IB 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



The Manufacture of Toys. 



A very interesting feature of the hard- 

 wood industry is the manufacture of toys. 

 .Formerly the greater proportion of toys were 

 manufactured from soft wood. The light- 

 est and most pliable woods were selected as 

 the character of the tools used in the shap- 

 ing of the figures made it necessary that 



the w 1 1 asy to work. Much of the 



working of the stock was done by hand de- 

 vices. There were but very few mechanical 

 ■contrivances, such as are seen in the toy-mak- 

 ing establishment of today. 



There has- been a wonderful change in 

 toys in recent years. The jumping-jack has 

 given way to the automatic toy. There are 

 book-and-ladder trucks of large size and per- 

 fect construction designed for the chil- 

 dren 's use as toys. There are walking dolls 

 and animals ; there are improved descrip- 

 tions of tops and all manner of vehicles; 

 there are locomotives and houses and boxes 

 of all descriptions made of wood. Because 

 of the progress which has been made in the 

 designing of these devices, the soft woods no 

 longer answer the purpose. 



/ nJLn_rLJnD 



/[ 





my 



Woodworking machinery has been installed 

 in all the large toy manufacturing plants 

 and hardwood stock is carefully selected in 

 which the grain is even and the once small . 

 trade has grown to the proportions of a 

 great industry. 



For many years dolls of foreign manufac- 

 ture made of softwood carved out with a 

 jack-knife were shipped into America. Since 

 the introduction of improved woodworking 

 machinery, hardwood of even grain and 

 tough fiber is selected and a stronger and 

 more reliable doll results. The process of 

 manufacture is explained in the diagrams. 

 In Figure 1 is exhibited a cut of hardwood 

 prepared for the first turning. These cuts 

 are made in large numbers, by sawing them 

 direct from the straight stock. They are 

 next uniformity turned to a convenient size 

 for the preparation of the first form of the 

 body of the doll as represented in Figure 2. 

 The next operation involves the turning of 

 the piece to the shape of the head and body 

 as illustrated in Figure 3. This gives the 



base upon which to work. In some instances 

 a wax-faced head with hair is applied, the top 

 being prepared for this purpose. In other cases 

 the wooden head is utilized, sometimes carved 

 by hand to represent the features of a 

 face and again the face is manufactured sep- 

 arately and adjusted over this portion. The 

 arms and the legs are mortised into the sides 

 as shown and pinned. The mortises are 

 grooved out by machinery and the arms 

 and legs are likewise mechanically produced. 

 In this way a very good hardwood body is 

 made. Of course shapely arms and legs go 

 with the specially formed face, but the rude 

 structure is composed of the plain parts ex- 

 hibited in the illustrations. 



Top manufacturers have also revolution- 

 ized their business since the advent of ma- 

 chinery. In former years there were many 

 softwood tops on the market. There are 

 some on sale now, but the demand for them 



is very meager. The full-sized, hardw 1 



top of perfect design finds greatest favor. 

 The tops are shaped from first cuts, us Fig- 

 ure 5, in a serial line, so that it is possible 

 to turn down a number on the same series 

 at one time. Often four to six are turned 

 simultaneously. Next comes the plugging or 

 inserting the steel point and head stock. 

 Sometimes the head stock is turned as :i part 

 of the top . and again it is fitted in later. 

 Hardwood humming tops as shown in Fig- 

 ure S are turned out in large numbers. The 

 humming sound is obtained by wings around 

 the edges of the top as shown. This is done 

 by slotting the sides and inserting the thin 

 pieces with glue. The blades strike the air 

 as the top turns, and a humming, musical 

 sound is produced. 



Everyone is aware of the wide demand 

 existing for hardwood boxes for cuffs, col- 

 lars, ties, etc. Boxes are sometimes made 

 of one piece, by hollowing out a block with 

 tools, but the common style of box, as il- 

 lustrated in Figure 9. is the most used for 

 this purpose. Hardwood boxes are shaped in 

 the usual manner, and finished neatly. The 

 soft wood box receives little or no call. 



There is a wide variety of boxes manu- 

 factured at the present time. Boxes for 

 use in tli. pantry, for tools, for shoe pol- 

 ishing outfits, for sewing cases, stationery 



supplies, toilet articles, etc. Manufacturers 

 produce many descriptions of small boxes, 

 some liberally ornamented with metal cor- 

 ners and devices and handsomely finished. 



A large number of hardwood wheels for 

 toy wagons are manufactured. The hub is 

 turned as in Figure 10 and is slotted for the 

 spoKes. and tic wheel set up as in Figure 11. 

 Boys buy these wheels and make wagons. 

 They are not satisfied with the light toy 

 wagon once made, but want a substantial 

 ma in which they can ride and carry articles 

 of weight. 



There is a considerable demand for hard- 

 wood novelties in the way of cats and other 

 animals of comic design as shown in Figure 

 12. Manufacturers at first considered these 

 figures an annoyance, but as the trade in- 

 creased rapidly, workmen were hired and 

 machinery put in for this special purpose and 

 they catered to it because it brings profit- 

 able returns. 



Figure 13 is a locomotive made of hard- 

 wood. The wheels are cut separately and 

 are fitted to the body on pins. Often these 

 locomotives are sold for children to finish 

 off the parts. When the toymaker does the 

 finishing, metal trimmings are put on and, 

 after painting and staining, the toy is a very 

 clever representation of a locomotive. 



Trays made of the best hardwood are 

 called for and bring good prices. Figure 14 

 shows one of the popular forms, although 

 trays of hardwood made very much like the 

 sheet metal trays of the dining room are 

 also in use. 



Small hardwood houses, like that in Fig- 

 ure 16. are manufactured in considerable 

 number. For this reason it is possible to 

 turn them out quite cheaply. There are parts 

 of the toy which may well be made of soft 

 wood, but hardwood enters into the principal 

 portion of the little house. 



There are imitations of forms of pipes 

 made of hardwood, as in Figure 15, and, in 

 fact, all kinds of articles. A visit to a toy 

 manufacturing plant or a stroll through a 

 modern toy store will quickly show the won- 

 derful progress which has been made in this 

 line during the past few years. And this 

 advancement does not materially increase the 

 cost- of toys, for the reason that most of the 

 work is done by machinery, which not only 

 keeps the expense down, but makes the 

 articles mure accurate. 



Advances in &ank and Vat Building. 



The tank and vat manufacturing business 

 is today experiencing a period of decided 

 prosperity. The uses to which such work can 

 be applied are constantly broadening. Not 

 only in breweries, tanneries, vinegar-making 

 houses and similar lines are they used, but 

 an extensive market is being made for them, 

 especially for tanks, in all establishments 

 where a water supply is necessary for engi- 

 neering purposes. In these cases, the tanks 

 are placed on the tops of buildings and water 

 conducted from them to the boiler room or 



other sections of the plant where it is needed. 

 In many cases, they are also used for fire pro- 

 tection, their elevation giving the pressure 

 needed for a hose. 



In making the larger work, heavy stock is 

 employed, the staves being two, two and a 

 half and three inches in thickness and of the 

 best possible material. This is necessary, for 

 the tanks are subject to the hardest use, 

 continued and violent atmospheric changes, 

 and the deteriorating influences of water and 

 other liquid agents. 



