Machining in the Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution signifies a massive change in technology that occurred approximately between 1760 and 1830. Though the period ended in the mid-nineteenth century, its effects were felt well into the twentieth century thanks to the ingenuity of people like Henry Ford. While the Industrial Revolution influenced people worldwide, the majority of the new inventions and technological developments came from Europe (mainly the United Kingdom) and the United States. Each of these Western societies was responsible for a number of highly influential creations.

England & America: A brief summary of what each of these countries contributed to the Industrial Revolution.

Europeans

One major player in the Industrial Revolution was James Watt. Born in Scotland in 1736, Watt was both a mechanic and an inventor. He improved the then-standard Newcomen steam engine. His Boulton-Watt engine was stronger and more cost effective. Watt also defined horsepower and subsequently had the "watt" measurement unit named after him. His ideas and inventions were appreciated during his lifetime and he became wealthy from his efforts.

James Watt: A thorough biography of James Watt and his contribution to the steam engine can be found at this link.

Another noteworthy European inventor was Henry Maudslay. Maudslay was responsible for many inventions as well as several improvements to others' inventions. He is perhaps most known for his development of the screw cutting lathe. This made working with metal, especially in building trains, much easier and more productive.

Screw Cutting Lathe: A picture of Henry Maudslay's original invention as it is currently displayed at The Science Museum in London can be found at this link.

Joseph Whitworth was a British inventor who patented a machine for screw turning and cutting when he was just 31 years old. His most noteworthy development was a machine that could measure up to one two-millionth of an inch. It was this sort of accuracy that earned Whitworth a deal for working on government weaponry. The artillery that Whitworth Company developed could shoot accurately over six miles distance.

Joseph Whitworth: A biography of Whitworth that mentions his work with weaponry and his contributions to the art of measurement can be found at this link.

Americans

Eli Whitney was born in 1765 in Massachusetts. He spent most of his life in the north, but he developed the cotton gin in 1793 while he was living in Georgia for a few months. The cotton gin was considered useful because one man could use it to clean cotton as fast as fifty men. Later that decade he devised a system for muskets to be built with interchangeable parts. Unlike Watt, he never saw success during his lifetime, due to piracy, but the function of his inventions changed history and he is famous in death.

Eli Whitney: A very simple biography of Whitney with a brief description of the invention he is most known for, the cotton gin can be found at this link.

Cotton Gin: More information on Whitney's invention and his struggle to get it patented.

Whitney in Georgia: A more comprehensive biography of Eli Whitney, his life and his cotton gin.

Interchangeability: An explanation about how interchangeable parts contributed to the Civil War and a brief mention about Eli Whitney's contribution.

Whitney: Another short biography of Eli Whitney that mentions his work with interchangeable parts for guns.

How the Cotton Gin Started the Civil War: A detailed essay about the relationship between the cotton gin and the Civil War.

Another American inventor during the Industrial Revolution was Thomas Blanchard who was born in 1788. As a child, Blanchard developed a mechanical apple parer and patented a tack-making machine. He also invented a copying lathe that could carve busts of people. This lathe would actually become better put to use making gun stocks and tool handles. Blanchard is not very well-known for his other inventions, but he has twenty-six influential patents.

Thomas Blanchard: A brief biography of the under-appreciated inventor Thomas Blanchard can be found at this link.

Patents: A list of Blanchard's 26 patents.

Patents 2: A list of the same 26 patents, but with different information.

The sewing machine was invented by Elias Howe. However, despite its efficiency his machine was not popular. When Isaac Singer modified Howe's machine to include an up-and-down motion, the machine garnered some popularity. Howe and Singer became involved in a serious legal battle and ultimately Howe was awarded two million dollars. Unfortunately he did not have much time to enjoy his riches. He passed away a decade later at only forty-eight. Today, many people mistake Singer as the inventor of the sewing machine, but Howe was the true originator. However, without Singer's modification, it is not likely that the sewing machine would have made its way into American homes.

Elias Howe: A brief biography of Howe and how he invented the sewing machine can be found at this link.

Inventor Howe: A bit more information on Elias Howe.

Isaac Singer: A very short description of Singer, his contributions and his personal life.

Cyrus McCormick invented the reaper, a machine that could cut, thresh and bundle grain. Although he developed the first reaper machine in 1831, it took until 1841 for the machine to actually start selling. It became popular not just in the United States, but in Great Britain, Germany, Italy and France too. McCormick won a great number of awards as a result.

Cyrus McCormick: A biography of McCormick, the inventor of the reaper machine.

Henry Ford, a Michigan native, was not the inventor of the automobile. However, his development and implementation of the assembly line made cars easier and less expensive to produce. Ford made it so most Americans could afford a car, not just the rich elite. This shift caused massive growth in the automobile industry and helped it get a foothold in the United States where it was still fledgling.

Henry Ford: Information about the founder of Ford Motor Company who helped to establish the American automobile industry can be found at this link.

The Industrial Revolution was indeed a time of great thinkers and business-minded people. It was a time when the world was forever changed by new technology. Each of these inventions has gone on to be modified or utilized in some way that affects modern technology. Without contributions from both European and American inventors, society would be vastly different today.

For more information on the History of Machine Tools and America's contribution to the Industrial Revolution, please visit the website of The American Precision Museum.