Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-01-04
The Grindstone.

GrlndStOne, anu, OI COURSE, IL should la
4 good one. and like everything else
about the premises, we'll cared for.
There is as much q right way and q
wrong way of treating a gr;ndstonc as
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 has
taken up the subject of the grindstone
manner that we gladly reproduce it for
the consideration of our readers. H. be-
gins by saying:
valuable piece of property. If You do
not believe it, try to get along Without
one. 1t is my intention to relate q little
experience, learned last summer by &C.
cidentally havingmy grindstone broken.
Never until then did 1 have a correct
estimate of it's importance in the opera
tons of farm work. First | wanted to
grind some corn-knives with which to
trim my hedge. Then 1 desired to
sharpen an AK to cut some poles much
needed: some of my carpentery tools
required edging, and last, but by no
means least, | wanted to grind a sickle
in order to NOW some weeds. The re-
suit in each case was had to use dull
tools until 1 could go to the city and
get Il new stone. You can believe that
I Went at the earliest possible oppnr-
tunlty.
OF course, this was an exceptionally
busy week, but it serves to show the
vast importance that such n thing us q
common grindstone plays in rural
economy. | was without q ston five
days, and, during that time, had occa-
sion to use one at least five times. On
the sixth I purchased two stones, one a,
coarse grit, for grinding the duller
tools, such as hoes, spades, coulters,
axes, etc., and the other a finer grit for
grinding tools that require a keener'
edge, such as knives of various kinds,
chiscls, plane-bits, hatchets, etc. l be-
licve every farmer should have two
good grindstones of different grits. One,
at least, should be found in good work.
ing order upon every farm. The man
who has none certainly cares not either
for himself or his neighbor. He is con-
t%inually 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DO not get old, rude, unpublished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 . good, reliable one,
with the improvements of the day upon
it. The time was when it required two,
men and a boy to grind an axe. Now
adjusting, machinery with friction
When buying a stone, get one with au-
tomato sickle grinder. Their cost is
but slightly additional, and their use
will saw you many times their cost. A
dull sickle. causes extra and needless,
wear and tear of machinery, and q use
less expenditure of animal strength. 1t
is a dead letter, inducing %stagnation and
ruin. 1t does not pay to work with any
kind of dull tools, notedly a sickle.
Better go two miles daily and hire it.
sharpened, but before you will do this L
believe you will get one of those sharp.
ening attachments and do it yourself.
Don't let some silver-tongued peddler-
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 5000. L know
more than one nan who was picked up,
that way.
10 keep my grindstone in repair and
good working order, / observe the fol-
lowing: | never grind a greasy tool
without first removing the grease. This
can be lone in several ways. My way,
after removing most of it with u stick or
cob, is to use sandpaper or emery cloth.
l hold the tool that l am grinding 50.
that it will wear both sides of the cir
conference of the stone uniformly. 1t.
spoils a stone to veal it ~'hollow.''
try to keep my stone as nearly
round as possible. If one side wears
down faster thar the other 1 know it is
not a first-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 a pair of compasses or a
scratchawl and string one end of which
is held upon the end of the shaft or
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
OFT the corners. Unless a stone becomes.
very much one-sided, it is not necessary
to raZee it off.
remove all tlinty places with a hard,
s~harp-pointed Instrument. l 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
well is injured by not being protected.
| never allow the lower edge of my
stones to stand in water, as a great
many do, by having troughs beneath
them. Being continually in water
causes the stone to become soft. If YOU
use a trough, see that it is lowered be-
meath the edge of your stone each time
after being used.
Before grinding a rusty tool, I see
that most of the oxide is removed. If
allowed to remain it obstructs the grit
and cutting power Of the stone.
In buying a stone remember that the
larger it is the easier it will run and the
longer it will last. You can not use a
treadle upon q small stone. Keep the
frame standing upon a level floor, and