14 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



The E V otuti 



o n 



of an Idea 



Twenty years ago. Big Eapitls. .Mich., was 

 the seat of large white pine sawmilling opera- 

 lions. Ahjug the entire length of the Mus- 

 kegon river grew vast tracts of white pine 

 timber, and this town was the principal lum- 

 ber producer. Among the many workers in 

 the great sawmills of that section was one 



V. H. HANCHETT. 



John Hanchett, who has come up from the 

 ranks and was known far and wide as one 

 of the best and most efficient saw filers of 

 the district. This was the day of the great 

 circulars, and the man who could accurately 

 file and shape the teeth of saws was held in 

 high esteem. He was the power behind the 

 throne that enabled manufacturers to make 

 fast and good sawing records. At that time 

 the work of saw fitting was a slow and labor- 

 ious process. It was all hand work, and the 

 filing and swaging of saws meant long hours 

 of tedious work. 



At the bench with John Han- 

 chett was an assistant, who one 

 day, straightening up from his 

 task, observed to his companion, 

 "John, it seems as though some- 

 one ought to invent a way to do 

 this work with a machine and save 

 all this hard labor." Thus it was 

 that an idea came to John Han- 

 chett — the inspiration that a ma- 

 chine should and could be made to 

 fit saw teeth quickly and accurate- 

 ly. This idea became his prevail- 

 ing thought and he set about to 

 construct a mechanical appliance 

 which would accomplish this result. 

 up a small shop back of his dwelling, in 

 which he installed a few machine tools, 

 actuated by a three horse-power engine, and 

 bnilt the first crude Hanchett saw swage. 

 From the very first the tool was popular 

 with saw filers, and quite a number were 

 sold locally. 



In 1S92 V. H. Hanchett, Mr. Hanchett 's 

 brother, the present head of the swage works, 

 joined him in the enterprise. In 1895 a 

 larger shop was built, which year after year 

 was enlarged to increase the capacity to meet 

 the requirements of the trade, until last year 

 the business of the concern completely out- 

 grew the possibilities of the old shop, and a 

 large and complete new factory was erected 

 at Big Rapids. Some views of this model 

 manufacturing plant are herewith presented. 



The little swage shop has grown into a 

 great factory for the production of filing 

 room machinery, where every variety of tool 

 for the care of saws is produced. Here are 

 made automatic sharpeners for band, gang 

 and circular saws; stretchers, re-toothers, lap 

 grinders, saw patching machines, brazing 

 tables, punches and shears; saw swages, 

 swage shapers, etc. 



Of the original Hanchett swage, contin- 

 ually improved and perfected during the 

 period of its production, more than 10,000 

 have been sold during the past twenty years, 

 and today it is estimated that some of the 

 Hanchett saw fitting tools are used in more 

 than seventy-five percent of the sawmills of 

 the United States and Canada. 



A few months ago, in order to complete 

 tlie company's line of filing room machinery, 

 the Hanchett- Swage Works bought outright 

 the patterns, patents, good will and entire 

 business of the filing room machinery house 

 of E. B. Rich & Sons of Chicago. This house 

 has been in existence for more than forty 

 years, and was one of the chief competitors 

 of the Hanchett concern, and with it had 

 enjoyed a splendid reputation for the pro- 

 duetiou of tools that combine accuracy and 

 efficiency of work with economy of main- 

 tenance. The equipment of the Rich plant 

 has been moved to Big Rapids and consoli- 

 dated with the Hanchett enterprise. 



receives its water power. The second floor 

 is on the street level, giving convenient ac- 

 cess to the offices. Adjoining the main build- 

 ing is a foundry 105x170 feet in size, sky- 

 lighted as well as having more than fifty 

 large windows on its three sides. Within 

 this great room is the cupola of large ca- 



COKXEK 01'' MAIN lUJir.DlNf! NEW I'l.ANT HANCHETT 

 WOKKS, IMG RAPIDS. MICH. 



He put 



The illustration on this page shows a 

 corner of the main building of the new plant, 

 which is a two-story brick structure, 70x105 

 feet in size. The first floor is utilized as a 

 machine shop, and the second floor as an 

 erecting room and for office purposes. The 

 plant is located on the bank of the Muskegon 

 river, and from the great dnm nearby it 



AKTHLR K. HANCUETT. 



pacity, by means of which the Lake Superior 

 charcoal iron exclusively used is transformed 

 into the various castings employed in the 

 construction of the Hanchett line of saw-flt- 

 ting appliances. The Hanchett Swage Works 

 takes pride in the quality of its iron. It 

 is geographically located within a short dis- 

 tance of the Michigan charcoal blast fur- 

 naces, thus enabling it to utilize this highest 

 class metal without e-xtravagant cost. In 

 addition to the buildings enumerated the com- 

 pany has built near its plant a fire-proof 

 pattern vault of ample propor- 

 tions, in which are stored the 

 many valuable patterns employed 

 in the construction of its machin- 

 ery. Adjoining is a large storage 

 warehouse, and running between 

 the main buildings and the minor 

 ones is a railroad siding. This is 

 a convenience that enables the 

 company to ecouomically handle 

 both its unmanufactured materials 

 and its machinery product direct 

 from the factory and warehouse 

 doors to and, from the cars. 



The plant of the Hanchett 

 Swage Works was built after very 

 careful planning, to enable the company to 

 jiroduce at a minimum cost its large lino of 

 filing room machinery. Every detail was 

 carefully looked after. The brass foundry 

 in connection is complete in itself; the nickel 

 plating is done by the company on its prem- 

 ises; an electric light plant has been installed, 

 as well as a system of steam heating, by 



SWAG I' 



