A Visit to Calder Chair & Cabinet WorksFriday 7th December 1888

Lochwinnoch, like the neighbouring parish of Beith, is at some distance from the main line; and for many years past its inhabitants have had reason to complain that there is little or nothing, in the shape of public works, within its boundaries to give the youthful members of the community employment at home. The steam laundry carried on by Mr Williamson of Calder Glen, which we will give an account in our next edition) is, so far as we know, the only kind of employment about Lochwinnoch for females.

It is a cleanly little town, with a fine fresh water lake like a sea lying close to it; and in many respects a very desirable place of residence.

Messrs. Hunter, Hamilton, and Crawford, recently thought it so when they planted what we may term the pioneer chair factory of Lochwinnoch in that parish, where they have now been for about eight years. We could see, from a visit we paid to their factory lately, that it is a place thoroughly furnished for carrying on an important cabinet-maker's business, as their works are provided with the most improved machinery now in use in the trade. As in the case of the other works we visited in Beith -  in which place the members of the firm held responsible positions in the leading shops, until they "hived off" and settled in Lochwinnoch - we found several machines the Messrs Kerr & Sons, Auchengree, and Messrs Kerr & Co., Beith, at work, and wherever, in the course of our visits we have chanced to meet with these, they are spoken of as affording the greatest satisfaction.

The compact factory of this enterprising firm is well planned; and what is an indispensable condition to success in this as in other like concerns is, that its members are thoroughly conversant with their business; and as each separate department of the workshop is superintended by one of the heads of the house, there is constant and close supervision of the jobs that the hands are employed on.

The work done here is principally for the trade. On the day that we stepped in on them, most of the hands were at work on chairs - of which they have a large order booked - for the steamers of one of the principal transatlantic companies. Messrs Hunter, Hamilton, and Crawford make the manufacture of ship chairs a speciality.

These they get up in the best of cabinet woods, oak, walnut, and mahogany. They are fixed to ornamental iron standards, and are for use in the saloons of ships. The chairs are set on pivots, and are, as such chairs need to be, substantially built, and most comfortable to sit in. On the back is the company’s monogram or crest, filled in with Italian ornament. The chairs are convertible - having a patent reversible seat - one surface of which is covered with raised plush velvet, and the other is caned - the idea being to supersede the use of loose cushions. The chairs are dull polished the natural colour of the wood, and have a handsome appearance in the finished state. From 250 to 350 of these are used in one boat, according to size. This class of work they have specialty; and since commencing business they have completed large orders of a like kind for our principal shipbuilding firms. These orders keep them from going much into cabinet work as is the case in Beith, so they confine themselves principally to chair-making of all kinds for the English, Irish, and Scotch markets and much of the work done there,  we were told, is sent out to the Colonies.

On entering the machinery flat we noticed the band saw and circular saw hard at work - the former cutting out all the shaped wood that was to be used in chair-making. Near to these were two large circular saws; also, a jointing saw for jointing the wood; and this saw is well adapted for making a beautiful square joint. The surface planning machine, which is used for taking the bend out of the wood - for making it straight; is entirely a labour-saving machine. The wood in the drying process, is twisted, but this machine is not long in taking the twist out of it, and making it dead level and square. To do the same thing by manual labour would be to put the manufacturer out of the market altogether. The panel planning machine near this is of large dimensions, being 30in broad. It takes in and planes to any thickness from ½in to 7in. This is a very handy machine, manufactured by the Kerrs of Auchengree. We were assured by the workman that it was a really good article, with all the modern improvements.  We were next shown a very neat little fret saw, principally used for cutting out fine frets, which are inserted in drawing-room suits. The boring machine was at work on rails. It is wrought with one, two, or three bits, according to the size of wood wanted.

At one time, we remember, it was a puzzle to some of our friends how banisters could be turned square in the turning lathe; and if any turner had ventured the opinion that such a thing was at all practical, he would have been considered unsafe to be beside his fellow - craftsmen, but square turning has now reached to something like perfection. As it is now done on a large drum, the old system of fret-cutting and finishing up with the hand balusters intended to be used in the various pieces of cabinet and chair work is thus dispensed with. A very nice piece of machinery was that for "fluting," “reeding “and "twisted nulling" this kind of work. It turns out much neater than by the hand. We were shown a double irregular moulding machine; and also a one-spindle machine. A very useful machine is that for mortising, &c., which is provided with a self-centering chuck.

A patent circle machine, made by the Brothers Kerr of Auchengree, was next pointed out to us. It is used principally for chair top rails, and the work it does is very satisfactory. The wood is cut out with this band saw, and planed on both sides with this machine, which is a very useful and labour-saving machine. The revolution of the knives is about 7,000 per minute. It travels on a screw; while by placing the “template” in proper position, the workman can make  any curve he wishes; and by putting on another "template" he can cut on the other side, and plane to the thickness wanted. The one template is hollow, the other round. There are three counter shafts, which raise the speed to the figure mentioned.

We noticed two moulding machines at work - one with a reversible spindle - doing as much work in a minute as a man could accomplish in an hour, the other machine for running moulding on vase-backed chairs; but this machine is less used now that the style of chairs has altered. Adjoining the machine shop is the engine-room, containing a very nice and powerful horizontal engine.

In a small room off the machine shop we saw one of Pollock's Patent Carving Machines at work, carving chair top-rails. The machine is self-acting, and requires no attention. When once the machine has been set, it goes on with the pattern till it is finished. The pattern on which it was operating when we saw it was  a crown for chair balusters in ships. It is a most ingenious machine for lightening labour, and does infinite credit to Mr John Pollock's mechanical genius. The knives dip into the parts, of the wood that are to be hollowed out, and when done, leaves the figure in clear outline, ready to be finished up by the carver. This, we were told, was the only machine of the kind - excepting Mr John Pollock's own - in use in Scotland.

Although done with machinery, we should say, the work is certainly skilled labour; for unless the men working these machines were thoroughly practical men, who mix brains with their labour, the machines would be as good as useless. We asked if youngsters could not be got to work such machinery, but the reply made by one of the partners was that they found it more profitable to have men employed at such work, provided they were men of taste, as it was necessary to put brains - not into the machinery - but into the work it produced. Their experience always been that it was best to have practical men employed, who knew what they were doing. With lads work was never right done. That had been their experience of them; and they were, besides, a trouble.

Second Flat.

We have not space to do more than touch upon what we saw in other parts of the Factory. The flat we next entered is where the chairs are put together and finished off, after they come up from the machines. We saw a great variety of these, in the newest styles, in process of manufacture - the old vase-backed chair having gone out of fashion.

Polishing.

On the second flat is the polishing department, quite a busy little hive of workers being employed polishing dining-room, drawing-room, parlour, and other styled chairs including "Early English," "Sheraton," and "Adams" styles - which are made principally in rosewood and walnut - the rosewood, in many instances, beautifully inlaid with satinwood and other fine coloured wood. Besides, chairs of different styles are made in suites for the principal firms in the leading towns in England, Ireland, and Scotland. Adjoining this apartment is the house for fumigating oak furniture, to give it a dark rich colour before being polished.

Carving and Upholstery Shop.

In this department a good many skilled workers are busy carving at ornaments representing the work of certain ages: this is mostly all hand labour. Adjoining the carving is the upholstery shop, thoroughly furnished with all the requisites for carrying on upholstery work. It is a complete shop in every way - the firm doing all their work within themselves.

Outside.

At the end of the building, is the boiler and drying houses, above which are two roomy flats in which wood is dried - being the drying store. In the yard there was a large quantity of the woods that are used in cabinet and chair-works. A number of British Oak trees, and Pollard Oak from Bute and Hamilton estates was laid out ready to be cut up, besides mahogany, walnut, and other kinds of wood in a forward state of preparedness for working.

The firm, we were glad to be told, has been kept busy ever since starting business - sometimes having more work on hand than they were able to overtake. There would be about sixty hands on the premises, we think, and one of the firm undertakes the management in each department - Mr Crawford taking the machinery department under his special care: Mr Hunter, the chair and shop department; and Mr Hamilton overlooking the carving, and doing all the designing. The thorough practical knowledge that each of the partners brings to bear on the work in his own department goes far to raise the standard of excellence in workmanship above that generally reached in such factories.