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Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



December 25, 1916 



Because of the esteem in which this wood is held, the 

 chance for it in the South American veneer trade seems 

 excellent. 



To Prevent Glue Sticking to Cauls 



Zinc or tin cauls are excellent things to have — that is, 

 thin sheets of zinc to use between panels and between 

 the veneer and the regular wooden caul or form, because 

 the glue will not stick to the zinc and it insures a cleaner 

 job. Another way to keep glue from sticking to wooden 

 cauls is to keep them thoroughly waxed or shellacked. 

 Each man may take his choice, but one thing that should 

 be kept in mind all the time is that cauls must be clean 

 so that glue will not stick to them. Generally very thin 

 metal is used for the zinc cauls. The wooden cauls can 

 be of whatever thickness seems to best suit their sizes. 

 Some heavy cauls are made by gluing sticks together like 

 built-up saw tables. Some are simply plain boards, but 

 probably the great majority of wooden cauls are made 

 up of three-ply or five-ply veneer and vary in thickness 

 from one-half inch to an inch. Those built up of veneer 

 have the greatest strength for the same weight. A five- 

 ply veneer job makes an excellent caul, and if finished 

 and kept well waxed it can be used without a metal caul 

 to protect it. 



third of the continent which includes southern Brazil, 

 Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile. 



It so happens that the people in those countries are 

 more able to buy than in some of the other countries of 

 South America; and they are better posted in the ways 

 of modern business. There appears to be nothing in the 

 way of developing trade with them except to induce them 

 to buy. TTiey are not large users of wood for anything. 

 Substitutes have gained a strong foothold there; but what 

 wood they use for furniture and interior finish is gen- 

 erally solid. TTvey are not prejudiced against veneer, so 

 far as they know about it. They import furniture from 

 Europe as well as from America. That from Europe, if 

 it contains veneer, is of Austrian oak or Circassian wal- 

 nut. The mottled figure of the latter is popular in South 

 America. 



The similarity of the figure of Circassian walnut and 

 that of figured red gum will be a powerful argument in 

 favor of gum in the campaign to introduce that wood 

 there. They are already somewhat acquainted with gum, 

 but they know it as "satin walnut," for it has generally 

 come to them under that name; and, curious to relate, 

 most of it has come from Europe. This wood grows only 

 in the United States, and when we export it to Europe, 

 the cabinet makers there change its name to satin walnut 

 and convert it into beautiful furniture and musical instru- 

 ments. Mr. Simmons saw gum furniture in Buenos Aires 

 that was made in Italy and was sold in South America 

 as satin walnut. 



Make Haste Slowly in Heating Your Glue 



Have patience and take time about your work. If 

 you are disposed to rush the heating of glue, and can't 

 break yourself in any other way, put a caution notice 

 over the glue heater, saying: "Don't cook the glue; 

 simply w^arm it." TTiere is a schedule of temperature 

 one can work and be safe, but the average man using a 

 small quantity of glue has neither the time nor the incli- 

 nation to take temperatures. However, the glue user, 

 like the blacksmith, if he is careful, can sense the matter 

 of temperature and soon understand when he is rushing 

 the glue heating process or when he is getting the glue 

 too hot. One of what is called the secrets of blacksmith- 

 ing is in this very matter of patience — heating iron 

 slowly, so that the outside will not burn before the inside 

 gets thoroughly heated. Those blacksmiths who let their 

 irons heat very slowly seldom make failures or burn iron. 

 The same logic is fully as good in the glue room. It 

 takes patience and slow heating to insure the best pre- 

 pared glue. If you want to do some hustling and work 

 off energy, put the time in cleaning the presses or doing 

 some other work instead of trying to hustle the glue 

 heating. 



When glue shows a tendency to crawl and not stick 

 to the face of the work, try brushing over the surface 

 a little with a brush dipped in hot water. It may be 

 that the surface has been glossed or case-hardened a 

 little in drying, and a little hot moisture will break the 

 gloss and open the pores of the wood so that it will 

 take to the glue better. 



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