OTAGO IMPLEMENT AND MACHINE WORKS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1388, 26 May 1883, Page 4

OTAGO IMPLEMENT AND MACHINE WORKS.

j (From the Otago Daily Times.) { It is now 10- voiirs • since tho wollj known firm of IMd and Gray commenced business in Princess-street as manufacturers of agricultural machinery; and from that date their business ; has steadily increased, till at the present time the firm employs upwards of 230 hands. Since that time, too, the buildingshavebeen gradually extended, until now, with a recently-erected substantial three-storey building, they present quite an imposing appeara»ce, and occupy a considerable block of land between Princess and Crawford streets at the south end of the town. This now building, and the naiuro of the machinery it contains, we now propose to briefly notice, for it would take columns and columns of the Times to give any adequate description of the machinery employed in the works, or of the processes the material undergoes before it is turned out in the shape of a complete implement. At the same time we will note a number of items which may be deemed of general interest, gathered during a hasty visit to the foundry. Our representative was kindly conducted through the premises by Mr Gray, who spared no trouble in . explainingthe machinery and the modes , of manufacturing the numerous farm implements now turned out by the .•:.,. firm. Our steps were now directed ■•to the ground floor of the new building, which is used exclusively for carpen- . ters' work. Here a new engine has been erected for driving the woodworking machinery alone, ropes manufactured of the best Manilla hemp being used instead of the conventional leather belts for conveying the power to the different machines in operation, These ropes, which have been adopted in the Mosgiel and Kaikorai Woollen Factories, and various other establishments in Dnnedin are found to be a great improvement on the old plan, working much more smoothly and lasting considerably longer than bolts, while at the same timo they aro not so costly. One of the most interesting machines on this floor is what is known as the double-shaping machine—used for shaping dray felloes, bent shafts, or curved work of any description. This is work which used to be done by hand and was in many cases a very laborious process; but now by means of the two head cutters, which make 4005 revolutions in a minute, the most difficult job can be turned off in about a minute, We passed a' band-saw, a planeing machine (which planes three sides of a blook at one operation), a combined morticing and boring machine, and a combined planer and circular saw, all doing 'their work in first-class style. In the farther end of the building is a machine which is kept continually turning dray-wheel spokes and swingletrees This requires vory little attention from the workman who has charge of it. He simply fixes a rough, unsawn piece of wood in a horizontal position, shifts a belt on to a driving-pully, and in the very short space of three minutes a nicely-finisM dray-spoke is the result —an operation which used to be performed by hand with the old-fashioned tools in about three-quarters of an hour. Among other machines on this floor we noticed an emery grinder, with centrifugal pump by which the exact quantity of water needed is poured on the surface of the stone. In all, four of these stoneß are kept going in the works, and tho average time it takes to wear one away is about a month. A large supply of timber is kept in stock, and is of the very best description, combining durability and :- strength. A great deal of it, especially red gum and blackwood, is yearly imported .from the Australian Colonies, tho latter coming from Tasmania, via Melbourne. The second Hat of the new building will be utilised as a Bhow and Btoreroom, where all the implements manufactured by tho firm, will be open for inspection by the public. As yet the room is not quite finished, so that only a fow :, implements are on view. We noticed i! one of the jointed pulverising discwheel harrows, which are now coming greatly into favor with Colonial farmers. Those'harrows are only a recent invention, and three or four years ago they were scarcely heard of in New Zealdud; yet during the last two seasons Messrs Roid and Gray manufactured 300, and this season they etfpect' to turnout '2OO. Some of the harrows have combined with them micliinds"'for sowing grain, and more patticularly 'grass seeds.' Another implement which has lately come into vogue with' Goldnial; farmers is the grain-drill,- of.■which last, season some 90 odd were'sent'to':'various parts of. the Colony.': Extra 'arrangements for sowing grass and turnip seeds or guano i are also ma(}e to'fit on to these drills, i which ajo made at a cost ranging from | £22 to sit This season it. is intended 'I to devote a great deal of attention to ~ reapers-aHd-bi'h'ders,' it being the exf _, pectation of tho firm to turn out fully '. i • 100. 'A nomber, of men are at present busily engaged in the manufacture of •the necessary castings for these. Last year only eight were turned out, ,;.. . These : gave general satisfaction, and ;.'.'•' the firm were successful in gaining first : : j honors at the Taieri and Oamaru trials ; i. against all comers, and the prize offered 1 _ ' ;; for the best all-round machine at the l ' ' Taieri exhibition. Leaving theßhowroom, •; j we were escorted through tho mould- ; j j| ihg-room; where the Bcene is a very • I hiiay.oiieispme 30 hands being at pre- #| j Jfv a'erit Employed there Several improyc--6; I'vinents hava recently been effected in ji 5 f ;, this department, and the work is now l\ f facilitated by the adoption of | (J i• r machines'for making many of the j.j j j'; moulds, which were hitherto only |i| \\ \ fliade by hand. Cast malleable iron is >,, •' i'| largely utilised in the manufacture of \ | J!' -different machines, the process being j j \i completed by means of the annealing j .►; furnace, where 'the. castings are kept ■'' night and'day for about a week in a red-hot condition." In (he ; same room ' where this furnace is located, two largo travelling cranes will shortly be erected, i one capable of lifting two tons, and the • other one. ton weight, They will be .mod for ajiiftfug tlw moulds to the

furnace, and lifting patterns and moulding-boxes, In the fitting shop anumber of ploughs; -corn-drllisy aid harrows"were being .fitted upwind we noticed the Bbri of a well-known clerical gentleman of tho city busily at work with the other apprentices, It is this young gontleman's intention to become a farmer,, and his father very wisely: decided that he would he none tjie worse for a little technical knowledge about farm implements before starting on his agricultural career. The idea is a. very sensible one, and some of our faiv mors would do well to give their sons a similar insight into the manufacturi' and mechanism of the machinos they are daily in the habit of using. In the blacksmith's shop a large number of men are busily at work, somo. of then} engaged at piecework. Hero there are no fewer than four steam hammers, of from'one and a-half to 10 cwt each, One of them has just been replaced after a life of four years—a rather short existence, on account of its being misused a good deal for the purpose of cutting bar-iron. A number of the men were busy the double-furrow ploughs, for the manufacture of which the firm have now obtained a more than Colonial reputation. Some of tho processes are very interesting, the caso with which the ilat steel plates for the mould-hoards aro bent into shape by a 10-ton hydraulic press being marvellous. Last senson 760 double-furrows, CO swing, and 40 three-furrow ploughs were manufactured. These were .sent 1 all over the colony, and the doublefurrows go even to the sister colonics, where they first came nndor the notice of farmers, through tlie Melbourne, Exhibition, the jurors speaking in very complimentary terms of their finish and construction, and awarding them the gold medal for ploughs, Already the firm have manufactured and sold upwards of 6000. The prices for double-furrow ploughs range from £ls to .£lB. To the uninitiated it seems rather strange that a machine can bo utilised for sawing bars and rods of iron. Such, however, is tho case, and during our perambulation through the blacksmiths'shop wo had an oppor tunity of witnessing such an instrument in full working order. Bars of iron four inchesin thickness, after being heated, can be sawn through in a few seconds. The saw makes about 1500 revolutions in a minute, and when a piece of iron is being sawn a shower of sparks is sent flying into the air, the noise being deafening. Amongst other machines made by the firm may be mentioned their well-known back-de-livery reaper, a model of durability and simplicity, of which 200 are made every year, and the common chaffcutter and horse-power driving gear, of which, during the year, about 150 of each are manufactured. Othor well'known and equally serviceable implements to the farmer aro manufactured in abundance, such as subsoilers, combined subsoiler and plough, Cambridge rollers,' chain and zig-zag harrows, broadcast sowers, 4c, Such is a brief outline of the works at present undertaken by Messrs Reid and Gray, the details being, on account of the limited space at our disposal, necesarily meagre, Already branches have been established in Invercargill, Oamaru, Timaru.'Ashburton, Christchnrch, and Auckland, and' a branch will shortly bo opened at Napier. The firm have been awarded prizes at nearly every show in the and they havo bosides 100 silver medals and, numerous exhibition certificates in their possession, the Melbourne and two other gold medals and a bronze medal gained at the Sydney Exhibition. It may also be worthy, of note that the firm issues a profusely illustrated catalogue, which is perhaps the most complete catalogue of the kind issued in the Colonies'. Those who take an interest in such matters as we have treated of will find a great deal of valuable infoimation within its pages.