born Aug. 22, 1771, Woolwich, Kent, Eng.
died Feb. 14, 1831, London
British engineer and inventor.
The son of a workman, he became the inventor of machines fundamentally important to the Industrial Revolution , most outstandingly the metal lathe . He also invented methods for printing calico cloth and for desalting seawater for ships' boilers, as well as a measuring machine that was accurate to 0.0001 in. (0.00025 cm), and he designed and built many stationary and marine engines. Several outstanding engineers, notably James Nasmyth and Joseph Whitworth , learned their profession in Maudslay's shop. See also Joseph Bramah .