430 FOREST PRODUCTS 



The other common type is an upright form in which the excelsior 

 is collected directly in the press and the top is forced down and com- 

 presses the contents by a rack and pinion operated vertically. The 

 common size of bales made by this form is 26 by 28 by 56 in. They 

 weigh from 175 to 240 Ib. each. 



Description of Operation. 



The wood is brought in from the storage shed or yard with a one-horse 

 wagon or by a hand truck and unloaded near the cut-off or push saw. 

 Here the operator cuts the 56-in. bolts in thirds, squares the ends, and his 

 helper piles them in a place convenient for the men who feed the excel- 



Photograph by U. S. Forest Service. 



FlG. 113. Vertical type of excelsior machines in operation at a factory in Union, New 

 Hampshire. At each downward stroke, a sharp steel spur removes a thin strand of wood 

 from the block. 



sior machines. All the bolts must be squared so they will go through 

 the machines evenly. Bolts over 6 in. in diameter are usually halved or 

 quartered either by hand or by a bolt splitter in the larger mills. 



The bolts are fed into the excelsior machines as fast as desired, the 

 " spalt " or waste being thrown on a pile to one side and used on the 

 bales or sold for fuel. Any grade of excelsior can be made, from the 

 finest wood wool to the coarsest mattress stock, by an adjustment of 

 the feed and different thickness of spurs. The capacity of each machine 

 depends upon the feed, speed, kind of wood and attention of the opera- 

 tor. The excelsior drops to the floor and is collected on the other 



