there is no additional cabinet work necessary and the pieces should fit together not near perfect, but perfectly. Inasmuch as there are many very good boring machine operators to be found in furniture factories I think I can safely say that there are very few who thoroughly understand the uses of the different drills and bits. The boss may buy any old kind of a bit, saying this will bore wood. Little, if any, attention is paid as to whether the bit is straight or crooked. The speed of the drill or bit is usually not thought of. A boring machine operator recently showed to me a lot of bits which he broke and which he pronounced as no good. I said: "What kind of work do you do with those tools?" and he said, "I bore dowel holes." I asked for a standard dowel they were using and found this to be 17% x 7-16 inches. It was, therefore, necessary to bore the hole 1 inch deep. Instead of using a short dowel bit with, say, 2 inch twist, the operator used quite a long bit with a considerably longer twist. Is it a wonder his bits would not stand up? Exactness and uniformity of size are requisites of any dowel bit. All bits should be inspected as soon as received, to see that the shank has been correctly turned and that it will run straight and true. Bits should be selected that will stand the severest strain. Bits intended for fast feed machines should have large clearance for chips, strong, yet open, twist and heavy lips with ample stock to reinforce them. For boring dowel holes of small diameter I recommend the screw shank dowel drill. You will, however, find that they will not bore quite as freely, nor clear as readily, as the double twist bit. Your bits should run so nicely in the chuck that at a little distance no motion can be perceptible to the eye. Accuracy of the bit is a particular requirement in every furniture factory.

Sharpening of Bits

I have several times suggested general sharpening directions for bits. It may be well to briefly repeat some of them: When sharpening, file cutting edges from beneath through the throat of the bit; file spurs and side lips from inside and preserve as far as possible the original outline of the cutting edges, spurs and side lips and their relation to each other.

A short time ago I read an article in one of the trade papers, "The Machine Wood-worker's Use of Drills and Bits." Some good suggestions were offered, but I do not agree with all the author had to say. Among the good things he did say, however, is the following, and I know from experience that the author is quite right in this statement. The author says:

"I have found in my work that the spurs of most of the bits I receive are apt to be a little heavy, longer and thicker than will work well for me. They run too deep in the wood, as can be seen by the fact that the spur is often turned black and, sometimes, smoke comes from the hole. Look into the hole and when the smoke comes out it will be found that the circle by the spurs is black, burned black, too."

As the author suggests, the only way to eliminate this trouble is to thin down and shorten these spurs at once so they will make only a little, clear-cut circle in advance of the lip.

The Twin Resaw

The twin resaw is a wonderful machine in any factory requiring thin, or resawed, stock. The twin saw will keep a hustler on the job all of the time. I never saw one of these machines in a furniture factory, but they are certainly popular in large planing mills and box factories. The operation of the twin resaw is no more difficult than of a single machine and the labor cost is the same, while production is more than doubled. Of course, I do not mean to state that every large furniture manufacturer could

use this machine to good advantage. You are supposed to understand your business, but the twin resaw is worth investigating. I have been informed that the output of the twin resaw is 133 1-3 per cent. greater than that of a single vertical. I have had no experience with a twin resaw, but I do know that they saw an enormous amount of lumber.

The hopper feed double cut-off saw requires no introduction in the modern furniture factory. During the months of December and January I visited some of the largest furniture factories in the Middle West and I saw a double cut-off saw at every plant. Asked the managers what they thought of them and they replied they would not be without them. Considering the construction of the machines I saw, I see absolutely no reason why these saws should not give good service for many years. The output, in my opinion at least, of a good hopper feed double cut-off saw is unlimited and depends upon the ability of the operator to feed so that each parallel pair of dogs as they pass the saws will carry a piece of stock.

Jointer Attachments

Self-feed jointer attachments are also very popular and furniture manufacturers using them are well satisfied. The attachment does smoother and better work than can be done by hand. The modern attachment requires considerably less sharpening of the knives than a hand-fed jointer, thereby also saving the men's time. It certainly is a big saving over the old way of doing the work.

The continuous feed glue jointer will be found in every up-to-date plant. Some of the more modern machines have now been very much improved and can be adjusted for hollow jointing. The writer always favored hollow joints and for several years I was prejudiced against the continuous glue jointer on account of the straight stationary, which could not be adjusted.

The Linderman automatic dovetail glue jointer is known to many manufacturers. For the benefit of those who have not investigated this machine, nor what it is capable of doing, it may be to their interest to examine a dovetail glue joint and they will appreciate its strength. This machine joints lumber together automatically at one operation and then sizes the panel to the exact width. In many plants I visited manufacturers claim an enormous saving in their lumber and glue bills.

Glue Jointers

It is absolutely true that glue jointing now forms a great part of the work in modern furniture factories and upon its proper application depends a great deal the success or failure of any line of furniture.

One of the popular machinery companies is now manufacturing a straight edge ripping and jointing machine. It is designed for working up core stock and, in fact, all of the narrow waste of a furniture factory. I have been invited to inspect the machine, but up to this time have not had the time to do so. If the machine is as good as they claim, they have a valuable tool.

An automatic dovetailer has also been recently placed on the market. In this machine the manufacturer has perfected a design which permits the machine to handle either straight, barrel, swell or serpentine fronts without changing or dismantling the machine or any of its parts. An essential feature of dovetailing is the size of the dovetail so that all parts will be interchangeable. This is accomplished by eccentric cutters which retain their shape at all times, regardless of how much they have been filed or ground away by sharpening.

This is the first of two articles in which Mr. Deinzer will review the equipment which is best suited for the modern furniture factory. The second article will appear in the May number.

T

IIE hand jointer, or buzz planer, has always been justly regarded as one of the most dangerous machines in a wood-working factory. The cutter head, revolving at a high rate of speed, makes it absolutely necessary for the operator to exercise the utmost care in pushing the material across the table, for the least slip may mean bloodshed, and very likely a serious accident. This is particularly true where the square head is used, and though the introduction of the safety cylinder head eliminates the serious danger factor to some extent, there is always the possibility of an accident if the machine is not safeguarded. One way of safeguarding the hand planer is to equip it with one of the jointer guards that are now fast coming into almost universal usage. Another way is to install a feeder attachment. The best way is to fit your machine up with both.

when it is desirable to do a little edging, or such work. Consider figures 1 and 2, which show two positions of an attachment that is in popular usage in a great number of factories. This machine has a number of spring actuated fingers which come in contact with the stock to feed it through and prevent it kicking back. Two link belts, positively driven, are arranged on each side, and between these belts, but connected with them, are rods on each of which are a series of fingers, or teeth. These extend through the rods to individual springs, which are supported by a carrier plate, so that each tooth operates independently on the stock. Openings in the carrier plate hold the fingers, or teeth, in proper position and support them against any possible sidewise pressure that might be brought to bear upon them.

Making the machine safe by the use of a guard adds to the efficiency of the workman in so much as he knows that he can work faster without the danger of getting hurt. By the installation of the feeder attachment an automatic machine is made out of a hand machine. This tends towards greater production without any danger element. Just as the feeder attachment may be swung to one side when it is necessary to do some edging, certain guards may be had which may be swung to one side and dropped to the floor when it is desired to use the feeder. With such a combination possible no manufacturer need seek for an excuse for not safeguarding his buzz planer for all occasions.

Many manufacturers fail to appreciate the advantages of the feeder attachment. What was said in the March

A driving shaft moves the links of the endless feeder and causes the fingers to come in contact with the upper surface of the stock resting on the table. As the fingers come successively into action they smoothly, but firmly, draw the material over the cutter head. The action is continuous, positive and regular, and the springs act elastically upon the individual fingers, so that any inequality in the thickness, or shape, of the lumber is met automatically by the self adjustment of the pressure on every finger and corrected accordingly.

Figure 2

In figures 3 and 4 are shown two positions of another type of feeder. A heavy column supports the feed works and encloses the feed shaft. The base is bolted to the floor, as is the case of the machine given first consideration, and is wide enough to form a rigid support for the attachment, which stands beside the jointer, out of the way of the operator. In figure 5 the mechanism of the feeder is more readily observed. A latch and screw releases the free end of the feed works, so that the operator can swing it aside when the jointer is required for hand work. A screw, mounted in ball bearings and operated by a hand wheel raises and lowers the feed works to get the correct adjustment required for the stock that

issue of THE FURNITURE MANUFACTURER AND ARTISAN about saving the man and the dollar by the use of self feed rip saws applies in as great a measure to the use of the automatic feeding attachment. The attachment itself is in reality a separate machine which is set alongside the buzz planer. The combination of the two makes an automatic machine, but the beauty of the whole thing is that it takes a very short time to swing the feeder to one side

is being worked. Two sets of sectional feed rolls adjust themselves automatically three-quarters of an inch horizontally and one-quarter of an inch vertically, to provide for the variations in the stock that is being handled. The attachment is arranged for four rates of feed, easily controlled and, as in all similar machines, the working parts

hand planer, instead of to the floor, as is the case with the other machines shown. When it is desired to swing

are protected so that the operator's hands need never get in close proximity to the moving parts. The removable hood of metal which covers the feed rolls is seen in place in figures 3 and 4.

The next two figures, 6 and 7, show a type of feeder with one set of sectional feed rolls instead of two, as shown in the other roll feed type. Whereas, the former

machine mentioned has rolls with a corrugated surface, this one is fitted with the spur rolls, the spurs of which are easily seen in figure 6. The spur sectional roll is made equal in width to the hand planer to which it is applied. These rolls have spring pressures and are carried in a heavy housing on two uprights set into boxes bolted to the sides of the machine. The feed rolls are raised and lowered by the hand wheel process, and the power is transmitted to the rolls through spur gears, which are in turn driven by link chains and belt from the countershaft. It will be noted that this machine is bolted direct to the

Figure 7

invented for feeding stock over a buzz planer. The story of its origin may hardly be called romantic, but is none the less interesting. After several men had been mangled

Figure 9

The traveling bed is somewhat similar to the machine illustrated in figures 1 and 2. This bed is set above the jointer table, and is provided with feed and pressure fingers of hardened steel backed up by coil springs. These fingers exert an elastic and well distributed pressure on the board in front as well as in the rear of the knives. By regulating the height of the bed, which can be done without stopping the machine, the attachment can be set

Figure 11

to doing so that those not familiar with its operation will experience a delightful shock when they attach one to their hand machine. The attachments are made to fit any width of hand planer, and they soon pay for their installation, for they do just as good work as is done by hand and do it faster. As with the purchase of any equipment, the selection should not be made blindly, but a fair consideration given to the conditions and requirements of the plant. There is no furniture factory that is without a feeder attachment, but what would profit to some extent if one

were installed. It need not be a case of "Let the buyer beware," because the manufacturers of the machines described are ready to stand the expense of proving the efficiency and practical features of their several machines.

Save the man and save the dollar, is a pretty good slogan. This can be done with the automatic feeder jointer attachment, because it prevents jointer accidents and increases and improves the output.

I

N THESE days of strenuous effort to increase the efficiency of the factory force, there is one question that is receiving considerable attention in certain quarters; but this consideration is not as general as it ought to be. It is pretty generally recognized that the average workman is capable of accomplishing only about one-half of what he ought to be able to do. For this there is a reason, and it shall be the object of this article to try and find out the reason for this deficiency and try and shed some light on the subject of a more efficient man.

I have before me at the present time an address by the president of an agricultural college in which the speaker points out the wonderful advances that have been made in the way of increasing the efficiency of horses, cattle, sheep and other domestic animals, as well as the great increase in the productiveness of land within the last decade. For the purpose of a scientific study and research into what the speaker called, "Some Rural Problems," and for the purpose of spreading the information thus obtained throughout the land that it may come within the reach of all classes of society, millions of dollars are expended every year by the various countries of the world. All this in order that the land on which we live may be made more productive and that horses, sheep and other domestic animals may be better cared for, better developed and made more efficient and therefore more productive.

What does all this mean? What has been the result? We have, in this mad race for bread and milk, lost sight of the fact that "man cannot live by bread alone," and that he must have air, and books and plenty of other things in order to be a perfectly developed man.

Getting the Man's Interest

I go to the average mechanic's home in the evening and I find him, if he is at home and not reading a poultry journal, at the rear of his house in the poultry pen. I try to engage him in conversation regarding a nice flower bed which his wife was watering as I came in, but he is not interested. I speak of his three nice children who are outside playing. "I suppose they are like most other children," he says, and then lapses into silence, and becomes interested in the antics of a rooster at the far side of the pen. I attempt to open a discussion on questions of hygiene and the importance of observing some of the simple rules of health in the way of pure food and air and cleanliness for both parents and children, but apart from a slight frown denoting impatience, he is quite impassive and unresponsive. But the very moment I speak of the best kind of food for laying hens, his face lights up with a great light and he becomes interested at once. He can talk long and eloquently on the needs of hens, but knows nothing and apparently cares nothing for the needs of his children or of himself.

With such studied indifference to the welfare of the present and rising generations need we be surprised, or

wonder at the fact that the human race is only about 50 per cent. efficient. Nothing happens by chance. Everything has a cause. There is a reason for everything. There is a reason why so many children die before they are one year old. There is a reason why so many men die at the age of twenty, thirty or forty, while others live to be seventy or eighty. Is it worth while trying to ascertain the reason and effect a remedy? Or are our horses and cattle of more value than our boys and men? Why is it that men are so indifferent to their own welfare and so interested in some domestic animal? Why do our governments spend millions of dollars to teach the people how to improve the health and appearance and general efficiency of horses, how to get more milk from cows and more eggs from hens; but not a dollar for the acquisition and dissemination of information regarding the care of man, or for the solution of any of these great human problems arising from man's inefficiency. True we have our medical colleges, but these impart information only to a select few, and not to the general public.

The Ability of the Men

Notwithstanding the great advance made along the line of agricultural pursuits, the college president before quoted said: "There never was a time when instruction in farming was so much needed as at the present time." With how much more truth could it be said that there never was a time in the history of the world when instruction in the care and development of the human race was so much needed as at the present time; and there never was a time when less seemed to be available.

Every employer of labor is concerned about the ability of the men in his employ to properly conserve the material he uses and the machines he operates; but how many are concerned about the conservation of the operator. In many factories there are rules posted up for the guidance of workmen in the care of material and machines, but nothing to guide them in the care of the most valuable asset the factory has-the employe. If an engineer did not keep his engine clean and all the various parts nicely oiled so that all may work with the least possible friction, he would soon be discharged. But where is the employer who takes sufficient interest in his engineer to bring to his attention the vast importance of observing certain rules in order that every organ of his "fearfully and wonderfully" made body may properly perform its functions.

A teamster is taught the necessity of removing all the harness from his horses at night and giving them a thorough cleaning; but how many teamsters are taught that in the interests of their own health it is important that they do not sleep in any of the clothes worn through the day, and that it is equally important that their bodies be thoroughly cleaned before retiring for the night. If an employer saw his horses being brought from the stable