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
Rope Rope A rope is a group of yarns, plies, fibers or strands that are twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have tensile strength and so can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger than similarly constructed cord, string, and twine. Rope may be constructed of any long, stringy, fibrous material, but generally is constructed of certain natural or synthetic fibres. Synthetic fibre ropes are significantly stronger than their natural fibre counterparts, they have a higher tensile strength, they are more resistant to rotting than ropes created from natural fibers, and can