The large machine shops at the Schenectady Works are well equipped with modern machine tools. Building No. 9, containing 32,000 square feet of floor space, is devoted to the manufacture of induction motors, bearings, and medium sized generators. Two cranes, of 10 tons and 15 tons capacity, serve the center bay, and several bridges are used in the side bays.
[Photo: One of the Large Machine Shops (Building No. 16): original size (40K) | 4x enlarged (130K)]
Building No. 16, 850 feet x 160 feet, with its 3 1/2 acres of floor space and modern equipment, affords excellent facilities for handling the largest castings. Twelve thousand square feet of iron floor plate is provided on which castings may be set up and worked upon with electrically driven portable tools. The equipment of portable tools includes four milling machines, five milling and drilling machines, two drilling machines, one shaper, two 60" slotters, five 48" slotters, one special elotter, two 96" slotters, and two 144" radial drills.
Electric drive is used, and there is therefore a striking absence of line shafting and belts. The design of apparatus built in this shop requires a large amount of boring mill work, and there are 30 boring mills ranging in size from 36" up to 65'. The last mentioned is one of the largest of its kind in the world.
[Photo: 65 Ft. Boring Mill in Building No. 16 at work on Armature of 5000 Kw. Generator: original size (34K) | 4x enlarged (106K)]
The handling of castings is facilitated by a complete crane equipment. There are here installed one 50-ton electric crane, three 40-ton, one 15-ton, and one 10-ton, besides some smaller auxiliaries.
Considerable space in the lower end of the building is devoted to the testing of large generators and rotary converters, which are assembled, painted and shipped in this building.
In Building No. 8 about seventy men are employed in making bolts and nuts and in miscellaneous machine work, such as fitting pulleys and making gear cases and rails.