Nearly all small glands which have six-sided flanges, are made of cast gun-metal. When a considerable number have been cast, and are ready for the lathe-process, all the comparative large ones, if they happen to be cast without any hole, should be first drilled with a drilling-machine to somewhat near their intended diameters; this being a much quicker mode of roughly boring out a large amount of metal, than drilling it out with a lathe.

When the holes of glands have been partly formed, either at the time of casting, or with a drilling afterwards, each one requires to be bored on a lathe-chuck, which boring is necessary to properly smooth the hole to suit the diameter of the slide-rod or piston-rod, and to cause the hole to be nearly concentric with the outer rough surface. All the glands are thus bored previous to smoothly shaping their outsides to the exact dimensions intended, in order that unnecessary alteration of the lathe-apparatus may be avoided.

The mode in which a small gland is held in order to be bored, is depicted by Fig. 1007, and consists in gripping it in a cup-chuck having three or four screws. During the fixing of a piece in this manner, the entire outer surface is caused to rotate truly, supposing that the whole of the surface is to be equally reduced to obtain the finished dimensions. But when it is known that some stated part has but a comparative small quantity to be cut off, this part is caused to rotate truly without regard to the other portions; which treatment is analogous to that described for the adjustment of articles to be planed or shaped.

After the gland is tightly fixed, the boring can be entirely executed with a drill. This is a very good tool for boring a small gun-metal object, although it may be without any hole; in which case a drill of proper size can be selected to both originate the hole and afterwards enlarge it to the exact diameter. The drill is held in the slide-rest in the same manner as a boring-tool; and it will be found that, however small the required hole may be, a drill having a properly shaped end can be easily provided and used ; whereas an ordinary slide-rest tool requires a comparative tedious shaping, and when made, it is only suitable to enlarge a hole which has been previously commenced.

The oil-dish of a gland is first roughly shaped to very near the ultimate depth and width, by means of a corner-tool; and the same tool is also used to turn the front surface or top of the flange while the gland yet remains in the cup-chuck. But it is not always requisite to turn this surface until the gland s entire outside is to be turned; although it is imperative to complete the oil-dish at the first fixing when the hole is bored, because it is conveniently placed to admit a tool-point to the bottom of the dish adjoining the hole. A dish or recess of this class is smoothly finished with a hand-tool which has a convex cutting-edge of suitable curve.

A gland which is large enough to require a dish in the end of the stem, to facilitate the squeezing of the packing around the rod, requires the top-surface of the flange to be truly turned at the fixing for boring the hole, because this surface is to be put into direct contact with the lathe-chuck or parallel blocks thereon, in order to be fixed with the stem outwards, that the required dish may be easily formed. A gland held in this position is depicted by Fig. 1008.

Turning the outsides of small glands is performed by means of arbors; and also, in some cases, by means of the slide-rods and piston-rods to which the glands belong. If a set of glands, bushes, and their rods are to be turned in one lathe, all the glands and bushes are first bored and dished at one operation. The lathe is next put into order for turning the rod or rods. These can now be wholly turned to near the finished diameters, and a short portion at one end of a rod can be smoothly reduced to tightly and accurately fit all the holes in the glands and bushes. When this end is reduced to the proper size, it is driven into the glands with a tin hammer, and all are successively turned while on the end of the rod, which constitutes a spindle that causes each gland or bush to rotate truly concentric with its smoothly finished hole. To allow a rod's end to be thus used for several holes, it is requisite for them to have been previously bored carefully to one diameter; and it is also requisite for the rods to be finished after the glands and bushes are finished.

In many cases, slide-rods and piston-rods are completely turned to their finished diameters previous to commencing their glands; consequently, such rods cannot be used as spindles for turning the glands. It is therefore necessary to provide a distinct arbor for this purpose, because after the rods are finished the glands are so bored as to slide loosely along their rods, and therefore cannot be held tight thereon for turning.

Fig. 1009 denotes a gland on an arbor or temporary spindle, on which it is tightly hammered, and can now be put on to the lathe-pivots and have its stem turned and screwed ; also both sides of its flange turned, if required.