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August 1942. "Women in industry. Sharp eyes and agile fingers make these young women ideal machine operators. They're conditioning and reshaping milling cutters in a huge Midwest machine tool company. Republic Drill and Tool, Chicago." Photo by Ann Rosener, Office of War Information. View full size.
I think they might be just grinding off burrs left by a gear cutter. The lady is wearing what we called finger savers. It's dangerous to have that scarf like thing around her neck near a grinding wheel.
but I guess those lamps probably kept those fingers toasty warm in a war plant in the winter in Illinois. Factories had very little "climate control," especially year-round until the late 80s when some geniuses realized that micro-dimensions were affected by shop conditions when machined, and not just to keep employees comfortable. I do not miss a lot of my younger years in those places; the naivete of the young engineers I shall treasure - another story (or twelve), another day.
If the chips and carbon spots can be removed, the face can be re-sharpened in the same diameter as before, if not a new outside diameter (O.D.)can be achieved. Most WWII tooling was made to be reused if possible, then re-purposed when necessary. Face cutting on surfaces did not always need a certain O.D., the cuts only needed to overlap (while being straight and parallel)for a smooth face. Much of the WWII arsenal was made by utilizing tooling most engineers thought to be used only briefly. A few dozen (hundred) extra parts were, in effect, a bonus, since the running changes were minimal.
I bet they are grinding out nicks or dings on the teeth, the cutter will then be put on a sharpening machine. The cutter will cut smaller after resharpening, but it cuts just as well. During the war a lot of cutters were saved this way.
I'm sure these ladies are grinding "Back Relief" on the cutters as the geometry is not as important and much faster than a machine. I say this as there is no setup required for each cutter. In the old days (1970s), end-mills were still having their back relief geometry developed by hand grinding.
Milling machine cutters must have all their teeth shaped identically if they are to make a smooth, chatter-free cut. This is usually done by mounting the cutter in a tool and cutter grinder, which has jigs and fixtures to hold various milling cutters for precise grinding of each tooth.
These women are touching-up cutters from a horizontal milling machine freehanded on an ordinary pedestal grinder! I would not have thought this was possible! It would require an incredibly steady hand and a very good eye to do this!
From the bandages on her fingers it looks like they weren't quite agile enough.
[Those look more like finger guards than bandages to me. -tterrace]
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