SCUTCHING 137 



boss 2, in turn keyed fast to a steel shaft 1, 2J ins. in diameter. 

 The blades 4, which are sometimes made of polished walnut, 

 are 5J in. wide but taper to 4J in. at the point. They are 

 | in. to ITT in. thick, but are rounded off or bevelled on both 

 sides of the striking edge for buffing, but only on the side 

 remote from the operator in the cleaning blades. The buffing 

 blades are set, an average of f in. and the cleaning blades 

 | in. from the stock. The speed of the shaft is from 160 to 

 200 revolutions per minute, but in special cases as many as 

 220 revolutions are made. 



117. Varieties of Adjustment of Blades to Stock. The stock 

 of wood or iron is adjusted and fixed at a convenient height 

 for the scutcher to operate without any undue bending of his 

 back. The top of the stock and position of the flax is generally 

 in the same plane as the centre of the scutching wheels and 

 shaft, see Fig. 82. 



The scutching blades are bolted to the rim in fixed positions 

 so as to strike the strick of flax presented by the scutcher, 

 with a pull or a push, or square, according to the idea and 

 intention or otherwise of the scutcher. 



Apropos, this important point, five examples selected from 

 modern practice are illustrated by the simple line diagrams, 

 shown at Figs. 82 to 87. The numerals 6, 4, 30, and 11 

 respectively represent the stock, blades, rim, and shaft. 



In Fig. 82 the scutching blade 4 is " square," or in other 

 words, the top edge of the blade is parallel or square with the 

 top edge of the stock. This is normal and possibly the most 

 scientific position. 



In Fig. 84 the nose, or extreme top point of the scutching 

 blade, is shown to be in the same plane as the top edge of the 

 stock, when simultaneously, the top of the blade at the rear 

 top edge of the stock is 3 in. higher. 



This adjustment was used for buffing, and the modified 

 adjustment, as shown at Fig. 85, was used in the same 

 establishment for cleaning. 



In the illustration, Fig. 86, the extreme top point of the 



