POLE-LINE CONSTRUCTION 



61 



Instead of using a wagon or horse, the wire may be unreeled by three men, one 

 of whom should be stationed at the reel to see that the wire is not paid out too fast 

 and to signal in case it becomes kinked or tangled. 



Another method in forest reserve work is for two men to carry the reel, paying 

 out the wire as they go. This method only should be used in stringing copper wire, 

 as this wire should never be dragged on the ground. 



Wire should not be paid out from a coil held by one man, since it comes off badly 

 twisted and? is likely to kink. Always use a reel. 



Hard-drawn copper wire must be handled much more carefully than galvanized-iron 

 wire. The coil should not be thrown from a wagon to the ground. Before commenc- 

 ing to unreel it, the first 15 or 20 loops of the coil should be carefully lifted by hand 

 to guarantee that there are no " crossovers." Hard-drawn copper wire should never 

 be dragged on the ground while being strung. If a wagon cannot be used 1 to carry 

 the reel, it should be carried by several men. 



Care must be exercised when starting to unreel a coil to see that the outer end 

 of the wire is taken off. This end is generally indicated by having attached to it a 

 small tin tag on which the weight of the coil is stamped. The pay-out reel handled by 

 the supply houses is of hardwood bound with iron straps. Its weight often precludes 

 its use on lines following trails land through timber. A home-made reel is much 

 lighter and less expensive. This consists of two parts, a support and the reel proper 

 (Fig. 20). 



Fig. 20 Home-made reel 



The support is made of two 2-by-4-in. pieces AA, each 5 ft. long and held 2 ft. 

 apart by two cross-pieces BOB of 2-by-4-in. stuff, nailed between and 1 ft. each side of 

 the centre of the long pieces. Midway between the long pieces and fastened to the 

 cross- pieces is a 2-by-6-in. stick C. To secure greater rigidity, a 2-by-4-in. stick D 

 is mitred to fit from the centre of one side to the centre of one of the cross-pieces. 



At the centre of stick C a block 6 in. square and 1 in. thick is attached, and 

 through its centre and through stick C a f-in. hole is bored. Around this hole on top 

 of the block a 2-in. irooi washer is attached with screws, the heads of which are well 

 countersunk. A bolt E, 14 in. by | in. with square head is then inserted in the 

 hole in C from below, and held in place by countersinking the square head on the 

 underside of C and nailing a small block F over it. The reel is made of two pieces 

 of 2 u by-4-in. stuff, preferably Douglas fir or some other strong wood, GG 2 ft. 9 in. 

 long and mortised in the middle to form a cross. After these have been fitted together 

 a 1-in. hole is bored through the centre and a piece of 1-in. iron pipe H, 9 in. long and 

 threaded for 2 in. at the end is screwed firmly into 'this hole. On the underside 

 around the hole a 2-in. iron washer is fastened to act as a bearing. Nine inches from 

 the centre on each arm G a f-in. standard K, 18 in. long and shaped as illustrated, is 



