In April, we moved our Franklin Crane out of the museum. It had been stored on the museum’s second floor for many years, but now it was time to say […]

Just think: if you were living in the early to mid-1800s and were involved with making copies of any object, how would you be thinking of gaging parts so that they would fit together?  Modern ideas of gaging parts are so far from what was available then that it’s pretty hard to imagine ourselves in their mindset. 

By John Alexander, Collections Technician jalexander@americanprecision.org 1976 photo of UVM students measuring the building Sometimes, a single photograph can open the door to an entire historical mystery. That’s exactly what […]

By John Alexander, Collections Technician jalexander@americanprecision.org This was built in 1852 or 1853 using the first American patent for a milling machine. I liked the idea that this machine had gotten […]

The building is a tool you say? Ah, certainly! Sort of a tool box. Without it, all the smaller tools would get rusty. A group from the University of Vermont […]

Simon Winchester, New York Times bestselling author gave a talk about his book The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World.at the American Precision Museum, 10/16/2024

By John Alexander, Collections Technician Just can’t leave well enough alone! Looking at the Gilman 4-in-1 machine (last month’s Tool of the Month), I realized I still needed to talk […]

Thank you to everyone who participated in the LEGO Community Day!

By John Alexander, Collections Technician jalexander@americanprecision.org This machine is so pretty! It’s also very strong compared to the multi-function hobby machines on the market. Many who see it really want […]

Author Geoffrey Stewart gives a presentation. Arming the World tells the story of the American small arms industry from the early 1800’s through the post-Civil War era. Almost from the […]

Written by John Alexander, Collections Technician This machine cut the spiral grooves inside the barrels of rifles and sometimes pistol barrels. The owner was David Hall Hilliard 1805-1877, who also […]

June’s Tool of the Month is a notable, locally-made machine. Even after well over one hundred years, this machine still looks good. We don’t know who made the machine, but […]

We have this cylindrical saw that’s 13 ½” in diameter. Naturally, everyone who sees it thinks, “giant hole saw.” But it’s probably not. A number of years ago, a visitor […]