It did not take me long to resume the role of draftsman after my army training. Business was good, and I had plenty of work. The day-to-day interfacing with my fellow workers was entertaining. We had an older man working as a draftsman, and he did a very meticulous job. A very quiet fellow, who, I found out, had a short trigger. Most of us brought our own lunch to work, usually in a paper bag. This fellow, lets call him “Bob”, also usually had a bag of potato chips with his lunch. I don’t know who started it, but when “Bob” left his desk, someone would open his drawer and crush his chips. When he found out……”WOW”!! Totally beserk. Can’t say that I blamed him, this happened several times, too. I think he finally found out who was doing it, by feigning leaving, and sneaking back. The harassment stopped.

Nearby was the Standards Department, headed up by an older fellow named Ray Hastings. They were responsible for keeping the company wide standards up-to-date. And they also ran the blueprint department, and microfilming of all the drawings and documents. The assembly lists were printed on standard perforated computer paper, then torn apart into 8-1/2″ x 11″ size and placed in three ring binders. When an assembly list became obsolete, they were microfilmed and destroyed; this saved valuable space as the microfilm could be filed away and retrieved easily if necessary. These obsolete assembly lists were microfilmed using a desktop sized unit, and feeding the lists thru one page at a time. Ray usually did this chore, but one day during the filming his string tie got caught up in the mechanism. And he couldn’t get it released. Moaning and calling for help, some of us ran over to unplug the unit so Ray wouldn’t get microfilmed…………..

It was about this time that I was asked to join the Grinder Engineering Department, headed up by Clyde Quimby. There was a definite advantage to moving, as the grinder group was located at the rear of the office, right next to the windows. So I went from sitting in the middle of the room to having a window seat. A great move, as I could work (at least in the warm months) with my window open. Never mind the dust from the parking lot, I had a view! I could watch the local railroad locomotive go by  with its load of scrap iron headed for the Springfield Foundry. And when they were pouring iron (making a casting), what a sight to behold, black smoke and flames coming right out of their roof! Another benefit was having some fresh air, as there were quite few smokers in the office (I was one of them).

J&L was a “family run” firm up until 1964, but at the end of that year there were some union problems, and then Textron bought it. This was before my arrival, so I don’t have any real details of what happened. But once Textron was aboard, they instituted a program to improve the business. They had the financial resources needed to do this. They bought some up-to-date production machinery, and hired several college-trained engineers. All employees now came under the Textron Pension Plan and Stock Plan. Once a year there would be a statement sent to me relating to my pension and what I could expect when I retired. Some of the old timers would kid me, saying “look at what you’ll receive when you retire in 2010!!” This date seemed so far away at the time, but, HERE WE ARE!!

The summer of 1967 was a very turbulent time in this country. There was a very strong anti-war movement going on, as this was the time of the Vietnam War. There were also a great deal of happenings surrounding the folk music scene, the biggest of which was happening in San Francisco. The “Flower People”, the peace movement, and the Civil Rights Movement were all happening. The drug culture was exploding (LSD was still legal). There was a lot of anger being expressed, and rioting was not uncommon, especially in the city slums. And I was working for Uncle Sam. My exposure to these events was as a sidelined spectator, I could not participate even if I wanted to.

Check out Scott McKenzies song, “San Francisco”. This really sums up “The Summer of Love”. in one tune.

My Army training lasted thru August of that summer. I was at Ft. Lee, Virginia, going thru Quartermaster School. I was being trained to be a supply NCO, which basically means being able to supply our troops with all the necessary items needed to accomplish our mission, from toilet paper to trucks to ammunition and guns. While I was in Virginia, I did have some time off (“Leave Time”), and my buddies and I would do a little travelling around. Most of us had cars, and I remember in particular going to Philadelphia on the Fourth of July. Being there on that historic day was quite a thrill, and walking the cobblestone streets that our Founding Fathers walked was something special. At that time the Liberty Bell was in Independence Hall, before they placed it in its own special building.

I was discharged from Ft. Lee toward the end of August, and drove home straight thru the night. I was eager to get back and resume a “normal” life. Of course, being in the Army Reserves or National Guard still had its responsibilities; we had a monthly weekend meeting, and a full two weeks away from home in the summer (“Summer Camp”). Some of my buddies were going to college in Boston, and transferred to a unit down there. A few of those units were activated and sent into the war that was going on. But our unit in Chester did not get that call.

Shortly after returning home, my wife gave birth to our first child, a daughter. I had gone back to work in the drafting pool at J&L, and took a day off to celebrate, and visit friends to announce the event. Maybe have a beer and cigar, I can’t remember. But my boss was mildly upset with me. He could not understand why I took a day off, saying when his wife was due, he dropped her off at the hospital on the way to work……….

I have since discovered that this was not an uncommon occurrence, but I still don’t understand it.

One of the draftsmen announced that he had bought a new “chevelle” on winter morning. The Chevelle was a popular automobile Chevrolet had been building since 1964. It could be a utilitarian car, or a high performance one, depending on the options purchased. Of course we all asked him about it, what color was it, etc. I must explain that this fellow was a French-Canadian, with the attendant accent. He could not understand why we wanted to know what color his SNOW SHOVEL was………..

The drafting pool was situated pretty much in the center of the office area, with the main aisle running down one side of it. The aisle allowed for much visiting as the girls (and guys) travelled back and forth to the restrooms. I was fortunate enough to sit right next to the aisle, and had the opportunity to make many new friends. Girl watching was an important sport at J&L (or anywhere). But sometimes being on the aisle was not a good thing. The Boss kept pretty close track of his people, and if he didn’t speak to you then, he certainly would at Review Time. There were semi-annual reviews to discuss your progress (or lack thereof), which I actually did pretty well with. There was a structured, and published, chart of job titles and the range of pay assigned to each. This chart started out as (if I remember right), Apprentice Draftsman Class 1, 2 and 3, then Draftsman 1, 2, 3. If you were paying attention, did well, and there happened to be an opening in any of the product engineering departments, you might be asked if you would like to “move up” into the Designer classification. At this time business was very good, and the office structure was slowly being modified to eliminate the drafting pool and place people directly into the various product engineering departments.

During my early years, The Vietnam war was slowly building up. And I was classified as 1-A (available to be drafted). When I joined J&L, Textron applied for, and received, a “deferment” for me (meaning I was exempt from the draft). Back then the draft was always on your mind, and you were never really sure when your deferment might end. Many guys joined the National Guard or Army Reserves, which at that time were not activated as much as they are today. I decided to join the Chester Army reserves in January of 1967. That was a busy month for me, as I also got married. Married in January, shipped off in March. Not much  time for cuddling.  I remember getting the Official Order, report to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina for basic training. Wait a minute, ain’t that where the 82nd Airborne are? I don’t wanna jump out of planes!!

As it turned out, the Company Commander was ex-National Guard, and many of us recruits were Guard or Reserve affiliated. But the D.I.’s were AIRBORNE, BABY. I would never again be in as good a condition as when I graduated and headed north to Ft. Lee, Virginia, for Quartermasters (supply school) training.

My boss in the drafting pool was George Julien. He had a wife and a daughter who were pretty much at home. George was the breadwinner. Sitting near him was the Manager of Standards, Ray Hastings, whose job it was to keep the Standards Book “up to date”. This was quite a volume, probably three inches thick, as it contained all the standard items that were used by the company in all its assemblies. By standard items I mean the hardware, fasteners, and company made pieces that could be used on the product line. Ray had an assistant to help him keep this book current. There were always new pages coming out, and because each department in the company had a copy, the assistant was forever moving (there were probably a hundred books scattered around the buildings).

Another item that was vitally important, especially for newcomers, was the J&L Drafting Manual. This book contained what every engineer / detailer should know, beginning with the basics (how to print and dimension legibly), to information on hydraulics, pneumatics, sheet metal, castings, forgings, etc. It was meant to briefly describe the various disiplines  that had to be mastered if a person was to become successful as an engineer.

This manual was also the responsibility of the Standards Department.

At that time we had an in-house fluid power engineer, whos job it was to assist anyone with a hydraulic or pneumatic question, or to even design circuitry. There were periodic classes given to engineering personnel to help educate them. The drafting Manual had a chapter showing what symbols should be used on diagrams for various valves and other devices. The use of hydraulics was important in the machine tool industry, as it provided point-of-operation power with a remote reservoir and pump.

Many of the major parts of the J&L machinery were castings. It was, of course, very important to design these items properly. The Drafting Manual had some general guidelines concerning types of iron, wall thicknesses, etc. But the best way to learn was to look at some past drawings for guidance, and to talk to some of the older engineers. We had another Ace-in -the Hole in this arena- Lucas Pattern Company. They made most of the patterns for us, and were just up Bridge Street, a short walk (the building is now gone, having collapsed from heavy snow a few years ago). Ralph Lucas gave classes at his place for us budding engineers, showing us how to design the castings so he could create the wooden patterns in the most economical way. How to choose the correct wall thicknesses so the molten iron would flow properly, and fill the mold. How to design radii, again for proper flow. Any new casting drawing (we called them “pattern drawings), would be reviewed by him and his suggestions were always welcome. A win-win situation, he could make the pattern the most economical way,  and we would get a solid casting. Ralph is gone now, but I will never forget his handshake- ouch!!

 

As was mentioned before, there were ten or twelve people who made up the drafting pool at J&L. Most were involved with creating mechanical drawings (details) of parts extracted from a layout created by an engineer in one of the product departments. There were also a few folks who were working on the electrical side of a project, mostly concerning electrical junction boxes, and the panel layout and detailing of electrical components. There were very few women who had an interest in this type of drafting work (although most of the hands-on electrical panel wiring was done by women).

I think it was toward the end of 1965 when I was placed in the drafting pool. One of my VTC classmates, who had an electrical degree, was also there. I had been staying at various rooms around town, none with cooking capabilities. He and I decided to rent an apartment on Wall Street, so we could cook for ourselves, and save some money. I was never very good at saving money (or cooking either). But between us, we learned to improve in those areas. In a typical bachelor fashion, the dishes would pile up in the sink, getting washed only when we ran out of clean ones. The cooking was never very good, but it was better than what we had been doing on our own.

Back in those days, most automobiles were rear wheel drive, front engine setups. There were very few four-wheel drive, or front wheel drive, cars. So getting around a town like Springfield was quite a challenge in the winter. Just a slight incline (like there is in front of the post office), could stop traffic flow if the conditions were right. And there was plenty of traffic when the shops got out. Getting thru town could take an hour (and the side streets were even steeper). Being on a tight budget, I usually bought winter retread tires, which cost considerably less than new. And they worked fine, as long as I didn’t drive on the interstate much. Higher speeds tend to create heat in a tire, and sometimes the retread would fail. A couple of cement blocks in the trunk helped in the traction department. It didn’t help the fuel mileage, but gas was less than 40 cents a gallon.

As with any group of people, we had our share of, shall I say, “interesting folks”. One young fellow always seemed to do things to create attention. He had been taking some sort of self-defense course, and he wanted to show us just how much he had learned. He brought in a heavy hand file from the shop (the technical term is “bastard” file). It was about 1/4″ thick,  and placed it on top of two stacks of books. He then proceeded to karate-chop it………..of course the books were not very firm, the hand went down, the file did not break, the hand was very swollen for several days………..

 

 

After my stint on the lathe assembly floor, it was decided that I should be placed in the environment I was hired for. The engineering department was set up basically along the product line mode. There were separate departments for the manual lathe product ( Fays and Tracer Lathes), the NC product (the early NCTL lathe), and the grinder product (form and thread grinders). These departments were where the design and layout functions took place. After the final designs were approved, the layouts were sent over to the Drafting Pool. These were the folks who took the layouts and detailed all the parts so that the mechanism could be built. We are talking here about pencil drawings, as this was before any CAD (Computer Aided Drafting)  existed. Some of these “layouts” could measure three feet wide by eight feet long. All in pencil. And the mechanism might contain fifty or a hundred separate parts.

The drafting pool  was my first stop in the engineering department. There were perhaps ten or twelve of us, some had been in the pool for a few years. Some were happy just being a detailer, and did not wish to climb the ladder any further. It was a lot of fun, deciphering  the layouts and coming up with a drawing that could be used to manufacture a part. Some parts were simple, some required quite a lot of creative thinking.

So it was the detailer who extracted and drew up every part. And dimensioned it. And quite often there were problems that the designer did not foresee, so there was a constant back-and-forth review as each detail was made. It was here where the detailer really starts to learn his craft, an actual working drawing, that is easy to read, manufacturable, and as economical as possible. It is here that he becomes involved with the Methods Department, the folks who have the knowledge concerning the limitations of the various machines that will be used to make each part. Every job the detailer does adds to this knowledge, so his future details will be more correct and require less changes. One thing a detailer does not like to see are his drawings all marked up in red!! If he does his job correctly, and pays attention to past suggestions, his drawings will become less “colorful”…….

Which brings me to the department all detailers dread, the Engineering Checkers. After the detailing is done, all the drawings and the original layout would be sent to The Checkers. We had maybe six checkers at J&L, of different temperments. And it was Pot Luck who got your job; so it might sail thru with little change, or you might get the guy who we called SUPER-REDESIGN. Even the basic layout and design were fair game to him. Now remember this was back in the days of pencil and eraser. A lot of eraser. A half inch thick on the floor. Burning rubber. Drawings with thin spots (or holes). A learning experience……………

 

I spent several weeks in-training on the final assembly floor. I should mention that at that time, J&L had two major products being built in Plant #1, the various lathe models, and a line of grinders. I was assigned to the lathe line, but would become involved with grinders later on in my career.

J&L was the largest employer in town, having not only the large Plant #1, but also Plant #2, where the optical comparator was built. Across town, in what is now the State Office Building, was Plant #3, where the sheet metal fabricating took place. All machine tools needed some sort of enclosure around them, to contain any coolant spray, and to protect the operator. In the early days, these “enclosures” were not particularly strong, and sometimes they failed when a tool (or grinding wheel) failed. Today, of course, machine guards are designed with safety (and OSHA) in mind.

In the mid-sixties, J&L had a great many different lathe models, all the way from the old mechanical types (as the Fay lathe), up to early Numerical Control machines. These early “NC” machines (NCTL’s) were basically standard flat bed lathes with large appendages grafted on which contained the electronic controls. Just like early computers, these systems were not small and compact like we see today. But in the backrooms of Research and Development, there was a revolutionary lathe being designed and tested. And this lathe would become the backbone of what J&L would market in the future.

One of the big problems with the flat bed lathe, especially in high-production work, was the removal of the metal chips and windings generated during the machining process. This required constant operator attention, and cut into production (the number of work pieces that could be made in a certain time). Any lathe manufacturer who could come up with a “better way” would have an edge in marketing and sales.

The J&L solution was to “tilt” the whole slide assembly so that the chips would fall away. The whole machine base was redesigned so that the slide ways and slides were tilted (I think at a 35 degree slope from vertical). Then in the bottom of the machine base (“bed”), they placed a chip conveyor. The chips would basically drop into the conveyor, then be transported out into a hopper, where they could be trucked away. Most all production lathes worldwide are designed this way now.

Developments such as these take time; and of course machine tools were becoming more complex, and numerical control systems were to be a major part of any future lathe that J&L would develop. But J&L had shown an NC lathe at the Chicago Machine Tool Show back in 1955, so they had as much, if not more, experience as anyone in the business.

 

The company had a plan for me, I just wasn’t aware of it yet. After several weeks in the J&L Co-op department, I was reassigned up to sub-assembly. There I worked with seasoned mechanics learning the makings of headstock input shafts, clutches and shifting mechanisms, among other things. The company was sending me around to various departments, and exposing me to much. Pretty overwhelming at times, and of course you (hopefully) learn to get along with diverse personalities. Not everyone was thrilled with wet-nursing a newly graduated college student, whos hands-on experience was lacking. But I got along well with the people in sub-assembly, a vital link in the finished product. This was where the major pieces of a machine tool were created, headstocks, tailstocks, tool slides, hydraulic power units. Then these units were placed on skids and sent to final assembly.

After a stint in sub-assembly, I was moved into final assembly, where the various pieces came together. At that time, the electrical portion of the machine was grafted on. That part of the process was foreign to me, as I was trained in the mechanical arts. The final assembly mechanics where quite skeptical of me, and rightly so; I just basically stood around and did a lot of observing, trying not to mess up too bad. I remember a particular mechanic I was assigned to, a gruff old veteran who didn’t have much to say. Being new at the game, I was always wondering what I did to upset him; much later I found out that was just his demeanor. His job came after the machine was “powered up”, or operable. He placed a boring bar in the headstock spindle chuck, and bored and faced all the turret faces. I do remember one time he went off to “have a smoke”, leaving me at the machine. The boring bar was in place, but he had failed to shut the slide feed off; the set screws that held the cutting bit were high enough that they cut a perfect keyway in a turret bore. Not good. “Why didn’t you stop it?” he asked. I didn’t have an answer, I had no idea at that time on how to use the machine operators panel, which button to push? The feed was so slow, I didn’t notice it was even moving. They put me with another mechanic…………..

Not all of my trials were negative; but it was to be expected with a lack of experience. The company knew this and shifted me from job to job. They hired me as an engineer, and this background training would be invaluable in my (and the companys) future. One thing was for sure, I got my hands dirty. Being the new hire, I was “requested” to do many menial tasks, and soon learned that every job in the shop was necessary, and the people who did those jobs were equally important. Working on the assembly floor, I developed a habit of observing, asking questions, and listening to the response.

As one of my professors said, “you don’t learn by talking, only by listening.”

 

The local machine tool industry, working with the public school system, established a joint program to educate interested students in the machine tool industry. This program was usually started in the freshman year of high school. The student spent a portion of their school day in one of the shops, first observing the various machinery, and then, as they progressed, learning how to operate them. They received an established amount of pay for their services, which rose as they became more proficient. This program benefitted both the student and the local industries; the student would learn valuable skills, which could be used after graduation if the person wished to stay in town. The local shops were grooming a future workforce.

My first assignment after the requisite physical, was to report to the J&L co-op department, run by Fay Kingsbury. His “office” and work area was downstairs right next to the cafeteria. Fay’s wife, Claire, ran the cafeteria. All of this was halfway down the length of Plant #1. It was quite convenient, and more than a little distracting, as the smells from cooking were always inviting. The cafeteria always had a big following, especially during the Holidays. One of Claire Kingsburys special treats were her popcorn balls, five for a dollar. We always bought some to give to friends.

Fay had a small assortment of manual machines in his department, and there were a few guys working there from the local high school. I was somewhat familiar with the machinery, as we had a machine shop at VTC in Randolph Center. But I was not very good at any machining operation, and didn’t pretend to be. But I got by. One of our projects was the making of a soft faced hammer, using a piece of iron pipe for a handle, a short chunk of steel for a head, and brass and aluminum for the screwed in faces. I still have mine, stamped “7-1-1965”. Most of the machining required using a lathe and milling machine, various cutting tools, a knurling tool, and hand taps.

Fay Kingsbury was an early advocate of the American Precision Museum in Windsor. Back in 1965 the building was in dire need of repair, and there was a lot of work to be done. I remember going into the building with a bunch of guys to do some “clean up” work, on the top floor just below the roof. Over the years a lot of the glass in the eyebrow windows had broken or fallen in. So of course the birds had a nice cozy place to roost.

I’m not sure when the museum opened to the public, but it was a man named Edwin Battison who became involved in 1966. He became the driving force for what it is today, a first rate collection of early machine tools. Born in Windsor and working in the local shops, he eventually took a job with the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.. Upon retirement, he became involved with the museum in Windsor.

The following essays have been previously published in the Springfield Reporter under the title “Machine Tool Journal”. They represent my experiences in the local machine tool industry. Even though the writings pertain mainly to J&L,  my hope is that people from the other shops will do the same (we all have stories to tell).   My plans are to publish a new essay every week. Comments are encouraged.

 

Just out of college, I arrived in Springfield on May 17th,1965. I had been offered a job at Jones and Lamson Machine Company. My schooling was in mechanical engineering, and I was eager to “learn the trade”.There were several of us hired from Vermont Technical College, both mechanical and electrical majors. The pay was $90 a week, a good amount for the time. The pay was slightly less than the $100 a week offered by IBM in Essex Junction. My more studious classmates got those offers.

My first real job…..I was an excited (and nervous) young man, not quite 20 years old. My instructions were to report to the plant first aid office, where I would undergo a physical examination. All new hires had to be cleared by the company doctor, before the hiring process was complete. Doctor Carpenter was the company doctor, and his assistant was a nurse named Betty Butterfly (really!!). Everything went well, my only concern was the doctors hands— they were quite misshapened. Only later did I find out that the doctor had been involved with early x-ray technology, before the side effects of overexposure were known.

The company had found a place for me to stay, at least until I could aquaint myself with the area. I had a room with a Mrs. Whitcomb, on Whitcomb street. She was either a widow, or perhaps never married. I never really knew. But I soon found a more suitable place on Wall Street. But it was still just a room, without any kitchen, or way to cook meals. Eating out was expensive, and in an unfamiliar town it was not much fun.  I did not know anyone except my college classmates. So it only made sense to team up and get an apartment together, first in Cavendish, then back on Wall Street.

My hometown was in the Southwestern part of the state. In the beginning I would drive home every Friday night, and return either Sunday night or early Monday morning. There were several reasons for this. I could socialize with my high school buddies on the weekend, and mother could do my laundry (!!). This procedure would continue until I became more familiar with the Springfield area, and had formed friendships here. The drive over Bromley Mountain was exciting at times in the winter, especially when I waited until Monday morning to return. When I did return on Monday, I went right to work, not having time to go to the apartment. I still had my 1954 Mercury from college, and it served me well. Now that I had a good paying job, it was time to go car hunting……….