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cent Used Afloat, B hiore Launchway Planer--Flange Thread Miller--Ash Conveyor--Ten-ton Gross- travel Dock Crane -- Drilling Boiler Plates -- Oil Burning Equipment m4O keep launching ways level and i smooth is of the utmost import- ance if launchings are to take place without a hitch. Again, true launching ways insure the vessel' taking the water with a minimum amount of strain to the hull. With the object of keeping the ways in proper condition, the Sub- marine Boat Corp. recently devised the machine shown in the accompany- ing illustration. This is an electrically operated planing machine, pushed over the ways by the operator. The plan- ing knives resemble those used on, an ordinary wood planer and are re- volved by an electric motor which is mounted over them, power being con- veyed by a belt which is provided with an idler to impart the proper tension. In operation, said the device is. to resemble a lawnmower but owing. to its appearance the shipyard work- ers at the company's yard have chris- tened it the "wheelless go-cart." Bie thesad: Miller Steam and other pipe lines subjected to heavy duty and continuous service require properly fitted pipe flanges. With the object of producing accurate flange threads for pipe installations, the Smalley General Co., Inc, Bay City, Mich., recently developed the machine shown in the accompanying illustration. 4 es DEVICE FOR SMOOTHING LAUNCHING WAYS The machine is of rigid construction throughout and is designed for heavy duty. It consists. of a substantial bed with which is incorporated the head- stock for rotating the work while the carriage that supports the cutting mechanism travels on ways provided for this purpose. The machine, it is said, can be successfully and economical- ly operated by semiskilled shop labor. The work to be threaded _ revolves possible if a 2-speed countershaft is used. A power facing attachment is pro- vided which is driven from the main spindle. Three feeds are provided: 1s, 1% and 'Ye-inch for each revolution of the work. This feature is so arranged that it is readily reversed and it is also provided with trips to throw out the feed when the tool has traversed the required distance. The machine is Ree RS) oa, A THIS TOOL IS EQUIPPED WITH A ROTARY HOB--IT FACES THE FLANGE AND CUTS THE "THREAD FROM THE ROUGH CASTING AT ONE SETTING in a chuck while the cutting is accom- plished through the medium of a re- volving hob. With the object of giving the hob the proper travel to produce a tapered thread, a rigid taper attachment is provided. It is pointed out that this machine dispenses with a boring opera- tion as the thread is milled from the rough, a practice which requires an accurate taper device. The collet chuck for holding the work is of the air-operated type. This de- vice holds the work securely and it is said that the time required for taking out the finished piece and substituting a new one is but a few seconds. The chucks are equipped with false jaws to adapt them to various. sized flanges. They are arranged to take any size flange up to 23% inches, outside diam- eter. The chuck body is threaded to the main spindle and is driven through the medium of a staggered-face, 'broad-tooth spur gear. It is stated that this feature delivers the driving power as near as possible to the cutting point, thus re- ducing torsion to a minimum. The shaft that carries the pinion is driven through the medium of a worm gear from another shaft, the latter having a 3-step cone. This gives three speeds from the countershaft. Six speeds are 490 equipped with a lubricating pump which supplies cutting "compound to the hob, through the medium of a flexible pipe. In operation, the flange is chucked with the face out. Then the flange is faced at the correct turning speed after which the milling speed is thrown in and the thread milled. The approxi- mate horsepower required to drive the 'machine varies from 5 to 7, depending on the class of work to be threaded. Ash Conveyor An ash conveyor of the steam jet type, manufactured by the George J. Hagan Co., Pittsburgh, has been in- stalled at the Ecorse yard of the Great Lakes Engineering Works, De- troit. The conveyor consists pri- marily of a cast-iron pipe, close to the individual boiler ash pits. By means of a vacuum the ashes are drawn through a vertical pipe into a tank outside the boiler room. From this tank, the ashes may be disposed of as desired. Cross Travel Dock Crane A new type of portal crane with special gear to enable it to travel both longi- tudinally and transversely was recently built for the Austrian-Lloyd arsenal at