Cutter Making and Sharpening

The Principle of the Removable Spindle

This may have been Benton's greatest contribution to machine engraving. It is an idea which is even more elegant than his pantographs themselves.

List of pantographs known to have had removable spindles at least as options.

Successful instances of machine engraving for matrix making without removable spindles (just a list; see Nonremovable Spindle Cutter Grinding, below, for technical details).

Benton's First Cutter Grinder

Benton's Second Cutter Grinder

Gorton Attachments for Removable Spindle Cutter Grinding

That is, facilities for Gorton cutter-grinders, to take advantage of the removable spindle capabilities of their pantographs.

Goudy's Cutter Grinding Devices

Goudy employed two kinds of devices for matrix cutter making and sharpening, a "cutter grinder" which seems to have been based on Benton's Second Cutter Grinder and a "stoning device" which seems to have been based on Benton's First Cutter Grinder Of course, he had at least two of each, first before and then after the 1939 Deepdene fire.

Nonremovable Spindle Cutter Grinding

Matrices have been made successfully without the use of Benton's principle of the removable spindle; Rimmer's work is a notable example.