On the Internet

In a reply to a recent post, the question was asked, "Where do you find plans and components for something like that?"

I am old enough to remember a time when information was not so easy to come by. If you knew someone who you could ask, you were lucky. My "go to" source was the library, where I’d spend hours hoping to find what I was looking for. Now the most obscure item can usually be found quickly on the Internet without ever leaving the shop.

Years ago, a friend acquired an older piece of machinery made in Great Britain. It needed work but he was prepared for that. When he got it back to the shop, none of his wrenches fit any of the bolt heads, so he bought a set of metric wrenches that also didn’t fit. He finally learned from a mechanic that he needed Whitworth tools.

But he didn’t have much luck finding them, short of visiting England. Too bad he didn't have the Internet then. He could have ordered a set of Whitworth wrenches and had them delivered to his front door within a few days.

D.D.