Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
He also discusses the dramatic effect of the bow saw within the cutting-shed:
There is nothing connected with cutting that has caused a greater revolution dur-
ing the last few years than the bow-saw. Whether for boxing mouldings of any
description, reducing bricks for ashlar or arches, cutting scrolls, and every kind
of work, the bow-saw is the most convenient invention. In fact the cost of labour
connected with gauged work has been reduced vastly by its use, and a short
description may be found useful here for those who have not been in the habit
of using it…. The upright sides should be about 16in. long, and 1½ by
7
⁄
8
in. in
section, and the crosspiece a, [Figure 130], about 2 feet in length, the same thick-
ness as the upright sides. This is morticed loosely into the latter, and held in its
place by means of a screw, but not tightly. This completes the woodwork.…
Figure 130
Drawing of a bow saw
with a winch to twist the
wire blade.
Hammond (1875, 43) mentions three or four bricks being placed in the box
for cutting, which is revealing. The historic rubbing bricks would have to be soft
and easily cut, otherwise one cannot cut that many in a cutting box together
with the bow saw. When cutting along a box, the blade naturally rides up
higher inside the brick the further it is away from the controlling sides of the
box where the cutter's hand pressure is at its strongest. Indeed with modern,
harder, rubbers one is limited to a box holding only two bricks, and sometimes
only one. To overcome this the cutter is forced to ease off the pressure occa-
sionally, allowing the blade into the central section of the bricks to catch up
with the depth of the sides. This was not so common with the older types of
traditional rubbers, such as the original TLBs, which the author's years of prac-
tical experience confirm, cut more easily and quickly.
The bow-saw blade for cutting rubbers in a cutting box was steel wire,
looped and twisted so its entire surface area became plaited, and thus serrated,
