The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-02-09
soMErHlNe NEW IN BARRELS.
A Decided Departure In the Manufacture
of Very Usefa1 Article.

A Decided Departure In the Manufacture
Of Very Usefal Article.
You wouldn't think that anything new
could be written about such homely
subject as a barrel, but q decidedly new
departure is to be chronicled. The barrel
Of commerce is made by splitting the log
into bolts about thirty inches long. Tho
bolts are placed in large vat, subjected
to an intense steam heat for twelve hours,
and then, while hot, are cut up into slaves.
After five or six months of air drying the
slaves are ready for the listing Tor joint
ing) machine. This process completed,
the slaves are in proper condition for the
cooper, who trusses them (arranges them
in barrel form) and cuts the chine and
croze, after which they are ready for heads
and hoops. Shaving, planning and crozing
machines are used in the manufacture Of
common barrels, and in each barrel there
are sixteen slaves. The new barrel is
made Of two slaves.
In an establishment where they are
manufactured I saw an elm log thirty-one
inches long and twenty-four inches in di-
ameter, resting in steam vat A crane,
operated by steam power, grappled the
log and swung it into position in the ma
chine. This wonderful piece Of mechan-
ism clamps the log exactly in the center
and Immediately begins q motion Of fifty
revolutions to the minute. When the log
commences to reyolve in the embrace Of
the machine knife is fed directly on the
outside of the log, cutting off continuous
sheet the proper length and thickness of q
staye. In this way the entire log is util-
lied as stave material except about six
inches of the core or heart, which is prac-
tically worthless. On the opposite side of
the cutting knife, and revolving upon the
surface Of the log, are two cylinders,
being held thereon by the same mechan-
ism which feeds the knife to the log. One
revolution Of these cylinders measures O.
half barrel of continuous and solid stave
material In the surface Of these cylin-
ders Is q knife, which is forced into the
solid log, cutting of a sheet, which falls
on to conyeyor in the perfect form of
half barrel. This half barrel, which has
just dropped from the log. is completely
chined, crozed and equalized. Its exter-
nal form is superior to any work which
the most expert cooper can execute. 1t is
msthematicaly 'strue.' The Ginning,
crOZln& ana eQuallZlnB nave I'll Uteu uOue
by the same knife, and the perfected half
barrel is the result'of the single mechan-
ical revolution.
The elm log referred to remained in the
machine fifty seconds, at the expiration Of
which time it had been converted into
thirty-four slaves or material for seven
teen barrels. The slaves are dried, listed
Gointed) and then receive head and hoops.
Two hundred and twenty barrels are
made from 1000 feet of log measure. By
the old style of manufacture the maxi
mum product is about fifty barrels less.
On the old barrel, with sixteen slaves,
thirty-two istings are required. Here
only four listings are made. The saving
in this detail alone is great. AS labor
saving invention it represents an advance
Of GO per cent on the old method of man
ufacture Barrels, nail kegs, butter tubs
and pals are turned out at will with this
wonderful machine. The inventor, a
Michigan man. has had the idea germinat-
ing in his brain for over twenty years, but
it was only during the present year that
the mechanism was perfected. Chicago
Herald.