Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1895-07-25
rVEEsE BOX MAKING.
OFFENSIVE INDUSTRY OF WHICH
LITTLE is KNOWN.

How the Logs are A0oke1 anu
c,t Into Unbroken Sheets.
;aaa Of the magnitude Of the
It'll industry in this country is given
I. tbe fact that the boxes IN which the
.aso i shipped represent q cost of
Ds III $500 900 annually. 1t is not
nr years since cheese was shipped in
- = lind Of barrel or box which would
~ I, frou one TO half dozen good sized
- - hacked in straw TO keep them
- being bruised or broken ii the
4adl;ng Il was only factory made
ii Saass that received such protection,
.rhile dairy cheese was sent to market
s.e,;fnfe Of any covering other than its
~, roughly bandaged rind, which in
,,st cases proved inyulnerable. Com
aa.ition among manufacturers has
sbapaed all this, aud at present the
asannfacture of boxes gives employment
= ! large number Of hands and necessi-
,stss tbe use of powerful and expensive
machinery
II was customary in the early days of
,be business to saw the hoops, as the
,.rss body Of the box is called, ont of
M In IN planks about one-fifth Of an
Nh IN thickness. The waste of materi-
4 was Il most serious objection to this
rl,n. fully so per cent of the timber
Going in sawdust. The invention of the
Ivory emitting machine has prevented
~ waste and at the same time pro-
dpeed i better hoop than the sawed arti-
ia The chief timber used in making
cbeesebox hoops is the common swamp
slm No other timber seems to possess
M same qualities of lightness, tough
ress and elasticity SO requisite for
,beeseboxes as this once despised prod
Nh Of American forests. The logs, aft
Il being cut III the proper lengths, gen
4yally 5 feet for an ordinary cheese
hox II 1915 or l6 inches diameter, are
thrown into long watts filled with water,
where they are boiled from 12 to 30
hours The time required to soften the
timber, or cook it, as the operation is
called, varies according to the size of
tie timber and the season. Large logs
require to be cooked longer than small
ones, particularly when the logs are
center If log still frozen after ) hours
d boiling
Experience is the best guide in this
part d tie business, and to know when
lie timber is thoroughly cooked and not
oyerdme is one Of the things acquired
only BY constant observation. When
sufficiently boiled the logs are lifted i'll
iron grapples from the watts and laid on
skids, where the bark is removed Then
a log is lifted by crane and swung in
to place i'll the machine, where it is held
in a horizontal position by chucks or
dogs that center it at each end
III this position the log revolves like
aral Of paper III printing press. The
Eaife which does the cutting is very
heavy ana il boltcd to heavy head
called carriage, which is fed forward
By screws toward the revolving log, In
| the most approved machines the knife
has an end or oscillating as we'll as
| forward motion. This reduces the strain
On the machine and permits the cutting
II soft unsound and shaky hearted logs.
Al the knife comes i'll contact with the
timber, the inequalities of the log are
frst shorn off and gradually the log be-
comes perfectly round and yields an I'M
broken sheetof lumber, like the unwind
! M If a roll of cloth. This sheet of
wood IL broken off in convenient
lengths, which are passed under divid-
lng knives that cut them into uniform
widths corresponding with the required
depthof the box.
II tbe boxes are to be made up at once
The hoops are bent around iron cylinders
2 give them the form Of the box, after
which the bottom is pressed III and
nailed ID place. Comparatively few
boxes are nut together in the larger
NILS IL most cases the product is dried
iAd shlpne to the cheese manufacture
ny eentets, where tine boxes are COM
pifted. The boxes III the finished state
aFh lo9 inlky for economical handling.
Al ordinary freight car will not con-
'al more than 500 complete boxes,
Wtlle GEO can be carried if shipped III
the bale
lhe remnants which are not wide
enough t9f hoops are used for the cover
oaha and for the narrow band that goes
around the bottom Of the box. The box
y vary u size both as regards depth
aaa diameter, The most common size
WI hold cheese Of from 60 to s.
pounds such il box is 10 inches deep
aaa ia8a inches in diameter. This is
.af si1e Of cheese most in demand for
Export The size for home consumption
Y rule much smaller and requires
HN from too inches deep, but Of the
salas diameter as the other
Nat1ons kinds Of timber are used to
l.fai ihe h#ads Of the box, but elm is
M accepted material for the hoops.
wing 81 peeuliarities Of the soil, the
aai1@g a some localities is inclined to
Y sAahr the checks Or shakes running
19alha lae log and following the grain
Y la7 nber Such timber was useless
& hoops We're sawed, but in the
recess much Of it can be turned
Heount The bulk Of the elm
isea 70 this business is brought
Y taa Canada