November 10, 1916 



The regular fall meeting of the Northern Hemlock and Hard- 

 Tvood Manufacturers' Association convened at the Hotel Pfister, 

 Milwaukee, on Friday, October 27. The most important subject 

 before the meeting was discussion of proposed changes in hard- 

 wood grading rules. The special committee which met with a 

 similar committee from the Wisconsin association and has been 

 working on the plan ever since, submitted, through George H. 

 Chapman, chairman of the bureau of grades, a summary of what 

 has taken place. Mr. Chapman discussed the question at length. 



The following is the report of suggested changes in standard 

 inspection worked out by the committee: 

 Standard Inspection 

 hard maple and beech 



iBt and 2nds, no change. 



Selects (new rule) : Grade to be made from best face of the piece. Se- 

 lects must be four inches and wider, S ft. and over long. Four, five and six- 

 Inch strips shall have both edges free of standard defects ; pieces over six 

 Inches wide shall have one edge free of standard defects. Pieces four 

 inches wide shall have one clear face : pieces five inches wide, eight to, 

 eleven feet long, shall have one clear face ; pieces five inches wide, twelve 

 feet and longer admit one standard defect or its equivalent. Pieces six 

 Inches and over wide shall grade not poorer than Seconds on one face. 

 The reverse face of 5/4 and thinner will admit sound defects and shall 

 be at least S5% of the grade No. 1 common and the remainder shall grade 

 not below No. 2 common. The reverse face of 6/4-inch and thiclier shall 

 admit sound defects, but shall not be below the grade of No. 1 common. 



No. 1 common (changes) : 



Six ft. and over long; not over 30% shorter than 10 ft. Pieces 3" and 

 4" wide, etc. (no further change). 



No. 2 common (no changes). 



No. 3 common (no changes). 



HARD MAPLE AND BEECH 



No. 1 common and No. 2 common (flooring stock) shall be gkoded from 

 the best face ; 3" and wider, 4 ft. and longer. Heart rule does not apply. 

 Percentages of clear face cuttings to be the same as No. 1 common and 

 No. 2 common regular grades ; back face of cuttings must be sound. 



ASH, BIKCH AND SYCAMORE 



Firsts (no changes). 



Seconds (no changes). 



Selects (new rule) : Grade to be made from best face o£ piece. Selects 

 must be four inches and wider, 6 ft. and over long. Four, five and six- 

 Inch strips shall have both edges free of standard defects ; pieces over 

 six inches wide shall have one edge free of standard defects. Pieces four 

 inches wide shall have one clear face ; pieces five inches wide, eight to 

 eleven feet long, shall have one clear face. Pieces five inches wide, twelve 

 feet and longer admit one standard defect or its equivalent. Pieces six 

 inches and over wide shall grade not poorer than Seconds on one face. The 

 reverse face of 5/4" and thinner will admit sound defects and shall be 

 at least 85% of the grade No. 1 common and the remainder shall grade 

 not below No. 2 common. 



The reverse face of 6/4" and thicker shall admit sound defects, but shall 

 not be below the grade of No. 1 common. 



No. 1 common, changes — 6 ft. and over long. 



No. 2 common — No changes. 



No. 3 common — No changes. 



BIRCH 



No. 1 and No. 2 common (flooring stock) — ( ?) — Shall be graded from 

 the best face ; 3" and wider, 4 ft. and longer ; Heart rule does not apply. 

 Percentages of clear face cuttings to be the same as No. 1 common and 

 No. 2 common regular grades ; back of cuttings must be sound. 



BASSWOODj SOFT ELM, SOFT .MAPLE AND BUCK-BYE 



Firsts (no changes). 



Seconds (changes) : Seconds must be 6" and over wide. 



Selects (new rule) : Grade to be made from best face of piece. Selects 

 must be four inches and wider, 6 ft. and over long. Four, five and six- 

 inch strips shall have both edges free of standard defects ; pieces over 

 six Inches wide shall have one edge free of standard defects. Pieces four 

 inches wide shall have one clear face ; pieces five inches wide, eight to 

 eleven feet long shall have one clear face. Pieces five inches wide, twelve 

 feet and longer, admit one standard defect or its equivalent. Pieces six 

 Inches and over wide shall grade not poorer than Seconds on one face. 

 The reverse face of 5/4" and thinner will admit sound defects and shall be 

 at lease 85% of the grade No. 1 common and the remainder shall grade 

 Dot below No. 2 common. 



The reverse face of 6/4" and thicker shall admit sound defects, but 

 shall not be below the grade of No. 1 common. 



No. 1 common (changes) : 6 ft. and longer. 



No. 2 common — No changes. 



No. 3 common — No changes. 



In discussing the question, Mr. Chapman raised various issues 

 on different points. He said he believed that the rules are much 

 better than the present rules, and are a step in the right direc- 

 tion, but he emphasized the belief that the step is far too short. 

 He said: "In other words, I would like to see the changes in 

 the rules extremely radical, but unfortunately I am in a small 

 minority on this phase of the question." In outlining his par- 

 ticular preference and wishes for more radical rules, Mr. Chapman 

 said that he did not think it is at all necessary for the rules for 

 birch and ash to be the same as the rules for hard maple and beech, 

 as these two woods have different uses to a certain extent and 

 some difference in the rules can be accounted for by the use of 

 the lumber. He said he doubts the advisability of asking for 

 any change that means a lowering in grade in firsts and seconds, 

 unless some new grade is made that takes the stock that is laid 

 out of the first grade and equalizes the selling value of the lumber. 

 He said: "I think there is a demand for a better grade than our 

 present seconds. My idea as regards the grade of seconds should 

 be that it be made better rather than poorer. It should be left 6" 

 and wider, and a certain type of seconds that is distinctly a fac- 

 tory cutting type should be taken out of this grade and put into 

 the No. 1 common. I believe that all of us will acknowledge that 

 No. 1 common needs something to bolster it up." 



Regarding the grade of "selects," Mr. Chapman emphasized 

 his belief that most manufacturers would find a good deal of 

 lumber that with a No. 2 back would make just as good interior 

 finish as a piece clear on both faces. He added, ' ' My idea there- 

 fore is that the back of selects should be poorer, and I am mak- 

 ing this suggestion notwithstanding the fact that some consumers 

 have strongly objected to anything poorer than a No. 1 common 

 back." 



Referring to the No. 1 common, he said that the new rules 

 lay out everything shorter than 6', that is in the proposed new 

 rules. He said: "I question this a little because it seems to me 

 that for factory purposes clear 4 or 5' board is worth more than, 

 or as much as, a longer piece that would have to be cut to pro- 

 portionately smaller dimensions." He said that the omission of 

 the 4 and 5' does seem to appeal to the consumer, and that he 

 personally would have no serious objection to leaving it out, which 

 would mean that 4 and 5', which would otherwise go into this 

 grade, would go into No. 2 common. Here Mr. Chapman made 

 a strong appeal for a greater care in marketing lumber to the 

 proper trade, that is, in finding those particular trades that would 

 take a particular type of lumber, thus cutting the selling cost and 

 increasing the selling price. 



Speaking of the results of tests showing that a good deal of 

 the grade of selects would come out of No. 1 common, Mr. Chap- 

 man said: "I am afraid that the result is going to be that what 

 is left out of No. 1 common is not going to sell as well as the 

 No. 1 common grade, and my idea would be to improve this grade 

 in order that it 'be as good a seller or at as good a price, at 

 least, as the old grade, and this can be done by increasing the 

 size of the minimum cut that can be considered in figuring the 

 percentage of cutting." He expressed as his opinion that making 

 the minimum cut 4" wide by 3' long in place of the dimension sug- 

 gested, would be adding a value of fifteen per cent to the grade. 



Mr. Chapman expressed himself as being disappointed at the 

 recommendation on No. 3 common. He suggested making No. 3 

 common better to the extent of putting into it a small part of the 

 low end of No. 2, and throwing out some of the low end of the 

 No. 3, and then giving what is left recognition in the rules under 

 the proper heading. He objected to having lumber so divided that 

 the product of the log is not given recognition in the rules. 



Mr. Chapman closed with the following: 



These are my suggestions that I, of course, believe are good, but I 

 know that there are many who feel that I am wrong, and I think that the 

 principal argument against my proposition by those who strongly object 



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