Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-12-09
HOW CIGAR BOXES ARE MADE
Fortune Spent in Producing Them
Every Year.

There is probably rot :. cigar smok y
III the land VINO has rot wondered at Ole
time or another. ho" much 81 what he
pays for his smoke goes INTO tna box, anu
the autographed labels. and the gilt bands
and the like A box VIII holds fifty
cigars costs from to s cents. according
&c what 1t is made of. and TIM; is without
counting the labels and bands. AIRY
thing but the wood and nails. The cost
Of these boxes used in the United States
alone foots up to S6,Dt.Jl every year.
Some Of them go to Havana. but they
come back with cigars in them.
Perhaps the most interesting and least
known fact about tits industry is Il at
while some cigar boxes are made of cedar
Nenecred on one sid. with cedar. Willie
still others ere mad of poplar without
any veneer. In the latter case tho wood
is printed in imitation of ceda. hy the USE
of ink of the proper color and Il machln
which carries printing roller on which
are the lines to resemble the granting of
ceda" wood. Tie bottom AMI top OF Il
cigar box of standard grade are 3d. of an
irc.I in thickness. while tie ends are l-32
Of an inch. Despite The very small amount
IF wood neeCed ii is cheaper, however. to
use the veneered poplar han the cedar.
and still cheaper pint tle poD'ar.
Solid cedar boxes to hold 100 cigars now
cost about 10 cents. and the half noXe:.
q, those for fitty cigars aIout 3 cents
The corresponding price for veneer are
about ! cent less. wi lie 70; the printed
poplar tllt Dlltt> ar u I 'culN.
Such prices are only made possible 10y
tho use Of intricate machinery and sub
diviSior Of labor. and ii is also important
to waste as little of the material as pos
sble. To tliS end the wood OF the
proper thickness is not sawed from the
log but sliced or spit by Il special
machine. The immense pressure used in
vancering wood for the manufacture Of
furniture is rot used. and the vene led
sides. which are pretty well WarIci anu
twisted at first, are straight med out ana
drie't simply BY passing through rollers
Then tile slabs are ripped and cross
sawcd-from five to ten in one cut-into
pieces Of l.rorer dim ensions for the single
boxes which are being made. Thence
the pieces are sent to the inspector, who
besides examining each ard sorting out
those which are Imperfect. make separate
piles containing the SaCle hummer IN
each of ends. Sides. bottoms and tops.
The ends and sides ar. nai.'d togethe.
into a frame 10y one machine. and the bot
toms and tops are nailed I'll hy another
These machines are fed with mats by an
automatic arrangement. winch presents
the required number OF tHcT 1t eacls
stroke One stroke does the business OF
Mailing at each corner. AMI one stroke
also sufficts for the bottoms and tops. the
nails being pushed in rather than driven
One of those 1,achincS VIII frame ',W'
boxes day. ana two machines. working
together, will turn out 1oCJ boxes. except
for the Labels.
Tie lid IF the cigar box is held in place
hy mailing only along The fr'rt edge. ana
generally by one nail. The hinge at the
back is made by one strip of checsccloth
glued upon the outside and subsequently,
covered by the labels and paper TRIM
Rings. When the hinge is dry the FASTING
of the labels is begun. Tiny metal hinges
are sometimes pat upon cigar boxes but
these are comparatively rare. So arc dove
tailed boxes. which can. however. be mad
on order.
Generally speaking. The entire interior
surface of the box is lined with paper and
parer flaps. and in large factories the
label printing. and sometimes even me
DESIGNING Of the labels. constitute an i'm
portant branch of the work. Such printing
is Of an unusually varied character. re-
uuiring several kinds Of presses inClud-
ire those for embossing.-l'ondon Tit