The record-union., 1896-06-14


would be delighted with the tasty and
accurate work performed in others, he
would emit a sigh Of relief when he at
length entered the cabinet-makers' de-
partment, and watched the careful
workers in wood carve and turn and
saw and fit, piece upon piece, until at
length the article in hand was COM
plete. Here he would find something
he would believe he knew all about,
and even if he found he still had much
to learn, he would leave the shop with
q kindly feeling toward the men who
did the work, both at the machines
and benches, and would probably re-
solve upon making another visit at
some future time.
Then if he should go from the cab
met shop into car which had just
been brought in for repairs, and watch
the force of men removing and num-
bering each of the movable fixtures
preparatory to their overhauling by
the several departments of the car
shops, he would certainly admire their
deftness; OF if, perchance, he was pres
ent when they were replacing those
same fixtures in a car, fitting each
piece with the greatest accuracy and
all with a dexterity unsurpassed by
any other workmen in the shops, he
would set a date upon which to pay
them another visit-and he would keep
that date, too.
And after the woodwork had been
taken down by the "strippers and
filters" he would, if he followed the
men who removed it, come into a de-
partment which he probably never be-
fore knew existed. They are the
''fnishers,'' and if he watched them as
they patiently cut and carved and
stripped and patched old and worn
pieces of car furniture until they
looked as good as new, he would be
ready ever afterward to raise his hat
whenever he was SO fortunate as to
meet "finisher''
CABINET-MAKERS
In the cabinet department are pre-
pared all materials for the interior fur
nishing of baggage, postal, tourist, ca
boose, first and second-class passenger
and sleeping cars. The lumber used
for the purpose is delivered to the cab
met shop from the lumber yard, in the
rough, and is there manufactured into
side posts, door and corner posts, doors,
sashes, blinds, seats, backs, hunks,
holdings, carvings, and all the other
intricate articles required to furnish
frst-class coaches and sleepers.
In the construction of car, the cab
inet-makers' work begins with furnish
ing the body and upper deck posts.
The lumber is carried to the "cut-off
saw" which is appropriately named,
where it is cut into proper lengths,
nh 10 hn r1a hnr
is smoothed before continuing it's jour-
ney to a tenoning machine, where it is
gained, or notched out, for the re-
ception of the girder, to which is nailed
the outside sheeting.
Corner and door posts are nodded
on the sticker machine, after which
the door posts are fitted into cast-iron
lintels, and are then ready for the car
erectors.
Here also are prepared the curved
hoods which extend over the platforms
of cars, and the curved carlines or
rafters, sashes, doors and ventilators.
Here. too, are made the bag-racks,
newspaper cases, letter-sorting tables,
chests of drawers, letter cases with
hundreds of pigeon-holes, all of which
are first prepared by the machine
hands ready for the bench hands to
put together.
For the caboose cars the cabinet
makers furnish the cupola or conduc-
tors lookout, besides the lockers, cup
boards and hunks for the use of the
trainmen.
Tourist cars are finished in Eas,ero
ash, which gives them a light and airy
appearance. They have comfortable
seats with hunks above them, and par
titions separating the hunks. The clos
cts <are furnished in natural wood.
which is vanished, but not stained
and all these fixtures are built from the
ground up by the cabinet makers.
The cabinet shop is thoroughly
equipped with every description of la
bor-saying machinery known to the
craft for turning out work for coaches
and sleepers, such as seats and frames
cushion frames, seat backs, sashes
blinds and curtain botes, as we'll as
for framing, paneling, mclding, veneer
ing, head Innings, etc, each of which
must go through a series of operations
before being turned over to the strip
pers and trimmers. who fit each piece
into its proper place in the car fol
which 1t was designed.
NOOuEH uGdu lof the Top par
of the inside of passenger cars are made
OF three thicknesses of veneer; the out
side or back piece being of white wood
one-sixteenth of an inch thick; the cen.
ter piece of redwood, one eighth of ar
inch thick, and the inside or finished
piece of oak or mahogony, one-six-
teenth Of an inch thick. The veneer is
first planed down to the required di-
abinet-makers. who cut ii into lengths
OF five or six feet before gluing then
together, to form the center or cleal
story Of the car.
There are forms over which the pieces
must be fitted, and to allow of this they
are placed into a steam heater especi-
ally prepared for the purpose. After
being thoroughly heated the first ol
top piece of white wood veneer is placed
upon the forms and covered by a coat
ing of glue. Next the center or red.
wood veneer is fitted ON, the grain run
ming crOsswise to that of the whit,
wood, and then another coat of glue i.
applied, after which the third or fin
ished piece of mahogony or oak is fitteC
on, which makes the piece of the re
quired thickness.
Next piece of zinc is fastened K
the top part of the form, and it is over
laid with five sections of three piece:
each, all of which are firmly glued to
gether
When all has been completed the tw'
portions are placed in vice press an
screwed down so as to press the yenee
into proper shape over the forms. Afte
being left in the press over night, tn
piece comes out in the morning firml,