Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-05-10
WOODEN rooTHPIcKs.
A Little Machine That Makes Six ---.2ionl
of Them Every Day.

WOODEN TOOTHPICKS.
A Little Machine That Makes Six ---..ion,
of Them Every Day.
As he stood beside a little n.rhine
that was sending out perfect cyclone
of toothpicks. some 10000 of them q
minute, Mr. E. T. Edgecomb. the title
member of the firm. related his expert.
ence in the toothpick business:
Il was formerly mechanical expert
in the employ of the Havcrhold Ma
chine Company. Twas with that con-
cern a number of years. mastering
many details and ideas about ma
chinery. for which 1 hold most de-
cided taste. In fact. it is my hobby. A
few years ago left my position with the
Haverhold company and went to Me-
chanic Falls. where Horned machine
company. Later went into the tooth
pick business with Mr.. Harry d. Creigh-
ton, of Philadelphia AS my partner.
We succeeded pretty well in our venture.
till all of a sudden we found that the
toothpick combination had frozen us
out. This combination practically con-
trolled all the toothpick business of the
United States, and when it refused to
supply us with toothpicks we found
ourselves in a bad position. We had a
large number of orders TO fill. and not
a pick to fill them with. In this ex-
tremity l went to work to get up "a
toothpick machine of my own, and you
see the result of my labor before you.
This machine manufactures about six
million picks per day, and they are
about as good picks as there are in the
market"
He took up handful of picks from
the bin into which they were being
poured from the mouth of the machine.
and handed one to the reporter for ex-
animation. They are the fat pick with
the end sharpened Oft like chisel.
very good picks indeed the reporter
thought, and his view is evidently the
public mind. to judge from the fact
that the factory has orders ahead for
its entire production of the next five
years.
but you wished to know how a
toothpick was made. Well. let's begin
at the first stage of the process.
''The wood we use is birch and ma
pie. 1t must be green. clear and straight
grained. We get it from all along the
line of the Main Central. It comes in
four-foot logs. which we saw into six
and quarter inch pieces. These are
put into barrels in the steaming room.
where they remain for about three
hours. coming out as soft as leather.
He picked up piece of thin veneer
and exhibited its pliability by twisting
it carelessly in the way one would o
strip of ribbon.
'The charging of the wood with
steam drives out all the sap. and then
it is ready for the veneer machine, the
bark having been removed. Here is
the veneer machine in operation" and
he indicated piece of mechanism
much like lathe. similar to the veneer
machine placed in this instrument and
out comes two long serpents of veneer
or ribbons of wood. the grain running
across the strips. which are allowed to
squirm around on the floor till after the
operation is complete.
They are then wound up on large
spools, each spool carrying about a
hundred feet or so of veneer. The reels
are the ammunition with which the
toothpick machine is loaded. The end
of the veneer is placed in the Calling
gun-like apparatus. and shoot out ut
the muzzle in scattering volley. A
small boy picks them up into drying
boxes, with wire bottoms. They are
placed on hot air draught. famed by
a blower. and in twenty minutes they
are dry as bone.
'In the boxing room half-dozen
girls stand At tables and put up about
five cases day, one hundred boxes in
a case. for which they are paid eighteen
cents case. The work is not hard.
and an expert can make good wages"
-Lcwiston, me. Journal.