Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-09-09

turned over and passed under second
one, which does the same work on the
other side, SO that they fall into bas-
ket in a continuous stream, six wide, of
finished pencils. The familiar opera
ton OF planning is essentially that of cut
ting with pocket-knife. The planning
machine on the contrary, uses revolv-
ing knives, which make succession of
little gouges in the wood. These goug-
es, which would otherwise leave the sur
face very irregular, are made to leave it
tolerably smooth by following one an
other so closely that the gouges become
one long gouge, or cut; but usually the
board is not smooth enough to answer
for nice work without further finishing.
Yet so perfect is the operation of these
revolving cutters that they leave the sur
face not only true, but SO smooth that
the finest sand-paper in ordinary use
would scratch ii. The machine sepa-
rates and shapes probably fifty pencils
while the foreign maker is making one.
and requires nobody 10 complete its
work. As the streams of pencils fall
six abreast they are finished, in point of
utility, and arc ready to be sharpened
and put to use.
Before they leave the room and sew
eral times afterward they are counted
by means of counting board This is
merely board on which are fastened
two strips of wood about four inches
apart, having in each strip IA grooves.
Catching up Il handful of pencils the
workman rubs them along the board
once and back, thus filling up the
grooves, the pencils lying IN them as a
pen lies in its rack on the inkstand,
and he has counted gross of twelve
dozen without possibility of mistake,
and in five seconds time. By similar
device, the employment of tray hav-
ing number OF round depressions of
the size of coin. into which the pieces
are shaken, gold coins are sometimes
counted.
In Difference to custom and the habit
OF associatlng the desired blackness of
the leads with that Of tho wood the ma
tural beauty OF the cedar is concealed in
the standard commercial grades by col
oring After being immersed IN dye
the pencils 90 to the very curious little
neutrality-suspicious.. From little
hopper they settle through sidewise, and
are seized between two wheels, which
thrust them endwise, one at time
through n hole in tube wet with var
nish from above. Each pencil. pushed
on by its follower in the single-file
movement, energies from the tube and
drops on horizontal belt. 1t then
moves slowly with the belt some thirty
feet, drying us it goes, and when the
belt, reaching the pulley, releases it,
drops in basket Ii you place pen
Gil in the mouth, pushing it well back,
and then, COMPRISING the lips tightly
on it, expel the air, it Will shoot out with
some force. In similar manner this
comical little machine splits out from its
cylinder stream of pencils at the rate
of one hundred per minute
The other operations are of minor
consequence, consisting of shaving a
little from the ends, sharpening certain
styles on wheel, stamping each with
its proper marking, and the various
manipulations in packing The patent
package is stroke of inventive genius.
The dozen pencils are grouped each in
its groove, around an oval piece of
wood. The oval package is more snowy
than the round, and eight pencils can
be slipped out and replaced at will
without disturbing it. The same me
chanical skill runs all through the
work, all the pencils being exactly uni
form in size. length. and finish, and
the stamp falling on all in exactly the
same relative position.
Except the lead-makers and the at
PENDANTS on the shapng-machines the
operators are girls, the machines being
so automatic that neither strength nor
skilled labor is requisite. The work is
singularly Clearly. The shaping-ma-
chimes are covered by a metallic hood
connecting with pipes, through which
all the shavings and dust are sucked
down by blower to the engine-room,
where they are used for fuel. Thus the
floors are kept free from litter. The
work is inno respect unhealthful, and
the factory is peculiar in being per-
meated by the aromatic odor Of the red
cedar.