HARDWOOD RECORD 



33 



is that a great length of belt is not needed to get an elastic element 

 and keep motion steady. Machinists used to argue that a certain 

 length of belt was necessary, and figured out elaborate schemes of dis- 

 tance spacing for shafting on belt drives of different kinds. About 

 the time all this seemed perfected along came the electric motor and 

 proved that short belts would do just as good service as long ones and 

 that the motor could even be hitched direct to the planer si^indle ■nith- 

 out any intervening belt and do good work. This has destroyed faith 

 in the old idea of wide spacing for belt drives. 



There is, however, one order of belting that still requires some 

 spacing and that is the quarter twist belt. It is about the meanest 

 order of belting that was ever designed and every mechanic and 

 millman hates it. Still there are times when it must be used to get 

 a right angle drive. For such a belt one should have some distance 

 between the drives, for if they are placed closely together the belt must 

 slip in coming from one and making its twist to go on the other pulley, 

 and the result is a disposition to squeal, especially if one has been 

 using a dressing on the belt to keep it from slipping. To reduce the 

 amount of slip and keep the wear down to a minimum one should 

 space the pulleys of a quarter twist drive as far apart as practicable. 

 The Slack Belt Drive 



The original arrangement for slack belt drives for intermittent 

 service consisted in mounting the belt on the overhead pulley, which 

 was in operation intermittently. In other words, the drive was below, 

 and when not in use the belt simply hung down loosely around the 

 driving pulley and remained idle. When service was desired of the 

 belt it was tiglitened up with a swinging tightener, and to stop opera- 

 tion the tightener was simply released. There are, however, instances 

 wliere the tirive is overhead, especially in mill planers. In these cases 

 when the tightener is slacked off and the machine stopped, the belt 

 keeps running and simply playing loosely around the lower pulley. 

 Some of these planer belts operate at pretty high speed, too, and while 

 mechanics have gotten away with this proposition, it is really a 

 dangerous looking thing and a thing to be avoided in slack belt drives. 

 It were better to use a loose pulley and a friction clutch than a slack 

 belt running while the machine is idle, or better yet to use an electric 



motor where practicable. The only ideal combination in a slack belt 

 for intermittent driving is the original arrangement with the drive 

 below and the drive pulley smaller than the other. Then when the 

 belt is slack it will hang idle and drop away from the driving pulley. 

 Wherever a departure from this arrangement is required it is generally 

 better to use loose pulleys and friction clutches and dispense with 

 the slack belt. 



Paper Friction 



Nothing has been found to serve the general puipose of friction 

 drives better than the combination of paper and iron. Before the days 

 of steam feeds, paper friction was the center point of mill feed works, 

 and it is there today in the smaller mills and practically all of those 

 not using steam feeds. It also enters in the mill for various inter- 

 mittent drives and for variable speed drives, and sometimes for right 

 angle drives to eliminate the quarter twist belt and the noisy gear 

 wheels. The paper friction is almost an ideal drive, too, when kept 

 in proper condition and well faced against the metal. 



There are only two general sources of trouble with paper friction; 

 one is moisture on the face that keeps it from taking hold, and the 

 other is lack of alignment, preventing it from facing closely across 

 the full width of the drive. The intermittent friction drive has a shift- 

 ipg gear either for the paper wheel or the metal one, and sometimes 

 as the face wears down a little this shift is not carefully adjusted. 

 This brings the faces out of alignment and reduces efficiency. The 

 other trouble, that of moisture, has many remedies, about the best of 

 which is to cover the drive over and safeguard against moisture. Dry 

 ashes are dusted on the moist wheel and make it take hold, or 

 dry sand will answer. Some seem to think that by getting oil on the 

 paper it may eventually become moisture proof. The trouble is 

 that oil is practically in the same category as moisture and keeps the 

 paper from taking hold until it is dusted with ashes or something else. 

 Perhaps a better preparation for dusting the paper friction is a pow- 

 dered resin. Even this should be used sparingly, however, and the 

 paper kept protected from moisture and oil and the two wheels of 

 the drive so aligned that they will face up all the time. Then one 

 should get satisfaction right along out of a paper friction. T. C. J. 



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Tales of the Trade 



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ONE CASE WHERE WOOD SUBSTITUTES HAVE FAILED 



They are telling quite a story on Hugh W. Bates, representative 

 of the Stearns Lumber Company, with Toledo as one of the big stops 

 on his map. Mr. Bates was in Toledo recently and one morning 

 bright and early sent in his card to the buyer for the Toledo Bail- 

 ways and Light Company. As Hugh always carries a bright smile 

 as part of his stock in trade he had no difSculty in making his way 

 into the august presence of the big man. ' ' Stearns Lumber Company. 

 H-m-m ! ' ' said the big man drumming with his fingers on the edge 

 of his desk. ' ' Now pray what do you think I want to buy lumber 

 for. ' ' Well, ' ' said Bates, with one of his simniest smiles, ' ' I want 

 to secure the lumber contract f-or your conductors. ' ' The buyer 

 rubbed his eyes for a moment, took another look at the genial face 

 of the lumber salesman and blurted : ' ' Liunber for our conductors ! 

 What in the name of the purple dog do you mean ? Just what do you 

 think our conductors need lumber for?" "Oh," said Bates, suavely, 

 ' ' I don 't want to sell you lumber for conductors to use. I want to 

 sell you some lumber to make a new supply of conductors. I see you 

 need some on your line." Bates had edged toward the door while 

 making this explanation and he just had time to dodge through as 

 a cut glass inkwell made a bee-line for his head. "And at that," 

 said Bates, ' ' I can make them any number of wooden men better 

 than the conductors in charge of the Toledo street cars." 



All of this grew out of a trying experience which Mr. Bates had in 

 making a visit to the West Side Lumber Company's plant. The 

 street cars stop in front of the door and the conductor is supposed 

 to leave his car and inspect the tracks before crossing with his car. 

 One of the new pay-as-you-enter cars had been put on the line but 



Mr. Bates had not noticed this so he tried to get in at the front end 

 of the car as he had often done before. The motorman, however 

 slammed the door in his face. This jarred somewhat on Mr. Bates' 

 nerves but he went to the rear of the ear and attempted to board iit 

 the regulation manner, when the conductor, who had just arrived, 

 also slammed the door in his face and started up the ear. Bates had 

 had a similar experience in another part of the city on a previous 

 visit to Toledo, hence his poor opinion of Toledo conductors. 

 IT CAME, HE SAW, THEY CONQUERED 



Many Boston lumbermen have a warm spot in their hearts for the 

 breezy, western-styled lumberman, who, for a number of years was 

 connected with a prominent Albany street yard. William F. Mooers, 

 when he was promoted from lumber to law, carried with him effective- 

 ness as one of his many good points. Mr. Mooers has a nice home 

 in Milton, which is fitted up with modern conveniences, one of thero 

 being a water meter, with the commonplace result that sooner or 

 later there was a complaint on the size of the water bill. Here is 

 where we get the "dimensions" of Mr. Mooers. After the usual 

 testing, investigating, etc., the water commissioner announced that 

 the bill "stood." Immediately there appeared in the local paper 

 the advertisement for sale of the property, stating therein: "Only 

 reason for selling, dissatisfaction with the water department; a new 

 on-ner would be treated with more consideration." 



Mr. Mooers has suddenly acquired fame, and has consented to be 

 interviewed on the matter by the press, and there are those who 

 predict that this original course will become a ' ' common law ' ' 

 remedy for a very common "cause." 



