24 Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section May 25, 1919 



MIXING THE GLUE minutes. The object of reducing the speed after the first 



The correct quantity of water is placed in the glue pot stage of mixing is to prevent the incorporation of an 



and the mixing blade is brought into action at proper excess of air. At the end of this stirring period the glue 



speed. A high speed is necessary at first, especially if is ready for use, provided all the fine casein particles are 



the glue is not added to the water very slowly, in order dissolved, and no appreciable amount of air has been 



to avoid the formation of lumps in the glue. There is a whipped in. If the glue still contains fine particles of un- 



considerable range of speed, however, which will give dissolved casein and has the appearance of "cream of 



satisfactory results. In some cases a speed of 140 revolu- wheat" mush, however, the mixing should be continued, 



tions per minute of the shaft which carries the mixing It was formerly considered necessary to allow the glue 



blade (about 35 of the blade itself) is used satisfac- to stand without stirring for a short period before using 



torily. By adding the glue carefully, however, a speed it. The object of this was to allow all the casein to dis- 



as low as 80 of the vertical shaft (180 of the blade) can solve, it has now been found, however, that it is better 



be successfully used. The powdered glue is now^ slowly practice to accomplish this solution by continued mixing 



introduced through the feed hopper and the agitation than by standing. If, how^ever, it is found that air bubbles 



is allowed to continue for about five minutes and then have been w^hipped into the glue during mixing it is desir- 



stopped. able to let it stand a while so the air can separate. 



The sides of the glue pot should now be scraped in In mixing other casein glues which may require the ad- 

 order to direct any of the spattered material into the dition of different ingredients singly the above practice 

 mixture, whereupon the blade is again brought into action should be varied from to conform with the directions of 

 at reduced speed (60 to 90) for a period of at least ten the manufacturer. 



Sycamore Veneers and Lumber 



A Wood with a Characteristic and Attractive Figure in Quarter Sawed Stock 



HREE KINDS OF SYCAMORE grow in the fornia sycamore is listed in statistics, but that from Ari- 



United States, one occurring between the Rocky zona is seldom mentioned either as lumber or veneer. 



Mountains and the Atlantic Coast; the Arizona That is to be regretted, for the wood of that species is 



sycamore; and that which has its native home of finer appearance than that of the two other species, 



in California. All are wet-land trees, and grow best near Its small use is due to its scarcity. 



the banks of streams where the roots can penetrate to the A moderate quantity of California sycamore appears 



underground watertable. The trees, wood, leaves, and in the country's veneer production, and all the rest is 



fruit all bear a general resemblance, but enough differ- made from the common eastern tree. Illinois leads in 



ence exists to distinguish one kind of sycamore from the quantity, furnishing nearly as much as all other states 



other. All shed their bark every year from the upper combined. The following list gives the annual sycamore 



trunks and larger branches, and the new bark has a veneer production by states: 



chalky whiteness when the old bark first falls off. All Feet, Log Measure 



bear balls, but the eastern tree's are solitary, one on each "linois 1,966,000 



. 1 . U I ^U £ r- l-£ • J Arkansas 60 1.000 



stem, or rarely two; but trie sycamores of Cahrornia and , , ,, , ... 



. 1 I 11 • • Indiana > I I ,U()U 



Arizona produce balls in strings, one above another, a ly, ■ • 4qq qqq 



single stem containing from three to six. Missouri 387,000 



The difference in appearance of the wood of the three Michigan I 68,000 



sycamores is slight. The difference is more apparent Ohio 101,000 



1 .1 J U U » J ^U • ..U 1 • Delaware I 00,000 



when the wood has been quarter sawed than m the plam. 



-J-, ^ . . , 1-1 Tennessee 80,000 



1 he ngure is coarser in the eastern than in the two west- ■,- , i t, nnn 



" Kentucky i/,UUU 



em species, and that of Arizona sycamore is finest of all. ^ew York 26,000 



The bright flakes in the Arizona sycamore are small and California 1 5,000 



crowded closely together and present a delicate appear- West Virginia 1 2,000 



ance. In all of the sycamores the flakes exposed by '^^ Jersey 



, , , , . . , Alabama 2,000 



quarter sawing are darker than the intervening wood. n , ■ , nnn 



, . 7 . Pennsylvania 1 ,000 



This is not the case with most woods, though it is true 



of some besides sycamore. 4,404,000 

 Between 4,000,000 and 5,000,000 feet of sycamore Except about 100,000 feet of logs, all of the sycamore 

 logs are yearly converted into veneer. About twelve veneer in the above list is cut by the rotary process; con- 

 times that much sycamore is made into lumber. Nearly sequently, quarter sawed veneer of this wood is unusual; 

 all of the veneer and lumber manufactured from this not more than three per cent of the total being quarter 

 wood is supplied by the eastern species. Some Cali- sawed. 



