Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1911-02-10
NEW CHAIR FACTORY
Electric Motors to Be Used in
Driving the Machinery
viii Be Supplied with Lumber by
Dealers In This Locality.


The building on Williams street for
merly known as the Williams carriage
shop has been remodeled and in short
| time the Felch & Pier Chair company,
formerly the d. W. Fetch Chair COM
pany of Keene, will begin the manufac-
ture of chairs there. The partitions on
the first and second floors have been re-
moved, a freight elevator has been in
stalled, and the starwaYs have been
moved to different parts of the building
to make room for the chair machinery
The lower part of the ell has been trans
formed into a three tunnel dry house ana
tracks have been built on foundation to
that part of the building. On the north
side of the shop a cement boiler house
has been constructed and the heat for
the dry house and the building runs
under the ground from a large boiler that
has been installed.
The greater part of the chair making
machinery has been put in place on the
first floor. Most of the machines will he
operated by individual General Electric
and Crocker Wheeler motors from one
thirtieth to five-horse power in size. The
smallest motor is attached to glue
spreading machine, while many of the
other machines use hVe-horse- power
motors. On the first floor are two band
saws, AIDING machine, sand drum, sand
belt boring machine, saw and chucking
machine, swing saw, hydraulic bender
rip saw, mortising machine, planes, back
cutters, glue joint machine, glue spreader
and lathe on the second floor are
saw, multiple boring machine, rolling
machine and dipping tanks. on the third
floor is the machinery for the elevator
and the store room.
To the uninitiated the manufacture of
an ordinary kitchen chair does not appear
to require all of this machinery, but from
the time a board leaves the lumber pile
until it comes out as finished product il
must pass through many machines and
skilled mechanics are necessary in most
of the stages Every machine in the new
factory on Williams street has a definite
part to do in turning out a chair. There
are three dip tanks, the first containing
the stain. the second the primer and the
third the varnish. These tanks are made
of galvanized iron, and from here the
chairs, after being dipped, are taken To-
the store room, where they await ship
ment
The drying rooms are heated by steam
which circula ties through a long series
of pipes underneath the piles of lumber
and so intense is the heat that it is only
necessary for the lumber to remain there
a short time before it is sufficiently dry
to be used. One main track runs from
the lumber piles, and a turn-tabl win
be erected in the old foundry building so
any of the tunnels.
A well has been dug in the cellar and
the water will be used for the shop
Everything has been placed in such
way that the maximum of the output
may be obtained with a small amount
of work on the part of the employees The
switches for the machines in all cases
are reached easily by the opera tors, and
carts will be used to carry the stock from
one machine to another a man has been
working for the past few weeks making
the legs, backs and spindles for the
backs. and in a few days will have
enough stock on hand to keep well ahead
of the other workmen
Mr.. Felch was in business about a year
in Keene. but his shop was inadequate
and 1t a difficult matter to secure a
good quality of wood for his chairs as
there are several chair and pail factories
In Keene which have reduced the supply
of hard wood in that part Of New Hamp-
shire. Mr. Pier is a son Of Judge f. b.
Pier of this town and has had experience
in the lumber and wood working business
in the Pier mill in Jacksonville, which
was sold recently. Here in Brattleboro
they will he able to secure hard wood of
a good quality and probably will employ
about 25 hands soon after the shop begins
operations. They will endeavor to get
all their wood from the dealers here
which means that lumbermen in this To-
cality will have another outlet for their
lumber. The Brattleboro Machine Works
installed the heating apparatus. Horton
D. Walker the electrical part of the
equipment and the Salem Elevator COM
pany the elevator. Mr.. Felch has super
vised the installation of the chair making
ma chinery, which has been done by the
firms men.