SMALL SAWMILLS, THEIR EQUIPMENT, ETC. 31 
A properly adjusted set of inserted teeth should be used until worn 
out. Sharpen them as often as necessary by filing on their underside 
with an inserted tooth file, i. e., a mill file with one round edge. After 
being sharpened several times they should be relieved on the sides. 
Should a shank become straight or compressed, because of the saw 
being run on iron, so that it will not hold the bit firmly, lay it on 
the anvil and strike it with a hammer on the inner edge until it is 
expanded sufficiently to hold the bit. Do not try the experiment of 
bending each alternate tooth for the set. If there is any difficulty in 
removing an old bit for the purpose of inserting a new one, never 
hammer the wrench or the bit, but place a blunt cold chisel on the 
heel of the shank, taking care it does not touch the saw plate, and 
tap lightly with a hammer. This will start the bit and shank and 
enable you to remove them easily with the wrench. It is important 
that all the bits should be of equal length. In order to insure this, 
get a small segment or section of an old plate that can be easily held 
in a vise, and insert the bit that needs sharpening or swedging. 
For winter sawing use a sharp bevel bit with a narrower cutting 
point than that used in summer. Saws over 48 inches in diameter, 
when made thinner than 10 gauge, -^ scant, are not guaranteed. 
KEEP YOUE SAWS IX GOOD CONDITION. 
If through constant wear a saw becomes weak and limber, the 
sockets become out of round, and the teeth show a tendency to break 
or fall out, discard it at once, or send it back to the factory to be fixed 
up. Saws which have passed through a fire can be repaired if any 
life is left in the plate, but, of course, can not be made as good as new. 
Shoulders of inserted-tooth saws that are broken off by running 
against iron or stone can be welded on again, provided they are not 
broken off too deep in the plate. If they are broken too deep 
to weld, the saw can sometimes be renewed b}^ inserting a piece 
of steel and boring a new socket. The tendency to discard saws or 
"scrap" them is very general in all mills, big and little, though in 
many instances, particularly in small mills, the fault lies with the 
sawyer and not with the saw. A little more attention to the proper 
care of saws would remed}^ this evil. If an operator leaves his ma- 
chinery unhoused, as many operators do, he creates a condition which 
no amount of instruction can remedy. 
LOG DECK. 
Every mill should have a good solid log deck or skidway capable of 
holding from 100 to 200 logs, and built with enough pitch to permit 
the logs to roll down to the carriage by gravity. Logs should be 
piled in the yard in such a way that they can be moved to the log deck 
with the least possible expense and labor. This the small operator 
