shop is opened with untrained workmen, it takes many months to bring it into any condition at all approaching the ideal.

Tool Equipment

A comparatively large expenditure is warranted for securing labor-saving tools. Labor is a very undependable element; but the tools, if given proper attention, will take care of the work at all times. In the case of shops of equal capacity, the difficulties of running them successfully seem to increase about in proportion to the square of the number of men employed.

Shop Floors

The character of the shop floors has an influence on production, because it has an effect on the character of the labor that can be secured and also upon the amount of work that can be performed in a given time. The floors should be level, clean, in good repair, and not too hard. A wood-block floor seems to meet these conditions, as it can be kept clean and level, is not too hard, is long lived, and can be repaired quickly and economically. It is not cold, and, when kept clean, it is not slippery.

Straightening Metal

A certain amount of material as it comes from the mills is not sufficiently straight to be used in the condition in which it is received, if the result is to be a first-class product. Straightening by hammers is unsatisfactory and expensive, and it is prohibited by many specifications. The best results can be secured by the installation of straightening rolls for plates and angles and rolls or presses for channels and I-beams.

Marking Metal

The marking-off of the material is largely done by hand; and efficient appliances should, therefore, be provided for handling and holding the individual pieces. Jib-cranes or traveling wall-cranes are suitable for such manipulation. They should have either electric or quick air hoists, and should be operated from the floor. Overhead cranes should be provided for delivering materials to the proper zone and for removing them therefrom. Proper skids should be furnished on which the material can be marked off and stored.

Trimming and Cutting

As trimming and cutting of metal in the condition in which it comes from the mill are always required, the necessary space and tools should be provided for doing this work either before the material is marked off or before  it  is punched.  Among  the  tools that might be mentioned are