Glands having grooved flanges are usually lathe-turned in conjunction with the turning of the cylinder-lids, or valve-box lids, to which the glands belong.

A gland intended to have a screw on the outside of its stem is first bored in a cup-chuck, as

2 u2 denoted by Fig. 1020, the stem being gripped with the screws. This allows the hole to be finished, and the oil-reservoir to be also finished at the one fixing. While the gland is thus held the front surface or shoulder of the flange or belt should be also truly turned, to provide a surface at right-angles to the length of the hole, which surface will be required for the next fixing of the gland. It can therefore be next removed, and is ready to be placed upon a parallel ring, as indicated in Fig. 1021, in order that the end of the stem may be dished for the packing, the surface of the flange before turned being now in contact with the ring.

When the packing-dish is finished the article is now ready for being completed on an arbor, to have its stem screwed, and the entire outer surface finished, which completes the shaping, with the exception of forming the notches. A number of small glands can be rapidly shaped in this manner, if all are first bored, and their dishes formed, previous to screwing the utsides while on an arbor; but it should be mentioned, that if the holes for the piston-rods or slide-rods are comparatively short, the glands cannot be caused to hold tight on their respective arbors, through the small amount of surface in contact. Consequently, it is preferable, when convenient, to first grip the gland by its flange with the stem outwards, as shown in Fig. 1022. In this position it can have its hole bored, the packing-dish formed, the stem screwed, and the shoulder adjoining the stem turned, by the one fixing. This prepares the gland for being screwed into its packing-box, as soon as this is ready. If the cylinder-lid, or other lid, has not yet been screwed, it is therefore now fixed to the chuck, and the hole screwed to fit the gland-stem. The gland is next screwed into its place with a ring between the mouth of the box and the flange of the gland, as indicated in Fig. 1023. While thus fixed, the oil-reservoir can be made, and the turning of the flange and dome-portion completed. By this plan of screwing such a gland, no arbor is required, and therefore no risk of shifting is incurred while turning.

The notches on a gland-flange are easily made, either while the gland is on an arbor on the pivots, or while it is screwed tight in its packing-box, at the time the lid or other object is fixed on the chuck as it was during turning. The number of notches in a flange are usually nine, eleven, or thirteen, according to its diameter. To remove the metal a slotted grooving tool, similar to Fig. 457, is used, and it is held in the slide-rest in the same manner as a tool for boring the hole. But the grooving-tool is placed in front of the flange-portion, as denoted in Fig. 1024, a small cutter being keyed in the slot. If the notches are to be only about a quarter of an inch in width, one cutter is sufficient, its width being equal to that of the groove required. Wide grooves are formed first with a comparative small cutter, and finished with a larger one. The operation of the tool consists in advancing it gradually into the flange and moving it to and fro with the slide-rest in the manner described for fluting hobs, in the chapter on tool-making, with the difference of the article being grooved while on a packing-box fastened to the chuck, instead of being on the lathe-pivots.

Notched glands intended to have screws in the holes of their stems are always finished while on their respective packing-boxes, because the holes for the rods are always too short to allow such glands to be tight on an arbor. Each one is therefore first held in a cup-chuck, that the screw may be formed in the hole. At this fixing the bottom of the screwed hole is also nicely flattened, because it is to bear upon the flange of the packing-bush (Fig. 1019). A short chamber or recess should be also smoothly shaped at the inner end of the screw. This chamber is shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1025, its diameter being a little greater than the greatest diameter of the screw. Such a space allows the points of the screw-tool a free disengagement from the metal at the conclusion of each advancement of the tool; it also prevents the tool breaking, and causes the screwing to be effected in much less time than is required if done without a chamber. This space also allows the gland to be easily screwed upon the packing-box the full distance required without trouble.

When the gland has been screwed, and the chamber at the bottom smoothly finished, it is ready to be screwed upon the packing-box, as soon as the object having the box is attached to a chuck and the screw formed on the outside. While thus held in its place, the whole of the gland's outer surface can be turned, its oil-chamber formed, and its notches made, as before described for a gland with the outside of its stem screwed, instead of its inside.