Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-02-26
WOODEN ERuIT-eoxEs.
How They Are Made In the Great Pa
tories Of the Fruit Districts.

I ries. cherries. plums or other small fruit, Of
the grocer or vender at the door, know how
| the little wooden boxes which hold the fruit
are madel asks the San Diego (Cal) Union.
/ Light and fragile, thinner than pasteboard,
! and apparently simple IN construction, they
/ are by far the best thing yet devised for
/ the handling and marketing Of small fruits.
/ They are made bf shavings The thin
/ sheets Of wood which form the sides and
| bottom Of q berry-box are nothing more nor
/ less than small pieces cut from great pine,
| fir OF whltewood shaving, and bent and fast
1 ened together in the shape Of box. These
| shavings, 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 a 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 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 floated into the boom
close TO the shore, where the factory is To-
Gated. From there they are hauled up on
! traInway 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
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
softeus 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 a 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 a carpenters plane is set. In
deed, the cutting portion of this machine is
great monster shaving plane, with the edge
of the blade fixed upward. The log was next
lowered by the derrick 10 its proper posi-
ton, the operator Of the machine pulled
lever and two great clamps, with strong,
appointed 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 upto the revolving log
%
steaming wood the outer edges were peeled
of in thin strips without a sound Of cutting,
and the broad sheets rolled out under the
blade as easily and noselessly as would
slice Of cheese under a 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, mum
Der Of 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, 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
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 a mystery until the operator
carelessly broke off an end Of the great
shaving, making a striptwo 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 opera
tion 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 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-tweEtieth of |
an inch in thickness and nearly 200 feet !
long which is folded and broken into con |
venient lengths for handling as fast as il |
comes from the knife.
The machinery which thus in a few min
utes converts rough log into long paper
like sheet Of wood, is called rotary veneer
and in the factory are several Of
them Of various sizes, the largest Of them
being adapted 10 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 under kuife 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
ngs crosswise OF course cuts lengthwlse Of
he grain, The narrow strips. US fast as
hey are cut are taken away by boys and
'arried ON an elevator 10 the second floor of
he building, where "A number OF boys and |
girls rapidly bind them into box form The
last step in the manufacture, which is done
)y girls, Is the fastening Of the bottom and
'lde strips together. This is done by a pscu-
lar r-looking machine called a stapler. but
which might very properly be called a wire
sewing machine. The girl operator has sim
Ny 10 turn the side Of the box 10 be fast
med over Little plate, press her foot upon
pedal, and the small wire, which is fed
rom 4 cylinder, passes through the two
trips, and is cllnched on the other side
The work is done very rapidly, and an i'm.
nense number Of boxes can be turned out
u day,
How 90 Hat Sof- Boiled EKr..
The very incest way Of eating soft
oiled egg is from the shell, saws RlhlS Tllk,
4 Philadelphia. Place the smau end of the |