The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 58

“That’s true. These procedures can only be done by experienced people. Newcomers can’t do them, and they’re very time-consuming and laborious,” Song Liang nodded in agreement.

"Therefore, if we can speed up these two processes, we can save a lot of time, so we can make more products in the same amount of time. As for how to speed up the process, simply relying on people to speed up their movements is obviously not feasible."

Human resources are limited and easily become fatigued. Furthermore, tools like saws and shovels are sharp, and working too quickly can easily lead to injury. Therefore, we must rely on other methods. I have come up with a solution, which is the focus of our discussion today.

As Xu Tian spoke, he unfolded a pre-prepared drawing with several simplified diagrams on it.

"Look, I've drawn several pictures. Let's start with the first one," Xu Tian said, pointing to the blackboard.

"This picture shows a slicing machine. The top part is a strip saw blade. My idea is to use a machine to drive this saw blade to move up and down. This way, the carpenter only needs to control the forward movement of the wood, and eventually the wood can be cut into slices."

You hardly need to exert any effort yourself. The power for the saw blade to move up and down comes from the transmission of this machine.

Because slicing requires a lot of force, it's best if two people work together to swing the long lever up and down. "Do you understand this principle?" Xu Tian pointed to the diagram and explained the principle in detail, just in case they didn't understand.

The two looked at the blueprints and listened to his words, but still seemed to understand only vaguely.

It's understandable, as people in this era still have a very vague understanding of mechanics, based on very little experience and intuitive knowledge, and often it's entirely based on sensory perception.

“I can roughly understand what Xu Lang is saying, but I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s very novel, but I don’t know if it’s really feasible. It would take a lot of force to saw the wood in half,” said the blacksmith.

He had lived his whole life, and although his profession wasn't carpentry, he had some experience with it and was quite knowledgeable, but this machine was truly the first time he had ever seen one.

“I think it’s feasible, but I’m not sure how the cutting speed compares to the current cutting speed of wood planks in the woodworking workshop,” Song Liang said.

"As for the results, we'll have to wait and see how they turn out after they're actually made. Let me talk about the second picture. This machine is similar to the first one, but with some slight differences."

This is used for cutting and processing wooden boards. The saw blade has been slightly modified to facilitate the movement of the boards on the platform. This machine doesn't require much force; it only needs one person to provide the power.

Now look at the third picture. This is for drilling holes and, of course, for trenching. Unlike the previous ones, this one has a drill bit installed. It should only require one person to operate.

Some of the key components of these machines must be made of high-quality iron for performance and strength, which requires relatively high standards. Xu Tian must discuss this with Foreman Chai.

Fortunately, these machines aren't very sophisticated; they're bulky and clumsy. As long as they perform well, that's fine. We can build them first and then gradually improve them as we gain experience.

He held the parts drawings and discussed them one by one, occasionally making modifications based on the results of the discussions. Foreman Chai was not very literate, so communication was sometimes difficult.

But for now, we can only rely on him. He is very experienced in iron making and knows how to process it.

After discussing with the foreman, they then discussed the construction of the main body of the machine with Song Liang. Song Liang could read the dimensions and text on the markings, which saved them a lot of trouble. The main body was made of wood, which wasn't too difficult; it just required a slower pace and careful control of precision.

Now that the direction had been determined, everyone started working enthusiastically over the next few days.