bill van snorkle Posted September 29, 2006 Share Posted September 29, 2006 the ball bearingit apppears in just about every major mechanical invention somewhere, and almost all machinery rely on them. We would have no transport, no communications, no weapons, no major buildings, no infrastructure, in fact almost nothing past mud huts without ball bearings. It's wasn't for no reason that the allies spend so much energy, resources and time in the second world war trying to bomb all the German ball bearing factories! I am fairly certain that early steam locomotives didn't use ball or roller bearings. Many cars and trucks up to around the mid 1920's didn't use them either. Few internal combustion engines even today use them except for accessories like alternators and water pumps, but even then they are not 100% necessary. My vote would go to the electric welder. Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reads90 Posted September 29, 2006 Share Posted September 29, 2006 Ok i have got to say it The TV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orgasmic Farmer Posted September 29, 2006 Share Posted September 29, 2006 The opposing thumb (bio -mechnical!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will_warne Posted September 29, 2006 Share Posted September 29, 2006 Instant Gasket. Absolutely vital in the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timpo Posted September 29, 2006 Share Posted September 29, 2006 Silicon rubber compond. Sticks, seals, covers, hides, fills, thats my Defender covered! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules Posted September 29, 2006 Share Posted September 29, 2006 Following my big brothers statment Sky Plus I don't care that it has no moving parts the bloke that came up with that idea wants a medle..... I can work on my car and watch what telly I like later and not worry if I forget because it will record weeks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglo-Frenchman Posted September 29, 2006 Share Posted September 29, 2006 My top 10 has to include (in no particular order): Gaffa tape, bailer twine, gripfill, the egg & cress sandwich and precicion easing instrument (hammer). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules Posted September 29, 2006 Share Posted September 29, 2006 My top 10 has to include (in no particular order): Gaffa tape, bailer twine, gripfill, the egg & cress sandwich and precicion easing instrument (hammer). Thats only six Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted September 29, 2006 Share Posted September 29, 2006 another vote for gaffer tape Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted September 29, 2006 Share Posted September 29, 2006 are they really that indespensible? can not all the components run on plain bush bearing, ok, may need to be bigger or on roller bearings (ok, that is a bit of a cheat) B) I suppose another invention one is lubrication BTW the wheel is not an invention but a discovery perhaps i should have qualified that and said bearings of any kind. but yes they are totally indispensible- there is nothing today made that has been made without the requirement of ball bearings. Simple tools and simple objects can be made without bearings but anything with any technicality will use bearings- the egyptians had to invent them over three thousand years ago for christsakes and the romans could make them from wood, stone and metal Bill- cars are festooned in bearings- engines esecially have bearings- that's what both the little and big ends are- just big bearings- without them the engine doesn't run- what about the main bearings. these are plain rotary bearings. Even ball joints have bearings in them, and as for gearboxes and axles you don't have enough digits to count them. Early steam engines of all sorts used bearings- whether they were traction or stationary engines In fact my parents own an old watermill that has a waterwheel which predates steam by quite some time- on renovating the wheel we found that the bearings needed replacing- they had done pretty well as they were dated on the underside of 1887!!!!!!!!!!!1 i'm still with bearings then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill van snorkle Posted September 29, 2006 Share Posted September 29, 2006 [quote name='pugwash' date='Sep 30 2006, 06:28 AM' post='8 Bill- cars are festooned in bearings- engines esecially have bearings- that's what both the little and big ends are- just big bearings- without them the engine doesn't run- what about the main bearings. these are plain rotary bearings. Even ball joints have bearings in them, and as for gearboxes and axles you don't have enough digits to count them. Early steam engines of all sorts used bearings- whether they were traction or stationary engines In fact my parents own an old watermill that has a waterwheel which predates steam by quite some time- on renovating the wheel we found that the bearings needed replacing- they had done pretty well as they were dated on the underside of 1887!!!!!!!!!!!1 i'm still with bearings then! Pug, At the risk of appearing pedantic, I will remind you that your earlier post stated specifically '' Ball Bearings'' not plain bushings, as used internally in engines, for wheel bearings on early cars/ trucks, locomotives etc. I was being tolerant and allowed that you may have also meant roller bearings of any design . Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted September 29, 2006 Share Posted September 29, 2006 yeah fair enough- although i still think bearings are one of the major mechanical inventions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LR90 Posted September 29, 2006 Share Posted September 29, 2006 Gosh how times have changed. A few years back many would have hailed the Zippo as the indespensible invention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8 Freak Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 So.. Pugwash..... You are voting for bearings... Did I get that right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 yep shall i tell you why ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefcoL Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 The Faraday disc "A type of homopolar generator, using a copper disc rotating between the poles of a horseshoe magnet. It produced a small DC voltage, and large amounts of current." This was further developed into a Dynamo a brilliant invention, as without it we would not be able to make electricity which is one of the four fundamental powers of our planet. And without it would we have machines to make Ball bearings? http://www.bath.ac.uk/~ccsshb/12cyl/ on second thinking, could be the diesel lump as it is not scared of a bit of water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 The Faraday disc "A type of homopolar generator, using a copper disc rotating between the poles of a horseshoe magnet. It produced a small DC voltage, and large amounts of current." This was further developed into a Dynamo a brilliant invention, as without it we would not be able to make electricity which is one of the four fundamental powers of our planet. And without it would we have machines to make Ball bearings? Chickens and eggs ... how many generators are there without ball bearings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefcoL Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 Chickens and eggs ... how many generators are there without ball bearings yeh Granted but the invention was , and the developments are...... B) the chicken was the egg is B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2hotdog Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 Has to be hammers..................any kind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbarton Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 the lead screw on a screw cutting lathe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 the lead screw on a screw cutting lathe. I was going to say the lathe. They've been around for a long time in one form or another and allow you to make many of the things others have listed. Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 you can't make ball bearings with a lathe in fact i reckon you'd need ball bearings to make a lathe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbarton Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 Don't know about modern lathes, but my old one had plain bearings. IIRC these were adjustable to remove all play. As a matter of interest, how do they make bearing balls? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02GF74 Posted October 2, 2006 Author Share Posted October 2, 2006 Don't know about modern lathes, but my old one had plain bearings. IIRC these were adjustable to remove all play.As a matter of interest, how do they make bearing balls? They use a ball bearing manufacturing machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbarton Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 They use a ball bearing manufacturing machine. Just the one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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