18 Oct
2010
18 Oct
'10
1:39 p.m.
On 18 Oct 2010 at 12:41, Fred Cisin wrote:
Half a century ago, I was told that clock-making (and
naval
navigation) was the impetus behind precision machining, but that "GUNS
FOR WAR!" was the entire impetus for interchangeable parts and mass
production.
I seem to recall an article in Smithsonian or American Heritage some
time ago that put forth the idea of crediting Eli Whitney with the
mass production of interchangeable parts is overstating the point
somewhat. He neither invented the concept (that goes to a Frenchman)
nor did his muskets achieve the goal--parts required quite a bit of
"tweaking" to get them to fit.
--Chuck