THE ELEMENTS OF PRACTICAL MECHANISM AND MACHINE TOOLS

This new copy is bound in illustrated card covers as issued. It has subsequently been professionally rebound in full black calf with bright gilt titling to the spine and the upper board The contents are bright, tight, white and square. International postal rates are calculated on a book weighing 1 Kilo, in cases where the book weighs more than 1 Kilo increased postal rates will be quoted, where the book weighs less then postage will be reduced accordingly. This is a classic manual of practical mechanical engineering originally published in 1867 by Virtue Brothers and Company of London, England. If you've ever worked in old fashion manufacturing then you'll identify with this book. It comes from a time when men with mechanical aptitude could do anything from scratch with a minimum of outside help. Everything in this little book is written with an eye towards specific applications in industry- this isn't empty theory. Indeed, this one book covers just about every practical mechanism needed to run just about any Victorian manufactory. The first part of the book covers the fundamentals of mechanical design and kinematics. This is done with only simple shop mathematics. Basic definitions and formulas are given. The elements of levers and linkages are covered. Gears and gear trains are covered next. Pulleys and belts are the next subject. This is followed by the windlass and capstan. Variable motion using unusual wheel and gear shapes, sliding linkages, Roemer's wheels, eccentric escapements, etc. is next. Intermittent and reciprocating motion by wheels, geneva mechanisms, mangle wheels and racks, crown wheels, etc. follows. Sliding motion via inclined plane, screw, wedge, and cam is the next area covered (with special emphasis upon the screw press.) Escapements and pendulums of the type used in clockwork mechanisms are next. The following section covers flywheels, centripetal governors, and safety valves. Part One finishes up with mechanisms for modifying or translating motion such as sun and planet wheels, levers of Lagarouse, spiral cams, swash plates, and both Watt's and White's parallel motions. The second part of this book covers a multitude of machines used in manufacturing, construction, and domestic purposes. First come winches and cranes. Next follows pile engines, hand jacks, the patent excavator (steam shovel), railway uncoupling, and dredging machines. Then a section of machine tools are covered (drilling machines, foot-lathes, punching machines, shears, and sawmills. Next is the smoke jack (a type of hot-air engine.) The common clock is then treated. The following section deals with hydraulic machines from suction pumps to presses. There is a good coverage next of water wheels and waterpower. Screw propellers for ships are then covered, as well as the water turbine. Motion of water in pipes and channels is next. The following section is a detailed examination of machine tools (engine lathes, planers, shapers, slotting machines, and shearing machines.) Textile machines for carding and spinning follow. Riveting machines for boilers and other large vessels are covered. Next we have extensive coverage of steam engines (including slide-valves, boilers, boiler feeders, and pressure gauges.) Then there is an entire chapter on the process and machinery of sugar refining. A full chapter on calculation of work and its hindrance by friction follows. Then comes a full chapter on pottery manufacture. Finally there is a concluding chapter on the theory and practice of metal cutting machinery (mostly lathes, shapers, and gear cutters- the horizontal universal milling machine does not seem to be covered or anticipated.) All of these topics are illustrated with a multitude of crisp, sharp line drawings. You are not provided with specific dimensions since these are concept drawings- you where expected to be able to think for yourself when it came to implementation. Ref W 6.…