Springfield factory

[armorer951]

One of the distinct memories of my S&W factory tour back in 1980 was the factory floor....literally.

The floor was constructed of end grain wood block material. My question is, other than the fact that this would be cheap, a snap to repair and a bit easier on the back than the concrete below the wood, are there other reasons why this type of construction is, or was, common in factories?? Just curious.

This is not a photo taken by me, but looks a bit like the floor up there.....only perhaps a bit cleaner.

 

[DWalt]

Could help dampen shock and vibrations from machinery. Back in my old home town was a very large shoe factory, and the interior floors were very heavy wood beams and planking for that reason - dampening vibrations from machinery. When the building was demolished over 10 years ago, I knew the guy who got the demolition contract. He made an absolute fortune selling all of that magnificent wood.

 

[Milton]

That type of floor was used in some of the older steel producing operations in Birmingham a long time ago.They were much quieter than other floors,were better on your back and legs if you spent the day working on them and they lasted a long time.I can remember working in some of the old turn of the century mills that had those floors that were at least 60 years old and they were much more comfortable to walk on than the newer concrete floors.

 

[snowman]

Apparently it wasn't done just in factories. I played basketball in Junior High school, and the gym floor at our school was end-grain wood blocks. However I have no idea how common such floors were in gymnasiums. Logic would tell me that there were at least some that way, but how many I don't know. In subsequent years the floor in the gym developed some problems, some due to leaks in the roof, but also for other reasons.

Regards,
Andy

 

[wheelgun28]

They are also better when you drop things on them.

When I was a teen I used to have to repair those floors. If they get soaked and swell they can bubble up quite high. I had to stack all the blocks back in nice and neat then lock them in with sand. The blocks we had were dark, I think soaked in creosote. The new blocks had that awful smell too.

 

[ContinentalOp]

It was also used in post offices built during the 1930s, I believe. It was supposed to be easier on postal workers who were on their feet all day. IIRC, they go about 2 feet deep.

 

[joe44va]

They are also non-slip, a big plus in oily environments, easy to install and repair, quieter, better on your feet and back and used to be inexpensive. Many machine shops had them.

 

[robvious]

have seen them in museums... makes attaching and removing installations easy to repair and maintain... also quiet... many advantages... and it is "renewable"... may come back into fashion once again...

 

[fordson]

In addition to the reasons stated above, they are also Non-sparking floors.

 

[JH1951]

In my old hometown, Steelton, PA, some of the streets were made of wood as described above for floors. I remember them well as a kid. All gone now.

 

[Mortimer94]

Walked on those S&W floors for 14 years. Good for soaking up oil.