84 MAUDSLAY. 



Even in after life, when at the head of the well-known firm which 

 he founded, nothing pleased him more than to set to work upon a 

 difficult piece of forging and to overcome the difficulties which it 

 presented, which few could do so well as he. The reputation which 

 Maudslay acquired here, led to his introduction and ultimate em- 

 ployment by Bramah, who was at that time engaged in constructing 

 his celebrated lock. 



One of the chief obstacles which Bramah had to contend with in 

 getting his lock into general use, was, the difficulty he experienced 

 in having it manufactured with sufficient precision and at such 

 a price as to render it an article of successful commerce. Mauds- 

 lay's* ability as a workman and sound mechanical knowledge 

 was of great service to Bramah in this particular ; the most diffi- 

 cult and delicate jobs were entrusted to him, and among others he 

 constructed the identical lock, the picking of which so severely 

 tested the skill and ability of Mr. Hobbs in the year 1851. He also, 

 according to the testimony of Mr. J. Nasmyth, supplied Bramah 

 with the key to the practical success of the hydraulic press, viz., 

 the self-tightening leather collar.f 



About the year 1797 Maudslay commenced business on his own 

 account in Wells Street, Oxford Street, removing a few years after- 

 wards to Margaret Street, Cavendish Square. Here he matured and 

 carried out many improvements in tools connected with the me- 

 chanical arts, bringing into general notice and use planing machines 

 and the slide rest. So great was the prejudice felt against this last 

 named important adjunct of a lathe, that on the first introduction of the 

 slide rest to the engineers of the period, it was received with great 

 disfavour, and called by one in derision the ' Go Cart.' Maudslay 

 also directed his attention to the subject of screw cutting. Previous 

 to his time the tools used for making screws were of the most rude 

 and inexact kind : each manufacturing establishment made them 

 after their own fashion, and no system was observed as to the 

 pitch. Every bolt and nut was a speciality in itself; and to such 

 an extent was this carried that all bolts and their corresponding 

 nuts had to be marked, any mixing of them together causing 

 endless trouble and confusion. Maudslay changed all this he 

 brought screw-cutting into a proper system, and laid the foundation 

 of all that has since been done in this important branch of machine- 

 construction, and many of those who afterwards became eminent in 

 this particular branch of manufacture, acquired their first knowledge 

 of the subject in his employ.^ While residing in Margaret Street 

 he became acquainted with Sir Isambard (then Mr.) Brunei, who 

 was in the habit of bringing drawings of small pieces of machinery 



* A very interesting account of Maudslay's introduction, &c., to Bramah is 

 given by Mr. Smiles in his ' Industrial Biography.' London 1863. P. 201-3. 



See ' Memoir of Bramah.' 



lu particular may be mentioned Joseph Clement and Joseph Whitworth. 



