Antikythera Fragment #6 - Ancient Tool Technology - Making A Hand Powered Drill
The precision of the holes in the Antikythera mechanism is one of the most fascinating aspects of its construction. In this video I make a tool that is capable of creating holes to the required standard, yet is consistent with the level of technology known to have existed in the period.
The video where I show the drill bit making process in detail can be found here: • Antikythera Fragment #...
The plans for this project, and a IGES file of the flywheel casting pattern can be downloaded as a zip file here (11mb): www.clickspringprojects.com/up...
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Abbreviated Transcript:
02:30 In fact the Roman author and engineer Vitruvius, writing at around the time that the mechanism was lost mentions lathes in a completely offhand manner, expecting the reader to be thoroughly familiar with the idea. As if the technology was so commonplace, that it barely required explaining. As it happens, the Antikythera Mechanism may in fact be the very best evidence available to establish the full extent of that lathe technology, at least as it relates to smaller scale engineering.
08:37 Next up are what I'm calling the collets, The parts of the tool that'll hold the various drill bits. I cast some long round stock from the same bronze as the flywheel, and then turned it down to an appropriate starting diameter. I then formed the basic collet profile.
11:15 And the same applies to these holes. They're not difficult to form, nor do they need to be terribly precise. They could be made using the lathe tech of the day, or even by using much cruder methods like gouging and then filing. To complete the part, I gave it a light sand, followed by a linseed oil finish.
16:12 In any event, once created, the drill bits themselves can then be used to drill out the collets. Each of the 3 test bits correspond to a critical feature found within the mechanism. One is for a standard bearing hole, one for a standard retaining pin, and the smallest, coming in at just 0.8 of a millimeter, corresponds with the holes used to locate the calendar ring.
16:39 Now there is evidence of the use of soft solder within the mechanism wreckage, and certainly soft solder would be suitable to hold the bits in their collets. But equally plausible, and I think a little more convenient, is resin. I'm using shellac, but any hard resin available at the time would have worked well.
19:58 The changeout of drill bits and flywheels is fast and easy, and the drilling time is comparable to a modern drill. Now as to whether or not this type of tool was used to build the mechanism, well who knows. But I do think its fair to say that its a contender. These test pieces compare well with the holes found throughout the wreckage of the mechanism.
References:
Marcus Vitruvius Pollio: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitruvius
De Archetectura by Marcus Vitruvius Pollio:
www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/t...
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Antikythera Fragment #6 - Making A Hand Powered Drill