HARDWOOD RECORD 



■43 



quarters into tliti-lics, as illustrated in the 

 aocompariyiiig eiit, tlic block boiug reversed 

 for every fliteli, and then the stock taken 

 to the table to ri-dnce it to the proper 

 width. 



While these instruetions are all riffht, it is 

 iMit necessary to do the tlitehing on the big 

 -ivv if the man at the bolter saw knows his 

 liusiness, and it will generally be found 

 more profitalde and will facilitate matters 

 in every way to simply halve or quarter 

 tlie blocks on the mill and let the man at 

 the bolter saw do the rest. 



Where there appears to ln' inough spoke 

 timber .availalile in a community where a 

 man may g.atlier Initt cuts from his own 



volves considerable expensive machinery 

 and a crew of skilled help. It Tequires so 

 much, in fact, that it i's seldom advisabk' for 

 a mill man to tackle a job of this kind un- 

 less lie is permanently located at a good 

 concentrating point for hardwood, wliicli 

 li.-is also facilities for shipping out the finished 

 product. 



The club turned spolce, while, of course, 

 it does not liriug as mucli money as the 

 finished product, is greatly in demand l>y 

 t lie liig wagon factories, which prefer to buy 

 them this way so that when they are thor- 

 oughly dry they can be finished as may be 

 desired ami the tenons cut so they will fit 

 the hull mortise without auv reworking. 



Sl'OKe SPBCinCATIONS OF TUK KK.NTIUKV WAI.O.^ M A Nt'F.A ITfHl Nt; COMHANV. 



timber ami from a nuinlier of neighboring 

 mills to make it worth while, there is a 

 chance to carry spoke making a little nearer 

 the finished product, and make club turneil 

 spokes, which are extensively nseil by the 

 larger wagon mannfacturers. In the spoke 

 business there are three branches of the 

 irade: the spoke blanks and billets, club 

 turned spoke.s — roughly cut and without 

 tenon or finish — and the finislied spoke. 

 The finished sjiokes go largely into blaek- 

 -iiiths' shops and the smaller wagon man- 

 ufacturers, and are handled extensively 

 througli the iron stores that carry black- 

 smiths' and wagon makers' supplies. To 

 properly manufacture finished spokes in- 



wliereas if they iisei.1 so-called finished 

 spolves they would have to rework them 

 anyway. In fact, some big wagon factories 

 will not buy anything but club turned 

 spokes, or spolie billets, which they turn 

 themselves. A club turned spoke is simply 

 a spoke bolt put into a lathe and roughly 

 turned to form; in other words, it is a 

 spoke billet handled through one machine. 

 The size and specifications differ somewhat 

 with different concerns, but a very good 

 idea of how specifications run may be had 

 from the list of sizes and specifications 

 iiseil liy a wagon manufacturing concern, 

 which operates one of the largest wagon 

 factories in the world, reproduced in connec- 

 tion with this article. 



Hardwood VuUey Woclcs. 



The hardwood pulley-block, from the great 

 viiriety and large number used, should be 

 of interest to manufacturers of hardwood 

 articles. The very hardest of wood is se- 

 lected for this purpose. Lignura-vita' is a 

 very satisfactory material for this purpose, 

 and is commonly used. The sheave is often 

 made of metal, and some block makers have 

 the necessary machinery for making brass, 

 iron, steel, and other cast metal wheels 

 for the block. The body of the block is 

 ■constructed of elm, ash, or woods of similar 



character. The jiin on which the sheave 

 turns is tnade of either metal or wood, ac- 

 i ording to the design of the block. 



Various types of blocks are required on 

 vessels, in mines, in building, by sign paint- 

 ers, masons, carpenters, etc., and for an 

 infinity of other purposes. The snatch-block 

 shown in I<'ig. 1 is a common and con- 

 venient pattern. The object of this form 

 is to permit of adjusting the rope without 

 drawing it through the block. A section is 

 cut out as at B, and the rope may be lifted 



ill ami oiil thioiigli this opeiiiug. The metal 

 clamp A is secureil over the opening. 



The common, clew-garnet block is exhib- 

 ited in Fig. 2. A rope passes completely 

 arounil the block as shown, supporting the 

 eye above. 



The body of the loug-tacklc style of block 

 in Fig. ;! is composed of two sheaves carry- 

 ing two ropes. Following the successful 

 use of this di'sigu, multiple [lulley-bloeks 

 were introdueeil. madt> on the shouliler- 

 block fashion, ami arranged to carry two or 

 more wheels in each block, siile by side. 

 The style of shetive employetl in these blocks 

 is illustrateil by F'ig. 4. whicli is liorcd so 

 as to revolve the wheel on a ]iiu. The wheel 

 may also be constructed as shown in Fig. 5, 

 ill which case the shaft and the wheel are 

 ill one piece. Sometimes the pin is made 

 separately, driven into the bore of the wheel 

 and secured. In this case the axle carrying 

 till wheel has to revolve in the bearings of 

 tile block. More often the reverse method 

 is used and the wheels are free on the pins 

 and revolve without turning them. 



Tlie common type of shoulder lilock, which 

 can be designed for one or more sheaves, is 

 shown in Fig. 6. Sometimes the blocks are 

 chambered out to receive a wheel for each 

 of its separate compartments. In other 

 designs, two or more wheels are placed side 

 by side in the one section. 



Fig. 7 is the form of hardwood pin usu- 

 ally employed in the single block for carry- 

 ing one wheel. In the event that metal 

 wlirels are used, metal pins are required. 

 i ig. s is the most common pattern. The 

 jiin is placed in position and either headed 

 at both ends to hold it securely, or provided 

 at each end with washers fastened mi by 

 means of set-screws fitted and turnetl into 

 threads tapped into each end of the jiin. 



The machinery used in making blocks has 

 lieeii greatly improveil in recent years, and 

 in efficiency and capacity is now very satis- 

 factory. The old-time block maker, who did 

 much of the work by hand has been sup- 

 pl;inted by machines which handle the work 

 ill much less time and with greater accu- 

 lacy. The straight cutting saw cuts the 

 slock into strips the width of the blocks. 

 The circular cutting saw next conies into 

 jihty and the lengths are cut off, bringing 

 the blocks a little further along in the 

 process. The reciprocating rip-saw cuts the 

 blocks in Ihe direction of the grain, roughly 

 outlining the shape of the blocks. Holes are 

 then bored as a guide for mortising the 

 slots. The blocks are drilled and then 

 pa.ssed on to be mortised. The slots for the 

 wheels are neatly and quickly cut out and 

 fhc blocks are ready for the sheaves. 



Whether the wheels are turned from metal 

 or hardwood, the cutting tool adjustment is 

 an essential factor and therefore worthy 

 of considerable attention. Suppose the 

 wheel is to be turned from lignum-vita;. 

 After the blocks are cut to convenient form 

 for turning, the turning lathe and the cut- 

 ting tool are made ready. Fig. 9 illustrates 

 the proper conditions under which turning 



