COTTON GINNERS HANDBOOK (2016 Revised Edition): Saw Gin Stands

Abstract

The saw gin stand is the heart of the saw ginning system. From the initial filing of patents for the spiked-tooth gin and the saw gin in 1794 and 1796 by Whitney and then Holmes, respectively, the saw gin stand has predominated over early roller-type gins in the U.S. cotton ginning industry. These early saw gin stands were small, simple, and were manually fed hand-picked seed cotton and processed only a few hundred pounds of fiber per day. However, at this early stage, it was recognized that the gin stand had a huge impact on fiber quality and textile utility. These early saw gins tended to be single-stand installations that consisted of a gin stand and a bale press. The basic operating principle of separating fiber and seed by pulling the cotton fiber through narrow slots that blocked the passage of the cottonseed in these early saw gins has not changed. However, the size and complexity of the saw gin stand and the ginning system, of which the saw gin is the heart, has changed by orders of magnitude. The most recent Cotton Ginners Handbook documented all of the manufacturers and specifications of U.S. saw gins that were being used in the cotton industry at that time. Subsequently the saw gin has continued to evolve and some gin manufacturers are no longer in business whereas others have entered the field. This document provides the U.S. ginning industry the most recent information available on saw gin stands currently operating in the U.S.