balance staff

American  

noun

Horology.

1. a pivoted axle or shaft on which the balance is mounted.

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Etymology

Origin of balance staff

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

The company acknowledged it was an "emotive topic" but said it had to balance staff and shareholder needs.

From BBC • Jan. 13, 2022

Next acknowledged it was an "emotive topic" but said it had to balance staff and shareholder needs.

From BBC • Jan. 13, 2022

The balance staff should be made of the best steel, tempered to such a degree as to give the longest service and yet not so hard as to endanger the breakage of the pivots.

From A Treatise on Staff Making and Pivoting Containing Complete Directions for Making and Fitting New Staffs from the Raw Material by Hall, Eugene Edward

The early escapements were all frictional escapements, i.e., the balance staff was never free from the influence of the train.

From Watch and Clock Escapements A Complete Study in Theory and Practice of the Lever, Cylinder and Chronometer Escapements, Together with a Brief Account of the Origin and Evolution of the Escapement in Horology by Anonymous

The two popular methods of holding a balance staff in wax have been described and illustrated; the reader may take his choice.

From A Treatise on Staff Making and Pivoting Containing Complete Directions for Making and Fitting New Staffs from the Raw Material by Hall, Eugene Edward