The No. 2 Machine Shop
Shaping Steel
Inside this long building, workers turned forged steel into finished parts and products. Through a few basic cutting processes-including milling, drilling, turning, boring, planing-machinists shaped steel with incredible precision.
The size of the building allowed machinists to manufacture massive parts. The company was famous for supplying guns, artillery, and equipment to the U.S. Army and Navy, as well as to America's allies. Bethlehem's machinists made parts for various sectors of the energy industry, including nuclear, oil, gas, and mining.
1 Milling
A spinning cutter moves across the surface of the steel to shape it. The cutter moves in all directions to form the piece.
2 Drilling
This time, the cutter can only move up and down, removing material to make a hole.
3 Turning
This process makes cylinders with various profiles. A piece of steel spins on a lathe, while a cutter creates the specified geometry.
Erected by SteelStacks. (Marker Number 22.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Labor Unions • Man-Made Features.
Location. 40° 36.902′ N,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Pennsylvania and in Lehigh Valley. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Wartime Steel (a few steps from this marker); A Changing Landscape (a few steps from this marker); Heat Treating (a few steps from this marker); Non-Native Plants (within shouting distance of this marker); Why Did Bethlehem Close? (within shouting distance of this marker); The Flow Of Goods & Money (within shouting distance of this marker);
Also see . . .
1. Bethlehem Steel. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on January 4, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
2. Steelworkers' Archives. (Submitted on February 24, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
3. Bethlehem Steel at A Salute to Freedom. (Submitted on February 24, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
4. What is SteelStacks?. (Submitted on February 24, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 4, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 24, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 716 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 24, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
