The most difficult part of making a simple drilling machine is the drilling part, and there are two ways to drill a hole diameter of uniform size.

First, when drilling, the platform used to fix the barrel moves forward, and both sides are stressed together until the drilling is successful.

The second is that the platform does not move, and the head of the fixed drill bit is constantly moved back, and the drilling is carried out from one side.

Comparatively speaking, the first method is of course the most labor-saving.

Either way, however, one of the most critical components is required: the rotating spindle.

To put it simply, a threaded rotary spindle is installed under the platform.

Through the action of the runner, the rotating spindle is pulled to move forward continuously, so as to drive the platform or machine head to move forward with it.

Chi Fei didn't know if this thing was called this name, so let's take it as such, after all, he wasn't a professional mechanic.

Anyway, that thing is used for traction machine tools, and that's definitely true.

But the question is, how to make this threaded rotary spindle?

Regarding this problem, not only Chi Fei, a mechanical novice, but even those craftsmen couldn't think of a way to make it.

Because according to Chi Fei's requirements, if you want to drive the entire platform, the rotating spindle is at least as thick as an adult's thigh, and the surface is spiral-shaped.

The part that wraps the spindle must have a corresponding internal thread, so that it can move forward or backward along the grain.

According to Chi Fei's understanding, this is equivalent to the relationship between the screw wire and the screw.

One is the external thread and the other is the internal thread, which can be screwed in or out of the thread by applying force on one or both sides.

The advantage of this is that the position is not offset and always maintains a straight line.

In addition, because of the relationship between the threads, it is also very labor-saving to move, and the translation can be carried out as long as the wheel is continuously rotated.

But it's such a thing, but it's hard for everyone.

Take screwing wire and screwing as an example, don't look at it as simple as adding threads to the surface of the object.

But whether you can really make a precise fit thread requires extremely high craftsmanship.

The industrial technology involved in this is not something that an ordinary craftsman can make by knocking and beating, and the knowledge in it is too deep.

And this rotating spindle is equivalent to the enlarged version of the screwing wire and screwing mother, although the volume has increased, but its production difficulty has not been reduced accordingly.

Because of this problem, the whole project to make a simple drilling machine has stalled, and there is almost no progress.

Not only did those craftsmen meditate on a solution all day long, but even Chi Fei often thought about it.

Because of the pretension in his heart, Chi Fei was in a trance for several days. There are hundreds of drawings on this aspect, but they are still stuck on the same problem and it is difficult to make progress.

Ah Zhi knew that her sweetheart must be thinking about something important, so she didn't dare to disturb him casually, so she could only take care of him silently by her side, so that he would not be hungry and too tired.

That night, Chi Fei lay on the bed and didn't fall asleep, still thinking about this problem.

Although, in terms of accuracy, a smoothbore gun without rifling blessing may not even be as good as a bow and arrow.

However, the smoothbore gun has several advantages that bow and arrow are far from being able to match, that is, it is easy to use, it can be fired continuously, and it is extremely penetrating.

Needless to say, the ease of use is that even an ordinary person can easily use a flintlock pistol with simple training. This is certainly a great boon for the Northwest Army, which has limited troops.

Sustainable firing is also another advantage of flintlock pistols.

You must know that a skilled archer is basically tired after shooting seven or eight arrows to a dozen arrows in a row.

In addition, if you want to become an archer, you need not only talent, but also spend a lot of time on practice, so archers are only a minority in the army.

In contrast, a person who uses a flintlock pistol can theoretically continue to fight as long as the bullets are not finished and the flint is still available. That's just too much of an advantage.

Finally, there's penetration.

Taking the plate armor of the European Middle Ages as an example, the plate armor that used to be 2~3 mm thick in Europe to block most of the arrows was useless in front of the powerful musket, because the lead bullet fired by the musket could easily tear the armor of this thickness.

Even the plate armor with the best protection fell into this fate, and needless to say, the armor that was the most used in the Han army, was almost as brittle as paper in front of the musket.

This kind of penetrating power is also completely incomparable to ordinary bows and arrows and crossbow arrows.

It is because the flintlock pistol has these important advantages that Chi Fei is so eager to develop this modern thermal weapon.

Especially in dealing with the Hu people who are good at riding and archery and have a large number of war horses, firearms are the most powerful weapons to restrain them, and there is no one.

The reason why the Han army led by Zhu Yuanzhang was able to drive away the Yuan Dynasty army and unify the Central Plains was that the large-scale equipment of muskets in the army was not said to be the main reason, but it must have contributed to it.

Chi Fei believes that as long as the problem of manufacturing drilling machine tools is solved, it will become possible to mass-produce flintlock pistols in the future.

"Brother, can't you sleep?" Ah Zhi touched his face with pity.

Chi Fei hugged her body and said, "Did you wake you up?" ”

"No, it's just that I want to ask you when I see my brother thinking so much. Are you still thinking about that machine tool? ”

"Yes, it's stuck on one of the more critical parts right now. As long as this part is solved, the machine tool is very likely to be made. ”

"What kind of part is that? Is it complicated? ”

"It's not complicated, it's mainly about high precision and craftsmanship, and it's hard to do it by hand alone, and you need auxiliary tools to make it. But I didn't know how to use that aid, and the more I thought about it, the more headaches I had. ”

"Can't you replace it with something else?"

"Maybe, but I can't think of anything other than that. That thing is for power, and without that thing, you can't pull the stuff on it. ”

"Can't you pull it with a horse?"

"Fool, I'm not talking about this force, it's a traction force that occurs by spinning. It's ......" Chi Fei, who was just about to explain to Ah Zhi in detail, suddenly froze, and his whole body was motionless.

Seeing this, Ah Zhi was startled, thinking that he was not feeling well, and hurriedly asked, "Brother, what's wrong with you?" Are you okay? ”

Chi Fei woke up in shock, and then kissed Ah Zhi hard with excitement on his face, and said excitedly: "Thank you Ah Zhi, I know how to do it."

You go to bed first, I'll draw a drawing, you don't have to wait for me. With that, he hurriedly jumped out of bed and walked to the study.

Ah Zhi ran out without even wearing a coat, and hurriedly got out of bed to get him warm clothes.

In the study, when Chi Fei looked at the hundreds of drawings he had drawn before, he really wanted to slap himself.

He's got the horns!

He always wants to make the punching machine in his impression, but in fact, he doesn't need to be so serious.

The function of the rotating spindle is to create a consistent traction force by rotating continuously.

Since this key part can't be made, then simply copy it to the end and use manpower to replace it.

Yes, it's manpower.

To put it simply, it is to first make a platform that can move vertically, and then fix the barrel on the platform.

This platform is then pushed by a person from behind, causing it to slowly move forward.

On the other side, another person is responsible for shaking the runner to drive the fixed drill bit to punch the hole.

In this way, the manufacturing difficulty of the entire machine tool will be greatly reduced.

Although this scheme is outrageously simple and almost entirely completed by manpower, it is unrealistic to pursue mechanization too much at this time.

This is the gap in industrial technology of the times, and it is not a problem that can be solved by a dozen or so people.

Rather than doing this, it is better to do it in a way that suits the times.

It doesn't matter if it's primitive or not, as long as it can be used.

After thinking about the entire production direction, Chi Fei suddenly felt extremely happy, and he no longer had the uncomfortable feeling of being stuck in a bottleneck before.

……………………

Early the next morning, Chi Fei, who hadn't slept all night, came to the workshop with the newly drawn paper drawings he had drawn last night with an excited face.

In the workshop, he explained in detail to the craftsmen about the new production concept.

When the craftsmen heard this, they immediately felt that the difficulty of making this new plan had suddenly been reduced a lot, and they couldn't help but be very excited.

In this way, Chi Fei and the craftsmen began a new research direction.

Although he was a layman, he was the only one who had ever seen a simple drilling machine, so his opinion was very important, and the craftsmen did almost exactly what he wanted.

The first thing to make is a platform that can move vertically.

This went much smoother than Chi Fei had imagined, and the craftsmen quickly came up with the idea of utilizing rails to achieve vertical translation.

The craftsmen first grind out two vertical concave guide rails under the base, and also make two protruding slides at the bottom of the independent platform, so that the slides fit together with the guide rails.

In this way, as long as some oil is poured into it for lubrication, it is easy to move the platform forward and backward.

This method is both simple and practical, and Chi Fei can't help but admire the ingenuity of these ancient craftsmen.

As for the mechanism used to fix the barrel on the platform, Chi Fei can say it very directly because he has seen materials and videos before.

In fact, it is very simple, that is, to make two fixed iron rings on the platform.

Just put the barrel through the hoop and fill the gap with wood, and the barrel can be fixed well.

This one is also relatively simple, and the craftsmen can do it quickly.

At this point, about half a month has passed, and everything is going well.

Then there is another highlight: how to fix the long drill bit on the movable runner, and then the human person rotates the wheel to drive the drill bit to rotate and punch holes.

Whether it's a long drill, a runner or a retainer, everything has to be rebuilt. Chi Fei and the craftsmen carried out many discussions and studies on various parts, and made a number of samples to experiment one by one.

Although everyone was very busy, everyone was not tired at all, but excited.

Because they feel that the machine tool they have never seen before is getting closer and closer to them, and it is no longer just something that stays on the drawings.

Just when Chi Fei and these dozen craftsmen were busy developing simple machine tools, a major event happened in the Great Wei Dynasty and the opposition in the capital.

Emperor Shuntian angrily reprimanded the entire military officials in public above the court, saying that they were useless.

actually let the Hu people invade the Great Wei again and again, but now they haven't even decided on a solution, and they are simply vain.

The next day, the incident was also published in Zhenzhi Bao, which replaced the Beijing News as the largest current affairs newspaper in Beijing, and it was still a front-page headline.

What's even more amazing is that Zhenzhi Bao not only reported the events in the court, but also described the causes and consequences one by one.

At this time, all the ordinary people knew that it was none other than the emperor who proposed to give up the two provinces of Yannan and Zhenyuan to let the Hu people wreak havoc, it was the emperor's grandfather, and now the power of the government and the opposition An Guogong.

As soon as this report came out, the entire capital was in an uproar.