HARDWOOD RECORD 



25 



exquisite design, with perhaps a groove run- 

 ning down it into which the next piece fits; 

 and the other edge beaded or not, as desired. 

 Another form of these machines is one in 

 which both ends of a board are simultaneously 

 shaped as required, while along this same 

 line is the dove-tailer which accomplishes its 

 particular task in an incredibly short time. 



Practically all desks consist of several well- 

 defined portions, the distinction being drawn 



filing boxes, pen rests and card racks, there 

 is in many desks a special card-index drawer. 

 The number of drawers, pigeon-hole boxes 

 and other compartments in this part of the 

 roll-top desk ranges from half a dozen to 

 twenty-five or thirty. 



The roll-top curtain is of very peculiar 

 construction. The different panels are turned 

 out by one of the moulding machines men- 

 tioned before and are in the form of a tongue 



than a desk, but the typewriter cabinet, as 

 may be seen from the accompanying illustra- 

 tion, is primarily a desk and only differs in 

 that it has the additional feature of a type- 

 writer stand and compartment. 



It is well to note the great care that is 

 taken in sandpapering, veneering and varnish- 

 ing the different parts. The sandpapering 

 machines are of many shapes, one peculiar 

 one consisting of two large revolving wheels, 

 the sides of which are covered with sandpaper 

 and between which an entire drawer is pushed 



■— .,c=^*J«f 



KOLL-TOP DESK. 



BANKERS' ROLL-TOP DESK. SANITARY ST YL 



as to the methods of manufacture of these 

 parts. First of all, there is the flat-top or 

 writing bed desk. This is conspicuous, and 

 as it has to stand a good deal of wear and 

 tear, is made of the very best material. 

 Sometimes thig top is a solid piece of quar- 

 ter-sawed oak, but more often, and especially 

 in the better class desks, it is veneered. Such 

 a top of five-ply, built-up stock, which is se- 

 lected for the figure, is indeed a thing of 

 beauty. 



With the exception of the very best desks 

 the side, top and back panels are of less ex- 

 pensive material. Simple designs are fre- 

 quently cut into these parts. The closed 

 panel back is usually in all but standing and 

 flat-top double desks, the latter being shown 

 in an accompanying cut. 



Next come the drawers. The fronts of 

 these are of the same material as the rest of 

 the desk, either quartered oak or mahogany, 

 asthe case may be, but the sides, back and 

 VB^m are usually of ash, though sometimes 

 oak or birch is used. The great wood for 

 drawer sides, however, is ash. These drawers 

 are dove-tailed, front and back, and are 

 fitted either with wooden or brass handles. 

 The two lower right-hand drawers are fre- 

 quently double and are partitioned for ver- 

 tical files or books, while many are varnished 

 inside and supplied with movable partitions. 



The small drawers and pigeon-hole boxes 

 on all roll-top desks are of somewhat differ- 

 ent construction. With the exception of the 

 front, which again matches the rest of the 

 desk, the pigeon-hole boxes are almost always 

 made of quarter-sawed sycamore. They are 

 fitted with knobs or handles, and with card 

 holder for labeling purposes. Besides the 



and groove. These are sandpapered, varnished 

 and glued side by side on heavy canvas, 

 which enables them to be solid in construc- 

 tion as well as pliable. Most curtains slide 

 in " S " shape grooves, though many of the 

 more recent ones, as shown in the illustration 

 of the sanitary roll-top desk, roll in a sloping 

 groove. 



Of course, there are various parts of the 

 desk which have not been considered here. 

 Among these are the extension slides which 

 are in nearly every desk, and the stocky 

 legs, which are confined to the new sanitary 

 type. Most desks are also fitted with locks 

 of various styles and with casters. 



Ordinary ofiiee desks are divided into four 

 distinct types. These are the roll-top, old 

 fashioned as well as sanitary design; the 

 flat-top, of like distinction, including the dou- 



back and forth until the exact width is ob- 

 tained. The veneer is usually of three or 

 five-ply. The varnishing is done in one large 

 room of the factory, thus reducing fire risks 

 to a minimum. Several coats of varnish are 

 applied and either the glossy or dull mission 

 effect may be obtained, as desired. When 

 so much effort is spent upon finishing the 

 tops of the flat-top desks and directors' tables 

 now so popular, it is the custom to cover 

 them with heavy plate glass, that their 

 beauty may not be damaged by use. 



The modern desks consist almost exclusively 

 of wood, for even the joints are dove-tailed 

 and not nailed. In fact, the desk is another 

 admirable illustration of one of the many uses 

 to which hardwood may be put. Por the 

 different types illustrated in this article, the 



FLAT-TOP DOUBLE DESK. 



ble desk type; the standing desk, and the Hecokd is indebted to the 0. C. S. Olsen Com- 



typewriter cabinets. pany, one of the foremost desk manufactur- 



Of the standing desk little need be said, ing concerns of Chicago, 

 for it really resembles a high table more Clarence Boyle, Jb. 



