Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-10-10

snav1ngs, OF course, are not like those which
fall In graceful curves from the carpenters
plane, but are great long sheets, in each of
which is almost the entire wood of a big
log, and from single shaving is frequently
made from 1900 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 had 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 floated into the boom
close to the shore, where the factory is To-
Gated. From there thev are hauled up on a
tramway running down into the water, so
that the logs can be floated upon the car
When brought up the logs are cut by a
drag-saw INTO uniform lengths as desired.
These sections of the log are then placed in
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-box
by two men, and, after the center had been
marked at both ends, was hoisted by small
derrick and swung over machine, the
principal feature of which was a long, bevel-
edged knife, firmly set In a strong iron
frame, in very much the same manner as
the blade of acarpenter's plane is set. In
deed, the cutting portion of this machine is a
great monster shaving plane, with the edge
l p 1,1 1kG mn
lowered by the derrick to it's proper posi-
ton, the operator of the machine pulled a
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 op-
orator, and the frame holding the 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
of in thin strips without sound of cutting,
and the broad sheets rolled out under the
blade as easily and noiselessly as would
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, a num-
Der of small chisel-like instruments, at the
end OF each of which was small, sharp
cuttlng-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 it's revolutions against the
blade of the great shaving machine there
came out from under the knife 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
ing shaving showed that It's entire length
was marked by parallel lines, cut partially
through the wood, made by the little cut
ters 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, making a strip two or three inches
wide, and quickly bent it into the form of a
berry box complete, excepting the bottom.
The points of bending were the parallel
lines cut in the wood, which made the opera
tion of shaping the box nothing but a 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, hav-
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 ex-
tended upward inside the frame formed by
the longer strip.
All but the small core of the log is turned
on 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 long paper
like sheet of wood, is called rotary veneer
machine, and in the 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. The thin sheets
OF wood, as fast as they are taken from the
machine, are placed upon long table near
at hand and pushed snder a knife operated
by steam-power, which cuts the wood into
narrow strips, lengthwise, and of the proper
width for the sides and bottom Of berry
box. The knife which cuts the long shay
ings crosswlse OF course cuts lengthwise of
the grain. The narrow strips, as fast as
they are cut, are taken away by bows and
carried on an elevator to the second floor of
the building, where 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 pecu-
har-looking machine called stapler, but
which might very properly be called wire
sewing-machine. The girl operator has SIM
ply to turn the side of the box to be fast
ened over little plate, press her foot upon
pedal, and the small wire, which is fed
from cylinder, passes through the two
strips, and is clinched on the other side.
The work is done very rapidly, and an i'm
mense number of boxes can be turned out
in day.