The boring of drill jigs, and similar work, can be done by an operator because it is laid out beforehand by the toolmaker, or diemaker in case it is a die.
The Drill Press. The drill press work presents the same solution. The skilled tool or diemaker makes the layout and then drills the holes to the layout. Why use the skilled man’s time when a lower-priced, and less valued, operator can be used to drill to this same layout?
Grinders. The horizontal, the plain (or flat) and the universal grinding machines have always had specially trained men so we need not consider them here.
Special Machines. The remaining machines in the toolroom are generally special machines with men to operate them. The toolmaker uses, for the most part, only the machines considered in this article.
Training. The question now arises, “Where will these men be trained and who will train them?” I offer this answer. Men on these machines throughout the factory are semi-skilled in their use and are mostly on repetition work. Take the best of them and train them in the Training Department, or in the tool room, and replace them by new men in the factory.
Results. This method results in: First, enabling the skilled tool or diemaker to handle more work than if he had to do all the machine and layout work; second, increasing the output per machine, for it stops the time lost through the machine’s being idle and the tools being separated from the machine. In this matter alone it presents a saving, as it calls for only one set of tools per machine, against a set for every man in the room who keeps them in his bench drawer most of the time; third, it eliminates the time lost by the skilled man’s waiting around for a particular machine. He is now able to plan one job after another and turn it over to the machine operator and thus devote all his time to work that an unskilled man cannot do.
(Signed) Walter F. Maddison,
Director of Industrial Training.
THE BLANCHARD MACHINE COMPANY
64 State Street, Cambridge, Mass.
As you know, we have been running our Training Department for about five weeks only, hence we are not in position to give you any definite information as to the value of it, etc., but from what we can see it will be undoubtedly a great help to us, because all the unskilled help go to the instructor before being put into the shop. Those who have had some experience are put into the shop, with the instructor to give them detailed information for as long a time as is necessary, and to teach them the important parts of the work in hand. This, as you can imagine, is more difficult in this shop where we do not manufacture large quantities than it would be in a shop where there was a uniform operation, such as there would be on shells, and work of that kind.