THE WORKS OF THOMAS SHANKS & CO., JOHNSTONE, SCOTLAND

      "The firm of Thomas Shanks & Co., of Johnstone, Scotland, is one of the leading houses in Europe for the manufacture of heavy machine tools. This firm is to the United Kingdom what Niles-Bement-Pond is to the United States, and what Ernst Schiess is to Germany. My attention was especially attracted to Messrs. Shanks's heavy tools within the past two months, when visiting the leading French manufacturing plants. I found enormous Shanks tools in the St. Chamond works, and at Le Creusot and elsewhere, and that the tools of this firm are drawn upon largely by French arsenals and naval establishments. The same tools also find their way into Russian Government yards, and I understand that many of them have been sent to Germany. As pointed out in previous reports, the heavy-tool industry is practically covered by European firms, and the opportunity for American machine tools abroad is largely confined to the medium sized and the smaller tools.

ACCURACY OF THREADING

      Shanks & Co.'s works (August 7), in common with the majority of English establishments, is rather quiet, but I understand that when running at full force about 350 men are employed. Although the firm goes in more especially for heavy tools, machines of the medium sizes are also made to special order. It can be said that they are not afraid of sizes, and I doubt if there are any larger tools made in Europe that are handled by this firm. Special pride is taken in the accuracy of the thread work on the leading screws of lathes, and I understand the accuracy of this threading is absolutely guaranteed. Practically all the engine (turbine) work for the steamship Lusitania was handled by Shanks tools. Mr. Shanks is a firm believer in cast iron bearings when using Scotch metal for slow speeds, and this metal, it must be understood, is generally harder than is used in the United States. Messrs. Shanks buy all their castings, preferring to adhere strictly to machine work. Brown & Sharpe have been drawn on for gear-making tools, but with the exception of this firm and Tangyes, of Birmingham, who supplied drills and Lang lathes, practically all the equipment in the Shanks shops is of the firm's own make. Messrs. Shanks plane all keyways of shafts where these keyways are of any length, but for small keyways they prefer to mill.

VARIETY OF TOOLS MANUFACTURED

      The main erecting shop is a spacious, well-lighted building of modern construction. I observed one big planer running four cutters using English tool steel, and Mr. Shanks observed that he believed in making a tool work more even at the risk of a loss of speed. The principal tools manufactured comprise: Heavy quadruple-geared lathes, with double slide beds for marine crank axles, steel Ingots and general work: heavy quadruple-geared double-bed lathes, with Barrow's patent additional details for L. P. rotors; quadruple-geared surfacing lathes, with or without loose headstocks, for cylinder covers, piston rings, cylinder liners, and general work: quadruple-geared surfacing lathes, with or without loose headstocks. with gap frame for dealing with large diameter fly wheels; quadruple-geared single-bed shafting lathes, for marine shafts, connecting rods, piston rods, and long screws; quadruple-geared double-bed shafting lathes, for heavy shafting, thrust bearings, and general work: quadruple-geared single-bed slide break lathes, with gap frame, for work of large diameter, as well as for shafts and general work; quadruple-geared double-bed slide break lathes, with gap frame, for work of large diameter; double-geared slide and screw-cutting lathes; special lathes, such as railway-wheel lathes, lathes for turning locomotive and carriage axles; apprentice lathes for sliding and surfacing general work, with and without hollow mandrel; apprentice lathes with hollow mandrel and revolver rests for bolt and rod work; steam turbine casing boring machine; universal horizontal boring machines, for drilling, tapping, studding, and boring, and for milling flat surfaces; large universal horizontal boring machines; furnace-front boring, tube-plate boring, Corliss-valve boring, and long-shaft boring machines; special drilling and boring machines, such as boiler-shell drills, boiler-back drills, duplex marine shaft-coupling drills; radial drilling machines, rectangular box radial drilling machines, wall radial drilling machines; vertical boring machines for built-up cranks, and vertical drilling machines; cylinder-boring machines, boring liars; slotting and planing machines; vertical and horizontal planing machines, large size; vertical and horizontal planing machines, and large screw slotting machines; planing machines, heavy, for armor plates; planing machines for general work; plate-edge planing machines; general and special shaping machines; horizontal plate bending rolls, for shipbuilding and boiler work; patent vertical plate bending rolls, for marine, locomotive, and stationary boilers; punching and shearing machines: power traveling cranes; jib traversing cranes.

RESULTS FROM MOTOR DRIVING

      The opinion is held by Messrs. Shanks that motor driving on machine tools neither adds to nor detracts from the tool. On the other hand, it is contended that by increasing the width, thickness, and strap velocity of belt, and providing the mechanical means of tightening it to the right tension until it is competent to deal with the heaviest cuts at the highest speeds, that the perfection of driving is arrived at. The countershaft and pulley, it is further asserted, should be self-contained with the machine. It is contended that by belt driving there is more safety against accidents which would smash expensive details where the potential power of a direct driving motor is used. The firm, however, declares that it is not averse to direct driving, especially for heavy lathes, but it is evident that Messrs. Shanks prefer belt driving.

      On the subject of high-speed cutting, it is maintained that if much material has to be removed the method of slow cutting and heavy feeds are far ahead in producing quickly accurate work. The experience of Messrs. Shanks is directly against the running of tables for heavy planing machines at high speeds of cut and reverse, or by cutting both ways, as a means of escaping the difficulties of a quick return.

&GEARING HEAVY TOOLS

      With reference to the gearing of heavy tools, this firm maintains that the ordinary machine-cut gearing, although adopted by them, is all very well for a few months, but it does not stand the test of years. It is pointed out that the wear on the driving tooth is from the pitch line to point, and on the driven from pitch line to root, and that in consequence the driving wheel (apart from this wear) has only half the strength of the driven wheel. The Shanks works have abandoned the use of involute teeth, except for change-wheels and intermediate gearing, because of what is termed the intense outward strain upon the bearings and frictional and wear of the rotating surface. Only epicycloidal teeth, special and different shapes of teeth for driver and driven, are used, and the preferential use of steel for driver, and especially hard cast iron for the driven, and where there is high-gear velocity recourse to gun metal. All gearing, whether bevel or spur or worm, is machine cut. All-important bearings are provided with gun-metal bushes and caps for adjustment of wear, and all bearings that are liable to seize from carelessness in oiling are bushed with gun metal. All loose pulleys are made to run on an oiling bush.

LATHES AND BORING MACHINES

      Messrs. Shanks are building a turbine quadruple-geared double-bed lathe of seven different sizes. The largest size has a height at centers measuring 81 inches, with width of double-slide bed measuring 12 feet 4 inches; length of bed, 57½ feet; and distance between centers, 40 feet. In Class G boring machines for steam turbine casings they make one tool having a width of slide bed measuring 7 feet 6 inches; traverse of column measuring 9 feet 6 inches and a diameter of 17 feet capacity for the largest diameter of the bore. The diameter of the worm wheel is 84 inches, the length of the work plate is 53 feet, and the width 18 feet.

      Of the large universal horizontal boring machines there is one tool made which has a diameter of spindle 7½ inches; ratio of torsion, 421; feed traverse of spindle, 60 inches; horizontal range of spindle, about 10 feet; vertical range of spindle, about 10 feet; width of slide bed, exclusive of projections, 6 feet 4 inches.

      There is one very heavy special boring machine for boring holes up to 15 inches diameter through long shafts up to 34 inches diameter and 70 feet long. The machine includes a strong middle foundation plate with two beds, each 41 feet long and 4 feet 6 inches wide, checked and bolted thereto, and 03 feet overall.

      Radial drilling machines range in various sizes, the largest having a diameter of spindle of 5 inches; feed traverse of spindle, 36 inches; maximum radius of spindle, 13 feet; minimum radius of spindle, 3 feet 7 inches; greatest height of spindle from base plate, 13 feet; vertical adjustment of arm, 5 feet.

      The armor-plate planing machines are of various sizes, the maximum having the following dimensions to plane in, viz: Width, 16 feet; height, 12 feet: length, 24 feet. The length of bed at front is 22 feet 6 inches; at back, 19 feet 6 inches; and the total length is 42 feet.

      Reference was made in a special report on the St. diamond Works, France, to the Shanks gun lathes in service there. The tools furnished to St. diamond by Shanks & Co. were said to be among the heaviest in use in the St. Etienne district in France." (Quote from 1909)

Information Sources

• Machine Tool Trade in Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy and United Kingdom, 1909, pgs. 218-221