20 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



balls are to be turned, much small stuff can 

 be worked off. Refuse hardwood pieces from 

 the mills are often used. If, however, the 

 balls are turned in series on a shaft, it be- 

 comes necessary to have pieces of stock of 

 ample length for the purpose. The introduc- 

 tion of the modern ball-turning machinery 

 has done much towards improving the style 



of work and increasing the output of shops. 

 Nevertheless, there are many of the old-time 

 methods of hardwood ball turning used to- 

 day. 



Usually the block is marked off as in Fig- 

 ure 1 and placed in the lathe for turning. 

 The two points a, a, sustain the block and 

 eventually the ball, while the chuck of the 

 lathe holds it from turning, as explained in 

 Figure 2. Of course, the artisan uses the 

 best of cutting tools, perfectly ground and 

 prepared for the purpose. If the hardwood 

 ball is small, he experiences difficulty in get- 

 ting a good grip on it and much time is con- 

 sumed in working the circumference down to 

 the regulation dimensions. Moderate-sized 

 balls are quite readily managed. The sur- 

 face is cut down to the uniform proportions 

 prescribed in the pattern and then comes 

 the operation of smoothing. 



Much time is given to turning and finish- 

 ing billiard and bowling balls and the like. 

 Many billiard balls are of ivory, in which 

 case the work is done with special grinding 

 devices', but the cheaper classes of balls, 

 manufactured from ebony, box-wood, etc., 

 are handled by the woodworker. Sometimes 

 he turns out tnese balls in series, as illus- 

 trated in Figure 3. The block is supported 

 at the ends as at b, b and the cuts are made 

 in rotation, after which the balls are sep- 

 arated and treated singly. 



Some are not turned as a whole but are 

 composed of sections or disks, one of which 

 is shown in Figure 4. The disks may be di- 

 vided into portions and these are secured by 

 a process of cementing and dovetailing. 

 Some of the balls which are made up on this 

 plan are constructed of white and dark 

 woods, st) that the intersections show, and a 

 checkered effect results. There are inlaid 

 balls, and some in which metal and stone are 

 mortised, also with gems' set in them. The 

 variety of hardwood balls in the market is 

 large and interesting. Some of them are 



faced on ouo side, with corrugated effect, as 

 explained in Figure 5. Some are rough-fin- 

 ished and some smooth as glass, depending 

 upon the use to which they are to be put. 



There are balls in which the interior is to 

 be utilized for some purpose, and these are 

 turned on a mandrel as shown in Figure 6. 

 Ine supporting point is c. Figure 7 illus- 

 trates a mode of getting the radial of a ball. 

 Jb'irst get the dimension from the center line 

 from top to bottom and then divide the axis 

 into a convenient number of spaces, as shown 

 by the Figures 1 to 6. The tangential lines 

 from the center to the curve give the defin- 

 ing lines for the setting of the pattern of 

 the ball. Thus striking in at any juncture 

 on the model will give the defining line for 

 the ball. 



Perhaps a ball is required for use in hall 

 furniture structures, in which there is me- 

 chanical motion. In Figure 8 is shown a 

 drawing of the form of the race-way or cup 

 in which the ball would move. There are de- 

 vices for libraries, desk fixtures, etc., in 

 which mechanical movements are employed 

 for the convenience of the user, and the sin- 

 gle-point of contact of ball and cup, as in 

 this cut, may be used. 



In Figure 9 are shown the two points of 



contact of ball and bearing designated by e 

 and f. Figure 10 is another form showing 

 two points of contact with the points assigned 

 at g, g; as is also Figure 12, used in making 

 bearings for sliding doors. There are balls 

 of hardwood used in modern mechanical fur- 

 niture construction in which a stem is em- 

 ployed as in Figure 11. The stem consists 

 of a shaft turned from wood of the same 

 kind as the ball. One end is threaded and 

 screwed into the ball. 



Some of the cutting tools utilized in turn- 

 ing down the round surfaces are shown in 

 the other diagrams. Figure 13 shows one of 

 the turned points of cutting tools, designed 

 for cutting direct into the work. 



This design of tool is preferred by some 

 ball turners to that shown in Figure 14, al- 

 though the latter is often used. Figure 15 

 is another kind of point used for ball turn- 

 ing. The same principle of setting the cut- 

 ting point of the tool a little below the cen- 

 ter line of the work, as in Figure 16, is rec- 

 ommended. Here the cross line j defines 

 the center, and the point of the tool is a lit- 

 tle below, with the clearance k about right to 

 make a free space for the front of the tool 

 and the work. Figure 17 is another form of 

 cutting tool. 



'Butchers' Blocks and Ice Chests. 



Built-up maple blocks for the use of 

 butchers have superseded the round ones 

 formerly seen in the shops. The old syca- 

 more blocks were so large and unwieldy 

 that it was practically impossible to dry 

 them to a condition that would withstand 

 long exposure to varying atmospheric condi- 

 tions. As a consequence it was no uncom- 

 mon thing to have them split, and when 

 they did crack their usefulness was gener- 

 ally at an end. Modern manufacturers have 

 overcome the difficulty by cutting maple 

 planks into rectangular pieces and building 

 up a butchers' block that lasts until it has 

 been worn down so low that it is no longer 

 serviceable. 



These maple pieces of which the block is 

 composed are usually sixteen inches long, 

 • three inches thick, four inches wide, and are 

 glued together. Blocks built in this way 

 last longer, never crack or split, and offer 

 a uniformly hard surface of wood. Under 

 the old method of building this work, the 

 block naturally showed the heartwood in 

 the center and the sapwood toward the 

 outer edge of the circumference because it 

 was practically a section of the tree, but 

 when constructed of many pieces as now a 

 choice of the best material for all parts is 

 possible. 



The best material only is employed. The 

 stock must also be thoroughly dry. Both 

 air drying and kiln methods are used to 

 bring it to the desired condition, the arti- 

 ficial process usually taking from six to 

 eight weeks. 



In gluing the pieces together great care 

 must be exercised, for it is important that 



the joints should fit perfectly and leave no* 

 glue along the edges to affect in any way 

 the meats that are cut up on the block. 

 A flat glued joint is used and after the 

 blocks are cut to size and planed the sur- 

 faces are roughed in order to make the glue 

 stick better. When about to he glued to- 

 gether, the pieces are warmed in order to 

 help the action of the glue. In making this 

 plain glue joint great care is taken because 

 the finished block is subjected to extremely 

 rough usage, and as the block holds together 

 solely by the glue with the ends reinforced 

 with iron rods, more strain is put on the 

 joints than in most other work where the 

 same method of sticking is used. 



A hydraulic machine gives the desired 

 force to weld the pieces together and they 

 are kept under pressure for about twelve 

 hours. The holes for the iron rods are then 

 punched through the blocks, screw heads 

 placed over them, and a wooden rosette 

 fastened over the iron to make a uniform 

 and attractive appearance. 



In building up a block and especially in 

 the sticking process the finest glue must 

 be employed. The use of glu<' in this in- 

 stance is so important that any fault in its 

 quality, melting or application will have 

 a disastrous effect on the durability of the 

 finished block. The heavy legs to support 

 the blocks are turned on the machines and 

 dowels, generally about two inches in 

 length, are put on. When these are fitted 

 into the corresponding holes the block sets 

 perfectly in the supports. It is not necessary 

 that the completed block should stand for 

 any length of time before it is used, for the 



