Low-tech Magazine: Hand tools

December 15, 2010

Hand powered drilling tools and machines

Hand-powered devices have been used for millennia, but during the last quarter of the 19th century a radically improved generation of tools appeared, taking advantage of modern mass production machinery and processes (like interchangeable parts) and an increased availability in superior material (metal instead of wood).

One of the outcomes included an array of new drilling machines, but their heydays were over fast. These human-powered tools were not only a vast improvement over those that came before them, they also had many advantages in comparison to the power drills that we use today.

A 1922 breast drill (picture credit).

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Posted on December 15, 2010 in Cover story, Drilling tools, Drills, Hand powered machines, Hand tools, History, Human energy, Human powered machines, Kinetic energy, Low-tech solutions, Obsolete technology, Tools, Zero emissions | Permalink | Comments (33)

February 19, 2009

The Museum of Old Techniques

For almost every electronic device or oil driven machine there used to be a low-tech alternative that was powered by human muscles, water or wind. The Museum of Old Techniques aims to collect and study these historical alternatives to modern day machinery. Why, you may ask?

To quote the Museum: "Evolution doesn't necessarily mean progress, what we consider to be primitive solutions are often not primitive at all". We could not have said it better ourselves. The website of the MOT contains, among other things, some 2,000 simple drawings of hand tools (ordered by shape, and by profession) and a collection of illustrated trade catalogues (up until 1950, in French).

A somewhat related publication is Edward H. Knight’s American Mechanical Dictionary (1881) : an almost 3,000 page encyclopedia with descriptions and illustrations of tools, instruments, machines, processes and engineering dating from the 19th century. You need to download a plugin to see the scans.

Knight's book contains not only early electric equipment and steam driven machinery, but also human and animal powered machines. The site is also host to a 1,500 page Western Electric Catalog dating from 1916, describing and picturing electric equipment on sale at the time. Related: hand powered drilling tools & more obsolete technologies.

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Posted on February 19, 2009 in Cover story, DIY, Hand powered machines, Hand tools, History, Human energy, Low-tech solutions, Obsolete technology, Tools, Zero emissions | Permalink | Comments (1)

Human powered machines

Hand powered drilling tools and machines
The drilling tools that appeared in the late 19th century were not only a vast improvement over earlier tools; they also have many advantages over their present-day successors, the power drills.
The velomobile: high-tech bike or low-tech car?
Pedalling a "velomobile" requires three to four times less energy than pedalling a normal bicycle.
Pedal powered farms and factories
Pedals and cranks could make an important contribution to running a post-carbon society that maintains many of the comforts of a modern life.
All articles on human powered machines

Low-tech Transportation

Firewood in the fuel tank
Wood gas cars are a not-so-elegant but surprisingly efficient and ecological alternative to their petrol (gasoline) cousins, whilst their range is comparable to that of electric cars.
The Citroen 2CV: cleantech from the 1940s
In spite of all the high-tech that has been squeezed into cars since then, the 2CV from 1949 is still more energy-efficient than the smallest model of the French car designer today.
Aerial ropeways: automatic cargo transport for a bargain
These days, we use them almost exclusively to transport skiers and snowboarders up snow slopes, but before the 1940s, aerial ropeways were a common means of cargo transport.
All articles on transportation

Energy Production

The bright future of solar powered factories
To power industrial processes like the making of chemicals, the smelting of metals or the production of microchips and solar panels, we need a renewable source of thermal energy.
Wind powered factories: history (and future) of industrial windmills
More than 900 years ago, medieval Europe became the first large civilisation not to be run by human muscle power.
Medieval smokestacks: fossil fuels in pre-industrial times
Almost all of the leading economies in Western Europe during the last millenium relied on a large-scale use of fossil fuels such as peat and coal.
All articles on energy production

Energy Consumption

Insulation: first the body, then the home
Modern thermal underclothing offers the possibility to turn the thermostat much lower without sacrificing comfort or sex appeal.
The monster footprint of digital technology
The embodied energy of the memory chip alone already exceeds the energy consumption of a laptop during its life expectancy of 3 years
The age of speed: how to reduce global fuel consumption by 75 percent
Engineers treat velocity as a non-variable, while in fact it is the most powerful factor to save a really huge amount of energy - with just one stroke, at minimal cost, and without the need for new technology.
All articles on energy consumption

Lost Knowledge

Recycling animal and human dung is the key to sustainable farming
If we recycle our own waste products, fertilizer production would automatically keep up with population growth.
Tiles as a substitute for steel: the art of the timbrel vault
The "timbrel vault" allowed for structures that today no architect would dare to build without steel reinforcements. The technique was cheap, fast, ecological and durable.
Ropes and Knots
Ropes and knots are among the most ancient and useful technologies ever developed by man, predating the wheel, the axe and probably also the use of fire.
All articles on lost knowledge

History

Sunbathing in the living room: oven stoves and heat walls
Oven stoves are greener, more efficient, healthier, safer and cosier than all modern heating systems. Why are they gone and how do we get them back?
Email in the 18th century: the optical telegraph
More than 200 years ago it was already possible to send messages throughout Europe and America at the speed of an aeroplane – wireless and without need for electricity.
Trolley canal boats
For many centuries, canal boats were propelled by men, horses or mules on the towpath beside the water. Before diesel power took over, engineers developed several interesting methods powered by electricity: trolleyboats, floating funiculars and electric mules.
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