Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-10-21
SAVING SHINGLES.
The Story Of The Interesting Process in
the Mill.

fiat boom sticks a landing is easily
made. The mill at midnight! This is I
indeed an adventure with a wholesome /
tang after 30 much idle moonlight
A great buzzing, as Of the swarming /
of many bees. fills the air. The very
walls seem to vibrate with the hum
ming. Light pours from every aper-
ture and reveals within scene of in
dustry and animation. for in the shin |
gle mills the work goes on day and |
night. Here, the work OF winter and |
spring; In the logging camps and on the |
drive, reaches its elimination. Up the |
long, white slip that extends, like a
hungry tongue, from the second story
of the main building into tidewater, the
unwilling logs. dripping salt tears the
while, make their slow way. One by
one. with many creaks and groans.
they are rolled upon the carriage that
bears them to the execution table.
Here the great circular saw. La Gull
lotine of the shingle mill. rears It's ugly
teeth from the floor and speedily re-
duces the long cedar into bolts 16
inches long. Each bolt. as it drops, is
caught by the "sapper." and it's shaggy
sides presented to the revolving knives
Of an ingenious machine called. Tor OBJ
yious reasons. the barker" The sap
uer' Is a mere mans who tends the
clever barker" In twinkling each
bolt in turn is shaved to smooth.
white, we'll groomed appearance, and
the "sapper" lifts to it the machine car.
when a dozen or more bolts have ac-
cumulated, the little car is pushed
down the track along which the shingle
machines are ranged, and each ma
| chine receives its quota of bolts.
These are piled at the sawyer's
right. At his left is a shelf three feet
from the floor The sawyer chooses
bolt from his pile and stands it on end
ON this shelf. Then, with his foot. the
machinery is set in motion. A verti-
cal saw moves across the front edge
of the shelf, cutting the first slab from
the bolt. This slab is useless and is
dropped through an opening in the
floor into a trough through which re-
yolying chain, with scrappers attached.
| is continually carrying the mill debris
| IN the furnaces. The bolt is inclined
one -half inch forward to meet the next
massage of the saw, and One-half inch
backward for the third, thus cutting
| the thick end of the single from, frSt
the TOP. then the bottom of the bolt.
| ) AS the single drops the sawyer
takes IL by one edge in his left hanu,
places it upon another shelf in front
that moves vertically upon pressure.
| When the shelf is pushed downward
circular saw appears cutting lengths
wise through the single. The part
| trimmed off, unless it is held by the
| savers other hand. as is the case II
the piece be worth saving for lower
grade. drops behind the saw into the
| trough for the furnace, leaving the nm
ished single In the sawyer's hand. In
front of him. beyond the trimming saw,
are Ave long, narrow bins into which,
according to its quality, he tosses the
shingles. at the same time, with lever
worked by his foot. reversing the in
cIination of the bolt SO that the next
single is cut with the thick end from
the bottom. 49,.
The sawyer is perhaps the most in-
portant man in the mill, for upon his
Judgment in placing the bolt and trim
ming the single depends the market
value of the cut. For instance. If rot
ten knot appears we'll up in the thick
end the single must be put into the
fifth grade and sold for 81 per 1000.
shingle at either side of the knot. maxi
ing two narrow shingles free from
knots they sell for $3.50 per 1000t max
ing a difference of s2.25 on carload.
Just inside the bark of the bolt is a
layer of soft, juicy wood called the sap
cut. Shingles taken from this part
are always free from knots and make a
fine appearance. but being SO full of
xIraxy r.t H.
| they rank as the second lowest grade
selling for $3.50 per 1000 to the man
who cares more for show" than dur
| ability. An extra" the best shingle,
is cut between the heart and the sap,
and must be free from knots or blem-
| ishes. The next grade, clears" has no
knots above six inches from the thick
end. The third grade has sound knots
in the first six inches, and the poorest
grade below the -1saps,n pr -clear
whites" as, they are usually branded,
has unsound knots everywhere. and is
called. 0 We. little gods of trade to
whom a name is ali things. extra No. |
1s.rs-g n.-- fis4 -t.s tt;l
At the other end OF the bins. oppo-
site the trimming saw, sits the "bunch- |
err" One man punches the cut OF each |
SA"ICis vs. dOout 1fsVVV III ~ uOui
The "buncher' has before him a box
open at the top and on either side. in |
to which he first lays strip Of wood, |
IN inches square, that is to project a |
little at either side of the finished |
bunch. Then he begins packing in the |
shingles, laying the thin ends together |
across the strip or binder" as 1t is |
called. When the box is full he places |
another binder across the top. grooves |
it with knife. and with sningle yarn
ties it at each end to the binder at the |
bottom. Then the bunch is dumped |
out of the box, and, il 1t passes the in
spector. is slid down the shute in front |
of each buncher to the shed below. |
where it is branded with its grade and |
makers name. and piled upon a wagon
to be drawn to the railroad siding.
In a room by himself, before. q whirl- |
ing emery wheel sits the mill dentist, |
the filer. Each saw is the mill has tod
pass his daily inspection. No crooked ]
or broken teeth here! All must be fine |
and even to a nicely. With glasses be, |
fore his eyes. inclosed In a fine netting
to keep out the flying bits OF steel, he \