The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1888-12-19
WOODEN FHUlT-BOxES.
How They Are Made In the Great Fac
tories of the Fruit Districts.

ries, cherries, plums or other small fruit, Of
the grocer or yerder at the door, know now
the little wooden boxes which hold the fruit
are made? asks the San Diego (Cal.) Cni0n
Light and fragile, thinner than paSteboard,
and apparently simple IN construction, they
are by far tie best thing yet devised for
the handling and marketing Of small fruits
They are made bf sbavings. The thin
sheets of wood which form the sides and
bottom Of a berry-box are nothing more nol
less than small pieces cut from great pine,
fir or whltewood shaving, and bent and fast
ened together in the shape Of a box. These
shavings, of course, are not like those which
fall in graceful curves from the carpenters
plane, but are great long sheets, il each OF
which is almost the entire wood Of big
log, and from a single shaving is frequently
made from 1000 to 5000 berry-boxes.
To one who has never witnessed the man.
ufacture of berry-boxes, every stage Of the
process is extremely interesting. A re-
porter recently visited the works of the
Colorado Fruit Packing Company, across
the bay, and there bad an opportunity to
witness the operation of the machinery and
see the boxes made.
The logs, which are brought down from
the Northern coast, are unloaded in the
waters of the bay and hoated into the boom
close to the shore, where the factory is To-
Gated. From there they are hauled up on
tramway running down into the water, so
that the logs can be foated upon the car.
When brought up the logs are cut by
drag-saw INTO uniform lengths as desired.
These sections of the log are then placed in
o large steam-box, of which there are sew
eral convenient to the machinery, and left
for twelve hours subject 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 great log, three feet in di-
ameter, was rolled out from the steam-bo1
by two men, and, after the center had been
marked at both ends, was hoisted by small
derrick and swung over a machine, the
principal feature of which was long, bevel-
edged knife, firmly set in strong iron
frame, in very much the same manner as
the blade of a carpenters plane is set. In
deed, the cutting portion Of this machine lsa
great monster shaving g-plane, with the edge
of the blade fixed upward. The log was next
lowered by the derrick to its proper posi-
ton, the operator Of the machine pulled
lever and two great clamps, with strong,
sharp-pointed jaws, two inches long, ad-
vanced and pushed their iron teeth into the
marked centers at each end of the log. The
great wooden cylinder was now held firmly
in front of the blade of the immense shay
ing-plane, and when the operator pulled an
other lever, the log commenced to revolve
toward TIE cutting edge, exactly like the
strip Of wood in a turner's lathe revolves
toward the chisel. Another pull by the OPP
orator, and the frame holding the great
blade began to move upto 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 nojselessly as would
slice of cheese under sharp knife.
After the water-soaked outer portion Of
the log had been trimmed off in this man
ner, the operator adjusted, on the side Of
the log opposite to the cutting knife, q num-
Der of small chisel-lke instruments, at the
end of each of which was small, sharp
cutting-edge pressing against the log.
These little cutters are placed at various
distances, carefully measured by the opera
tor, and evidently formed an important
feature of the operation. When the log
again began its revolutions against the
blade Of the great shaving-machine there
came out from under the knife a long,
wide, thin strip of wood, which the men
pulled out and rolled and folded up like
wallpaper.
An examination OF this great white steam
CHI hot - ~~>t IN or
was marked by parallel lines, cut partially
through the wood, made by the little cut
tiers at the back Of the log. The purpose OF
these lines was a mystery until the operator
carelessly broke off an end of the great
shaving, making a strip two or three inches
vide, and quickly bent it into the form Of
berry box complete, excepting the bottom.
The points of bending were the parallel
lines cut in the wood, which made the opera
ton of shaping the box nothing but simple
mechanical movement.
The wood bent readily at the partial cuts
and formed the angles Of the box. Making
the bottom, of course, consisted in exactly
the same operation, except that the strip
used for this portion was not so long, hay
ing only two cuts and three segments. The
middle segment formed, Of course, the bot
tom of the box, and the two at the end'cx-
tended upward inside the frame formed by
the longer strip.
All but the small core of the log is turned
Oft into this long shaving, onetwentieth Of
an inch in thickness and nearly l 200 feet
long, which is folded and broken into con-
venient lengths for handling as fast as it
comes from the knife.
The machinery which thus in a few min
utes converts a rough log into 4 long paper
like sheet Of wood, is called a rotary veneer
machine, and in the factory are several of
them of varioHs sizes, the largest of them
being adapted to the shaving Of logs ten
feet eight inches in length. The thin sheets
Of wood, as fast rs they are taken from the
machine, are placed upon long table near
at hand and pushed nnder q knife Cperated
by steam power, which cuts the wood into
narrow strips, lengthwise, and OF the proper
width for the sides and bottom Of q berry
box The knife which cuts the long shay
ings crosswise Of course cuts lcngthwlsc OF
the grain. The narrow strips, as fast as
they are cut, are taken away by boys and
carried on an elevator to the second floor OF
the building, where 4 number Of boys and
girls rapidly 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 u pecu-
liar-looking machine called a stapler, but
which might very properly be called ! wire
scwing-machine. The girl operator has SIM
ply to turn the side of the box to be fast
ened over a little plate. press her foot upon
pedal, and the small wire, which is fed
from a cylinder. passes through the two
strips, and is c:inched on the other side.
The work is done vc:y rapidly, and an i'm