Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-10-10
MAKING BERRY BOXES.
INTERESTING DETAILS OF A CALI
FORNlA COAST INDUSTRY.

FORNlA COAST INDUSTRY.
Cutting Big Log Into . Single Shaving.
The Great Blade at Its work-Fornine
the Angles Of the Box-a1aldnS the Bot
tom-The Last Step.
The thin sheets Of wood which form the
sides and bottom of berry box are nothing
more nor less than small pieces cut from a
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
carpenter's plane, but are great long sheets,
in each OF which Is almost the entire wood OF
g big log. and from o single shaving is fire.
quentlY made from 2,000 to {, 900 berry boxe&
The logs, which are brought down from
the northern coast, are unloaded in the waters
of the bay and foated into the boom close to
the shore, where the factory is located From
there they are hauled up on tramway run
ming down into the water, SO that tho logs
can be hoated upon the car. When brought
up, the logs are cut by 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.
section Of 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 ends, was hoisted by small
derrick and swung over machine, the prln-
cipal feature of which was long bevel
edged knife, firmly set in a strong iron frame.
IN very much the same manner as the blade
Of carpenters plane is set. Indeed, the
cutting portion Of this machine is great
monster shaving plane, with the edge Of the
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 revolve towards
the cutting edge, exactly like the strip Of
wood in a turner's lathe revolves towards the
chisel Another pull by the operator, and
the frame holding the great blade began to
move up to the revolving log When the
knife came in contact with the steanling
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 nniselessly as would q slice OF
cheese under sharp knife.
4 flor tha l-o1 Y,pyfSonc NJ
the log had been trimmed Off in this man
ner, the operator adjusted, on the side Of tho
log opposite 70 the cutting knife, number
OK small chisel like instruments at the end Of
each of which was a small, sharp cutting
edge pressing against the log. These little
cutters are placed at various distances, care
fully measured by tho operator, and evidently
formed an important feature Of the opera
ton. When the log again began its revolu-
tons 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 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 the little cutters at the
back of the log. The purpose of these lines
was mystery until the operator carelessly
broke off an end Of the great shaving, max
ing q strip two or three inches wide, 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 operation of shaping
the box nothing but simple mechanical
movement.
The wood bent readily at tho 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, having only
two cuts and three segments. Tho middle
segment formed, of course, the bottom of the
box, and the two at the end extended upward
inside the frame formed by the longer strip.
All but the small core 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-
venient lengths for handling as fast as it
comes from the knife.
The machinery which thus in few MIN
utes converts rough log into a long paper
like sheet Of wood is called a rotary veneer
machine, and in the factory are several of
them of various sizes, the largest of them
being adap5ed 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 she United States. The thin sheets Of
wood, as fast as they are taken from the ma
chine, are placed upon long table near at
band, and pushed under a knife operated by
steam power, which cuts the wood into mar
row strips, lenethwise, and Of the proper
width for the sides and bottom of berry
box The knife which cuts the long shavings
crosswise of course cuts iengthwise of the
grain The narrow strips, as fast as they are
cut, are taken away by boys and carried on
81 elevator to the second floor Of the build
ing, where a number Of boys and girls rap
nly bind them into box form. The last step
n the manufacture, which is done by girls,
Is the fastening of the bottom and side strips
f4sether. This is done By peculiar looking
machine called stapler, but which might
very properly be called a wire sewing ma
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