HARDWOOD RECORD 



•VTILIZATION OF HARDWOODS. 



A hanJ-carved solid mahogany tabli? is 

 witliout doubt a decided adornment to any 

 dining-room or banquet hall, but upon enter- 

 ing such a room one is apt to be even more 

 impressed by the magnificent sideboard or 

 buffet which is invariably its companion 

 piece. Some of these are of massive design 

 and command interest chiefly by their ap- 

 pearance of great stability. Others of more 

 exquisite workmanship are beautiful because 

 of apparent fragility and their delicacy of 

 design. Of course this preference is prin- 

 cipally a matter of personal taste, 

 but there are so many different 

 types of both sideboards and buf- 

 fets upon the market today that 

 even the most exacting taste can hi: 

 readily satisfied. 



This large variety of types is 

 naturally found in any piece of fur- 

 niture where individuality of con- 

 struction is not only more essential 

 than in a table, for instance, but is 

 also more easily obtained. This is 

 explained by the fact that a side- 

 board is larger than a table, thus 

 giving more room for variation and 

 also because more" decorative ma- 

 terials, such as mirrors and glass 

 panels, may be employed in its con- 

 struction. Thus a sideboard occu- 

 pies a prominent position in the 

 house. 



The wood uslhI in the manufac- 

 ture of sideboards, buffets, china 

 closets and serving tables — for these 

 all belong in the same class — is 

 usually of the very best grades that 

 can be obtained. Selected quarter- 

 sawed white oak is employed more 

 extensively than all other kinds put 

 together for, although many ma- 

 hogany sideboards are made, the 

 principal call for them is from cus- 

 tomers who wish to match other fur- 

 niture in the dining-room; and as 

 mahogany furniture is used by coni- 

 [laratively few people it would not 

 pay a large manufacturer to cater 

 to this trade alone. On the other 

 hand, a well-finished piece of quar- 

 ter-sawed oak^ which plainly shows 

 the handsome grain, is, in many respects, as 

 attractive as the more somber-colored mahog- 

 any and is so much less expensive that it 

 is within the reach of all. Of course birch 

 is used more or less as an imitation of ma- 

 hogany, and in some cases the cheaper woods, 

 such as gum, are made use of for unexposed 

 backs; but frequently oak is employed 

 throughout the entire piece. 



As in the manufacture of all other kinds 

 of furniture, the dry-kiln plays an important 

 part in the making of a first-class sideboard. 

 Kiln-drying is the first of the many processes 

 through which the lumber must jmss before 



ARTICLE Xir. 



Sideboards and Buf/ets. 



the finished article is turned out. The dry- 

 , kilns are usually fitted out with large sliding 

 doors which separate them from the factory 

 at one end and the lumber yard at the other. 

 A wide track runs from the yard through the 

 kiln to the factory and the trucks which run 

 on this track are loaded in the yard, pushed 

 into the kiln, where the lumber is thoroughly 

 dried, and then pushed into the factory and 

 unloaded for future use. A number of weeks 

 or even months elapse before a load which 

 entered at one end emerges at the other, so 



IVE SIDEItO.VIiD. 



that there is no question about the boards 

 being thoroughly dried. This same principle 

 with slightly varying characteristics is em- 

 ployed almost exclusively by all manufac- 



The next step is a comparatively simple 

 one, for the boards are cut into the desired 

 lengths, breadths and thicknesses by means 

 of the various saws. This work is particu- 

 larly heavy in making sideboards or buf- 

 fets, for, unlike desks or chairs, very little 

 ■limension stock is used, so that all of this 

 work has to be done at the factory itself. 



N'.>xt comes the scroll and niillwork. Tliiv 



includes the making of all those • ' fancy ' ' 

 pieces of wood which are used with such pleas- 

 ing effect in decorating the different parts 

 of the sideboards. These pieces arc shaped 

 liy means of sharp-toothed cutters, and in- 

 numerable designs, some of which are very 

 pretty, may be made, depending chiefly upon 

 the ability of the operator to follow a ^iven 

 pattern. Along this same line, though of 

 vastly more intricate workmanship, is the 

 hand car\-ing. This work is done by skilled 

 laborers and has a certain individuality about 

 it which stamps it at once as dif- 

 ferent from the machine-made 

 product. All of the better class 

 sideboards have more or less hand- 

 carved decorations upon them, and 

 in fact, this is one feature that dis- 

 tinguishes the numerous grades. 



Veneering i» aijo of considerable 

 importance in sideboard manufac- 

 turing, for nearly all the more beau- 

 tiful wood effects are obtained by 

 means of it. .Some of the laity 

 liave the idea that wood which is 

 veneered is but a cheap imitation ; 

 lint all lumbermen know that this 

 is far from being the case. In fact, 

 the ordinary piece of veneering, 

 considering the additional labor per- 

 taining to it and the stability it 

 gives, is worth more and often 

 costs the manufacturer more than 

 would a solid piece of lumber. The 

 ' ' swell ' ' and other curved effects 

 seen on many sideboards are ob- 

 tained by sawing, not bending the 

 lumber into these shapes, and then 

 gluing on veneer. 



The next step is the assembling 

 of the parts in a rough form, pre- 

 paratory to sandpapering. The 

 different pieces are fastened to- 

 gether with wooden joints or large 

 screws, and soon the sideboard 

 begins to assume a more workman- 

 like aspect. The bottoms and tops 

 are made separately aud are not 

 it together until later. The sides, 

 tops and other portions are next 

 thoroughly sandpapered, though, of 

 course, some of this work has pre- 

 \ioHsly been accomplished. The drawers are 

 fitted together and put in their proper posi- 

 tions, as are the doors if this particular type 

 happens to have them. In short, all of the 

 man}- little things which must be accom- 

 plished before the sideboanl is ready for 

 final treatment arc attended to at this stage 

 of the operation. 



After all the parts have been fitted to- 

 gether and placed in their proper places, the 

 entire article is again gone over with sand- 

 paper and thoroughly rubbed down. It it 

 taken to the varnishing room to receive it* 



