OUR LOCAL INDUSTRIES.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 61, 30 July 1879, Page 2

OUR LOCAL INDUSTRIES.

THE STEAM WOODWAEE FACTORY^

Our previous articles upon the various industries of Mapawatii were devoted to th» works outside the borough, although still within the bounds of the cousty, but that at present under review is thoroughly- local, inasmuch as'it belongs to Palmerston proper — we refer to Venn's Steam Furniture Factory. Less than three years ago th'eprojttie.:-: tor and his late partner came to Palmerston with the object of starting the works now so conspicuous m Main street, and some little idea may be formed of the rapid and permanent progress of the town, when it is stated that nearly half a day was lost m trying to discover/ the site, a purchase of ; which kad been made m Wellington. Then, that portion of the town was one vast field, without pathways or road formation, ithe only landmarks being Brighfcwell's'on -one sido and th'o Central Store on the. other. To-day every section m the vicinity is fenced and divided, cottage^ and . substantial dwellings line both streets, while the whirr pf tho steam saiY, and the shriek* of the whistle gives evidence of an advanced -state of civilisation. The Steam Wood ware Factory is situated m Main Street, midway to Terrace and covers half an , acre Wof; ground. Exclusive of -extensive drying or/ seasoning sheds, the buildings aro, divided into six different compartments. In the* main entrance, leading from the street,, there is the shop, m which the work is placed for conveyance to its destination, off of which is theengine room, sixty by twenty, m which is placed a six-horse engine, by Lewin, of Dorsetshire. Although capable of being, "worked up to seventy pounds, of. "steam, it is rarely piit to its full forces fifty being quit© sufficient to drive the nu: merous machine^ used m the works. . First m, order of description comes the ripping saw, a nasty looking instrument, capable of cutting up to eighteen, inches. . On this floor also is the planing machine, for. smooths ing the surface of the 'boards. This is fed by a man at one end. and relieved by a boy at the other, the boards going. in with, deep grooves of the circillar saw, and coming out smooth as" glass. "They are then passed through a trap window into another room where there |is a small ciroular or cross saw, where the plank 3 are cut to tlie desired lengths. : Attached to this macline, .but so constructed that, it can be .used at will, and quite independently of ;tbe remaining pprV ti<sn, is a moulding machine. It can be fitted with various-sizeft.ploughs^Sfr.om half an inch to four inches, which are inserted somewhat m the same manner as the iron m a plane. By this i Arrangement, of coursp, all shapes and v sizes of moulding can be. at pleasure. Close to this, and m same room, is^the tenoning machine, by which the tenons for the frames of doors." can De made almost with the same rapidity as a per- ; son could- wisli for its accomplishnient. v A n ingenious contrivance is attached, called "a scribing head, which, when put into op.er,a» tion makes the necessary indentation wherein fpr the moulding to flt.> The next -piece, of machinery to be inspected is, the boring machine, a very simple arrangement, being nothing more than a common auger" fitted into a" wooden wheel m a horizontal position, and this being whizzed .round by belts attached to the engine, proves an invaluable saving of labor. This is used for many pui'poses, but principally for boring sashes before submission to the morticing machine. This latter is the only piece of mechanism m the worts which is riot driven by steam, and'CQnsequently the preliminary process of boring is a powerful aid m easing the task of morticing. In a compact" little roomsomewhat to itself is placed the turning lathe, and as "by" it "Mr. Venn, supplies, the wants of the whole coast between Wellington and Wanganui, it may be looked upon as the main feature m the establishment. That branch of tho business is under the charge of Mr. Wyley, whose skill as a workman is well known even m Wellington. At the time of our reporters' visit, Mr.. Wjley was engaged -in turning the ; legs of tables, and the rapidity with which each square chunk of wood became transffflrmisd jnto.a fancifully turned Ug- m.ay be /guessed when we ■ say that no les? than thii-by sets, -or one hundred and twenty pass through his hands . each day." When' it is remembered, that to accomplish this feat it is necessary to finish one regnkrly etery four miniite,s.j it will be seen that he is kept in*etty. busy during the eight hours at which lie is at work." As we have said, Mr. Venn does an exlensiye; trad e m ttat line, and as he.can^affprd'to sell the legs at 2s. 6d. a set, he is never short, of oraers. Leaving the main building, yard is crossed to the" upholstering, room; where mattrassing and other work pf that description, are performed,^ i3ie.rpom ;

forty by twenty with a *torey overhead foj» stacking timber. Frpra thence a. door leads m to rhe glaring room, forty by twelve where all the /glassing? arid painting is performed. Perhaps the very largest business , done by Mr. Venn is m the. sash trade, and as a consequence the item .of glass alone is a particularly heavy one. Wore we to state that it is no uncommon occurrence for the proprietor to send away cases of sashes to Wellington, our readers might be inclined to think it would be|,sending " coals to New? castle." Nevertheless such an assertion is perfectly true, as m one month alone no less than fifty pairs were despatched, This ia accounted for by two reason.B ; First the- - price m Palmeraton, for such goods, strange as it may appear, is below the Wellington scale ; and secondly, the wholesale houses m busy time 3 cannot get their orders .executed m town, and they are glad, of getting assist tance from any source. TJeavirig the glazing building we enter the joining room m which the different portions of doors, sashes, Ac, . " are put together, the place, being fitted with, a simple little hand-mitreing shoot, which mitrqs the mouldings to the proper angle. Crossing the yard once more and mounting ; a stairs we enter the furniture fitting room, where we see regiments of legs, backs, and v seats of American chairs, which, been . unpacked, and are awaiting the glueing and fitting process: Here the furniture is made ! to order, audas Mr. .Tenn^nV^iloTicle'tiibleißi,*''^' of all' descriptions, and chests of drawers, . even below the prices charged in /Wellington and Dunedin, as may be expected, liis bandar, are never idle. For the doors* and sashes .'totara, red pine or kauri is used ; while red pine, stained and highly polished is used for articles of furniture. As might be expected, to carry on such extensife works, a large number of bands are required; and the stock of timber necessary to replenish that taken from the seasoning' shed is almost beyond belief, no less a sum than £500 being ;; paid for timber during the past six months. The following few statistics of the work accomplished' m the two years and a half the Factory has .been m operation, may not. '■'"- be uninteresting :— 2,736 pair of sashes, at an average price.of 15s. per pair, £2,052 j 727 doors, at an average of 18s., £654 j furniture of all sorts, £750 j turning, about £50 a ' month; of local timber fully 160,000 feet have been : used, and 580 boxes of glass •v* carting and railway carriage, about £25 fpeß; month j "while the wages amount to. fully £100 per month; Mr. Venn informed pup //j reporter that, between the amount Bunk u\ machinery," and the. large stock at present on the premises, the money value represented by the Steam Woodwal'e Factory, would . fully reach £2,000 and certainly without an . internal inspection and an examination of thei ' various specialties; of machinery, no onef would imagine the extent or importance of : the works from the unpretentious outside appearance. In closing this notice we - may • state' tha^ although the Factory is m the: ' possession of a private person, consideringthe number of hands which are employed* ~: and the nature of the ventuTe, its success is certainly a matter for public congratulation, <j Some philosopher has said that- " tjie man "who causes a* blade of . grass to grow where tiione grew before, deseryes_ thanks of} humanity," .But we say that the man who m, Sa new;co.nntry like this successfully inau-, gurates and developes a new industiyi deserves the heartiest thanks of the com-( munity. . ." 4