DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.1401#0182
THE ILLUSTRATED EXHIBITOR.
131
From the great extent of the Exhibition building, matters which -usually are 'considered of small importance
and as involving but little labour, are magnified into serious undertakings., # Thus it became worth while to construct
machinery for the formation of the mahogany handrail for the gallery railing, as well as that for the staircases. The
material was supplied in slabs
THE HAND-RAIL CUTTING MACHINE.
of the requisite thickness: these
were cut up by circular saws
into pieces of a square section
each 2% feet long, as they
were to be fixed between the
columns, which are that dis-
tance apart. Thg angles of
these lengths were next bevelled
off by the same means, approach-
ing them somewhat nearer to
the circular form, and they
were then transferred to the
handrail-cutting machine to be
completely rounded. The im-
portant portion of this machine
consists of a hollow cylinder of
cast iron, enlarged in the centre, where a strap is passed round it to form the connexion with the' driving engine
At one end of this cylinder four cutters are fixed in such a manner
and of such a form that a piece of wood passing between them and
through the cylinder, while revolving, is rounded off to a true cir-
cular form of section, and is turned out so smoothly finished as to
require scarcely any further work upon it before fixing. In advance
of the cutters a pressure roller is placed, furnished with short teeth,
which, as the roller is turned round by a cranked handle, seize
upon the piece of wood and force it forward against the cutters, which
form as it were the jaws of the hollow cylinder, which thus seems
to be constantly swallowing lengths of rough mahogany, escaping
from it finished. The small engraving shows the end of the groove
along which the wooden rail is passed up to the cutters; and op-
posite each end of the revolving cylinder springs are fixed, which
prevent the rail from shifting its position while being rounded.
By means of this machinery about thirty lengths were completed
in a day.
As the whole of the building is constructed either of iron or wood, it was necessary that it should all be painted,
both for the preservation of the parts as well as the appearance, and when it is remembered that every portion requires
to be gone over four separate times, it must be evident that any mechanical facility that could be afforded would be
very desirable in order to effect a saving of time. The sash-bars of the roof being of small dimensions, it was
thought might be most readily operated on by some mechanical contrivance; and the ingenuity of the contractors
and of those employed by them soon devised
such' an apparatus, which, however, can per-
haps hardly be called a machine, as it was not
worked by engine power. Our first engraving
gives a general view of this apparatus. It
consists of a wooden trough sufficiently long
to receive the sash-bars, and a frame at one
PART OF HAND-RAIL MACHINE.
end, in which a set of brushes is fixed
All
shown in section in the small engraving
this was placed upon a stand at a convenient
height for working, and the trough being
partly filled with paint, a number of bars were
put into it, and upon being taken out sepa-
rately, they were passed through a frame of
brushes, which cleared off all necessary paint.
Two small brushes placed where the bar first
entered the frame, cleared out the grooves.
The frame is about two feet six inches long,
and the bars were pushed in at one end by one
workman and drawn out by another on the
other side, where a trough was placed to re-
ceive any droppings of paint; the bars were then
stacked upright until they were ready to re-
ceive another coat. The first coat only was
put on by this apparatus, the second being
done in the ordinary manner, and the last not
until the work was all fixed in its place. By means of this contrivance a workman could perform at least ten times
the amount of work done in the ordinary way, and the contrivance itself is so extremely simple that no skill at all
is required in the operation, and thus a saving was effected both ways.
Though, perhaps, anticipating a little, it may not be altogether out of place, while on the subject of the painting,
to describe the manner in which this operation was effected to the interior of roof in such a manner as not in the
least to interfere with the operations which were going on below. The light scaffolding on which the workmen stood
was supported by loops of wrought-iron, which were hooked on the roof trusses, and by means of these a perfect
cloud of scaffold boards was suspended, enabling between 400 and 500 men to be at work at one time.
SASH-BAR PAINTING-MACHINE.
131
From the great extent of the Exhibition building, matters which -usually are 'considered of small importance
and as involving but little labour, are magnified into serious undertakings., # Thus it became worth while to construct
machinery for the formation of the mahogany handrail for the gallery railing, as well as that for the staircases. The
material was supplied in slabs
THE HAND-RAIL CUTTING MACHINE.
of the requisite thickness: these
were cut up by circular saws
into pieces of a square section
each 2% feet long, as they
were to be fixed between the
columns, which are that dis-
tance apart. Thg angles of
these lengths were next bevelled
off by the same means, approach-
ing them somewhat nearer to
the circular form, and they
were then transferred to the
handrail-cutting machine to be
completely rounded. The im-
portant portion of this machine
consists of a hollow cylinder of
cast iron, enlarged in the centre, where a strap is passed round it to form the connexion with the' driving engine
At one end of this cylinder four cutters are fixed in such a manner
and of such a form that a piece of wood passing between them and
through the cylinder, while revolving, is rounded off to a true cir-
cular form of section, and is turned out so smoothly finished as to
require scarcely any further work upon it before fixing. In advance
of the cutters a pressure roller is placed, furnished with short teeth,
which, as the roller is turned round by a cranked handle, seize
upon the piece of wood and force it forward against the cutters, which
form as it were the jaws of the hollow cylinder, which thus seems
to be constantly swallowing lengths of rough mahogany, escaping
from it finished. The small engraving shows the end of the groove
along which the wooden rail is passed up to the cutters; and op-
posite each end of the revolving cylinder springs are fixed, which
prevent the rail from shifting its position while being rounded.
By means of this machinery about thirty lengths were completed
in a day.
As the whole of the building is constructed either of iron or wood, it was necessary that it should all be painted,
both for the preservation of the parts as well as the appearance, and when it is remembered that every portion requires
to be gone over four separate times, it must be evident that any mechanical facility that could be afforded would be
very desirable in order to effect a saving of time. The sash-bars of the roof being of small dimensions, it was
thought might be most readily operated on by some mechanical contrivance; and the ingenuity of the contractors
and of those employed by them soon devised
such' an apparatus, which, however, can per-
haps hardly be called a machine, as it was not
worked by engine power. Our first engraving
gives a general view of this apparatus. It
consists of a wooden trough sufficiently long
to receive the sash-bars, and a frame at one
PART OF HAND-RAIL MACHINE.
end, in which a set of brushes is fixed
All
shown in section in the small engraving
this was placed upon a stand at a convenient
height for working, and the trough being
partly filled with paint, a number of bars were
put into it, and upon being taken out sepa-
rately, they were passed through a frame of
brushes, which cleared off all necessary paint.
Two small brushes placed where the bar first
entered the frame, cleared out the grooves.
The frame is about two feet six inches long,
and the bars were pushed in at one end by one
workman and drawn out by another on the
other side, where a trough was placed to re-
ceive any droppings of paint; the bars were then
stacked upright until they were ready to re-
ceive another coat. The first coat only was
put on by this apparatus, the second being
done in the ordinary manner, and the last not
until the work was all fixed in its place. By means of this contrivance a workman could perform at least ten times
the amount of work done in the ordinary way, and the contrivance itself is so extremely simple that no skill at all
is required in the operation, and thus a saving was effected both ways.
Though, perhaps, anticipating a little, it may not be altogether out of place, while on the subject of the painting,
to describe the manner in which this operation was effected to the interior of roof in such a manner as not in the
least to interfere with the operations which were going on below. The light scaffolding on which the workmen stood
was supported by loops of wrought-iron, which were hooked on the roof trusses, and by means of these a perfect
cloud of scaffold boards was suspended, enabling between 400 and 500 men to be at work at one time.
SASH-BAR PAINTING-MACHINE.