92 FOREST UTILIZATION 



are turned on a lathe and then spanned into a sliding frame (between 

 pins). Frame and log pass a circular saw with and not against the 

 rotation of the saw. After passing, the log is automatically turned by an 

 angle corresponding with the bevel of the clapboard. 



This process leaves a four inch core unused. 



A planer, molder or jointer dresses the sides and a butter or trimmer 

 dresses the ends. 



XXVII. NOVELTY MILL. 



Novelty mills have sprung up, in recent years, all over the Northeast, 

 manufacturing trays, wooden dishes, wooden wire, rules, pen-holders, 

 flasks, skewers, toys and thousands of playthings of the hour. 



The variety of the raw material used is as great as the variety of the 

 goods manufactured. Still, birch seems to be the acknowledged leader 

 for novelty makes. 



Wooden dishes 1 and wooden wire may deserve particular mention. 



A. Wooden dishes. 



I. Material. 



Yellow poplar is used for large wooden trays. Second 

 growth white pine (cuts taken between whirls) is 

 said to be used in New England. Maple is preferred 

 for small oval wood dishes, turned out by a special 

 machine automatically. 



II. Manufacture of oval dishes. 



These oval dishes are obtained from sawn blocks, scal- 

 ing from 6 inches by 8 inches to 7% inches by g l / 2 

 inches. 



The dishes are cut with the grain from the side face. 

 Blocks are thoroughly boiled. The cutting knife, 

 revolving circularly, makes 25 dishes to the inch and 

 75,000 per day. 



Two facing knives shave the block clean between every 

 two cuts, carving out true edges. 



A screw fed carriage automatically feeds the block into 

 the knives. No skilled labor is required. The attend- 

 ant merely removes the remnants of a spanned block 

 and places a new block in the carriage. 



B. Wooden wire. 



Wooden wire is used for mattings, screens, inner rack of 



ladies' hats etc. 

 The raw material consists of willow, basswood and poplar 



plank. 

 A series of planing knives, in the form of sharp rimmed, fine 



steel cylinders, plies in a sliding frame over the plank, 



severing at each stroke a series of wires having the length 



of the plank. 

 A straight planer knife follows in the wake of the fine cylinders, 



removing the irregularities left on the plank. 



