and used by clockmakers, were the precursors of industrial milling machines. Eli Whitney is most often mentioned as the first to design and construct a milling machine which served as a prototype for later, improved cutting machines. Whitney produced the machine, along with several others, with the perspective of mass production of gun parts. In 1798 he contracted with the federal government to produce a large order of muskets. All guns, at the time, were hand-crafted, and so gun parts were not interchangeable. Whitney realized this disadvantage with construction of a semi-automated machine tool factory.

I n 1738, Russian mechanic Andrey Konstantinovich Nartov (1693-1756) developed the first screw-cutting lathe with mechanical support and the set of adjustable meshed wheels (gears). Unfortunately, later this invention was forgotten and screw-cutting lathe with mechanical support and the banjo of adjustable gears was newly invented by Henry Maudslay about 1800. Later on Nartov invented and built a number of original lathes, machines for bore drilling, devised new artillery technologies in cannon foundries.

T

Andrey Nartov (1693-1756)

he lathes from the Tsar Peter the Great’s turnery (токарня) – three side copying lathes, two medal-making and the lathes for cutting gears, made from 1712 to 1729 by Nartov, France Zinger and other masters are exposed now in Hermitage in St. Petersburg.

James Nasmyth built a milling machine very advanced for its time between 1829 and 1831. It was tooled to mill the six sides of a hex nut that was mounted in a sixway indexing fixture.

A milling machine built and used in the shop of Gay & Silver Co in the 1830s was influential because it employed a better method of vertical positioning than earlier machines. For example, Whitney’s machine and others did not make provision for vertical travel of the knee.

In 1867, American engineer Joseph R. Brown (1805-1870) introduced his universal milling machine at the Paris Exhibition. Brown’s machine arose following the testing in 1861 of another designed to solve the problem of producing spiral flutes for twist drills. This machine proved amazingly versatile, and led to Brown’s significant addition in 1864 of a formed cutter. Ever since, milling machines have vied with lathes as the most employed industrial machine tool. Their high adaptability is demonstrated by the numerous cutting jobs they perform, including flat surfaces, grooves, shoulders, inclined surface, slots, and dovetails.

A turret milling machine is an example of a miller used in conjunction with a related machine tool, the drill. Another specialized miller is the hobbing machine, used to make gears. The milling became in 1954 the first machine tool to be controlled numerically, thereby representing one of the greatest industrial advances of the twentieth century.

Exercise 1. Translate the derivative words with the suffix -al and give the original noun:

industrial, commercial, federal, mechanical, original, constructional, nonstructural, contractual, universal, additional, technological, conjunctional, numerical.

Exercise 2. Translate the sentences into Russian and define the function of Infinitive:

1. In ancient times a sharp tool was used to cut shapes in the wood.

2. In the middle Ages a pedal was used to free the craftsman’s hands.

3. A pedal replaced hand turning, freeing the man’s hands to hold the woodturning tools.

4. Whitney was mentioned as the first to design and construct a milling machine.

5. Whitney made a contract to produce a large order of guns.

6. Whitney contracted with the government to produce a large order of guns.

7. Brown’s machine arose to solve the problem of producing spiral flutes.

8. One specialized miller is the hobbing machine, used to make gears.

9. The milling machine became in 1954 the first machine tool to be controlled numerically.

10. James Nasmyth’s milling machine was tooled to mill the six sides of a hexagonal nut.

Exercise 3. Complete the sentences with the proper words corresponding to Russian in brackets:

1. (Токарный станок) is an ancient tool (восходящий) to the Egyptians.

2. The origin of (токарной обработки) (датируется) to 1300 ВС.

3. During the industrial revolution the lathe (приводился в движение двигателем).

4. Ancient lathes were (предшественниками) of modern machine-tools.

5. Whitney’s first milling machine served as (образец) for further cutting machines.

6. As all guns were hand-crafted, their (детали) were not (взаимозаменяемые).

7. Russian mechanic A. Nartov (создал) the first (винторезный станок).

8. American engineer G. Brown (представил) his universal (фрезерный станок) in 1867.

9. Brown’s machine for production of (спиральных пазов) proved (универсальной).

10. One of the types of specialized miller is (зубофрезерный станок), used to make (шестерни).

Exercise 4. Find in the text the sentences that correspond to the following statements:

1. The lathes were known and used even in ancient times.

2. The first lathes were imperfect and the driving part was a rope.

3. Similar lathes were invented and used in many countries.

4. The progress began when the lathe was driven by a motor.

5. Early mechanics paid attention to production of guns.

6. A. Nartov made a contribution to production of weapon.

7. Brown’s important invention was a helical cutter.

8. Since 1864 the competition between milling machines and lathes began.

9. Milling machines are able to perform a lot of cutting jobs.

10. Numerical control of machine-tools started with milling machines.

Exercise 5. Find English equivalent to the Russian word:

1. придумывать, а) invent c) devise

изобретать b) develop d) think over;

2. сверло a) bore c) bow

b) drill d) cutter;

3. появление, a) emergence c) coming

возникновение b) origin d) advert;

4. заказ а) request c) bill

b) order d) account;

5. замысел а) design c) idea

b) plan d) thought;

6. образец a) sample c) pattern

b) model d) prototype;

7. станок a) machine c) machine-tool

b) lathe d) turning-tool;

8. паз (фрезы) a) side c) tooth

b) groove d) drill.

Exercise 6. Translate into English:

1. Токарные станки известные с древних времен были очень простыми.

2. Чтобы вырезать изделие, в древние времена применялись режущие инструменты.

3. С началом промышленной революции станки могли обрабатывать металл.

4. Компьютерное управление станками повысило точность обработки.

5. Предшественниками промышленных станков стали станки, используемые часовыми мастерами.

6. Русский механик Андрей Нартов изобрел первый винторезный токарный станок в 1738 году.

7. Станок Нартова имел суппорт и набор сменных зубчатых колес.

8. Станки, изобретенные Нартовым, Зингером и другими мастерами, выставлены в Эрмитаже, в Санкт-Петербурге.

9. Американский инженер Джозеф Браун является одним из изобретателей фрезерного станка.

10. Револьверный фрезерный станок может использовать фрезу наряду со сверлом.

11. Джеймс Нейсмит построил фрезерный станок, совершенный для своего времени.

Speaking:

Exercise 7. Give the summary of the text, using key vocabulary and tell about:

1. the time of the first emergence of lathes;

2. the structure of a simplest lathe;

3. the progress in the structure of lathes;

4. Whitney’s developments;

5. Nartov’s inventions;

6. Brown’s improvements of lathes;

7. Nasmyth’s milling machine;

8. numerous functions of milling machines.

Checklist for Section V:

1. What are the functions of infinitive and how is it translated into Russian?

2. What part of speech is formed with the suffix -al?

3. When did the first machine-tools appear?

4. What mechanics and engineers developed and improved machine-tools?

Section VI

The Structure of Lathes

Grammar: a) Participle I as adverbial modifier of time.

b) Compound conjunctions.

Word-formation: conversion (repetition).

Speaking: Basic parts of lathes.

Practise the reading of the words:

lathe	[leIð]
machine	[mə′I:n]
design	[dI′zaIn]
structure	[′strΛktə]
versatility	[\və:sə′tIlItI]
either	[′aIðə]
utilize	[′ju:tIlaz ]
technique	[tek′nIk]
worth	[wə:θ]