The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1888-10-24
MAKING BERRY BOXES.
INTERESTING DETAILS OF A CALI
FoRNlA COAST INDUSTRY.

Cutting Big Log Into Single Shnving.
The Great Blade at Its woriS--Fcrmins
the Angles of the Box--NIalxing the Bot
tom--The Last Step.
Tho thin sheets of wood which form the
sides and bottom Of berry box are nothing
more nor less than small pieces cut from
great pine, fir or wildwood shaving, and
bent and fastened together in the shape Of a
box. These shavings, Of course, are not like
those which fall in graceful curls from the
carpenters plane, but are great long sheets,
& each of which is almost tho entire wood Of
a big log, and from single shaving Is fire.
quently made from 1000 to 8, 600 berry boxes
The logs, which are brought down from
the northern coast, are unloaded in the waters
Of the bay and iioated into the boom close to
the shore, where the factory is located. From
there they are hauled up on tramway rum
ming down into the water, SO that the logs
can be fioated upon the car. When brought
up, the logs are cut by q drag saw into uni
form lengths as desired. These sections of
the log are then placed in large steam box,
of which there are several convenient to the
machinery, and left for twelve hours, sub
jected to the effects of the exhaust steam
from the engine. This softens the wood so
that it can be cut into the thin sheets desired
without checking or splitting into fragments.
A section of a great log, three feet in dia-
meter, was rolled out from the steam box by
two men, and, after the center had been
marked at both cNds, was hoisted by a small
derrick and swung over a machine, &n.prin-
cipal feature of which was long bevel
edged knife, firmly set in q strong iron frame,
in very much the same manner as the blade
Of carpenters plane is set. Indeed, the
cutting portion Of this machins is great
monster shaving plane, with tho edge OF tho
blade fixed upwards The log was next low
cred by the derrick to its proper position,
tho operator Of the machine pulled lever,
and two great clamps, with strong, sharp
pointed jaws two inches long, advanced and
pushed their iron teeth into the marked CEN
tiers at each end Of the log. The great
wooden cylinder was now held firmly in
front of the blade of the immense shaving
plane, and when the operator pulled another
lever, the log commenced to revolvo towards
tho cutting edge, exactly like the strip of
wood In aturners lathe revoives towards tho
chisel. Another pull by the operator, and
tho Franc holding tho great blade began to
move up to the revolving log. When the
knife came In contact with the steaming
wood, the outer edges were peeled Off in thin
strips without sound of cutting, and the
broad sheets rolled out under the blade as
easily and noiselessly as would slice of
cheese under a sharp knife.
After the water soaked, outer portions OF
the log had been trimmed off in this man
ner, the operator adjusted, on the side Of the
log opposite TO tho cutting knife q number
Of small chisel like instruments at the end of
each of which was q small, sharp cutting
edge pressing against tho log These little
cutters arc placed at various distances, care
fully measured by the operator, and evidently
formed an important feature of the opera
tion. When the log ngain began its revolu-
tions against the blade Of the great shaving
machine, there camo out from under the
knife q long, wide thin strip OF wood, which
tho men pulled out and rolled and folded up
like wall paper
An examination of this great white, steam
ing shaving showed that its entire length was
marked by parallel lines cut partially through
tho wood, made by tho little cutters at the
back of tho log. The purpose of these lines
was mystery until tho operator carelessly
broke Off an end of the great shaving, max
ing a strip two or three inches wide, and
quickly bent ii into the form OF berry box
complete, excepting tho bottom. The points
of bending wero the parallel lines cut in the
wood, which made the operation of shaping
tho box nothing but simple mechanical
movement.
The wood bent readily at the partial cuts
and formed the angles OF tho box. Making
tho bottom, Of course, consisted In exactly
the same operation, except that the strip used
for this portion was not so long, having only
two cuts and three segments. Tho middle
segment formed, of course, the bottom OF tho
box, and the two at the end extended upward
inside tho frame formed by the longer strip.
All but the small corc of the log is turned
Off into this long shaving, one-twentieth of
an inch in thickness and nearly 1000 feet
long, which is folded and broken into con-
yenient lengths for handling as fast as It
comes from the knife.
The machinery which thus In a few min
utes converts u rough log into long paper
like sheet of wood is called rotary veneer
machine, and in tho factory are several of
them of various sizes, the largest of them
being adapted to the shaving of logs ten feet
eight inches in length. This, by the way. is
the largest rotary veneer machine in opera
ton in the United States. The thin sheets Of
wood, as fast as they are taken from the ma
chine, are placed upon long table near at
hand, and pushed under knife operated by
steam power which cuts the wood into mar
row strips, lengthwise, and of the proper
width for the sides and bottom of berry
box. The knife which cuts the long shavings
crosswise OF course cuts lengthwise Of the
grain The narrow strips, as fast os they are
cut, are taken away by boys and carried on
an elevator to the second floor of the build
ing, where number of boys and girls rap
idly bind them into box form. The last step
in the manufacture, which is done by girls,
Is the fastening Of the bottom and side strips
together. This is done by peculiar looking
machine called q stapler, but which might
very properly be called wirc sewing ma
chine. San Diego Cali Union.