Popular Science Monthly 



95 



A Machine Which Abuses 



Boxes to Find Out How 



Strong They Are 



TO determine the best 

 kind of box construction 

 for a given purpose, a machine 

 for testing boxes is now in 

 operation at the Forest Prod- 

 ucts Laboratory, at I\Iadison, 

 Wisconsin. This machine was 

 devised by the engineers of 

 the United States Forest Ser- 

 vice after consulting the 

 American Society for Testing 

 Materials and the National 

 Association of Box Manu- 

 facturers. 



As more than four and a 

 half billion feet of lumber are 

 used in making boxes every 

 year and as many boxes are 

 broken in transit, with injury 

 to their contents, it is hoped 

 to effect a big economic saving 

 by finding out through this 

 machine just what are the 

 best methods of box construc- 

 tion. 



The machine has an hexago- 

 nal drum, the sides of which 

 measure three and a half feet, 

 is lined with sheet steel. 



Boxes tilled with cans of water are placed in the hexagonal 

 drum which is then rotated. The results of falls are noted 



The drum 



Pieces of scantling 

 bolted to the bottom form the "hazards." 

 Boxes filled with cans of water are placed 

 in the drum. It is then rotated. The 

 hazards carry the boxes part way up and 

 then they fall back into the lower part of 

 the drum. The boxes are 

 watched carefully, and the 

 number of falls they with- 

 stand and the manner in 

 which they break are care- 

 fully registered. 



As a result of these tests 

 the way in which the boxes 

 are nailed has been found to 

 be ver>' important. One 

 more nail to each side of a 

 box gives it much greater 

 strength. Proper nailing 

 will allow a reduction in thi 

 amount of lumber used. 

 without decreasing the 

 strength of the box. Boxes 

 with cleated ends are found 

 to be very strong. The 

 quality of the lumber isfound 

 to be less important than 

 the manner of construction. 



The point is shoved into the 

 device which grips it so that 

 it is extracted with a pull 



At Last! A Device for Extracting 

 Rusty Pen -Points 



THE usual method of extracting rusted 

 pen-points from their staffs, is to 

 pull them out with the fingers, if it can 

 possibly be done. Inky fingers are the 

 least of several evils resulting from this 

 method of procedure. Among 

 others is the chance of 

 cutting the flesh and adding 

 a rub}^ color to the ink- 

 marks made by the be- 

 smeared fingers. 



A pen-extractor screwed 

 to the wall or desk will serve 

 the entire office or class- 

 room, where such pens are 

 used, and will do its bit 

 toward effecting the smooth 

 and rapid carrying out of 

 the daily routine. The pen- 

 point is shoved as far as 

 possible through the door or 

 shutter of the device, which 

 grips it automatically. With 

 a pull on the staff the point 

 is extracted. A receptacle 

 is provided into which the 

 discarded point falls. 



