Machine tool Museum, Elgoibar

The Museum of machine-tool is located in the town of Elgoibar (Guipúzcoa), place of well-known industrial tradition from antiquity and main population producing machine tools at the level of the Spanish State. This situation has been reached after many years of work and effort, primarily from the civil war (1936 year); taking into account the pioneers of Eibar and Elgoibar who built the first machines at the end of the 19th century. Until the advent of the numerical control and its widespread application in the past few years, the productive Park was formed by conventional machines models that, in the course of the time, had suffered few innovations. In these circumstances it was not difficult to find machines running manufactured during the 19th century, or copies of models manufactured at that time. Currently, all these machines manufactured before the civil war are disappearing, being increasingly difficult to find old models in general and in particular the first machines manufactured in the region by Cruz Ochoa, j. l. Ciaran and Eulogio Estarta. Among other reasons, this situation has forced us, for some years, to create this Museum of machine-tool, where it occurs and investigates the social, economic and industrial history relating to the world of machine tools and its importance in the Basque Autonomous Community.

Pedro Ortuondo, Director of the Museum machine tool Foundation

We try to offer a new concept of industrial Museum to our environment: is a "living" Museum, with all the facilities and machines in operation, faithfully reproducing the atmosphere of a workshop in early 20th century.

This monographic Museum is the showcase of the history and evolution of the machine tool and the men who made it possible. We have managed to recover and to launch a large number of machines, fully restored. In addition, we have important ancient documentation on manufacturing processes, commercial incorporation... which complete a broad overview of the origins of our industrialization.

Educational offerings are didactic in nature, and development programmes are a means of disseminating essential for the promotion of the Museum. We also offer this heritage to the school, University, population entities of interest and the public in general.

Nave of the Museum.

The Museum of machine - tool of Elgoibar is a foundation without profit which, in the realization of its objectives, provides and promotes a Museum at the service of society and its development, open to the public, dedicated to the search for evidence and materials of the man and his environmentacquires it, preserves, communicates and exhibits for the purpose of study, education and leisure.

Together, we have launched an Association of friends of the Museum, which currently has 65 private members, most companies in the sector

From the first moment the companies in our area have been implicated in the project, understanding it as their own, and are actively involved in financing both the dissemination of the Museum. Together we have launched an Association of friends of the Museum, which currently has 65 private members, most companies in the sector.

The content of the Museum of machine-tool is historical and technological. It shows the development and evolution of the machine-tool and its involvement in the socio-economic and cultural context. In particular, in the Basque area.

The objectives and purposes of our Foundation are:

There are pole and Arch, winches powered pedal, as those who worked the iron and wood from the middle ages

The content of this Museum is exposed in a brand new building, consisting of a nave and two aisles where you will find a machining workshop, a documentation centre / exhibition hall and a typical blacksmith's comarca. Built with thematic units and a rich set of collector's items, our original models more representative of machines-tool in operation, operated by transmission aerial and installed in a building that faithfully reflects the atmosphere of a workshop in early 20th century. They are reproduced in view of the visitor on iron and steel machining operations, soft and finished metal surfaces with tools that the operator of machines makes them depending on the needs of each operation.

The central nave (workshop of machining of 1900) takes roof supported by striking wood trusses, which hang the housings and driveshafts with their pulleys. This system of transmission, is made by in electric motor of 3.5 HP at 1500 rpm. joined the axis central and linked by the same system of transmission to two secondary shafts by means of a strap, it conveys the movement through couplings, pulleys and belts. Through this system you can see a set of machines making equal actual operations that did our grandfathers with the same machines.

In the right aisle, which was complied with in a yew - symbol of the history of Guipuzcoa - we have installed a forge of masonry, critical and typical of forges in our region, complete with all necessary utensils for the manufacture of various products (Recalling that in the environment of Elgoibar already in the 15th century is recorded) (the existence of more than twenty ironworks).

Educational offerings are didactic in nature, and we offer this heritage to the school, University, population entities of interest and the public in general

It should be noted that you can see a sample semimetálica "agoa" that was produced at these ironworks. From them came another characteristic of the basin of the lower sectors should: the manufacture of weapons, which also has its reference in this ship, because from this arose the companies engaged in the production of machine tools.

The left aisle is dedicated to collecting the evolution of machines and utensils with which worked the iron and wood from the middle ages: there are lathes of pole and Arch, which are actuated to pedal. Among them, is one in Santa Cruz de Campezo. Also mention the collection of hand drills, of which there is a noticeable selection with a berbiquí of twine. In this room can also be found two models of lathe of watchmaker, as well as a crossbow of the 19th century saw complement to the above-mentioned lathes.

To complete, you can see the historical and technological evolution of machine tools through explanatory panels, with more than 250 photographs. Reflected the history of the drilling, turning, milling, barrenado, bore, grinding, forging and rolling, brushed, smoothed and amortajado, coinage and press, deformation and cutting, etc.