kinda OT- Who is the most famous machinist, living or dead?

Steve Jam you mentioned your High School teacher Mr. Nelson, he and the instructors before him made machining what it is today. I wouldn't know him if he came through the dodr but he would probably get people interested in short order, and that is how our nations machining capability was born.

One of my personal heros was Don Tate of McGill, Nevada. He was a machinist turned supervisor at Kennecott Copper Corp's reduction plant. He was in charge of repairs at a 21000 tpd crushing and concentrating plant. The plant was old and the lead time on replacement parts just about as long as the plant was old. One occasion I remember was making piston rings for a 17 inch diameter vacumn pump. He set up the specs right down to the clearance between the ring ends at operating temperature, then went to the shop and assisted the machinist on the floor to get it done. Working for Don was more like being in training rather than get tjhe job done or else.

I have met other highly skilled machinists and thanks to them I have learned a great deal about machining.

Ray
 
I could list a lot of famous engineers- most of whom, you wouldn't know.

How about Jacob Holtzapffel? This is supposed to be a forum for the hobby machinist and he made lathes which few of you today can match.

He made ornamental turing lathes for the Crown Heads of Europe. Indeed, the Tsar of Russia had one. A complete and good Holzapffel will still fetch a value of-- wait for it- as street of houses!

For those who are interested, H. wrote a series of books on turning. They should still be available as reprints. I have a set and when I come to a sticky problem, I refer to them.
 
HSS link=topic=1801.msg11417#msg11417 date=1303386959 said:
Tubal Cain is becoming famous daily.
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Which Tubal Cain? The one who wrote for Model Engieneer for decades, whose real name was T. D. (Thomas) Walshaw? If so Tom Walshaw has been "famous" for decades. Or is it the other "Tubal Cain", the US imposter, who will only ever be famous to millions of model engineers for his brazenness in misappropriating a greatly respected pen name?
 
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Didn't say what kind of machinist TubalCain was, don't know anything about him or his work. The question asked was "Who is the most famous machinist, living or dead," not, who do you respect as a machinist or who is your hero. Get enough face time on youtube and you become famous, in a way, and he is getting plenty.

Pat
 
The first- and only real Tubal Cain- appeared in Genesis.
Probably the first recorded engineer who 'could measure' was Hiram, King of Tyre.
As yet we are too thick to really appreciate what was done in history.
Were the Pyramids preceded by unknown Ancient Brits who used the Planet Venus to produce the Megalithic Yard etc?
I recall as a boy in WW2 sitting next to a Bronze Age skeleton whose grave had been hewed out of the sandstone and that for a small child whose younger bones had simply disappeared.

A few days ago, an old man stood by the 'cup and ring' markings on Garleigh Moor in the Simonside Hills in Northumberland. None of us know precisely why or when they were carved - but they look into something Druidical into the College Valley in the Cheviot Border Hills.

On Wednesday, I will be looking at the taulas and talyiots of another era in Menorca in the Balearic Islands.

Sorry, but 'your Tubal Cain' is not worth a second glance.
 
HSS link=topic=1801.msg12740#msg12740 date=1304253647 said:
Didn't say what kind of machinist Tubal Cain was, don't know anything about him or his work.
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Perhaps you should find out? Old Tom was one of the most knowlegable and prolific, and most respected, writers and teachers of amatuers who ever lived. Tom was an authority on Holtzapffel and owned Holtzapffel Lathe No 2456 and one of his 20 or so books was on ornamental turning.
your Tubal Cain is not worth a second glance.
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That's your choice of course. Some years ago, tiring of the growing attitude that we (amatuers) needed more machinery and accessories to do the most elemental work, Tom built a Stuart Turner #10 horizontal steam engine using only hand tools to show what could be done with hand tools. No lathe, no drill press, no mill, no EDM, no CNC, nothing but a hacksaw, files, chisel, and scrapers, and he turnmed out a beautiful engine in about the same time it took the average amatuer machinist to do the same job. This project, entitled "Handmaiden" was written up in Model Engineer some years ago.
 
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Harry,
the million dollar question is- did Tom also write 'Secrets of the Lodge'?

Cheers

Norman
 
In other words, it is a rhetorical question, to be answered by our own subjective standards. I believe it was meant only to stimulate conversation, not controversy.
 
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