Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-12-20
HOW SAWS ARE MADE.
Cutting the Teeth, Tempering, Grinding, Pol
ishing, Rounding, and Truing,

ishing, Rounding, and Truing,
Ordinary circular saws are of ell sizes
from six inches TO six feet in diameter,
says Pittsburg Dispatch writer. The
plates from which they are made come
from the steel mills in circular form, al
most round, if not perfectly so. The
first thing to be done is to see that each
plate is made perfect circle. A hole is
then cut in the center and the teeth are
marked around the rim. The plate is
then taken to big machine on which She
tie eth are to be cut. It is placed upon a
pin at such distance from the machine
that the edge comes beneath the die and
the operation of teeth-cutting begins,
1t requires powerful machine to do this
work, as tie steel is cat cold, each tooGh
being made from ore blow from the heavy
iron Jaw. All sizes end descriptions of
dies are necessary, as the styles of saws
and saw teeth are many.
After the teeth have been cut-and the
work is quickly done-the next operation
is that of tempering, which is not only
tae most particular but also the zaaost ipa-
portant job in the making Of saw. The
tempering furnace is sort of oven
heated by natural gas. Several saws are
placed in the furnace at tile and al
lowed 10 remain until the eye of the ex-
perienced workman tells him they have
reached the proper tenn peratare. This he
knows by the color of the
glowing metal-wheR it becomes
a light cherry red the plates
must be taken from the oven and plunged
into a vat of whale Oil. 4 few words
about this vat and how it is prepared fol
it's work. When the cover is removed
the RECEPTACLE is seen TO be neatly full OF
thick, dark-colored oil liquid, which mus
be warmed TO q certain degree before the
saws are put in. The vat is got ready
while the plates are heating. The manner
of warming the viseEd, eiemmy ell is
peculiar. Pieces of red-hot iron or steel
are placed in che vat, one after another
until Its contents are properly melted
AS each piece is dropped in brilliant
flame leaps from TIE surface of oil apd
continues to burn until extiHguisbed by
81 ing the lic lid with long iron rod
When al is in readiness and the large
glowing plates cautiously Slid into the va;
the effect is beautiful The 6anles leap
higher than ever, and the oil RACES and
secthes like witches eauldron. Leave
ing the tenpering department the saw
goes back to the main shop TO be ham
.mered and Strengthened ready for grind
ing. This work Is done with hammer
and anvil and requires mach care, skill,
and precision After the plate, which
had been more or lass wrapped Caring the
ten pering process, has been made per
fectly straight again it is placed in th9
grinding machine to remove all super
huaus metal aad reduce the saw to the re-
Guired thinness. Here the saw is made
fest on a carriage between two wheels,
which turn it and at the same time press
its sides against a-apidly revolving grind
stone The carriage Is fixed in automatic
bearings, and is Gaoved back and forth
at the will of the operator. It usually
takes about two hoGrs to grind five-foot
circular saw, though the time varies ac-
cording to the kind of saw that is being
made.
The next operation Is that of polishing
which ia done with emery wheels. To
polish large circular saw the plate is
secured TO q large wheel or fange, which
turns, carrying the saw with it, the work
man meanwhile pressing an emery ball
attached to handle) against the sice
The saw must then be "rounded;" that is,
care must be taken to prevent one tooth
projecting further than the others. For
this purpose the saw is placed in a bear
ing and made to turn slowly. It is then
gradually brought in contact with an
emery wheel, the latter turning very
swiftly, until the edge of every tooth
touches the wheel. The saw is next
sharpened and submitted to further ham
meHng for the purpose of "tr1ing" and
straig htenlne, and is then cased ready for
shipment,
One important part of the saw-maker's
business is the renovation of old saws.
As everybody knows, sawuills belong to
that description of buildings which are
most frequently destroyed by fire. After
the mill has been reduced to ashes the
saw is usually found somewhere among
the ruins, warped and scorched out of all
rembrance to its former self. But al
though the mill is complete ruin the
saw is not, in spite of its damaged appear
ance, and back it goes to the manuf act.
urer to be Strengthened up, tempered over
again, and provided with new set of
teeth. What might be styled the dental
department of the saw-works renders as
good service 20 the proprietors of saw
mill machinery as regular dentists do the
owners of defective teeth. A saw wears
Gown rapidly with use, and the time i'll
evitably comes when it must return to the
shop and get new teeth, else its usefulness
for cutting logs will be gone forever.
This happens again and again, until the
saw is com pletely worn out. or at least
reduced to dimensions that make it no
longer serViceable.
EMPEROR WILLIAMS MALADY.