Portsmouth Block Mills in 1808. The machines were of 22 types and totalled 45. They were driven by two 30 hp (22.4 kW) steam engines. The machines included circular saws, pin turning machines and morticing machines. With these machines 10 men could produce as many blocks as 110 skilled craftsmen. A pulley-block has four parts: the shell, the sheave, the pin for locating the latter in the shell and a metal bush, or coak, inserted into the sheave to save wear between it and the pin. Blocks can vary in size and in the number of sheaves. The process of making the shells
Block (sailing) matter is slightly complicated by the fact that every tackle has a "working end" where the final run of rope leaves the last sheave. More mechanical advantage can be obtained if this end is attached to the moving load rather than the fixed end of the tackle. There are various types of blocks that are used in sailing. Some blocks are used to increase mechanical advantage and others are used simply to change the direction of a line. A "ratchet block" turns freely when a line is pulled in one direction but does not turn the other direction, although the