20 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



flaws the rungs ure liable to snap, as at K, 

 in the accompauyiii); cut. 



The mining interests of this country arc 

 apparently badly neglected by ladder man- 

 ufacturers. On recent tours among mines 

 the writer found that the majority of lad- 

 ders in use were extremely crude and bore 

 the unmistakable stamp of the home tinker. 

 A typical specimen is shown in figure 6. 

 EvidentU' one of the mine workers went to 

 the nearest woods and cut some willow 

 trees. Stout branches were selected for 

 the sides, holes were bored in these through 

 which were inserted hardwood rungs of 

 home manufacture. Needless to say the 

 rungs were a j>oor fit and had to be provided 

 with wedges to hold them secure. Another 

 type of mining ladder of local design, is 

 shown in figure 7. This ladder was intended 

 for use in a forty-foot shaft. Three sec- 

 tions of ash were selected and cut down to 

 convenient size. Then the long rungs were 

 made from the same stock and inserted 

 through the three pieces, making a firtii and 

 reliable ladder, unusual in mines. 



Occasionally when making a tour of in- 

 dustrial establishments one sees very amus- 

 ing instances of reconstruction work and 

 supports. For example, in one factory vis- 

 ited all the ladders were strengthened with 

 iron brackets under the rungs, as repre- 

 sented at F, figure 8. The reason given was 

 that the company had once been sued by a 

 workman who was injured by falling from a 

 ladder in which a rung broke, and thereafter 

 strong iron brackets were provided for all 

 ladders. 



Figure 9 is a peculiar design, in which 

 openings are cut to admit nuts which are 

 adjusted in the sides to receive the ends of 

 the threaded iron rungs. The additional 

 weight of nuts and metal rungs makes this 

 ladder unpopular. The hardwood rung when 

 of good clear stock is ]ireferal)le to all 

 others. 



The remaining figures illustrate v.-uious 

 methods of inserting rungs used when 

 a very secure joining is desired. Fig- 

 ure 10 exhibits a hardwood rung with 

 a thread end, G. Thread cutting de- 

 vices are needed to make this rung 

 perfect. With patience and care, the thread 

 on the end of the hardwood rung I'an be 

 gradually cut down with a common tmni of 

 pipe thread-cutting die, and with the usual 

 pattern of tap the thread may be formed in 

 the sides of the ladder to aihnit the rung, 

 but it is very -slow work. When the rung is 

 screwed in place, a very strong union is as- 

 sured. Because of the slowness of the process 

 it is not used very frequently. 



Another very good plan of inserting rungs 

 is illustrated at tigure 2. After the rung is 

 driven into the side piece, the end is split 

 and a wedge, as at H, forced in until the 

 rung expands sutSciently to insure a very 

 secure hold. l''igure 12 illustrates the most 

 common, and perhaps the best method of in- 

 sertion. The rungs are fitted with projec- 

 tions which are forced into slots in the 

 sides of the ladder, and after thej- are in 

 place a long nail is driven through both rung 

 and side, as shown at 1 in I'le figure. 



The Cost of Dimension. 



The recent meeting of sm;ill iliineusicm |iro 

 ducers suggests the thought that before a just 

 standard of prices for this product can be 

 determined, it is necessary to know the cost 

 of manufacture. Obviously, the first ques- 

 tion to be considered is whether it is more 

 profitable to convert the timber at hand into 

 dimension stock or into regular lumlier. ami 

 this can only be determined by carefully 

 looking into all the elements entering into the 

 final cost. The prevailing prices of the fin- 

 ished product at the chief centers of manufac- 

 ture may be taken as a basis of value for the 

 vaw material. Since the cost of transporta- 

 tion, labor, matrhinery and tools is quite defi- 

 nitely fixed, or easily ascertained, the chief 

 elements entering into the profit and loss ac- 

 count in connection with this business are loca- 

 tion and the adaptability of the timber for 

 the purposes for which it is to be manutar- 

 tared. 



Xaturally ot great im])ortance in the suc- 

 cesafid manufacture of any product is the 

 suitJibility of the plant for the purpose, its 

 equipment, location, etc. <)a|)ital investment 

 also has much to do with the success of com- 

 mercial undertakings. Perhaps there is no 

 business in which there is a better field for 

 the intelligent investment of capital than the 

 lumber business — but it is an equally danger- 

 ous field for those lacking ])ractical experi- 



ence. Too often oi)erators li;i\c not figured 

 on the interest earning capacity of their 

 capital, nor the ratio of depreciation of the 

 plant and equi|iment. the latter having fre- 

 quently the eft'ect of adding to the cost of 

 the finished product from twenty-five to fifty 

 cents per thousand feet of lumber cut, ac- 

 cording to the size of the operation — the larg- 

 er the operation the less the pro rata diarge 

 for depreciation per thousand feet. , 



Besides capital and interest account there 

 should be a record kept of each operation, 

 such as cutting, skidding, and delivery to the 

 mill. From this point a definite account of 

 what logs go into the mill should be kept; 

 of what lumber these logs produce ; of the 

 time expended on the operation ; of tlie sala- 

 ries of employees; and of the relation of ex 

 penscs to quantity of output, all of wliicli will 

 vary considerably under different conditions. 



Hitherto the question of chief importance 

 in the manufacture of lumber has been, "how 

 much can be cut in a given time," regard- 

 less of how much timber was wasted; but 

 the manufacturers now realize the growing 

 scarcity of hardwoods ami are broadening 

 their field of operation to include such lines 

 :is will enable them to make a close clean-up 

 of material. It is evident that a proper classi- 

 fication of expenses cannot but be of great 

 value dimension manufacturers, the knowl- 



edge of which will indeed prove a power 

 if properly used. The increased cost of tim- 

 ber suggests the need of a wider knowledge 

 of how to make the most of it and for what 

 jiurposes particular logs are best suited. An 

 eastern operator recently inquired for men 

 who have this knowledge, evidencing the fact 

 that mamifacturers are awakening to the 

 needs of more conservative methods in the 

 utilization of forest products. 



To those who ha\e lived where timber is 

 scarce, the practice of cutting trees so far 

 from the base, leaving much valuable wood in 

 the .stump seems deplorable. The butting 

 of lumber to lengths of ten, twelve, fourtei-n. 

 sixteen and other multiples of two, instead 

 of making use of the odd feet in length, is 

 also a subject of comment. Much is left to 

 the judgment of the sawyer in this country, 

 while in Kngland every log is marked by a 

 competent "converter" showing into what 

 tliickncss or dimension it shall be cut. 



It has been demonstrated that in order to 

 realize |)rofit in this business, small dimension, 

 cut from logs which would grade as coiunion 

 if sawn into lumber, riuist lie worth at least 

 thirty-three per cent more than the common 

 lumber plus the extra cost of manufacture to 

 allow for the waste incident to the operation. 



Mengel Mahogany Interests. 



Uerherr M". Mengel of tlie C. O. Mensel & 

 lirotbt-r Company of l.ouisviUe, IC,v.. larije ma- 

 hogany importers, was recently in New Orleans 

 overseeing: the discliarge of a cargo of mahogany. 

 Formerly tliis coniijany received all its goods 

 throu,4u Pensacela. but it has lately received 

 four cargoes through New Orleans, and within a 

 month exp'icts the anival of .".(lO.dOO feet through 

 that port. In a rer-eni inir-rview Mr. Mengel 

 said : 



"The demand for maluiganx' is increasing be- 

 cause of the scar-city and high pi-ice of other in- 

 terior finish woods, and also because ot the large 

 increase in the number of iuterurban car linos 

 that require iiardwoods for car construction. 



■■(;ur condition may not be the same as that of 

 the market, but I think It Us. Though ours !s an 

 old firm wo have been in mahogany only al)Out 

 five year.-?, biit we went into it on a big scale 

 from the ,stait. and as our business has so greatly 

 Increa.sed and we have the imhllc confldence I 

 think that our conditiim is a pretty good Indica- 

 tion of the conditions of tlie i;eneral nmrket. 



"We operate mainly in Itritish Ilondvu-as. and 

 !lie condition there is very healthy. Where the 

 Itritisii Mag tiles there is always protection and 

 good government. The work this summer in 

 Spanisli Ilondvu-as was retaided by the fever, 

 .ind for four months we could gel no mall. 



"I am here now for i be unloading of a ctrgo 

 at the StuyvesanI docks. Iliretofore we have 

 shipped nmlnly tliiough rensacola, but arrange- 

 meuts were .•ecenlly nnidc with the Illinois Cen- 

 tral railroad for shipments through New Orleans. 



".Vs mahogany becomes scarcer each year we 

 have to go failbcr Into the Interior, and ns 

 there is no rtplanllng in those countries, the 

 ■lardwoods will get scarcer right along. II Is 

 .>niy a question of time when replanting will 

 have to be resorted to. The old world coiinlrlcs 

 show their wisdom In this, for they not only re- 

 lilant their forests, but they aie conslslently sav- 

 ing nil they can of Ihelr own woods, and taking 

 •ill they can get from America." 



The lieorge II. Uees <'otii|iiiiiy. capital .>:io,- 

 iilHi, lias been recently incorporalcd In Chicago, 

 lo manuracfure Interior llnisli. The Incorpora- 

 tors are Howard Collver. .lames I.. I'.yniiiii and 

 Carl Knppell. 



