SLACK COOPERAGE 



125 



stant and most careful attention of the operator since the cut should be 

 made on the quarter-grain in so far as possible in order to produce the 

 strongest stave. It should always be of even thickness and smooth. 

 This work is of such exacting nature combined with the danger of cutting 

 one's ringers that stave cutters are usually required to work every other 

 hour, or altogether only five hours on duty in a ten-hour day. One stave- 

 cutting machine will turn out about 30,0x30 to 60,000 staves in a ten-hour 

 day. 



In working up the softwoods into staves, such as white and yellow 

 pines, hemlock, spruce, tamarack, etc., the steaming process is not 



Photograph by U. S. Forest Venice. 



FIG. 30. Barrel stave saw and stave bolts ready to be sawn at mill of Mt. Olive Stave Co., 

 Batesville, Independence Co., Arkansas. Both slack and tight staves are made on this 

 type of saw. 



resorted to. These woods, particularly the Southern pines, seem to be 

 so shattered in the steaming and cutting process that the staves check 

 and splinter up very seriously upon drying. The usual practice with 

 these woods, therefore, is to cut them on a cylinder stave saw which is 

 shown in the accompanying illustration. The speed of these saws is 

 usually maintained at about 1800 R.P.M. The cylinder or drum saw is 

 most commonly found in the South. 



As soon as the staves are made on the drum saw or the stave cutter, 

 they are received by a helper who loads them on carts, .cars or sleighs, 

 according to the season and location of the mill, and are transported 

 to the dry shed for seasoning. Four to six staves are laid on top of one 



