Three Spindle Drill Press, Used by the Waltham Watch Company, circa 1880

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Artifact Overview

The Waltham Watch Company was a world-famous example of a highly mechanized manufacturer of quality consumer goods. Specialized labor, new machines, and interchangeable parts combined to produce the company's low-cost, high-grade watches. Workers used this type of drill press to put holes in watch face plates -- an operation later mechanized by an automatic plate drilling machine invented in 1890.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Drill press

Date Made

circa 1880

Location

at Henry Ford Museum in Made in America

Object ID

91.102.5

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Cast iron
Steel (Alloy)

Dimensions

Height: 13 in
Width: 8.75 in
Length: 7 in

Three Spindle Drill Press, Used by the Waltham Watch Company, circa 1880