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Things I find fascinating to learn about

bpostbpost Member Posts: 32,669 ✭✭✭✭
edited September 2018 in General Discussion
Engines from the early-mid 1900's.

Large diesels, steam ship propulsion, aircraft applications and other large non-automotive type engines. To see the workmanship, the intricacies, ingenuity and reliability accomplished without the aide of computers for any part of it is amazing to me.

Today a multi-axis CNC machine can make a golf ball out of hardened tool steel holding .001. Back when the Iowa and the Liberty ships were built it was all done with paper drawings a ruler, scribe and by hand.

Youtube could entertain and educate me for the remainder of my life...[:p]
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  • Don McManusDon McManus Member Posts: 23,695 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by bpost
    Engines from the early-mid 1900's.

    Large diesels, steam ship propulsion, aircraft applications and other large non-automotive type engines. To see the workmanship, the intricacies, ingenuity and reliability accomplished without the aide of computers for any part of it is amazing to me.

    Today a multi-axis CNC machine can make a golf ball out of hardened tool steel holding .001. Back when the Iowa and the Liberty ships were built it was all done with paper drawings a ruler, scribe and by hand.

    Youtube could entertain and educate me for the remainder of my life...[:p]


    Agreed, Bruce.

    I have owned and operated a machine shop for over 30 years and during that time we have gone from 100% manual machining to almost 100% CNC machining.

    We are producing 10 - 20 times the product (depending upon the part) with the same workforce, and the quality control is orders of magnitude better.

    What has fascinated me, however, is the handmade clockwork of the middle ages. The precision of the gearing that was handcut from a sheet of brass defies my understanding. I can fully grasp boring a cylinder block or turning a piston with machines powered by a waterwheel. What was done with an awl and a file 500 years ago, however, impresses the hell out of me, as it is those skills that created the water-wheel powered lathe or mill which moved us to the industrial age.
    Freedom and a submissive populace cannot co-exist.

    Brad Steele
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  • spasmcreekspasmcreek Member Posts: 37,717 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    and the stone statues on Easter Island and how they were "walked" long distances to set..irregular shaped hard stone block walls in south America that were fitted so close a knife blade will not go between and have stood for centuries without mortar..
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  • grumpygygrumpygy Member Posts: 48,464 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    No Computers were involved in building this just slide rules.


    1024px-Lockheed_SR-71_Blackbird.jpg
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  • Ricci WrightRicci Wright Member Posts: 8,259 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    126 Liberty ships were built between 1941 and 1943 at the N.C. Shipbuilding Co. yards in Wilmington, located on the east bank of the Cape Fear River slightly south of downtown, on the site of the present N.C. State Port property. My Grandfather was a foreman at this shipyard during WWII. As a young child I remember riding across the Cape Fear river with my Grandfather and seeing the long row of Liberty ships tied up down river. This was in the early 1960's and they were cut up for scrap sometime in the 1970's.
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  • bpostbpost Member Posts: 32,669 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by grumpygy
    No Computers were involved in building this just slide rules.


    1024px-Lockheed_SR-71_Blackbird.jpg


    They had to invent ways to manufacture that aircraft! The engines and fuel system are an absolute marvel of pure engineering genius. This was back when we did the impossible because it was impossible.
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  • grumpygygrumpygy Member Posts: 48,464 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    With computers now we are limited. Those boys were thinking outside of the box and sometimes in the next county.
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  • 84Bravo184Bravo1 Member Posts: 10,461 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by bpost
    quote:Originally posted by grumpygy
    No Computers were involved in building this just slide rules.


    1024px-Lockheed_SR-71_Blackbird.jpg


    They had to invent ways to manufacture that aircraft! The engines and fuel system are an absolute marvel of pure engineering genius. This was back when we did the impossible because it was impossible.






    More like because it was Necessary, BPost.
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  • Ford 23Ford 23 Member Posts: 3,129
    edited November -1
    The volume of manufacturing during WW2 is astounding everything from weapons to planes to heavy equipment and anything else you can think of. No CNC it's wonderment they could maintain quality with slide rules and hand guided lathes, milling machines and other metal working machines. Plus shaping sheet metal for more items than you would care to count.

    If memory is correct at its peak Ford was turning out one B24 per hour (didn?t verify) that?s one hell of a lot considering these things had to perform, wouldn?t be happy crew members flying over Germany having sloppy poor quality control and a critical part failed
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  • spasmcreekspasmcreek Member Posts: 37,717 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    people worked then and did not have unlimited rights for doing nothing ....nor the curse of political correctness
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  • mnrivrat48mnrivrat48 Member Posts: 1,707 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:I still want to know exactly how the huge blocks of stone were cut out and moved to construct the pyramids of Egypt and some in S. America too.


    And a number of places around the globe.

    Only one reasonable answer but many do not want to believe that there are more highly advanced cultures in the universe . Ones that were here in the old world and still remain, but in a less visible manner.
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  • Ditch-RunnerDitch-Runner Member Posts: 25,378 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    +1
    they do toss up a good argument on the theories . hard to believe so much
    ingenuity was lost to time [:(]

    almost forgot there is one he is on the auction side building ruger 10-22 [}:)][}:)]


    quote:Originally posted by mnrivrat48
    quote:I still want to know exactly how the huge blocks of stone were cut out and moved to construct the pyramids of Egypt and some in S. America too.


    And a number of places around the globe.

    Only one reasonable answer but many do not want to believe that there are more highly advanced cultures in the universe . Ones that were here in the old world and still remain, but in a less visible manner.
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  • chiefrchiefr Member Posts: 14,115 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I believe it was the Greek Hero who invented the first steam engine around 100 BC.
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