In Sweden, the splints are usually made from aspen, cut in logs of 12-22 in. diameter. The wood is worked as soon as possible after being felled ; if seasoned, it has to be ateencd in water. The lees are cut by a cress-cut saw into pieces of 14 in., each containing seven lengths of matches, the bark being removed immediately after wards by hand labour.
The pieces are next chucked in a spear-lathe, making 15-20 rev. a minute, whore they are reduced to shavings by a planing tool acting simultaneously over the whole length. The thickness of these shavings is equal to the required thickness of the matches.
Fixed to the same rest as the planing tool, but slightly above it, are eight cutters, which divide the shaving into seven equal breadths, whereof each corresponds to the length of one match. These ahaviugs are freed from knots, and cut into lengths of about 6 ft., from which the matches are pro duced by a machine similar to a guillotine paper-cutter ; this operates upon two packs at once, each consisting of 90 shavings, and, when properly fed and making 120 strokes a minute, cuts matches at -the rate of a million to eaoh working hour.
At this stage, the Swedish splints are dried by being passed through two wire-gauze cylinders, about 10 ft. in length and 30 in. diameter, making 30 rev. a minute, and placed one above the other within a brick stove heated by chips and waste. The dried slips are next freed from splinters by being placed on a grid, with openings of suitable width to effect the separation. This grid receives a rapid vibratory motion, in a direction across its openings, by a crank-shaft. Its surface is partitioned, by strips of zinc in the same direction, into compartments a little wider than the length of a match ; ao that the slips are not only freed from splinters by rubbing against each other and against the bars of the grid, but are also laid parallel in these compartments.
Filling and splints arc then collected into bundles and dried, which takes a longer or shorter time, according to the state of the atmosphere. The next process is to place them in the dipping-frames ; the bundles are packed and looked over for " flakes "—imperfect splints, which would interfere with the action of the machine, and must be removed. The general plan was to dip the bundles (before arranging them in the frame) into paraffin. The objectionable feature is that each match does not receive its fair share of paraffin ; this is in a great measure obviated by dipping in the frame, or by applying a hot plate to the end of the bundle, which dries the tops of the splints, and enables them to absorb the paraffin with rapidity. Both plans are in use.
The dipping-frame consists of wooden laths, 1 in. by in. section, and 28 in. long, having a hole at each end, and moving freely upon two round iron bars fixed in a somewhat stronger lath. Between each two of these laths, 50 splints are ranged, equidistant from each other, and projecting equally beyond the surface of the frame. This is done by means of a filling-machine, consisting mainly of a cast-iron table, fitted with 50 parallel grooves, of a depth equal to the intended pro jection of the cuttings beyond the surface of the frame.
Filling-machines are commonly worked by hand, the frame being held in front, the box containing the splints being shaken by hand, whilst the wires which project the splints from the grooves into the filling-frame are worked by levers from a treadle. Fig. 967 represents a plan of an ordinary filling-machine, with certain additions devised by L. Mount, for enabling a number of machines to be operated simultaneously. Here one machine only is in work, but the Fig. indicates the method in which the two machines, back to back, are driven from the same shaft g ; and Fig. 968
shows the manner in which the bevelled slide is drawn backwards and forwards, and the length of stroke given by the movement to the stud and roller, and consequently the connecting-rod, by the rotation of the cam ; a is the connecting-rod, secured to the slide b, which is bevelled at its ends c, and works in /-grooves in the cast-iron piece d, screwed to the frame of the machine e. The connecting rod a is secured to the slide b by being passed between two tongue-pieces f and a bolt. It is made in two parts, fastened together by a strip of metal, and is slotted as in Fig. 968, so that it slides easily over the shaft g. Its outer end, shaped in a turned rod, works in the bearings h. The connecting-Tod is provided with a stud i, encircled by a friction-roller j ; k is the cam, with a groove 1 on its face. It is carried round on the shaft g by a key m, entering a similar sized cavity in the inner periphery of the cam, large enough to allow the cam being operated by the band-lever n, at o, so as to slide along the shaft and out of the way of the friction-roller j; p is the fork, entering a groove in the boss q of the cam, and connected with the hand-lever ; r are the bearings, placed between the backs of two machines, and on which the shaft g is supported ; s is a bevel-wheel, in gear with a pinion t on the shaft II ; there are bearings to support this shaft ; to Is a boss, set eccentric on the shaft II, and which, by means of the fixings and attachments d, gives a rapid to and fro motion to the hopper a' containing the splints. This has the effect of shaking them down into the grooves b', mado in the bed-plate form ing the bottom of the box a ; c' are the vertical plates, through which the splints issuing from the machine are separately pushed by the wires d' into the grooves of the dipping-frame e'. This frame e' is set upon the ascending and descending frame, which is controlled in its working by a counter balance weight. The frame e' is prevented from being pulled up by the weight by means of the counterbalance catches g'. Motion is imparted to the shaft w by means of a belt from a main shaft. This communicates motion through the pinion t to the bevel-wheel S and shaft g ; which latter, by means of its fixed key us, carries around the cam k, the hand-lever n having first been moved so as to allow the groove of the cam to admit the friction roller j. The motion is imparted thereto and to the connecting-rod a and elide b, which last is pushed backwards and forwards ; the wires d', entering the grooves b' of the bed-plate, push out the splints, which are caused to fall by the shaking or to-and-fro motion imparted to the hopper, between the plates c' and on to the fold of the dipping-frame; another grooved fold is then put on the same, and the operation is continued until the dipping-frame is tilled, when it is taken away and a fresh one is supplied. The rotation of the shaft u carries with it the fixed eccentric boss w; this is connected with the jawed connecting-rod x, and this latter to the bar x'. The motion is imparted from this to the pieces y, and to the hopper. The lower of these pieces is fixed to the rod x', and the upper one is attached to the iron band x" of the hopper. They are held together, when required, by means of the drop pivoted bit y", worked by the rod z. An additional groove is formed at either end of the bed-plate, so that if more then the proper number of splints should fall into the grooves b', they will be kept from being pushed out of the box, and thus overcrowding the dipping-frame and wearing out the brush. The shafts g u and the rod X' can be continued or lengthened, so as to accommodate and work any convenient number of machines.