Asquith
Diamond
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2005
- Location
- Somerset, UK
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5.I am proposing a new index for machines, which I’ll call the Acme Index. It’s the product of the age in years, quality of construction, and sophistication/ingenuity.
This machine scores 239 x 100 x 100 = 2,390,000.
However, if we now include a figure for usefulness, that figure would be 0, so the Index would reduce to zero, which seems harsh, so we’ll call it 1.
It’s a magnificent ornamental turning lathe made in 1780 by I. T. Mercklein for King Louis XVI, and on display in the wonderful Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris.
The design of the machine is highly sophisticated, and the quality is outstanding. In fact as far as I could make out, the workmanship is flawless. It is one thing producing a perfect finish on components of straightforward geometry, of good material, and using good machine tools, but those conditions didn't apply in this case.
T. Mercklein was from Saxony, but settled in Paris and became J.-T. Mercklein.
From the museum’s descriptive label ‘ “By relaxing with a mechanical art, I believe, after my royal duties, I come closer to the lower classes, who are also part of my great family”, wrote King Louis XVI.’ Maybe the machine was more useful than I give it credit for.
In photo 5, note the arrangements for the toolholder's X and Y and rotational movement, and the micrometer dial.
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