Existing comment:
In 1826, the Carrington Committee, a special examining committee sent by the Ordnance Department, reported their findings in a 17-page document titled "On Hall's Machinery." The committee concluded that his machines "... are used for cutting iron & steel & for executing woodwork; all of which are essentially different from each other & differ materially from any other machines we have seen..."
One example of the differences between Hall's manufacturing practices and those used by the Musket Factory may be seen in the manufacture of small metal gun parts, also called component parts.
While gunsmiths at the Musket Factory were hand-forging component parts, with occasional use of machines to finish a piece, Hall's smith's utilized advanced cutting, drilling, and drop forge machines, which completely eliminated hand-forging at the Rifle Factory. |