The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-12-28
The GrindstOne.

One of the necessities of the farm is .
grindstone, and, of course, it should b.
q good one, and like everything els.
about the premises, well cared for
There is as much right way and 8
wrong way of treating grindstone a.
there is of treating a reaper or an ami
NAL. 1t is not often that we see much
about the common devices of the farm
in the papers. They are so common, in
fact, as to pass almost unnoticed. But
a writer in the Cincinnati Gazette ha.
taken up the subject of the grindstone
and treated it in such common-sense
manner that we gladly reproduce it fol
the consideration of our readers. He be.
gins by saying:
The farmers grindstone is a most
valuable piece of property. If you dc
not believe it, try to get along without
one. 1t is my intention to relate little
experience, learned last summer by &C.
cidentally having my grindstone broken.
Never until then did l have a correct
estimate of its importance in the opera.
lions of farm work. First wanted to
grind some corn-knives with which to
trim my hedge. Then I desired to
sharpen an AK to cut some poles much
needed; some of my carpentery tools
required edging. and last. but by nc
means least, l wanted to grind sickle
in order to NOW some weeds. The re.
suit in each case was had to use dull
tools until l could go to the city and
get new stone. You can believe thai
[ went at the earliest possible oppor.
tunIty.
OF course, this was an exceptionally
busy week, but it serves to show the
vast Importance that such q thing as 8
common grindstone plays in rural
economy. 1 was without stone five
days, and, during that time, had occa.
sion to use one at least five times. On
the sixth l purchased two stones, one 8
coarse grit, for grinding the dulleI
tools, such as hoes, spades, coulters,
axes, etc., and the other finer grit fol
grinding tools that require q keener
edge, such as knives of various kinds,
chisels, plane-bits, hatchets, etc. be-
lieve every farmer should have two
good grindstones of different grits. One,
at least, should be found in good work.
ing order upon every tarm. The man
who has none certainly cares not either
for himself or his neighbor. He is con.
tinually losing time-and time is money
and has the displeasure and dissatis.
faction of working with dull tools.
Do not get old, rude, unpublished
stones, but get a good, reliable one,
with the improvements of the day upon
it. The time was when it required two
men and boy to grind an axe. Now
the boy alone can do it. A little self.
adjusting, machinery with friction
wheels and treadle, comprise his help.
When buying stone, get one with au.
tomato sickle grinder. Their cost is
but slightly additional, and their. use
will save you many times their cost. a
dull sickle causes extra and needless
wear and tear of machinery, and use.
less expenditure of animal strength. II
is dead letter, inducing stagnatfon and
rum. 1t does not pay to work with any
kind of dull tools, notedly sickle
Better go two miles daily and hire il
sharpened, but before you will do this
believe YOU will get one of those sharp.
ening attachments and do it yourself.
Don t let some silver-tongued peddle1
palm off one of his inferior little emery
(so-called) wheels, made after the pat.
tern of the common egg-beater, on YOU
and get your note for $500. l know
more than one man who was picked ur
that way.
To keep my grindstone in repair and
good working order, observe the fol-
lowing: L never grind a greasy tool
without first removing the grease. This
can be done in several ways. My way,
after removing most of it with stick OF
cob, is to use sandpaper or emery cloth
| hold the tool that l am grinding sc
that it will wear both sides of the cir.
conference of the stone uniformly. II
spoils a stone to wear it shollow."
try to keep my stone as nearly
round as possible. If one side wears
down faster than the other l know it is
not tirst-class stone, and that it must
be raced. A grindstone should be
raced once per year. To do this take
1t out of the frame, but not off the shaft.
By means of pair of compasses or
scratchawl and string one end of which
is held upon the end of the shaft OF
journal, and the other upon the stone
at its shortest radius, describe a circle
Replace in the frame, and with chisel
and gouge remove all the inscribed cir
Gle. Exercise care that you do not chip !
off the corners. Unless stone becomes
very much one-sided, it is not necessary
to raZee it off.
remove all fiinty places with hard,
sharp-pointed Instrument. I never al.
low my grindstones to stand in the rain |
Or sunshine, but at all times keep them
in the barn or other sheltered place. |
Not only the frame, but the stone as
we'll is injured by not being protected.
never allow the lower edge of nv
stones to stand in water, as a great
many do. by having troughs beneath
them. Being continually in water
,auses the stone to become soft. Ii you
lse a trough, see that it is lowered be-
leath the edge of your stone each time
after being used.
Before grinding a rusty tool, see
hat most of the oxide is removed. II
allowed to remain it obstru is the grit
Ind cutting power of the stone.
In buying a stone remember that the
arger it is the easier it will run and the
onger it will last. You can not use
readle upon small stone. Keep the
rame standing upon level floor, and
will turn easier.
u 4 ~