52 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Some Phases of Handle Production 



SELECTING A l^ATHE 

 By H. B. ALEXANDER 



The selection of a suitable lathe for the 

 handle plant is rather a difficult proposi- 

 tion, as there are a large number of makes 

 on the market at the present time. Eather 

 than buy merely on the recommendation of 

 the manufacturer, it is wise to go slowly 

 and by means of communications addressed 

 to users of the different types of machines, 

 to ascertain the good points of each rela- 

 tive to capacity, accuracy and stability. 



There are lathes on the market that are 

 cheap in price, and for the first few months 

 will turn out fair work, but as a rule they 

 will not keep it up, being too light in the 

 working parts. They soon wear so that it is 

 impossible to keep them in shape and man- 

 ufacture uniform handles. There are others 

 extremely high in price, and while there is 

 no doubt but that they are good machines, 

 yet owing to their complex construction the 

 output is no greater than that of some of 

 the more reasonably priced makes and re- 

 pairs are more numerous and more expen- 

 sive. 



A good lathe should be as simple in de- 

 sign as possible and should have a mini- 

 mum number of working parts. It should 

 be so constructed that in the event of a 

 handle being stuck, owing to poor stock, 

 there would be no difficulty in getting to 

 the source of trouble. There should be an 

 adjustment whereby the finishing would 

 move out of the way in case of an accident 

 of this kind, enabling the handles to be 

 driven out without nicking the knife. 



The sliding, or expansion heads, without 

 which there would be no throat in the 

 handles, are the weak point in nearly every 

 make of machine. These parts are made of 

 various materials, some being of cast iron, 

 some of Babbit and some of brass. All 

 are subject to more or less wear. Wear in 

 this part is very liable to cause variation 

 in the shape of the handle and to make 

 what is called "checker board", filling the 

 throat with a multitude of fine holes which 

 no amount of sanding will eradicate. Again 

 it may cause a series of steps, which are 

 equally objectionable. Nearly all difficulty 

 of this character can be traced directly to 

 trouble in the expansion head; either it is 

 worn so as to allow play, or some of the 

 screws or other parts are loose. The one 

 exception is caused by making the handles 

 too loose in the bushing before they come 

 to the finishing knives. This is a point 

 that has caused more trouble than any 

 other, as so many turners show a desire to 

 run their handles as loosely as possible, 

 thus avoiding the time and trouble neces- 

 sary to keep their front knives properly 

 set. The handles should fit the barrel 

 snugly enough to prevent jumping and shat- 

 tering, and yet should not be tight enough 

 to burn. 



In connection with this branch of the 

 industry, why wouldn't wood-fiber be a fea- 

 sible substitute for the metal commonly 

 used in expansion heads? It seems reason- 

 able to suppose that this would do away 

 with a large percentage of the trouble 

 caused by wearing in these parts. It would 

 have been tried before this, in many cases, 

 were it not for the fact that stock thick 

 enough is very difficult to obtain. For the 

 present Babbit seems to have the prefer- 

 ence over brass, as it is found to wear 

 longer. 



Some lathe manufacturers have been ac- 

 customed to reduce the distance between 

 the roughing and finishing knives, an idea 

 which has probably been carried too far, 

 as in order to make neat, smooth, uniform 

 handles, the long barrel is necessary. If 

 there is only an inch or less between knives, 

 then it will be necessary to run the handles 

 so tight in the front head as to bring them 

 almost to the burning point. Under such 

 treatment the knife heads will not last for 

 any length of time. 



Knives on handle lathes should have just 

 as careful treatment as on all other wood- 

 working machinery, and care should be 

 taken to give them a shearing cut, thus pro- 

 longing the efficiency of the knife and as- 

 suring cleaner and more satisfactory work. 

 It is folly to attempt to run a knife after 

 it has once become dull, as the work turned 

 out is not only of inferior quality, but is 

 also expensive to produce. By this means 

 the grades of stock are much run down, 

 as many handles are poorly manufactured 

 or burned. Because of the large number 

 of handle manufacturers doing a small busi- 

 ness with inadequate machinery, the mar- 

 ket is already flooded with low-grade han- 

 dles, and it is not advisable to turn out any 

 more of this kind of stock than is absolute- 

 ly necessary. 



Another point which is open to consid- 

 erable improvement in handle lathes is the 

 method of feeding in the blanks. There is 

 probably only one proper way, namely, to 

 provide a rack on the front end of the 

 lathe sufficient to hold a dozen or more 

 blanks and let the bottom blank rest on a 

 set of feed wheels, which will open and 

 close at the proper intervals to take in 

 the blocks as they are needed. In order 

 to keep the blanks square with the heads 

 and in the center of the machines, they 

 should pass through two sets of feed 

 wheels, one set vertically and the other 

 horizontally. The principle involved in the 

 common form of feeds is to drive the 

 blanks into a set of feed-wheels far enough 

 so that they will be caught and carried 

 along. The trouble usually experienced 

 with this style is often due to a variation 

 in the sizes in the blanks. The smaller 



ones are driven in too far, thus making 

 long heads, and the larger ones are not car- 

 ried far enough, thus creating the opposite 

 result. It is easily seen that in this way 

 uniformity in finished handles is very diffi- 

 cult to obtain, and uniformity is one of the 

 most essential qualities demanded by broom 

 makers. 



The pattern wheel or cam, as it is some- 

 times called, is located on some lathes at 

 the front end, on some on the back side 

 and some on the front side. The exact 

 location is immaterial, and should be gov- 

 erned by the position of the machine and 

 be placed where it can be gotten at easily 

 for adjustment. Hardwood cams usually 

 show the best results, for the reason that 

 they show as good wearing qualities as the 

 metal ones, and will allow of alterations in 

 design, which is not possible if metal is 

 used. Especially designed cams for the 

 production of a certain type of handle 

 can be produced very cheaply if hardwood 

 is used, while if metal earns are required 

 they must be usually worked for a long 

 time before they are gotten to the desired 

 shape. In addition, a wood cam can be 

 produced in a few minutes with a band saw, 

 or if this is not available they are easily 

 made with a common keyhole saw. 



Running the handle too snugly in the bar- 

 rel causes a good deal of friction at that 

 point, and the barrel is consequently heated 

 rapidly. If this were allowed to continue 

 for any length of time the lathe would be 

 brought to a stop. To avoid this, dip the 

 front ends of the blanks about a quarter 

 of an inch in some cheap oil (an article 

 suitable for this use can be obtained for 

 almost nothing, and should be kept in 

 shallow pans handy to the lathe). The oil 

 on the ends of the blank is thus drawn off 

 to the sides of the barrel and keeps it 

 cool. All that is on the sides is cut off 

 at the first operation, and is usually wasted. 

 Without proper care, and by dipping the 

 blanks too deeply, the waste is considera- 

 ble. About two barrels of oil, containing 

 fifty gallons apiece, are required to run two 

 lathes for a month, and in this time about 

 140,000 handles can be turned out, and as 

 the initial cost of the oil is slight, the cost 

 per handle is infinitesimal. Yet if it were 

 not used the reduced amout of output 

 would be a considerable item of loss. 



New Iiiues From Texas Into Mexico 



A recent report of Consul Luther T. Elswortb 

 of Ciudad Porflrio. Diaz, states that the Kansas 

 City, Mexico & Orient Railroad Company has 

 planned to build a branch line from San Angelo 

 to Del Rio, Tex. At this point a bridge will 

 be constructed across the Rio Grande river, 

 and from there the new line will run through 

 Mexican territory Into the Mexican district ot 

 I.as Vacas, where it will lap the agricultural 

 land opened up by the numerous irrigatloa sys- 

 tems, and will finally join with the Natiqnal 

 Railway in Mexico at Sabinas. The company Is 

 arranging for supplies to be used in the con- 

 struction, and Its address may be obtained from 

 the Bureau of Manufactures, Washington, D. C. 



