Building the First Industrial Empire in Another World

After his duty at the Helmarte Soap Works, Ernest returned to his estate at Oriel where he immediately went straight to the bedroom after greeting his mother.

His task today was to design a prototype steam engine that he’d show to Hollen.

But before that, he needed one machine to make it possible.

The boring machine.

Actually, that was the funny part.

Most people would assume the steam engine came first.

It didn’t.

At least not if he wanted a good steam engine.

The cylinder needed to be round.

Very round.

Not blacksmith round.

Not "looks good from a distance" round.

Actually round.

The piston needed to slide inside with minimal gaps.

Otherwise steam escaped.

Power disappeared.

Fuel consumption increased.

And the entire machine became inefficient.

Ernest sat down at his desk and opened his notebook.

Then he wrote a title.

Cylinder Boring Machine.

The design itself wasn’t particularly complicated.

Actually, compared to a steam engine, it was surprisingly simple.

A rigid frame.

A rotating cutting bar.

A system to slowly advance the cutter through a metal cylinder.

The principle was straightforward.

The execution was not.

He quickly sketched a large horizontal frame.

Then a cast cylinder mounted securely between supports.

A long iron shaft passed through the center.

At the end of the shaft sat a cutting tool.

As the shaft rotated, the cutter gradually shaved metal from the interior surface.

accuracy mattered more than speed. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

A cylinder only needed to be bored once.

It needed to be bored correctly forever.

His quill continued moving.

Target prototype steam engine.

Five horsepower.

Estimated cylinder diameter:

Eight inches.

Estimated stroke:

Twenty-four inches.

Operating pressure:

Low pressure.

The design is just enough to prove the concept.

Then he began listing materials.

Iron plates for the boiler.

Approximately 800 kilograms.

Cylinder casting.

300 kilograms.

Flywheel.

500 kilograms.

Piston and rod.

100 kilograms.

Valves and piping.

150 kilograms.

Frame.

Mostly timber reinforced with iron.

Actually, looking at the numbers made him feel better.

The prototype was achievable.

Expensive.

But achievable.

Then another thought entered his mind.

The boring machine itself required power.

He paused.

Then smiled.

The waterwheel.

Of course.

The repaired waterwheel could power the boring machine.

Which would manufacture the cylinder.

Which would help build the steam engine.

Ernest leaned back in his chair.

Actually, the boring machine might become more important than the steam engine itself.

Because once they could accurately machine cylinders, an entirely new world opened.

Steam engines.

Pumps.

Hydraulic equipment.

Precision shafts.

Machine tools.

Even firearms manufacturing could improve. Now he just had to go to Hollen’s forge and gather a team of metalworkers and machinists capable of building it.

"Okay, let’s do it tomorrow."

***

A day later, Ernest was back at Hollen’s forge.

It’s been so long since he last visited the place.

The familiar smell hit him immediately.

Coal smoke.

Hot iron.

Burning charcoal.

Sweat.

Hammering echoed throughout the workshop.

Workers moved between furnaces carrying glowing pieces of metal while apprentices pumped bellows near the forges.

Actually, not much had changed.

The forge looked almost exactly the same as it did when Ernest first started working here.

Only now he wasn’t the exhausted child hauling buckets and cleaning tools.

Now he arrived in a carriage.

Life was strange sometimes.

Several workers immediately noticed him.

"Master Ernest!"

"Good morning, sir!"

"Morning, Master Ernest!"

Ernest nodded as he walked deeper into the workshop.

"Morning."

"How’s business?"

One of the smiths laughed.

"Busy enough that Master Hollen won’t stop giving us work."

"Good."

The worker grinned.

A busy forge meant steady wages.

And nobody complained about that.

Near the rear of the building, Hollen was already waiting beside a large worktable.

Several sheets of parchment had been spread across its surface.

"You actually came."

Ernest rolled his eyes.

"You sound surprised."

"I was fifty percent certain you’d get distracted and start another company."

"That’s unfair."

"It’s accurate."

Actually, Hollen had a point.

Ernest chose not to acknowledge that.

Instead, he placed his notebook onto the table and opened it.

The moment Hollen saw the drawings, his expression became serious.

"So this is the machine?"

"No."

Ernest pointed to the first drawing.

"This is the machine that builds the machine."

Hollen groaned.

"Gods, we’re back to that again."

"Yes."

The forge owner rubbed his forehead.

Several master smiths had gathered nearby after hearing Ernest had arrived.

Curiosity naturally followed.

One of them pointed toward the sketch.

"What exactly is that supposed to be?"

"A boring machine."

Blank expressions immediately appeared.

Actually, Ernest expected that.

Nobody here had ever seen one.

He turned the notebook around and pointed to the drawing.

"We’re going to cast an iron cylinder."

The workers nodded.

That part they understood.

Then Ernest tapped the center of the sketch.

"But the inside needs to be perfectly round."

One of the smiths frowned.

"We can file it."

"No."

Ernest shook his head immediately.

"Not accurately enough."

He pointed toward the rotating shaft.

"This cutter rotates inside the cylinder while slowly advancing forward."

The workers stared.

The concept was unfamiliar.

But not incomprehensible.

One of the older blacksmiths narrowed his eyes.

"So instead of moving the tool by hand, the machine controls the cut?"

"Exactly."

The man slowly nodded.

Skilled craftsmen immediately understood the value of consistency.

Machines didn’t get tired.

Machines didn’t become distracted.

Machines repeated the same motion over and over.

Hollen crossed his arms.

"How many people do you need?"

Ernest looked around the forge.

Then began pointing.

"I’ll need two pattern makers."

The workers exchanged glances.

"I’ll need four experienced smiths."

More nods.

"Two carpenters."

"One draftsman."

"And at least six laborers."

The room became quiet.

That was a larger team than most expected.

Hollen raised an eyebrow.

"Twelve people?"

"Fourteen."

Ernest corrected.

"And probably more once we start casting."

The forge owner whistled softly.

Actually, now the scale of the project was becoming clear.

This wasn’t a weekend experiment.

This was an engineering project.

Ernest closed the notebook.

"The boring machine comes first."

Then he placed another sketch onto the table.

The rough outline of the prototype steam engine.

The workers stared.

"Let’s make this our top priority."