Each one of these devices uses mechanical principles to achieve a function. Some objects are “consumer end products,” and others are “behind the scenes” mechanisms necessary to create the wonderful […]

  This machine was made here sometime between 1876 to 1888. We know that because of the company name that it uses. In 1869-70, what is now the Museum’s building […]

The Photostat brand machine, differing in operation from its competitor, Rectigraph but with the same purpose of the photographic copying of documents, was invented in Kansas City by Oscar T. […]

People have been grinding materials to process food, smooth surfaces, and sharpen tools for tens of thousands of years. Archeologists have found ancient grinding stones, which are rough rocks typically […]

This is believed to be the original machine made by Brown & Sharpe to use in their plant to measure the high precision products they made, such as gage blocks.

This screw machine produced the screws used in pocket watches that were popular in the late 1800’s early 1900s. This machine replaced several manual operations. A series of circular cams and followers convert rotary motion into linear motion.

Manufactured by FP Lovejoy, Springfield, VT, Pat’d Nov 22, 1904.   Do you know what this object is?     Some of the guesses we’ve heard at the front desk […]

We have three milling machines and a drawing that go together in interesting ways. Frederic W. Howe was a supervisor here at Robbins & Lawrence.  He had a very inventive […]

A pattern is the master copy of a design. Wooden patterns like these could have been used hundreds of times before losing their shape. Flat back patterns, like these wrenches, […]

MECHANICAL PRESS, Parker Bros., Meriden Conn, c. 1870 This is one of our most commented-on machines.  It looks so good!  Our documents don’t tell how it came to have such […]