The ''American Machinist'' is an American
trade magazine
A trade magazine, also called a trade journal or trade paper (colloquially or disparagingly a trade rag), is a magazine or newspaper whose target audience is people who work in a particular trade or industry. The collective term for t ...
of the international
machinery industries and most especially their
machining
Machining is a process in which a material (often metal) is cut to a desired final shape and size by a controlled material-removal process. The processes that have this common theme are collectively called subtractive manufacturing, which utilizes ...
aspects. Published since 1877, it was a
McGraw-Hill
McGraw Hill is an American educational publishing company and one of the "big three" educational publishers that publishes educational content, software, and services for pre-K through postgraduate education. The company also publishes refere ...
title for over a century before becoming a
Penton
Penton was a rebadged American brand of off-road enduro motorcycles designed by John Penton and manufactured by KTM in Austria for distribution in the United States between 1968 and 1978.
History Origins
John Penton was an accomplished Ameri ...
title in 1988.
In 2013 it transitioned from combined print/online publication to online-only.
History
The journal was founded as a monthly magazine in November 1877
["American Machinist," in International Magazine Co., ''Periodicals,'' vol. 1, no. 1 (October–December 1917), pg. 7.] by Horace B. Miller and Jackson Bailey at 96 Fulton Street in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
The publication moved to a weekly publication schedule in July 1879.
Fred H. Colvin explained:
In 1888, the editors decided to launch another title, specific to the
railroading industry, called ''Locomotive Engineer''.
They asked Colvin's father, Henry F. Colvin, to recommend someone to become the new title's editor.
He recommended an ''American Machinist'' correspondent from Pueblo, Colorado, whose writing he considered to be of good quality.
The man was hired, and this introduction to technical publishing was auspicious, because
John A. Hill went on to be a cofounder of McGraw-Hill.
''American Machinist'' was published weekly from 1877 to 1960 by various
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
companies, from the original American Machinist Publishing Company, through John A. Hill's Hill Publishing Company, to
McGraw-Hill
McGraw Hill is an American educational publishing company and one of the "big three" educational publishers that publishes educational content, software, and services for pre-K through postgraduate education. The company also publishes refere ...
from 1909 onward. From 1968 to 1988, McGraw-Hill issued it biweekly and later monthly,
briefly titling it ''American Machinist & Automated Manufacturing'' during 1986–88.
Starting in 1988 it was published by
Penton
Penton was a rebadged American brand of off-road enduro motorcycles designed by John Penton and manufactured by KTM in Austria for distribution in the United States between 1968 and 1978.
History Origins
John Penton was an accomplished Ameri ...
;
in 2013 it transitioned from combined print/online publication to online-only. Penton was acquired by
Informa
Informa plc is a British publishing, business intelligence, and exhibitions group based in London, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
It has offices in 43 countries and around 11,000 ...
in 2016; Informa sold ''American Machinist'' as part of a batch of titles to Endeavor Business Media.
William Harris, a
professor emeritus
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
of
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all 5 ...
, summarized that the ''American Machinist'' appeared weekly since "after the American Civil War, and was published continuously through the 19th and into the 20th century. This time period spans a very important interval, at the beginning of which new machinery began to appear in response to arms needs arising from the war, and the concept of mass production was invented. Interchangeable parts for military equipment followed immediately, and gave a new sense of what machines could do, in fact what they were going to have to do, as a matter of course in the future."
[William Harri]
"The American Machinist Weekly"
at community.middlebury.edu. Accessed 13.02.2015
Long-time editors or coeditors included
Frederick A. Halsey and
Fred H. Colvin. Other editor-in-chiefs were
Fred J. Miller
Fred J. Miller (January 3, 1857 – November 26, 1939) was an American mechanical and industrial engineer, known for his seminal work in designing high-precision scientific instruments,Winfield Scott Downs, American Historical Company. ''Encycloped ...
,
Leon P. Alford
Leon Pratt Alford (Jan. 3, 1877 – Feb. 2, 1942) was an American mechanical engineer, organizational theorist, and administrator for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. known for his seminal work in the field of industrial management.Wi ...
from 1911 to 1917, and
John H. Van Deventer from 1917 to 1919.
For decades, ''American Machinist'' and several other key trade journals, including the
Industrial Press
Industrial Press, Inc., is a privately held corporation headquartered in South Norwalk, Connecticut. Its primary areas of business are publishing technical books for engineering, technology, and manufacturing.
The company was founded in New Yor ...
's ''Machinery'' (of which Colvin was the founding editor
), helped
machinist
A machinist is a tradesperson or trained professional who not only operates machine tools, but also has the knowledge of tooling and materials required to create set ups on machine tools such as milling machines, grinders, lathes, and drilling ...
s, from
machine tool builder A machine tool builder is a corporation or person that builds machine tools, usually for sale to manufacturers, who use them to manufacture products. A machine tool builder runs a machine factory, which is part of the machine industry.
The machin ...
s and
job shop operators to factory hands, to keep abreast of current practice and new developments in a way that they formerly had not.
Both editorial offices also issued handbooks for
machinist
A machinist is a tradesperson or trained professional who not only operates machine tools, but also has the knowledge of tooling and materials required to create set ups on machine tools such as milling machines, grinders, lathes, and drilling ...
s (''
American Machinists' Handbook
''American Machinists' Handbook'' was a McGraw-Hill reference book similar to Industrial Press's ''Machinery's Handbook
''Machinery's Handbook'' ''for machine shop and drafting-room; a reference book on machine design and shop practice for ...
'' and ''
Machinery's Handbook
''Machinery's Handbook'' ''for machine shop and drafting-room; a reference book on machine design and shop practice for the mechanical engineer, draftsman, toolmaker, and machinist'' (the full title of the 1st edition) is a classic reference ...
'').
In 1969 the ''American Machinist'' magazine, under editor-in-chief Anderson Ashburn, was awarded the
National Magazine Award
The National Magazine Awards, also known as the Ellie Awards, honor print and digital publications that consistently demonstrate superior execution of editorial objectives, innovative techniques, noteworthy enterprise and imaginative design. Or ...
, for its special issue, “Will John Garth Make It?” The study of U.S. industry's role in combating unemployment, especially among those that companies might consider unemployable, included Mr. Garth, a 26-year-old high school dropout and parolee.
See also
* ''
American Machinists' Handbook
''American Machinists' Handbook'' was a McGraw-Hill reference book similar to Industrial Press's ''Machinery's Handbook
''Machinery's Handbook'' ''for machine shop and drafting-room; a reference book on machine design and shop practice for ...
''
*
''Engineering''
* ''
Engineering Magazine''
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
External links
*
{{Authority control
1877 establishments in New York (state)
2013 disestablishments in New York (state)
Online magazines published in the United States
Weekly magazines published in the United States
Defunct magazines published in the United States
Engineering magazines
Magazines established in 1877
Magazines disestablished in 2013
Magazines published in New York City
Online magazines with defunct print editions