Screw Slotting Machine, circa 1850
Add to SetSummary
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.
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.
Artifact
Screw-cutting machine
Date Made
circa 1850
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Made in America
Object ID
00.698.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Wood (Plant material)
Cast iron
Steel (Alloy)
Dimensions
Height: 37.5 in
Width: 32.625 in
Length: 22.75 in
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