Screw Slotting Machine, circa 1850

Rooted in a tension between human dexterity and dictated speed, this modest machine offers insight into both the possibilities and potential drudgery of volume production methods. While operation was simple (screw blanks, inserted by hand into the holes in the rotating drum, passed beneath spinning saw blades; slotted screws fell out into a waiting bin) it was also monotonously repetitive.