Milling Machine
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The Federal armories at Harpers Ferry and Springfield, Massachusetts, were among the first machine-operated industries in the United States. Workers in the armories used many labor-saving machines to produce the three major components of the musket: the lock, the stock, and the barrel.
Two machines represent those used to machine a lock. The serrated rotary cutters of the "milling machine" (shown here) shaped the contours of the lock plate. In addition, a separate machine called a "drill press" bored holes for screws and other fixtures. Multiple-spindle drill presses mounted all of the drill bits needed for a particular task.
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