507 Mechanical Movements: Mechanisms and Devices

by Henry T. Brown

Epicyclic trains, oblique rollers, trip hammers, and lazy-tongs are among the ingenious mechanisms defined and illustrated in this intriguing collection. Spanning the first century of the Industrial Revolution, this 1868 compilation features simplified, concise illustrations of the mechanisms used in hydraulics, steam engines, pneumatics, presses, horologes, and scores of other machines.
The movements of each of the 507 mechanisms are depicted in drawings on the left-hand page, and the facing page presents a brief description of the item's use and operation. Ranging from simple to intricately complex, the mechanisms offer a fascinating view of the variety of small components that constitute complex machinery. A detailed index provides easy reference to specific mechanisms.
Inventors, tinkerers, and anyone with an interest in the history of invention and technology will find this volume a treasury of information and inspiration.

Genres: Engineering, Nonfiction, Science, Reference, Physics, Technology, Design

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Dick Stapleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

One doesn't "read" this little book; it is one of those treasures you pick up, study a bit, pick up again, etc. It is a book for old nerds, people fascinated with the ingenuity of man and with how things (mechanical) work. Its a reprint; originally published in 1868 but the mechanics do not change. Does require visual (perception) acquity.

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book isn't really like other books--it's half diagrams and half explanations. What it does, it does well, although some of the diagrams will still require more thought to figure out.

The mechanisms can also be found at http://507movements.com/ along with animated versions of some of the movements.

I look forward to building some of these mechanisms as 3d-printed objects.

[Thomas Ray]

Drawings online https://507movements.com/index01.html
some animated.

[Rojesh Shikhrakar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visit http://507movements.com/ for the animated movements

[Alex Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This seems to be a scanned version of the original book where each page of the original has been scaled down to fill a square only about half the size of the page in what is an already small book. The combination of scanning artifacts and the small content size make this book a chore to read; the text is eye-straining to look at without a magnifying glass and even with one, there are scanned-in blotches that make some words completely unintelligible.

Aside from these issues the book is quite a good look into classical kinematic solutions. The author provides beautiful technical drawings for each specified movement alongside a short description which are usually brief but sometimes include fun information like the kind of machines that the movement is used in or an interesting historical tidbit regarding the mechanism. A big part of the fun in this book for me was further researching these side comments online as they often lead you down fun and interesting rabbit holes.

507 Mechanical Movements is an antiquated reference guide for the engineers of a world fresh out of the industrial revolution. Though some of its usefulness is lost in modern engineering, it gains twice as much in artistic value and as a glimpse into the history of engineering.

[William Schram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet, the book does what it says on the tin. It starts with pulley systems and moves to gears, ratchet gears, and more. Sometimes, the book depicts images from patented inventions. It shows watch and clock escapements, pulley systems to change directions, and other bits of fascinating tech.

I have one complaint about the book, but it is a nitpick if anything. The book is an odd shape, so it doesn't fit along with my other books too well. The dimensions make it square, but most of my books are rectangular.

I enjoyed the book. It taught me about different gear and pulley systems. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.

[chrstphre campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating Stuff…

The only caveat that I have though, is that many of them are incomprehensible !
I was rather hoping to convert all of these into Lego constructions, But it looks like a substantial amount of assistive research will be required ( ! )

[Jim Razinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fortunate happenstance stumbling across this. This is great stuff. I need to find a hard copy to put on my rebuild-the-world-after-the-apocalypse shelf. And it turns out there is a website that has many of the movements animated.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great

[Artur Avelar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timeless book. So many mechanical movements that are still in use today. The advent of 3d printing are bringing many of them back, so this is a book that was, is and will be current.

[Scott Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonder. A treasure trove. A highpoint resource for human ingenuity.

[Jon-Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing reference to have for all sorts of mechanical motions and the parts/shapes involved.

[William-Henri Turgeon-Dupuis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plusieur méchanisme très créatif outil de référence pour projet

[Tao Zheng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neat and thin book on mechanical movements.
Not as impressive as "1800 Mechanical Movements and Devices" by Gardner D. Hiscox.

[Ethan Fritsche · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect simple set of illustrated mechanical movements with brief descriptions. Great as a set of information and inspiration for engineering, inventors, and tinkerers alike.

[XeDr · Rating 3 out of 5]

good exercise in mechanical thinking

interesting exploration of simple mechanisms, but explanations are for the most part too cryptic, forcing reader to puzzle through the drawings on their own. pretty sure a few of the drawings are inaccurate, but that's an acceptable error rate for a tome of this nature

[Adrian Herbez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've bought this book three times- twice as modern reproductions (lost my first copy in the Pittsburgh-SF move) and once as an 1870s edition. Love love love this book. Great source of inspiration/ideas

[Sam Ley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting source of ideas for mechanical devices and movements. This is how the industrial world worked before the servo and solenoid, before the microcontroller and transistor. Its really amazing how inventive people were with machines to perform tasks we now take for granted.

[Eulus Ducker · Rating 4 out of 5]

507 Mechanical Movements

Interesting collection of illustrations showing how mechanisms work like they do. Nice to have the pictures and descriptions together so you can visualize the mechanisms in motion.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tremendous reference for the mechanical geek. Truly inspiring for projects, and great for young minds studying the physics of mechanics. Am ordering a copy for my shop.

[Mills College Library]

621.811 B8782 2012

[Juria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book to have if you're into mechanical devices and movements. Go to http://507movements.com/ for animated mechanisms.

[Patricia Oisin-jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reference! Will be useful for my steampunk projects.

[Dwight Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather amazing list of diagrams of mechanical wonders and inventions. Some were useful to apply.