This..


I use this bad boy most days. It's a 1949 2-5/8" RB8 Acme Gridley Automatic multispindle.

My company has about 30 of them.

Churn out fittings for the oil and gas industry at about 1 a second, far faster than any modern CNC could do. Makes a massive racket, is scary as fuck, and when you look through that window it looks like the internals of a terminator.

Completely mechanical.

I think it runs on steam.
(inflateable, Fri 5 Nov 2010, 18:14, 18 replies)

it runs on bollock sweat and swear words

( Ring Of Fire A petty, drooling belming butthurt retard., Fri 5 Nov 2010, 18:24, closed)

Whoa that's pretty cool
I want one
( Major Turd for tonight only, Fri 5 Nov 2010, 18:42, closed)

^This

(Archeleus hates cabbage, Sat 6 Nov 2010, 0:36, closed)

You'd be surprised how many old machines there are still in use. My company until very recently owned the spares department for Ward lathes and it still did a fairly brisk trade - considering they'd not made a lathe for 30+ years and some were war-time models. Our shop floor has very little machinery (other than power hand tools) less than about 50 years old.

I sometimes think we make the MMSI look fairly modern and up to date...
(Slave to Percy, Fri 5 Nov 2010, 19:35, closed)

I had a job at British Aerospace building pasanger jets.
Before the open day we'd cover up some the the 'secret' manufacturing machines,hand operated fly presses that had been doing the same job since the first world war, and leave just the modern stuff on display.
( Ring Of Fire A petty, drooling belming butthurt retard., Sat 6 Nov 2010, 9:58, closed)

A thing of Beauty
I served my apprenticeship in a factory that machinery like that,as well as some seriously old overhead belt drive machines too.
( bane, Fri 5 Nov 2010, 20:04, closed)

I have no idea
what that is, but I want one.
(Psymon_Spark Jesus Saves! The rest of you take 4d6 damage, Fri 5 Nov 2010, 20:11, closed)

t's a 1949 2-5/8" RB8 Acme Gridley Automatic multispindle. Do try to keep up.
( Scrumper, Fri 5 Nov 2010, 20:28, closed)

Keep up? Keep up with a 1949 2-5/8" RB8 Acme Gridley Automatic multispindle?
Ee, they don't make nowt these days that could keep up with a 1949 2-5/8" RB8 Acme Gridley Automatic multispindle.
(Falstaff's Spiritual Successor, Fri 5 Nov 2010, 21:10, closed)

A thing of beauty
I like this so much I'm clicking 'I like this' on replies!


*click*
(El Fandango carved a big EF onto his nemesis' doublet on .., Sat 6 Nov 2010, 0:15, closed)

So
you plug the USB in where?
(Richy_T hundreds if not thousands of dollars, Sat 6 Nov 2010, 6:25, closed)

USB?
This bit of kit is used by guys who know enough to not need universal serial bus. It also dozn't need to connect to any "new technology" coz it just does it.
(S B C Kittencure, Sat 6 Nov 2010, 6:54, closed)

Actually....
...all modern CNCs still use serial ports. USB isn't robust enough. (i mean physically - the plugs pull out and they get damaged too easily)
(inflateable, Mon 8 Nov 2010, 14:13, closed)

He is referring to the Undulating Serpentine Belt...
..of course.
(AndyC4m Eject Eject [><], Tue 9 Nov 2010, 13:48, closed)

I'm not sure about the colour
Can I have a blue one?
( Piper Alpha is being a grumpy northerm bastard on:, Sat 6 Nov 2010, 7:12, closed)

Funny you should say that...
...ours are actually all blue.
(inflateable, Mon 8 Nov 2010, 14:13, closed)

the most impressive bit of any industrial machinery
is the blocky housing with two big buttons poking out of it, one of which is red. God, those buttons look tempting.
( Grrrmachine the indifference engine, Sat 6 Nov 2010, 8:25, closed)

(sigh)
Brings a tear to my eye that does...
( DukeEuphoria Comes highly reccomended, Mon 8 Nov 2010, 13:01, closed)