A vernier caliper is a measurement very simple device for making extremely precise measurements (up to 0.001 inches). Here’s an article on how to read one.
Slide rules were used to perform mathematical calculations prior to the invention and wide-spread availability of calculators. This page describes the many different things you can do with a slide rule, or you can watch any number of YouTube videos on the topic. Just like calculators today, there were a plethora of different manufacturers and […]
The library of congress maintains the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS). If you’ve ever wanted to know more about a historic site, search the collection to see what you can find on the Library of Congress website.
A Hydraulic Ram Pump is a mechanical device that uses the water hammer effect, or the pressure spike that results from rapidly closing a valve on flowing water, to pump water uphill. Below you’ll see a video of one in action as well as a video from Practical Engineering, one of my favorite YouTube content […]
In 1966, an English teacher in Georgia decided to create a magazine with their students. Many of the articles were based on interviews with ‘old timers’ and covered skills that were being lost to time like wagon making or making a tub wheel. Some of the articles were collected into a series of books (The […]