History of the Centerless Grinder
The 20th century saw a lot of technological innovation. There were many great products invented and produced. The stories and the men behind these machines are often very fascinating and even inspiring. Arguably, one of the best machines to come out of the 20th century is the centerless grinder. What follows is the history behind the centerless grinder.
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While the centerless grinder is a 20th century invention, it wouldn’t have ever come about if it weren’t for actions taken in the 19th century. There was a man by the name of Frederick A. Geier. What started the chain of events which led to the mass use of the center grinder was a purchase that Frederick made in 1887. He plunked down $7,000 dollars to buy into the Cincinnati Screw and Tap Co. While $7,000 doesn’t sound like a lot of money, you have to understand that would equal to roughly $63,000 in today’s money.
What’s even more astounding about this purchase was that Geier, had no engineering, or machinist background at all. In fact, he had extremely limited technical knowledge. What he did know how to do, like many successful entrepreneurs both past and present, was to know how to hire the most talented to do what needs to be done. Geier died in 1934, but in the 47 years he was involved with the company, it was a powerhouse. It still is to this day. However, during those 47 years, he was able to accumulate some of the best engineering teams assembled under one roof. The engineers that he had working for him, will play a significant role in the history of the centerless grinder.
To get to the history of the centerless grinder, we have to go back to 1920. Geier had a son who was involved in the company. His son’s name was also Frederick, Frederick V. Geier. In 1920 the Great Depression had hit. This obviously affected many industries and many types of business. Frederick V. had enough foresight to see that automobile manufacturing would be a viable business. You have to remember it was around this time that automobile manufacturing had just begun. It was somewhat of a gamble. Nonetheless, he realized that automobile manufacturing required a lot of grinding. He convinced his father, they should get into grinding.
In 1921 the company bought a controlling interest of the Cincinnati Grinder Co. This company, however, used center grinder machines. Henry Ford, arguably the father of automation, did not want to use these types of machines. They weren’t efficient enough for him. He preferred materials be ground on a centerless grinder. Because you don’t have to handle the material as much, a centerless grinder is much more efficient.
This did not deter Frederick or the company. In 1924, the company bought several patents related to the centerless grinder from Lewis Heim at the Ball & Roller Bearing Co. for an undisclosed amount. However, while being wise, it wasn’t trouble free. Cincinnati Screw and Tap Co were sued over the patents. Eventually, Cincinnati Screw and Tap Co won the lawsuit and deemed the rightful patent holders.
Believe it or not Sol Einstein, the cousin of Albert Einstein worked for Cincinnati Screw and Tap Co. Sol and another engineer by the name of George Binns had made some marvelous innovations to the centerless grinder. These two engineers reported directly to Frederick. Thanks to the innovations they made to the centerless grinder, they were able to make piston pins to a much tighter specification. They reduced them by .0004”. Because of this one small change the engines ran more quiet had more horse power and lasted longer.
By 1926, thanks to their investment in centerless grinders, the Cincinnati Screw and Tap Co went on to be the largest machine tool manufacturer in the United States during the time that Frederick was the company president. Frederick remained company president until his death in 1934.
It goes to show that something as simple as a centerless grinder can have a very interesting and inspirational story. The centerless grinder would have never come about if it weren’t for one man who didn’t even have a major technical background buying into a machine company. Thanks to the wisdom and foresight of his son the Cincinnati Screw and Tap Co not only thrived but is still a major player to this day, but under the name Milacron.
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