M MR. HARRY BOWEN OST filers stick pretty closely to their own country. It is not often that one will make a jump from one continent to another, crossing thousands of miles of sea to take a new position. But sea voyages are an old story to Harry Bowen. He has filed saws in Northern Canada and in Haiti in the West Indies-in Brazil and in the East Indies. Climates vary, from the icy chill of the north to the scorching heat of the tropics; scenes change, but, as the much traveled Harry explains, "DISSTON SAWS are always the same wherever I go.' Mr. Bowen has filed saws for the past sixteen years and has had occasion to work on many makes of saws, so his experience is worth something, To quote his own words-"I can find none to compete with the DISSTON SAWS. The teeth never crumble, the tension remains longer and the saws will stand up longer than any other saws I have ever used or fitted up in any place on this globe." At present Mr. Bowen is filing in one of the largest mills in the East Indies where he looks after the 12-inch bands. The timber is so hard that the saws have to be changed four or five times in a ven hour run. Each time they come off the wheels they are benched and given most careful attention. Mr. Bowen has laid down some excellent rules for himself for the care of saws. Here are a few of them. "Don't use a hammer on your saws just for pastime. When you use a hammer, use a light one. Then if you make a wrong blow you can easily fix FROM OUR READERS REPAIRING BAND SAWS (Continued from page 13) Study the saws. Note their tendency to dish either way. Very often a complete rearrangement of your order of pairing the saws will save lots of hammering and be the means of giving more efficient saws. Saw filers who got their training in saw shops, who are saw-makers as well as saw-filers, know that in working band saw blades many of them will show more resistence to the hammer on one side of the blade than the other, that there will be a tendency to take dish on one side, and that it seems to be the disposition of such a blade to return to this condition as often as it is leveled. There is but one way to successfully meet this annoying conditionthat is to keep the blade dished on the opposite, then after a time it will yield. The tendency of band saws to return to this original dish will be noted while rolling with the stretcher. Very often filers say "My roll is dishing my saws". While it is possible for the rolls to do so owing to poor alignment, in nine cases out of ten it is nothing more than the peculiar stubborness of the blade noted above. Light gauge saws in use on twin re-saw machines running over crowding wheels develop this dish quite rapidly, hence the advantage of studying them and changing them about, if necessary, to overcome the trouble thereby getting better all around results. J. J. MURRAY Glenolden, Pa. Makuri, Wellington, N. Z. MESSRS. HENRY DISSTON & SONS, Dear Sirs: We have been receiving regularly for some time your fine little magazine, "The DISSTON Crucible" and think it only right to let you know that we very much appreciate it, and have to thank you for your kind thoughtfulness in forwarding it so regularly. I might mention that we have used your saws for many years and have found them to be what you claim. Mr. Yeoman and myself together used one of your crosscut saws at a number of sports gatherings when sawing contests were held, and though heavily handicapped, were never beaten. We have a 12-inch DISSTON circular as bottom saw of twins and it is a splendid tool. We have also a 66-inch in same position in another mill and it is all that could be desired. We have for the last two years been using your "Oriole" in the bush for log cutting and without hesitation say that it stands out on its own as a fast and easy cutting saw. Sometimes we have to cut both hard and soft timber in the day and we find it possible to do this without altering the set or filing. No other saw will do this in a satisfactory manner. Two months ago two of our bushmen used an "Oriole" in a sawing contest against about ten other They made an easy win. With best wishes for continued prosperity for your firm. saws. Yours faithfully, GARDNER & YEOMAN POSITION WANTED As band saw and circular saw filer, knife grinder and millwright. Have had experience in filing for all kinds of timber, and can furnish the best of reference. Address R. F. Mechlin, R. 6, Box 1-A, Springfield, O. The forests of Florida are said to contain at least 175 different kinds of wood.-Bldg. Age. VOL. IV. MARCH 15, 1915 NO. 2 EDITORIAL CHAT OPPORTUNITY F the various influences which shape our lives, Opportunity most deserves our gratitude. She is a kindly, generous divinity, ever ready to point out the way to success and happiness. But she is a restless spirit. If we do not listen to her call, if we neglect her, she flits impatiently away. She demands courage, quickness of decision, prompt action in those who would profit by her gifts. Yet, in spite of her seeming displeasure at being flouted how often Opportunity returns. Often she is in different guise, testing our keenness and powers of recognition. Opportunity wishes us well and it is seldom indeed that she fails to give us many chances to profit by her generosity. When Opportunity is so kind, why is it that more of us do not act upon her suggestions? It is generally from one of these two reasons we are wilfully blind or we lack the courage to act. We have all seen instances of one or the other of these failings. A man is sometimes so contented with his job that he will not see that a little study, a little extra work after hours, will soon fit him for the job higher up. Perhaps a young filer is offered a position in a much larger mill where his responsibility will be heavy. Unless he has a lot of grit, the thought of taking on a job like this may take all the stiffening out of his backbone, and he will be afraid of trying it. Thus Opportunity is neglected. She will come again, but think of the lost years before she does. It is the man who goes out to meet Opportunity, who has the courage to follow her leadership, often without seeing the end of the journey, who achieves the big success. Seventy-five years ago a young man was thrown out of a job by the failure of his employers. They owed him money at the time. Some would have thought this ill fortune. But to this young man it was the call of Opportunity. Taking a few tools and some steel in place of the money due him, he launched out in a business of his own. Today the immense saw and tool making plant of HENRY DISSTON & SONS stands as an inspiring monument to the zeal and untiring confidence of this young man who heeded the call of Opportunity. |