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During the war, the Canadian Government also requested Frost & Wood to start producing flax lifters.

By the end of World War I, the flax seed market had dried up as major producers like Russia and Holland were left to deal with the after effects of the war. France had been using flax lifters since the 1900s, so Frost & Wood took these European designs and started production on the Tow Scutcher.

The Tow Scutcher was used to pull flax fibres apart and get rid of the waste. The fibres would then be made into thread, then linen, and then used to cover the wings of aircrafts. Over the course of the war, Frost & Wood only produced about fifteen of these machines, but were nevertheless an important part of the war effort.

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Tow Scrutchers
Circa 1944
Smiths Falls, Ontario, Canada


Credits:
Canadian Industrial Heritage Centre