The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-11-01
HOW CORKS ARE CUT
TURNING THE PLlAeLE BARK INTO
BOTTLE SHOPPERS.


outer bark OF an evergreen oak tree
which grows In Spain, Portugal. Al.
germ. Morocco and TO some extent IN
Italy. Its peculiar properties, especial.
ly It's lightness and liz compresslbllity,
make II valuable for scores OF pur.
poses. but its original use, in the man.
ufaeture OF corks, or shoppers for bot.
ties. still consumes the greater part OF
nll that II brought 10 market.
The cork oak varies In diameter
from six inches 10 three feet. by
generous provision OF nature the tree
may be periodically stripped Of its
outer bark without losing It's life.
Twenty years IL the usual age al
which the first cutting IL made. After
that the cork may be harvested about
every ten years. The first cut, which
IN called virgin bark. is OF little value,
ms II II coarse IN texture and deeply
scanned. The tree may be expected to
live and yield cork until II Ia $50 years
old.
In Spain and some other European
countries corks are still made by hand,
each one being pared from a square
block by a common knife. In this
country, where are made the finest
corks In the world. the work is done by
machinery. all Of which is Of American
invention and manufacture. Every boy
who has ever whitfield a cork for q
fishing bob or a popgun pellet knows
how difficult the material Is to cut
smoothly. To do II well his knife must
be ns sharp as razor and must be
used with drawing motion, not q
mere pressure, and II the cork be wet
80 much the better. The same difficult
ties confront the manufacturer by ma.
chInery and are met In the same way.
The bark, after having been wet and
then allowed 10 remain for time In
damp cellars to soften, goes irst to
the stripping machines. which reduce
II 70 slabs of size proportlonate to
the corks 10 be made. These machines
are merely small iron tables. through
which appear very thin steel disks,
like circular saws. except that they
have no teeth. They are really keen
edged steel knives, as thin az paper
and running at n high rate OF speed.
but 80 smoothly that they seem 10 the
spectator 10 be standing still.
The little slabs or strips OF cork 20
next TO the "blockers." The cutters
here are cylindrical steel punches. or
tubes. with razor edges. They are ar
ranged In rows. or gangs" and In.
stead OF being simply pressed through
the cork are also revolving at high
speed and 10 cut their way through.
Having perforated the slab, the cut
ters back away automatically, while
plungers like pistons working In the
cylinders come forward and punch out
the cores, which for some purposes are
already finished corks.
They are. Of course. perfectly cylin-
drical-that ls, without taper-and In
that form they are preferred by bot.
tiers Of effervescent liquids, because
their shape enables them the better to
resist the pressure Of the restrained
gases.
But for the use Of druggists, who are
the great users Of corks and need the
very finest, a tapering stopper is pre-
ferred, and this necessitates another
operation. The tapering machines are
run mostly by young women. Each
machine consists OF little lathe,
which centers the cylindrical cork au.
tomatlcally and then brings II into con-
tact with the edge OF the cutting knife,
which. like the cutter OF the sllclng
machine, liz a very thin steel disk As
the cork touches this knife thin
shaving rises and curls away, like as a
pun Of smoke.
One who knows nothing Of the ma
chlnery could see no reason for Il, but
during the second that the cork has
been in contact with the apparently
motlonless disk some dozen yards of
flying. razor edged steel have been
at work, and the cork Is now perfect
truncated cone, with fine satin-llke
surface and an even and regular taper.
BY hand a very rapid and skillful cut
ter can turn out twelve or fourteen
gross In Il day. With these machines
one girl will produce 40 gross.
There are few businesses In which
the quantity OF waste material Is so
large as In the manufacture OF corks.
In the best managed factories 1t ranges
from co to 20 per cent. but American
and industrial development
have succeeded In transforming 1t into
a source OF profit. BY grinding the
waste TO various degrees Of 1neness
and pressing II with glue or shellac In
to various shapes II is made useful for
the inner soles Of shoes, for bathroom
mats, for insulation In refrigerating
plants and the deadenlng Of sound In
apartment houses, the making Of bicy-
Gle handles and the grips Of tennis
rackets, fiy rods and golf clubs, and
there are dozens Of other uses for the
waste which are quite as interesting.
Some years ago one manufacturer OF
corks was paying a teamster dollar
4 load to cart away bis waste and
dump II on a refuse heap. Today be
receives 500 a ton for the very cheap
Al