Deceml'ei' 'J5. 191f> 



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Crating and Loading Veneers 



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The following paper which deals with the proper crating and loading of veneers for transportation was read by 

 H. F. Arnemann of Cluoago at the annual meeting of thr National \eneer and Panel Manufacturers Association at 



the Auditorium Hotel. Chicago. Decemher 12. 191(>. 



II. F. AK.N'EMANN, 

 MOXADNOCK BLOCK, CH 



The subject of crating and loading may 

 seem of comparative insignificance to those of 

 you who have given these matters careful 

 attention years ago and have worked out a 

 system of proper handling that is proving 

 satisfactory and, generally speaking, I be- 

 lieve that there has been vast improvement 

 in these matters during recent years. Yet, 

 those of us who are at the other end of the 

 route and see the stock, both in the cars and 

 out, after reaching destination are some- 

 times amazed at the apparent thoughtless 

 and careless methods employed in the mat- 

 ter of crating and loading. In fact, in many 

 cases there seems to be no method about it — 

 merely happenstance. This is perhaps due 

 to the fact that in such cases the shippers 

 have not appreciated the necessity or im- 

 portance of giving these matters due con- 

 sideration. If this paper will create enough 

 interest in this subject to assure its thought- 

 ful consideration at your mills, with the re- 

 sult that you will give the crating of stock 

 and the loading of cars the dignity of a de- 

 partment, or, at least, put a good man in 

 ■charge and let it be understood that 



these matters are of great importance and that a definite method or 

 system must be established and maintained, it will liave served its 

 purpose. 



Anything worth doing at all is worth doing well and after a 

 millman has taken pains to manufacture a carload of good veneer, 

 has given it careful attention in drying and has reason to feel that 

 it should give the best satisfaction to the customer, it seems a pity 

 that crating and loading should have no special attention, because 

 in themselves the.y ma.y mean the difference between a satisfied and 

 a dissatisfied customer. I have seen cars that looked so bad upon 

 arrival at their destination that one would think there was no good 

 stock ill the car, altho it may have been first-class when it was 

 shipped. First impressions are lasting and when a customer, upon 

 opening the car door, sees nicely trimmed and well crated stock 

 and so loaded that there is no difficulty in unloading, he is imbued 

 with a satisfied feeling and, should it later develop that the ship- 

 ment contains a little off-grade stock, he is inclined to overlook 

 it. On the other hand if, upon opening the car door, he finds the 

 stock all tops.y-turvy, some of it broken and split, the crates or 

 bundles from the ends of the car tumbled into the center and mixed 

 up with some loose stock, he gets a very unfavorable impression 

 and later says, "I could see the stuff was no good when I opened 

 the car. ' ' And at once you have an adjustment on your hands. 

 The appearance of your stock upon arrival at its destination is the 

 barometer of the wa.y ,vou do things. 



Tying Stock.s in Bundles 

 I presume that tying or bundling is a part of this subject and, 

 in a general way, the same attention should be given this as should 

 obtain in the case of crating. One-eighth inch and thicker stock 

 may often be tied in bundles and handle and carry as well as tho 

 it were crated. One-eighth inch thick door stiles, for instance, will 

 ■carry very well if securely tied in bundles of fifty pieces. One- 

 ■quarter inch thick drawer bottom stock or center stock in ordinary 

 sizes will handle well in bundles if properly tied and loaded. How- 

 ever, one string around a bundle of twenty-five or fift.y pieces is 

 not sufficient. A bundle must be of such size and the strings of 

 :such quality and number that they will not break when the bundle 



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is dropped, for the bundle will be dropped. 

 From my own observation I know that fre- 

 quently the strings around bundles are broken 

 while loading the car and they are not 

 retied. This loose stock will shift in transit 

 and is likely to become damaged and if there 

 is any cpiantity of it, is extremely difficult to 

 i-heck out. 



Some of you are using a baling apparatus 

 that uses wire in place of string. My ex- 

 ]>erience is that stock tied with wire in this 

 manner carries better and is less apt to be 

 damaged than stock tied with string. Of 

 course, string and wire as well as crating 

 lumber and nails have advanced considerably 

 in price, but I deem it exceedingly poor 

 economy to skimp in these important mat- 

 ters at the expense of risking an allowance of 

 twenty-five dollars or more now and then be- 

 cause of not properly preparing good stock 

 for transportation. 



There has recentl.y been some discussion 

 in regard to the manufacturer making ad- 

 ditional charge for crating. This seems to 

 me to be out of order. I believe that the 

 cost of crating and bundling should be taken 

 into account and included in the prices you expect to get for your 

 stock. That is the easier ami more efficient way of treating this 

 item of expense. When you buy a keg of nails you do not see 

 on your bill an item covering the cost of the keg, but it is there 

 just the same. Most mills manufacturing rotary cut veneer saw their 

 cores into crating lumber and usually throw away the slab for fuel, 

 using only the square pieces for crating. Many of the millmen, 

 however, have learned that crates are handled easier if the slabs 

 or rounded pieces are used for cross cleats, as the crates slip by 

 each other better than when the cross cleats have square edges. 



Mistakes to Be Avoided 



So much for generalities. Now in order to bring the particular 

 points I have in mind before you in a more concrete form, I have 

 tabulated them. 



First, regarding crating. 



(a) Crates are frequently made too long for tlie vonecr and the 

 veneer jumps out from behind the end cleats and is broken. Even if a 

 wide enough cleat were used on both ends so that the veneer sould not 

 jump out, it would slide from one end of the crate to the other, or at 

 least portions of it, and be damaged. 



(b) Sometimes only three cleats are used across these crates, 

 whether they are long or short, two at the ends and one in the middle 

 of the crate, and the veneer frequently bulges out between the cleats 

 and gets the wear of other crates against it. Sometimes the veneer 

 bulges out to such an extent that it slips out from beliind the end cleat 

 and is broken. Every crate of thin stock, unless it is extremely short, 

 should have at least four cross cleats. 



(c) Often times crates are not made wide enough for the veneer and 

 hence the edges have to roll up on the sides and get broken. As the 

 grain of the veneer does not always run parallel with the edge, the 

 splits caused in this way sometimes run into the veneer several inches. 



(d) All thin veneer at least all face stock should be protected by 

 wrappers of a substantial nature, say one eight inch culls or two thick- 

 nesses of reject thin stock. 



(e) When crates are long the weight of the veneer in the niiildle of 

 the crate is a great strain on the cleats and frequently the nails pull 

 out. Under such conditions the crates should be strengthened and 



