Skip to main content

Search

My Visit
Donate
Home Smithsonian Institution

Site Navigation

  • Visit
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Maps and Brochures
    • Dine and Shop
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Group Visits
      • Group Sales
  • What's On
    • Exhibitions
      • Current
      • Upcoming
      • Past
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
  • Explore
    • - Art & Design
    • - History & Culture
    • - Science & Nature
    • - Innovation & Tech
    • Collections
      • Open Access
      • Snapshot
    • Research Resources
      • Libraries
      • Archives
        • Smithsonian Institution Archives
        • Air and Space Museum
        • Anacostia Community Museum
        • American Art Museum
        • Archives of American Art
        • Archives of American Gardens
        • American History Museum
        • American Indian Museum
        • Asian Art Museum Archives
        • Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
        • Hirshhorn Archive
        • National Anthropological Archives
        • National Portrait Gallery
        • Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
        • Libraries' Special Collections
    • Podcasts
    • Stories
  • Learn
    • For Caregivers
    • For Educators
      • Art & Design Resources
      • Science & Nature Resources
      • Social Studies & Civics Resources
      • STEAM Learning Resources
      • Professional Development
      • Events for Educators
      • Field Trips
    • For Students
    • For Academics
    • For Lifelong Learners
  • Support Us
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Make a Gift
    • Volunteer
      • Smithsonian Call Center
      • Ambassador Program
      • Museum Information Desk
      • Docent Programs
      • Behind-the-Scenes
      • Digital Volunteers
      • Participatory Science
  • About
    • Our Organization
      • Board of Regents
        • Members
        • Committees
        • Reading Room
        • Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
        • Schedules and Agendas
        • Meeting Minutes
        • Actions
        • Webcasts
        • Contact
      • Museums and Zoo
      • Research Centers
      • Cultural Centers
      • Education Centers
      • General Counsel
        • Legal History
        • Internships
        • Records Requests
          • Reading Room
        • Tort Claim
        • Subpoenas & Testimonies
        • Events
      • Office of Human Resources
        • Employee Benefits
        • How to Apply
        • Job Opportunities
        • Job Seekers with Disabilities
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • SI Civil Program
        • Contact Us
      • Office of Equal Opportunity
        • EEO Complaint Process
        • Individuals with Disabilities
        • Small Business Program
          • Doing Business with Us
          • Contracting Opportunities
          • Additional Resources
        • Special Emphasis Program
      • Sponsored Projects
        • Policies
          • Combating Trafficking in Persons
          • Animal Care and Use
          • Human Research
        • Reports
        • Internships
    • Our Leadership
    • Reports and Plans
      • Annual Reports
      • Metrics Dashboard
        • Dashboard Home
        • Virtual Smithsonian
        • Public Engagement
        • National Collections
        • Research
        • People & Operations
      • Strategic Plan
    • Newsdesk
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • Photos and Video
      • Media Kits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Visitor Stats
      • Secretary and Admin Bios
      • Filming Requests

Perrygraf Machining Calculator Slide Rule for LeBlond

National Museum of American History

Object Details

Perry Graf Corporation
Description
This yellow and white rectangular paper rule has a white paper slide and is held together with four metal rivets. On the front, the top scales allow one to calculate the revolutions per minute for a given work diameter and surface speed. The bottom scales allow calculation of the time in minutes and seconds for a given feed rate, length of cut, and R.P.M. The back of the instrument has tables for converting from fractions to decimals and for finding the suggested carbide surface speed of a lathe for different materials.
Perrygraf Corporation, described in 1979.3074.03, made this instrument in 1949 for the R. K. LeBlond Machine Tool Company of Cincinnati. A salesman could attach his card to the back of the calculator and give it to a client. Richard K. LeBlond (1864–1953) began making machines in 1887 and became known for the quality of his lathes in the 1890s. Products included lathes for manufacturing bicycles and automobile crankshafts. The company employed 1,200 workers and made a mammoth lathe for boring artillery during World War II. In 1981 Makino Corporation of Japan purchased the company. The factory in Cincinnati is now Rookwood Pavilion shopping center.
Perrygraf slide rules in the collection include: 1983.3009.04, 1983.3009.05, 1983.3009.06, 1987.0108.03, 1988.0323.01, 1988.0325.01, and 1992.3103.01.
References: Tom Wyman, "Slide Chart Calculators – A Modest Proposal," Journal of the Oughtred Society 13, no. 1 (2004): 6–10; Kenneth L. Cope, American Lathe Builders: 1810–1910 (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 2001), 89; Tony Griffiths, "LeBlond - USA," Machine Tool Reference Archive, http://www.lathes.co.uk/leblond/.
Location
Currently not on view
1949
ID Number
1992.3103.01
nonaccession number
1992.3103
catalog number
1992.3103.01
Object Name
slide rule
Physical Description
paper (overall material)
Measurements
overall: .2 cm x 18.5 cm x 8.8 cm; 3/32 in x 7 9/32 in x 3 15/32 in
place made
United States: Illinois, Maywood
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Mathematics
Science & Mathematics
Slide Rules
National Museum of American History
Subject
Mathematics
Rule, Calculating
Manufacturing
Record ID
nmah_1215063
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a9-96ad-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Related Content

  • Slide Rules

    American History Museum
  • Slide Rules

    American History Museum
  • Slide Rules

    American History Museum
  • Slide Rules

    American History Museum
Slide rule - Machining Calculator - Back View
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Footer logo

Link to homepage

Footer navigation

  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Get Involved
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Accessibility
  • EEO & Small Business
  • Shop Online
  • Host Your Event
  • Press Room
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Social media links

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Sign up for Smithsonian e-news

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Email powered by BlackBaud (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Back to Top