Charlevoix county herald., 1915-07-17

A drag may be made heavier at any
time by proper weighing.
THE other mistake is in the use of
squared timbers instead of those with
sharp edges, whereby the cutting
effect of sharp edges is lost, and the
drag is permitted to glide over in
stead of to equalize the irregularities
in the surface of the road. These
mistakes are due partly to badly
drawn illustrations and plans of drags
when have occasionally appeared in
tne newspapers, and partly to the err
roneous idea that it is necessary that
"a large amount of earth shall be
moved at one time.
A dry, red cedar log is the best
material for road drag. Red elm
and walnut, when thoroughly dried,
are also excellent, and box elder, soft
maple, or even willow are preferable
to oak, hickory, or ash. The log
should be seven or eight feet long,
and from ten to twelve inches in dia-
meter, and should be carefully split
down the middle. The heaviest and
best slab should be selected for the
front. At a point on the front slab
four inches from the end that is to
be at the middle of the road, locate
the center of the hole to receive a
cross-stake, and twenty-five inches
from the other end of the front slab
locate the center for another cross
stake. The hole for the middle stake
will lie on line connecting and half
way between the other two. The back
slab should now be placed in position
behind the other. From the end
which is to be at the middle of the
road, measure twenty inches for the
center of the cross-stake and six
inches from the other end locate the
center of the outside stake. Find the
center of the middle hole as before.
When these holes are brought oppo-
site each other, one end of the back
slab will lie sixteen inches nearer the
center of the roadway than the front
one, giving what is known as set
back. The holes should be two inches
in diameter Care must be taken to
hold the auger plumb in boring the
holes in order that the stakes shall
fit perfectly. The hole to receive the
forward end of the chain is to be
bored at the same time. The two
slabs should be held thirty inches
apart by the stakes. Straight grained
timber should be selected for the
stakes, so that each stake shall fit
snugly into the two-inch hole when
the two slabs are in proper position.
The stakes should taper gradually to-
ward the ends. There should be no
shoulder at the points where the
stakes enter the slabs. The stakes
should be fastened in place by wedges
only. When the stakes have been
placed in position and tightly wedged,
abrace two inches thick and four inch
es wide should be placed diagonally to
them at the ditch end. The brace
should be dropped on the front slab
so that its lower edge shall lie within
an inch of the ground, while the other
end should rest in the angle between
the slab and the end stake.
"A strip of iron about Az inches
long, three or four inches wide, and
a quarter of an inch thick, may be
used for the blade. This strip of iron
should be attached to the front slab
so that it will be one-half inch below
the lower edge of the slab at the ditch
end, while the end of the iron toward
the middle of the road should be flush
with the edge of the slab. The bolts
holding the blade in place should have
fiat heads and the holes to receive
them should be countersunk.
eff the face of the log stands plumb
it is we'll to wedge out the lower edge
of the blade with a three-cornered
strip of wood to give it set like the
bit of a plane. A platform of inch
boards held together by three cleats
should be placed on the stakes be-
tween the slabs. These boards should
be spaced at least an inch apart to al
low any earth that may heap up and
fall over the front slab to sift through
upon the road again. The end cleats
should be placed so that they will not
rest upon the cross-stakes, but drop
inside of them, while the middle cleat
can be shifted to either side of the
middle stake. These cleats should ex-
tend about an inch beyond the finished
width of the platform.
can ordinary trade chain is strong
enough to draw the implement, pro-
vided the clevis is not fastened
through a link. The chain should be
wrapped around the rear stake, and
then passed over the front slab. Rails