On supporting science journalism
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A WOODWORKING firm received an order for several hundred brackets which naturally would be sawed on the jig saw. The party ordering the brackets stated that they must be perfectly smooth on the sawed edges. The sawyer knew at once that if each piece was sand-papered by hand on the edges, the extra time required would greatly delay the work. His fellow workman, a wood turner, said he could make the pieces in a lathe. This is how he did it: He took a log of wood for a hub, and with a wobble saw cut longitudinal grooves in it to receive the Making duplicate brackets on a lathe. bracket pieces. These were previously cut a trifle long, leaving a little tip on each end to be clamped by the iron bands that were put on each end of the hub. The whole thing was placed in the wood lathe and turned by hand like the pattern marked A. The sandpapering and polishing came next, which made the forms absolutely smooth and gave them a nice finish. In doing work by this method care was taken to fit the pieces nicely so as to prevent chattering and slivering on the sides.
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