Needs Pictures: 0
Picture(s) thanks: 0
Results 16 to 29 of 29
Thread: Australian machine tool history
-
8th June 2015, 10:34 AM #16
I wonder if the other 3 were built? And probably more to the point where are they now? In this age of ditch our machines and buy the part ready made from somebody else, the scrappy may have made a shilling or two out of its demise
Just do it!
Kind regards Rod
-
8th June 2015 10:34 AM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
- Join Date
- Always
- Location
- Advertising world
- Age
- 2010
- Posts
- Many
-
8th June 2015, 12:24 PM #17Senior Member
- Join Date
- Feb 2013
- Location
- Laidley, SE Qld
- Posts
- 368
That's an interesting phrase 'diluted labour', had to google the meaning, ie using trained non-tradesmen to do tradesman's work.
https://books.google.com.au/books?id...labour&f=false
I have 100% diluted labour in my shed, except its not very well trained.
-
8th June 2015, 02:00 PM #18Intermediate Member
- Join Date
- Aug 2014
- Location
- North Queensland
- Posts
- 42
Diluted labour
Started a fitting & turning apprenticeship at Evans Deakin in Montague Road, South Brisbane in 1960. Came from a small country town with a couple of small engineering shops and a blacksmith place and had only seen small machine tools before. Was amazed when I first saw the large machine tools there plus a big blacksmith shop with furnaces and forges etc. Lathes there were still being used to turn prop and intermediate shafts for ships being built in EDs shipyard at Kangaroo Point.
Was a very unionised works which was all new to me. Most trades had their own union before amalgamations took place later on. There were the fitters & turners in the AEU, boilermakers and blacksmiths were still in separate societies as were coppersmiths, ironworkers, pattern makers, etc. Amongst these were some workers who were looked down on by some in the same union and referred to as "dilutees". I could not work out what the difference was but had it explained that these were workers who received much less training than an apprentice would when skilled workers were needed in the defence industries during WW2.
Some hard line unionists did not think their qualifications should be recognized after the war had finished so should not be considered tradesmen. I was told that the diluted trainees were required to join the union during the wartime so then had union membership rights afterwards. There was probably more to it than what I was told but I didn't pursue it further. I can recall many comments such as " he's just a dilutee", but in time things settled down as some people retired and the diluted trained tradesman all aged. Of course in 1960 it was only fifteen years since the end of WW2.
-
8th June 2015, 02:29 PM #19GOLD MEMBER
- Join Date
- Jun 2007
- Location
- sydney
- Age
- 64
- Posts
- 3,566
Even in the mid 70's that term was still quite common in NSW railways.
-
8th June 2015, 06:24 PM #20Pink 10EE owner
- Join Date
- Aug 2008
- Location
- near Rockhampton
- Posts
- 4,304
-
8th June 2015, 08:54 PM #21Senior Member
- Join Date
- Mar 2014
- Location
- South of Adelaide
- Posts
- 177
Very interesting read. It would be great to see photos of some of the machines mentioned but i doubt any were ever taken. I did a search for the text referenced many times "the history of the directorate of machine tools and gauges" by CJ Pawson. but I cannot find it in either the national or SA library online catalogs. Maybe no copies have survived the passage of time. I think it would be an interesting read.
-
8th June 2015, 09:41 PM #22Pink 10EE owner
- Join Date
- Aug 2008
- Location
- near Rockhampton
- Posts
- 4,304
There is at least one photo of it somewhere snapatap....
Some more info
21st July 1945 The Courier Mail
MONSTER LATHE BUILT AT IPSWICH
LARGEST lathe in the Southern Hemisphere was built at the Ipswich Railway Workshops.
A complete train was needed to transport the 135-ton monster, which four months later turned out eight-inch guns. Plans for the giant lathe were conceived in the gauge and tool making section, which has de- veloped since the workshops were placed on their own resources when the Japs entered the war. The staff responded to an Aus-
tralia-wide demand for gauges and tools which were then imported. Under the direction of the chief mechanical engineer (Mr. V. J. Hall), they rapidly established the industry on such a sound basis that before long industry through- out the Commonwealth sought their assistance. A certificate from the Marlbyr- nong Munitions Research Depart- ment showing that there was a degree of inaccuracy in construc- tion in one set of gauges of only 5,000,000th part of an inch was proudly displayed yesterday dur- ing an official inspection by the
Transport Minister (Mr. Walsh) and railway officials. Calculations in thousandths part of an inch are scorned by the staff, which has reached such a degree of perfection that 100,000ths are more frequently than not their most common topic of discussion. Mr. Hall said that the gauge and tool department was at the service of Queensland and Australian pri- vate and other industry. Already the Navy took its prob- lems almost exclusively to Ips- wich, and that section of private enterprise which was aware of its great facilities was constantly in- creasing its orders.
Tried to find a picture, about this is all I can come up with..
X2432.jpgLight red, the colour of choice for the discerning man.
-
8th June 2015, 10:13 PM #23Senior Member
- Join Date
- Sep 2008
- Location
- Riddells Creek
- Posts
- 300
I wonder if these machines were actually built "under licence" to Craven and displayed the Craven name or, as mentioned in the article, just based on the design.
There was a large Craven at the Commonwealth Marine Engine Works in Port Melbourne up until the plant closed in 1979. I have some poor quality photos of the machine that I will try to scan and post here.
-
8th June 2015, 10:38 PM #24Philomath in training
- Join Date
- Oct 2011
- Location
- Adelaide
- Age
- 59
- Posts
- 3,149
This might be of interest too.
RCDIG1070166--1-.pdf
Michael
-
8th June 2015, 10:41 PM #25Senior Member
- Join Date
- Mar 2014
- Location
- South of Adelaide
- Posts
- 177
After my last post i remembered i had a engineering magazine from about ww2 some time. After some searching of my engineering library I found it. It is September 7 1942 edition of The Australasian Engineer. I thought there may have been some references to some of the war effort machines that were made, but I think much of what was going on would have been kept secret at that time. When I have some time I will try to scan it and post it here. I think most of you would find it interesting.
-
23rd June 2015, 09:38 PM #26Member
- Join Date
- Nov 2012
- Location
- Blue Mtns
- Posts
- 66
There was a very large Craven lathe on cockatoo. Had a 5m face plate and driven from the tool post. I can't recall the legth but it was much longer than that photo above. It was post war I think 1949 rings a bell. It was dismantled with the vertical borer after the sales and the craven lathe went out to Smithfield and sat Unassembled for a few years . The vertical borer was sold to MD machinery and years later was sold up to FNQ.
i have photos somewhere I post when ever I find them.
the reason I recall was I with a couple of others disassembled the lathe )
-
23rd June 2015, 11:34 PM #27Senior Member
- Join Date
- Oct 2011
- Location
- Newstead Victoria
- Posts
- 459
A good read amazing to see at the end where and what was made state wide and the survival of some companies here that have amalgamated .And some still in business today ,for how long who knows.The planning and preparedness outline o future hostilities
All we can do is hope that a major conflict will not catch us with our trousers down. Jap made subs !! God rest our deceased servicemen
-
23rd June 2015, 11:38 PM #28Senior Member
- Join Date
- Oct 2011
- Location
- Newstead Victoria
- Posts
- 459
-
24th June 2015, 09:26 AM #29SENIOR MEMBER
- Join Date
- Jun 2011
- Location
- Australia east coast
- Age
- 71
- Posts
- 1,469
Similar Threads
-
Machine History photos
By wheelinround in forum METALWORK FORUMReplies: 2Last Post: 9th June 2013, 04:00 PM -
United states machine tool co. #1 horizontal milling machine
By pmcgee in forum ANTIQUE AND COLLECTABLE TOOLSReplies: 0Last Post: 1st March 2013, 11:16 PM -
Australian Furniture-A Pictorial History and Dictionary 1788-1938
By AlexS in forum WOODWORK - GENERALReplies: 5Last Post: 19th April 2012, 09:12 PM -
Sutton tool history
By steran50 in forum METALWORK FORUMReplies: 2Last Post: 17th April 2012, 08:47 AM -
History of Australian Bushrangers
By Peter R in forum NOTHING AT ALL TO DO WITH WOODWORKReplies: 42Last Post: 15th December 2004, 03:18 PM