Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-10-13
A MODEL SAW-MILL.
HUMAN HANDS SUPPLANTED by
STEAM. IRON AND STEEL.
A Shining Band OF TOothed steel
Cuts Through the Log at the
Rate of 10000 Feet
Minute.
TT it had river and wet logs the
Uor1d,s Fair sov-mill would be

1t had river anu Mcb lOSo tHS
Worlds Fair saw-mill would be
i complete. 1t stands behind Ma
. chinery Hall, and at 2 o'clock
every afternoon attracts all visitors
within hearing distance by the zip
and buzz of the saw going through a
LOG. The man who is there at that
hour may see a log sliced into boards
and laths quicker than he had ever
dreamed was possible, unless he has
rubbed saw-dust out Of his eyes on the
Menominee River.
Visitors to the saw-mill ascend the
narrow stairs expecting to see a huge
circular saw crunching its way through
log. He does not know that the
days of circular saws are numbered
and in this age that boards are cut by
band SAWS. until he sees the shining
belt of toothed steel cutting through
the log at the rate Of 10000 feet n
minute as the carriage moves forward.
As he follows the process he notices
that the wood is only handled by n
man from the time that the log IS
placed at the foot of the haul-up until
Tho finished boards or laths drop to
the floor
Steam, iron and steel have sup
planted hands in the sawmills OF to-
day. The log is brought up on an
endless chain from the ground, which
represents the pond level. As it comes
to the head of the haul-up it strikes a
bumper which, by means of lever,
turns steam into the cylinder OF the
clipper, " which automatically throws
the heavy chunk of wood to the
"deck,' an inclined platform down
which the log rolls against steam
'1og stop" Sawyer Finnegan has his
eve upon it and as it lands against the
stop he puts his foot upon small
treadle and the steam fairly hurls it to
the carriage. Finnegan then moves a
lever and up from below a huge bar Of
steel with movable teeth on it springs
into view. 1t is the steam "nigger"
which drives its fangs into the log and
turns it until it is properly placed for
the saw.
The setter, Norman Watson, is on
the carriage on the other side Of the
log. His duty is to manage'the 'feed"
each time so as to get the proper
thickness Of the board Few persons
entertain even n lurking aspiration for
his position after they have seen him
ierked forward and back before the
band saw dozen times
Speed is everything in n sawmill.
From start to finish the consuming de-
sire of every man in q sawmill Is to
act at the earliest possible moment.
The log is scarcely set before the saw
yer, who stands beside the saw, pulls
perpendicular lever. The setter on
the carriage seems to take n firmer
grip on his levers and rods, and,
"zip," the band saw is slicing of
slab. Another movement of the lever
and the carriage, which has been mov-
ing forward at lightning speed, shoots
back with a roar. Without the loss of
q fifth of a second it springs upon the
saw again. and while the "zip" is still
ringing in the ear the carriage returns
again. This thing is repeated until the
log is cut up.
AS the carriage stops visitors gaze
upon Watson, the setter, with great
admiration and wonder how he main
tains his place. The carriage IS oper-
ated by steam feed as it Is called.
A cylinder thirty-two feet long and
nine inches in diameter lies on the
floor. From it projects piston rod
which is connected with the carriage.
Quick acting valves at each end OF the
cylinder operated by n lever IN the
sawvers hand admit steam at high
pressure through a three-inch open
ino In this way the carriage IS moved
forward and backward and can be
stopped instantly at any point by a
SLIGHT movement of the lever. The
carriage moves on truck wheels which
rest on steel rails Asit returns to ITS
starting point it also moves sideways
away from the saw blade hve-eighths
of an inch. This "off-set' gets rid OF
any danger from slivers striking the
blade. The carriage moves thirty feet
each time, or sixty feet round trip.
If the mill ran ten hours the carriage
would travel seventy miles, carrying
logs up and down the track.
The band saw has n twelve-inch
blade which would stretch out forty
oiqht feet if cut. II travels over two
cight-foot pulleys at the rate of 10, 900
feet minute or 10 miles on hour.
Just above the log a stream OF water
falls on each side of the blade for the
purpose of keeping the saw from be-
coming hot.
The first cut from the log makes
"slab." II drops to table in which
are five moving rollers that carry 1t
forward until the slab hits G stop.
Transfer chains, moYing at right
angles, carry tho slab from the table
under gang" of forty-two-inch cir-
cular saws placed four feet apart, so
t1,at tha elah ia cut into four-foot