Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1857-05-20
For the Spectator.
Hay Presses.

Mesrs Editors I'm the last Spectator an Au-
gusta farmer makes inquiries about the hay-press
| referred to in previous number. do not
know who the inventor is, but there is no pat
ent on it. The screw and nut, through which
the screw works are the most important parts of
| the machine.
The screw should be made of O tough white
oak stick, 13 feet long, turn it true and straight to
16 inches in diameter. Make tenon on the up
per end II inches long and 3 in thickness
Commence the thread inches below the tenon.
Make the thread Q inches broad; groove be.
tween the threads, inch broad and cut square
in S-4 inches deep. To make the nut select
stick of hard wood, 1-2 feet long, and % inch
es square, make two substantial lemons on ench
end, leaving feet between shoulders: make
hole through it in the direction the lemons are
made, perfectly true and round IA inches in di-
ameter, then select another stick of firm wood
about feet long, turn it nicely to IA inches in
diameter make mortice through it 6 inches
from the lower end, in which place the bit for
cutting the thread in the nut This cylinder
should be hollow, from the bit down, to dis
charge the shayings. From the bit upwards,
make saw kerf in the form of screw inch
es to each round, then place guide firmly
on top of the nut, to work in this kerf. This
will enable you to make true thread in the nut.
The cylinder is worked by hand, with levers
from the top From the above figures some al
lowance must be made to give the screw play
in the nut. In working the cylinder, drive the
bit through when below the nut, and cut up
wards; repeat this until the thread is deep e.
nough.
To apply horse power, select forked stick
that will square ten inches make a mortice
through it and place it on the top of the screw;
place sweep, made of light wood, in the fork,
long enough to reach to the ground when the
screw is down, and leave timber enough on the
opposite end from the fork to balance the
sweep.
The foundation should be made of heavy
timbers, fixed firmly in the ground The up
right side pieces should be Q feet broad and
inches thick. They should be placed #, apart
and morticedj substantially into the foundation
timbers.
The lemons on the nut should 90 through
them at the top, and keyed on the outside and
they should be long enough to stop the screw
when the follower is 8 feet from the bottom
The follower should be fastened to he lower
epd of the screw it should be 6 inches thick
and long enough to fit the press. Four grooves
should be cut across the bottom of the press,
and four in the follower to correspond. The
withs or binders should be laid in those bottom
grooves before the press is filled. The hay
should be put in through a small door at the
top; after which, run the screw down, knock the
doors loose at the bottom, slip the binders
through the grooves in the bottom of the follow
er, bind the bale firmly turn the horse and run
the screw up, prize the bale out with hand
spikes, roll it away, and you are then ready for
another. AS strength is an indispensable requi-
site, the timber should be supported at every
weak point by strong iron bolts. The lightest
bale ever saw made with this sized press,
weighed 302 lbs; the heaviest bale weighed 800
lbs. K.
Dearfeld Nav Z 1877