442 THE YOUNG FARMER'S MANUAL. 



vice. Always examine the corners of files, and select those that 

 have the sharpest corners. 



THE SIZE OF THE FILES 



687. Should be in. proportion to the teeth. Files about the 

 size of the teeth to be filed are generally the most economical, 

 because there are more corners in proportion to the sides. I al 

 ways use very small triangular files for filing small teeth. The 

 double-cut single files, although they cost a trifle more, are prefer 

 able to the single-cut ones, because they make a cleaner and 

 neater cut when filing. 



688. Save all the old files and have them cut over, in nearly 

 any of our cities, at less than half their original cost. 



. 



THE SLITTING-TABLE. 



689. Fig. 187 is a representation of a bench and slitting-table 

 for slitting boards, plank, and anything else of that character. 

 When a man has a wood-saw, he may bolt two extension benches 

 to the frame, as shown in the Fig., and put a small slitting-saw 

 on the mandrel, and he will find it a most convenient arrange 

 ment for slitting all kinds of lumber. I have such a table, the 

 frame of which is twenty -four feet long, and the movable carriage 

 or table is sixteen feet in length. This table is moved back and 

 forth close to the saw, on rollers in the frame, and boards or plank, 

 when being sawed, are placed on the table and pushed towards 

 the saw. With two horses I can saw lath, door-casings, stiles 

 for doors, and such like, faster, and very much truer, than ten 

 active men would be able to saw with hand-saws. (See Par. 

 38.) The rollers one of which is shown at the left hand in the 

 Fig. which support the table, are about five inches in diam 

 eter, sixteen inches long, with a gain in each one for the guide 

 to run in, which is fastened to the under side of the table. A 

 gauge is shown behind the sawyer, which is adjusted by two set- 

 screws, a a, which screws pass through a long mortise in the stick 

 under the gauge. The nut is beneath the long mortise. At 



