Benson Polytechnic High School - BluePrint Yearbook (Portland, OR)

Page 29 text:

The POLY TECH 27 FOUNDRY The Foundry The foundry is one of the new shops of Benson Tech and is very interesting to the boys because it is so different from the older electrical, machine, plumbing and other shops of the old school. VVhen the shop was first opened, little or no equipment was in place or in running order, so it was necessary to put things in shape before a regular course could be pursued. This the boys did in a re- markably short time. The first and most difficult job that was done was the erecting and lining of a twenty-four inch cupola with fire clay and brick. This should be a mason's job, but nothing is too hard for the boys to do, so in a few days the cupola was completed. The other improvements that the boys have made are, lining the hearth of the brass furnace with fire clay, put the fan for the cupola in place, installed the scales and benches for chipping, core making and moulding. The foundry stu- dents were not the only ones to help com- plete the shop, for the electricians, ma- chinists, blacksmiths and Woodworkers all contributed their share of labor and deserve credit also. This is a good il- lustration of how the various shops co- operate in turning out work and equip- ment. Later in the term the big three ton crane was installed. This is a very useful ma- chine as it picks weights and iron up and moves them from place to place. 'lt is used also to lift coke and pig from the floor to the balcony, thus saving much labor. The foundry is becoming more com- plete each day, Lately a pneumatic hammer and chipper has been installed. The best grade of tools are used in moulding work, and the students learn to use them thoroughly. In casting the students wear goggles and asbestos leg- gings to protect themselves from the hot metal. The foundry is arranged in a very convenient way. On the ground floor the cupola is situated in one corner and the brass furnaces 'in the opposite cor- ner. There is a place for the flasks and equipment on the cupola side and a chip- ping bench on the other side by the brass

Page 28 text:

26 The POLY TECH Slllil-QT METAL DEPARTMENT Sheet Metal Department Sheet metal work is a large and grow- ing industry. lt is intimately connected with the building trades and an increas- ing proportion of the cost of buildings is spent for cornice work, roofing, sky- lights, ornamental ceiling, Ventilating and heating. The rapid growth of the automobile industry requires the labor of thousands of men on bodies and radiators, the in- vention of sheet metal boats, and a large line of metal furniture is opening new fields every day. The introduction of autogenous welding and of electric welding has done much to make possible the use of sheet metal in new forms. ln its close co-relation with drawing it offers a practical application of the principle of intersections and develop- ments which are not easily connected with any other form of shop work. In the working out of sheet metal patterns every important principle used in the drawing of intersecting solids and the development of surfaces can be illus- trated and the student will at the same time be doing constructive work which will be tried out in the shops. There are many things that can be made of sheet copper and brass such as cigar trays, pin trays, spoons, fishing tackle and other useful articles. VVelding is another interesting sub- ject connected with sheet metal. There are several kinds of welding, oxy-acety- lene welding being the most important. Sheet metal work develops a faculty in the handling of a variety of hand tools. A larger number of light tools and machines are used than in any other branch of metal work. Since the ma- chines are hand operated, they are en- tirely under the control of the student and not in any sense automatic as some machines are. The mind of the student must be on his work and a correspond- ing mental development results from this concentration. The wages paid to the competent men in the sheet metal trades compare favor- ably with the wages paid in similar lines of work, The work is not confining, not unhealthful and is not dangerous.

Page 30 text:

28 The POLY TECH furnace. In the balcony the charging door of the cupola is in one corner and the core baking oven is in the opposite. Next to the core oven is the core bench, where all core work is done and by the cupola bench moulding work is done. Mr. Wahlgren, the instructor, takes the boys out on excursions occasionally to visit other shops so the students may get an idea of what is expected of them in the outside world. It is educational and interesting, for the boys compare their methods of doing work with that of the men and correct their mistakes and learn more. The foremen of the foundries are very kind to their young successors and explain every detail to them, which the boys appreciate very much. Up to date there has been a dozen anvil block casts turned out for the blacksmith shop and many exercise blades for the machine shop. Probably the largest undertaking was the casting of a rotor for the Vernon Grammar school. It consisted of many metals as iron, aluminum, brass, bronze and lead, and it was a total success. In this cast- ing nothing but the best material was used. The Library The library, in the center of the ad- ministration building, is a large, well- lighted and attractive room. Students are scheduled there for their vacant pe- riods, and go from the shops and draw- ing rooms to do special reference work and study. Very helpful material is also found in the library in connection with the dis- cussions and debates in the English de- partment of the school. From time to time, classes are instructed in the use of the library by the librarian, Miss Kath- erine Kiemle, who was formerly in the technical department of the Central li- brary. The books are mainly technical, such as Machinery's Encyclopedia, Kent's Mechanical Engineer's Handbook, Ma- chinery's Handbook, Hawkins' Electrical Guide, Foster's Electrical Engineer's Pocketbook, Kidder's Building Construc- tion and Superintendence, Dyke's Auto- mobile Encyclopedia, Page's Modern Gasoline Automobile, Crowe's Forge- craft, and Palrner's Foundry Practice. The leading technical, as well as a number of popular magazines, are re- ceived. The list for 1917-1918 follows: American Architect, American Machin- ist, Architecture, -Automobile Dealer and Repairer, Century, Current Opinion, Do- mestic Engineering, Electrical Review, Electrical World, Foundry, Independent, Iron Trade Review, Literary Digest, Metal Worker, Machinery, Motor Age, Motor World, National Geographic Mag- azine, Plumbers' Trade Journal, Popular Mechanics, Shipbuilder and World's VVork. There are also books of travel, fiction, biography, science, history and literature, which are circulated among the students. The Woodworking Department The pattern shop, being one of the youngest in point of organization, has only a few major students, but that does not stay them from turning out a full share of work. In this shop, we have made many patterns for the schools and other city work. The patterns go from this shop to the foundry and from there to the machine shop. It is not always fully un- derstood that the pattern shop is the be- ginning of many lines of mechanical work. This shop now being on a much larger scale, the accommodations are greatly improved and the enrollment of techni- cal students is very much increased, these and the pattern makers are under one departmental head. The pattern makers have been doing work for some outside companies, such as a globe valve which requires a great deal of care and attention. Other work recently turned out is a pattern for the trench bomb to be used by the govern- ment. Sanding machine patterns have