The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1884-12-20
File Making.

The bar or rod of steel is first placed
in the siIearing machine. This machine
is arranged with a straight cogwheel
catching into cogbar, which in turn
moves an eccentric in the plunger con-
nected with the knife, and gives the
steel powerful, smooth cut. In this
Bhearing machine steel of one and half
inches width and three-eighth inch
thickness is cut as smoothly as if it were
a thin piece of tin. For heavier steel
machine is used that will cut half
inch thickness of steel, two and half
inches wide.
The steel having been cut to the req
uisite lengths, passes to the forging
room. In that room there are fourteen
coke fires. Alongside of these the
workmen sit before steam-driyen ham
mers, lifting the red hot pieces of steel
out of the fire and placing them under
the hammers, the tables of which are
arranged with two surfa es-one upon
which the steel in hammered out flat
along it's whole length, and another
surface slightly depressed, on which the
ends or tangs of the file blank are ham
mered to the pointed shape, which
everybody remembers as, time out OF
mind, the proper shape for file
handle For the smaller files (saw
files} the hammer tables are grooved,
and in these grooves the ends of the
file blanks are placed, and in moment
are hammered to the proper shape. 1t
gave an idea of the methodical work of
the men to notice. that the workman as
be reached to take Il heated piece of
stess, out of the fire, aufailingiy put
freq, one in to be heated. It was the
oldtashioned way, before the intro
hlction of machinery, to have forger
and striker for large files, but the aceu-
racy OF machinery, and its raLidity in
working, have made that method of
making files an obsolete thing.
From the forging department the file
blanks as they are called, until the
teeth are cut in them, are passed to the
annealing room. Hence, in furnace
are packed many dozens-eq a
ton in weight-of file blanks of every
shape, and the furnace is heated until it
has been brought to red heat. At
| that heat it is allowed to remain for an
| hour. Then the furnace drafts are all
closed up, Ind made as air-tight as pos
| sible; and, on an average, in three days
time. the heated blanks have cooled
sufficiently for further handling.
| The fire has softened them for the
| further processes of the manufacture,
| and after they have been hammered
straight the file banks are turned over
to the grinding-room workmem. There
they are placed in a frame--in various
| quaint ties according to size. The frame
is then placed in machinery attached
to q six-foot grind-stone, which receives
a horizontal and lateral motion, by
which the file blanks are ground per-
fectly smooth and true. The average
life of these grind-stones is about three
| weeks. For the larger round and half
round files it is necessary to grind by
hand.
But these are only the preliminaries
to the file making. Having been
ground, the next step is cutting the
teeth. This is done by improved and
ingenious machinery, which works with
marvellous celerity. The file blanks are
| placed under the cutter. and with sur
prising rapidity, tooth after tooth is cut
into the blank. The edges of the blanks
are cut first A few minutes suffices to
finish the edges, and that operation OF
cutting teeth is repeated until edges and
both sides of the fiat blanks and the
| three sides of the three square blanks
| are toothed.
The chisels used in cutting the teeth
in the file blanks having to be sharp
ened freely, grindstones and laps are
used for this purpose. The dulled CHS
els are first taken and ground; after
they have been ground they are placed
on the laps Con which fine emery and
oil are used and are given fine edge.
After the cutting of the teeth has
been finished, the files are forwarded to
an examining-room, where they Are
carefully inspected to see that the file
blanks have been properly cut. The
files are then passed to a room on the
ground floor to be hardened-a very in.
teresting process. 1t this room are sew
eral iron pots, containing lead, sur
rounded by furnace and kept hot. SC
as to melt the lead. The files ore frs
coated with q preparation to prevent
scaling; next they are placed in the
leaden bath, and, lastly, after they are
sufficiently heated they are plunged
into large vats of water, the process
making them very hard.
The files are then secured, mex
washed in lime water, dried, and, las
of all, the tangs, or handles, are PLACED
in a leaden bath, covering only th'
tangs, to soften or withdraw the tenn
per. Then the files are oiled and agar
secured. for the purpose of cleans
ing them of any eXtraneous mat
ter, after which they are taken to th'
second story, where each file is care
fully examined and tested with tenn
pered piece Of steel, and any found witt
the slightest imperfection are condemned
and thrown aside. Midland I'aGustrta