The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1916-12-28

| (C0ntlnueQ from page ~
each wifi be in right relation to the
other.
1t was hard to drag us away from
the automatic turret lathe that sur
faces and finishes fly wheels. II
works as though somewhere within
its metal vitals brain was con-
cealed. The workman has only to
put on the rough fly wheel, adjust the
first set of tools, push the lever, and
let the machine do the rest.
The cast iron is peeled off as red
lily as wax. Sometimes four or five
operations are performed at once.
When one set of cuttings is done, the
machine stops automatically, and the
next set of tools comes automatically
into place. Twenty operations are
performed in fourteen minutes. 26
pounds of metal are removed from
the wheel. One man watchs three of
these machines.
The vertical cutter of gears on fly
wheels almost matches the turret
lathe in interest.
Moving up and down, the cutter
at the same time slowly revolves,
the fly wheel turning in the opposite
direction. By the time a complete
revolution of the fly wheel has been
accomplished, all the gears are cut.
We all fell for the aluminium foun-
dry and for the machines that finish
the aluminium parts.
The multiple spindle drill bores 81
holes in the crank case in one opera
tion. This is proof of the superior
ity of machine process, for the holes
must be in the right relation to
each other.
Another machine cmooths the sur.
face of the crank cases, finishing sew.
en- in nine minutes.
Diamonds, real diamonds, are con.
lsumed with apparently reckless In.
difference in the wet grind room
Placed in small tools they are used
to true the emery wheels ON which
are ground the bearing surfaces Of
the crank shafts.
They are bought in $4,000 lots.
We looked on while forests of lum.
Der were being turned into bodies in
the wood work department. This
lumber comes in by carloads. A
PA feet of wood is required on q
small touring car, We could readily
see why so much was required.
You make this round and you can
understand this company's immense
consumption of material-1S,000-
900 pounds Of solder annually, g..
100000 pounds of tin and lead foE
smouldering, 100000 pounds Of
brass and copper, 100000 feet Of
steel tubing and 125,000 tons Of steel
But what impressed me more
than all was the department in which
materials are tested. They have tC
know thing is right before 1t goes
into a Willy-Overland car. That's
how they safeguard the public.
Tests in the physical and chemica'
laboratories are made In two ways
Completed steel parts are subjected
to terrific tests. Axles are twistet
like roofs of taffy candy. Small Bit
of steel, six inches long, cut from
completed axles, are attached At botl
ends, and literally pulled apart. Tht
registering machine shows 100000
pounds to the square inch necessar,
to accomplish this, whereas . rests
tance up to 125,O00 pounds would b,
proof of ample tensible strength
Springs are tried for their resis
tance.
| Steel articles are also put through
both heat and chemical tests. III,
former determines the amount o
carbon, an important factor; the 9th
er determines the chemical compo
sition Of the steel.
| Naturally every operation in sl
the plant tends finally toward the as
sembly conveyor tracks. There ar,
four of them, each 645 feet long.
| We followed the whole operation
We began at one end where the tram
es and gear systems are put In place
BY the time the other end Of the con
veyor is reached the frame has growr
into the finished car.
From overhead parts are lowered
by chains. Along the way men art