If a lever or rod is forged with the gap roughly formed in its fork-end, the gap-sides and bottom are afterwards entirely shaped with a shaping-machine, or with a slotting-machine; unless the depth or extent of the gap in the direction of the rod's length is much less than it should be. If too shallow, enough metal may exist at the bottom of the gap to constitute a proper bearing on which the point of a drill will rotate. When such an amount of metal does exist it should be removed by drilling, because it is the quickest process. After a superfluous piece of this sort has been cut out, the gap is formed to about the same shape it would have had at the conclusion of its forging, if the smith had enlarged it with punching and chiselling while on the anvil.

As soon as the gaps in rods or other articles are roughly made, either by forging, by drilling, or by forging and drilling combined, the various articles are ready for an accurate shaping to finish the gap-surfaces. The operations for these purposes include shaping with to-and-fro shapers, with planing-machines, with slotting-machines, and with drilling-rods connected to drilling-machines. In this place, it is, however, only requisite to mention the shaping and slotting processes.

A small short lever or connecting-bar which is now ready for having its gap finally shaped, can be fixed to an el-chuck which is bolted to the face of a shaping-table, the broad side of the object being put parallel with the direction of the shaping tool's motion. This being the position, it is of course requisite to put the chuck's face parallel with the tool's motion, because the broad side is parallel with the same face. Sometimes an el-chuck can be dispensed with; this is the case when the machine is provided with a chambered table, which is a table having, in addition to the usual upper table-face, another face or faces at right-angles to the upper one, the plane of the upper one being horizontal, and the planes of the others, therefore, vertical. These latter ones are also right-angular to the machine-front, which may be perceived by referring to Fig. 833, in which chambered tables are represented.

To one of these side-surfaces at right-angles to the machine-front, or bracket-surfaces as they are sometimes named, the broad side of a lever or bar can be bolted, and the desired position of it is obtained as easily as if it were against a separate el-chuck on the table. A bar thus attached can extend downwards to the floor, consequently, the greater the height of the table above the floor, the greater is the room allowed for the lengths of whatever objects may be fixed. If it happens that a number of rods or bars require their gaps to be shaped with a machine whose table is not high enough, the remedy is to cut a hole into the floor at the proper place for the work, or to dig a hole into the ground if the machine is on the ground-floor.

In order that the bottom of the gap when shaped may be at right-angles to the length of the rod, the centre length of the rod must be adjusted to a right-angular position with the cutting tool's motion, which position is vertical, if the machine is fixed as it should be. This adjustment is effected after the rod is fastened with its broad side in contact with the chuck, or with the side-surface of the table, as directed, although the holding bolts are not tightened. In this condition the rod can be easily moved with a few blows of a tin hammer, until the rod's centre length is put into the right-angular position required. During the adjustment, one of the straight gauge-lines on the table's side-surface should be used, to which line the primary centre line along the rod is made parallel. Gauge-lines of this species are shown marked according to the author's method on the side-surfaces of the tables seen in Fig. 833.

When the length of the bar is correctly placed, and the broad side of it also correctly placed, the adjustment for positions is complete; and it is only necessary to raise or lower the bar to the desired height, by rotating the screws with which the table is furnished. The vertical traverse of the slide-rest is next adjusted, to put it exactly right-angular, if it has been recently inclined for some purpose ; and the tool is fixed in the clamps. This being done, the to-and-fro motion of the tool is put into action, and also the downward vertical traverse of the rest. These two motions suffice to advance the tool correctly down in a direction of parallelism with the broad side and centre length of the bar, because its length was adjusted to a vertical position, and its broad side to right-angles with the machine-front, previous to commencing the shaping.

The cutting tools required to remove the metal are grooving tools and corner tools. These are of various sizes at their cutting parts, to suit large gaps and small ones. The corner tools, having bent, ends, are used to shape the two sides of the gap; a right-hand corner tool and a left-hand one being both required for one gap. The bottom of the gap is shaped with a groover having a curved cutting edge, because the bottom is curved, for both strength and pleasing appearance. To smooth the surfaces, soapy water is applied during the finishing cuts; and to make the gap to specified dimensions, or to make it fit the portion with which it is destined to act, accurate measurements must be conducted, either with callipers or sheet gauges, for the uses of which refer to page 227.