Milling Machines

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Milling machines were tools that shaped metal objects through using "a fast-spinning multiple-toothed cutter to remove metal from the piece being worked on."1 The work was moved in relation to the cutter at certain angles allowing for the detailed shaping of an object. Because those tools allowed for intricate metal cutting, they were used in arms factories during the Civil War. By providing a more exact way to cut the metal, the milling machine promoted uniform parts that were called for by the Ordnance Department.

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North

Simeon North, the inventor known for creating the first milling machine, created his invention around 1816.1a His 1813 governmental contract to create 20,000 pistols with interchangeable parts inspired the inventor to fabricate a machine to make that task possible.2 The machine was so ground-breaking that the Harper's Ferry and Springfield Armories' superintendents came to North's factory to look at the tool.1 North also visited Harper's Ferry in 1816, sharing his ideas with John Hall, who was in charge of rifle manufacturing there and who had a passion for interchangeable parts. Hall worked during the following decade to perfect the milling machine to make it more efficient.1 That process took place at the height of the government-led American System of Manufacturing, in which manpower and knowledge flowed freely throughout the industry, and allowed the milling machine to spread to other armories. Specifically, milling machines spread from the Springfield Armory to companies in New England, a region known for its manufacturing of machine tools and arms.1​



 

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​Brown
Joseph Brown, of J.R. Brown & Sharpe, created the first fully universal milling machine in 1861 - 1862 and sold it to the Providence Tool Company, which used it throughout the Civil War.6 Other notable companies that bought Brown’s universal milling machine included the Spencer Repeating Rifle Company, the Burnside Rifle Company, and the Gwyn & Campbell Company (one of two companies West of New York to obtain one).7 By the end of 1862, ten of Brown's machines were in use, and production of his tool continued to increase.8 Seventeen universal milling machines were sold to various gun factories across the United States during the war.9 Brown did not patent his machine until February 21, 1865, and the number 46,521 was given to it.10​

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As stated by Brown in his 1865 patent, "The construction and arrangement of the parts [...] provides for the elevation of the carriage [...], for its sliding longitudinally with the spindle of the cutterhead and for setting it so as to slide at any convenient angle therewith, so that every possible movement or position thereof is obtained that is required for any work that can be performed by a machine of this character" (patent no. 46521). His machine combined, as stated in his patent, various parts, such as a sliding plate, swivel plate, and a sliding carriage with a revolving cutter. Universal milling machines, such as Brown’s, hold the work in what is called a head that is then moved at various angles to allow for intricate cutting. These devices also allowed for multiple cuts to be made to the work at one time. Brown's milling machine could even be fitted with different types of cutters to cut various gears, making it an even more valuable machine. By having multiple cutters, the milling machine performed more operations. That allowed the gun makers to use one machine tool for multiple jobs, which essentially made the process faster and cheaper.

Work
the piece of metal or wood that is molded into a machine part or carbine part