The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1883-09-20
How Shingles Are Made.

The Oldest brashest logs are selected
for shingles, provided always they are
not sound. If they are sound, they
will make lumber; if they are doty,
worm-eaten, tire-burnt and disreputa-
BILE generally, they are worked up into
shingles. The prime consideration in
shingle timber is TO get wood that is
sound and braSh. 1t must he sound to
make n tight roof, and it must be old
and brash to prevent warping. A log
may be doty in places, and even hollow,
and vet have considerable good timber
i'm it suitable for shingles. The logs Sc
lcctcd, they are run i'm and sawed
into bolts" sixteen inches long by q
cross-cut saw worked by steam power.
These bolts are then placed on end and
pushed against large circular saw in
motion, and the good parts cut out in
the most economical shape, as the
operator Judges of it by looking at
the end. The refuse goes to the fur
mace room and the select blocks are
carried to the single machines at
the other end of the room, where
they are set on end in sort of
wise, and giggle rapidly back and forth
against q circular saw, the block being
thrown out at the top and bottom, al
tcrnately by an eccentric movement,
for the butt and top of the single, at
the same time it is moved back to the
saw, each movement making shingle.
OF course, these shingles are of all
widths. and some taper in width; some
have knots and shakes and dotv strips
through them. and sometimes these de-
fccts run parallel with the sides o f the
Shingle, and sometimes they do not.
Sitting near the man who operates the
block from which the shingles are
made is the ''jOinter,n a man who
picks up the shingles nimbly and holds
their edges an instant against planer
that runs SO rapidly it appears to be
standing still, and then losses them
where they belong. All perfect shin
gles-that is, shingles of sound I'M
blcmished wood, and with parallel
edges and square ends, no difference
whether they are wide or narrow, are
pitched into one hopper and 90 below
10 the binder" These are "A%1. "
spcct, except that they have small,
sound knots in the upper half,
are pitched into another hopper
or cnute anu 20 DeIOW 10 an
other "bindcr.' These are "a"
Shingles that are perfect in
every respect except that the butt is
not on right angle with the sides, are
pitched into another chute and go be-
low to boy who lays them on n gauge
and pushes them against a saw, by
which they are squared, after which
they are thrown on conveyer and 60
to the binder of ''A*1' shingles. Shin
giles that have a doty streak or crack or
knot near the middle, are jointed and
pitched over the planer to a man who
holds them against circular saw until
they are ripped up and these defects
cut out. Then, if this operation leaves
the sides and butts at right angles, they
are sent below to the binder, but if
these defects run at an angle, the butts
must be squared, and they are rent
down for that purpose first. Shingles
that are Feather edged" knotty.ss dOty.
shaky, and incapable of being made
over into anything good, are sent down
chute and come out in bundles, by a
strange travesty on language marked
"No. Cor. Laurence (KaS.) Jour-
nal.