Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

sewing machine

(Encyclopedia)sewing machine, device that stitches cloth and other materials. An attempt at mechanical sewing was made in England (1790) with a machine having a forked, automatic needle that made a single-thread ch...

sewing

(Encyclopedia)sewing: see needlework.

machine

(Encyclopedia)machine, arrangement of moving and stationary mechanical parts used to perform some useful work or to provide transportation. From a historical perspective, many of the first machines were the result ...

bobbin

(Encyclopedia)bobbin, implement on which thread is wound, used in sewing, spinning, weaving, and lace making. Sometimes the wooden spools of sewing thread are called bobbins. The bobbin of a sewing machine is a met...

Hyatt, John Wesley

(Encyclopedia)Hyatt, John Wesley, 1837–1920, American inventor, b. Starkey, N.Y. He is known especially for his development of celluloid; with his brothers, he began its manufacture in 1872. He also invented the ...

crane, machine

(Encyclopedia)crane, hoisting machine for lifting heavy loads and transferring them from one place to another, ordinarily over distances of not more than 200 ft (60 m). Cranes have a long reach and can lift loads t...

hydraulic machine

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Hydraulic pressure: In any hydraulic device the pressure exerted by one piston is transmitted throughout the fluid. Since pressure equals force divided by area, a small force (F1) exerted on a ...

machine tool

(Encyclopedia)machine tool, power-operated tool used for finishing or shaping metal parts, especially parts of other machines. An establishment that is equipped with such tools and specializes in such work is known...

Browse by Subject