Waltham Automatic Screw Making Machine
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca 1875
This automatic screw making machine was manufactured around 1875 by the Waltham Watch Company based on designs invented in 1871 by Charles Vander Woerd. Conceived as the first automatic lathe designed for fabricating watch screws, it fed rod stock through a succession of cutting tools to shape individual screws sequentially.
Originally developed for tiny jewel-holding screws and refined after 1874 to cut various screw sizes, this specific nickel-plated cast iron unit represents a demonstration piece rather than standard factory equipment.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Technical characteristics
- Type
- Watchmaker's lathe
- Designer
- Charles Vander Woerd
- Date made
- ca 1875
- Manufacturer
- Waltham Watch Company
- Place recorded
- United States
- Object ID Number
- ME.316564
- Overall material
- nickel plated cast iron
- Maker / attribution
- Waltham Watch Company
Design
- Visible features
- • Complex assembly of nickel-plated spindles, cams, gears, and tool slides mounted on a rectangular metallic bed plate. • Handwheel positioned along the right rear side of the mechanism. • Machine base sits atop a rectangular dark wooden or painted pedestal.
- Physical Configuration
- The machine is composed of nickel-plated cast iron. Its design incorporates spindles, cams, gears, and tool slides mounted onto a metallic bed plate. A handwheel is located on the right side of the mechanism, and the unit is supported by a pedestal base. The presence of a nickel-plated finish has been interpreted as an indication that this specific unit served as a demonstration piece rather than a machine intended for standard factory production.
- Historical Context and Performance
- According to a Swiss observer, the Waltham Watch Company exhibited two automatic screw machines at the 1876 Philadelphia Exposition. Reports from this observer stated that one machine was capable of producing 800 screws per day with a 5% waste rate. While it is suggested that this unit may have been one of the machines exhibited at the 1876 Exposition, this has not been confirmed.
- Technical Development and Function
- Charles Vander Woerd, a superintendent at the American Watch Co., invented this machine in 1871. It functioned as an automatic lathe designed to fabricate watch screws, utilizing an operator to feed rod stock into the mechanism. The machine shaped individual screws sequentially by passing the stock through a series of cutting tools. Initial production was focused on small screws for watch jewels. Following technical refinements after 1874, the machine's capabilities were extended to include the production of other screw sizes.
Identification
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: Whether this specific unit was exhibited at the 1876 Philadelphia Exposition is noted as possible by the source but unconfirmed.