The Art of Making Excellent Arms for the Sunshine Clothesline
PARKERSBURG, Iowa (PRWEB) July 01, 2018 -- Promoted by questions last season about why we still make our Arms from wood we are making the following statement.
Choose the very best material that is affordable, for over 105 years Sunshine Clothesline Dryer has selected wood. Why wood?
Because it:
- Is flexible to be able to share the uneven loads while hanging clothes on a Sunshine Clothesline.
- Is lightweight.
- Will last between 7 and 15 years.
- Can be replaced economically when it wears out.
- Is a renewable source.
There are currently two standout wood species to use, Southern Yellow Pine and Radiata Pine. These woods have the characteristics needed to fill the requirements. From the supplier large bundles of wood are used, with boards that measure 1” x 6” x 10’, 12’ or 14’ long, the length depending on the models to be made, the grade used is “C&Better”.
The following are the manufacturing operations in sequence to make boards into Sunshine Clothesline Arms;
1. The first machining operation is to cross cut the boards to proper length.
2. The second machining operation is to cut the Arms to width making them slightly tapered, smaller at the top and larger at the bottom. This is done on a large table saw with a piece of tooling called a “Sled”. This devise is mounted on top of the table saw bed and holds the wood in place while feeding it through the saw, sending the completed part onto a waiting cart and returning the unused portion of the board to the operator. A large dust collector is used to control the saw dust and wood chips.
3. The third machining operation is to plane the edges of the Arms giving them a radius on each edge. The machine has two cutting heads so the sequence is push the Arm, small end first, under the hold down roller and into the drive rollers. Having feed rollers on both sides of the cutter head, the machine then pulls and pushes the Arm across the cutters and out onto a conveyor which returns the Arm to the operator. Then feeding the same Arm unfinished side down into second cutting head, to be processed the same as the first side and finishing the radius profiles. The part then exits the machine and falls into a stacking support. While the Arm is going through the second cutting head a new Arm can be fed into the first cutting head and with continuous feeding and coordination each head can be cutting an Arm radius at the same time which gives good productivity.
4. The forth machining operation is to drill the holes in the Arms. In a Multiple Spindle Drill Press, all of the holes needed in 3 Arms can be drilled in one cycle. First placing three Arms into the tooling which locates the Arms at three points along one side, toggle clamps push the Arms positively against these side locators. Over center clamps aided with air cylinders hold the Arms securely against the tooling bed and each other, this clamping action greatly reduces “breakout” on the exit side of each hole. At the end of the cycle undue the clamps, inspect the holes produced and place the Arms in the cart.
5. The fifth operation is to test the strength and durability of the Arm. For this there is a “Pneumatic Test Tool”. Flex/stress the Arm both width and flat on both sides, so it takes four strokes for each Arm. If the Arm fails it is obviously scrapped, if it only makes a cracking sound (no matter how slight) it is retested. If it makes any sound or sign of cracking during the second testing, it fails, if not it passes. During this testing a “Witness Mark” is put on the Arms, this is further assurance the Arms are Strong enough to do the intended job.
6. The sixth operation is to clean and paint the Arms. Each Arm is pushed through an enclosed “Cleaning Box” and out onto a catch support. Inside the “Cleaning Box” are two brush sets, one with stiff bristles and one with softer bristles. These remove the wood chips and dust from the Arms. Also this “Cleaning Box” has a dust collector attached to it which removes more fine dust particles making the Arms even cleaner. This preparatory cleaning aids the paint in adhering to the Arms and therefore gives a more protective finish. Each Arm is painted by submersion in a tank of “Water Reducible Chain Stop Medium Dry Alkyd Enamel”. According to the manufacturer this paint gives:
• High Gloss
• Good Exterior Durability
• Good Flexibility and Film Toughness
• Excellent flow and leveling
• Film hardness.
This is proven by over 12 years of use and testing by G&G Clothesline. After submersion the Arms are hung on a moveable overhead drying rack, allowed to dry for 4 to 8 days depending on the current drying conditions (temperature and humidity), and then submerged again to give them a second coating of paint. This process of cleaning and painting has produced an Arm which will hold up to weather conditions for MANY years.
Keith Wilson, G&G Clothesline, http://www.sunshineclothesline.com/, +1 319-346-2423, [email protected]
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