March 10, 1917 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



23 



kind, suggests quality in a box; and it may be assumed that a manu- 

 facturer, if he understands his business, will not waste a good box on a 

 poor product. 



The Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company of Chicago is advertising 

 its Whalebonite closet seat in the technical field by means of a diagram 

 and cross-section which suggests the laminated wood, covered with a 

 rubber composition, is the method of constructing this specialty. The 

 cross-section, shown under a magnifying glass, gives the idea of 

 strength and resistance, too. 



There is hardly a product containing wood being marketed by means 

 of advertising which could not be helped by studying why the par- 

 ticular kind of wood used was selected. "Whether it is ash, chosen for 

 elasticity or absence of odor; hickory for toughness; oak for general 

 strength and durabOity ; mahogany for beauty of color and figure, or 

 some other wood for something else, the reason is there, and in nine 

 times out of ten the reason can be made to play a part along with 

 other construction features in influencing the reader in the direction 

 of a favorable decision. G. D. C, Jr. 



> CTOiWiE )5TOMW' )tTOC)t6iV^.'tW;^^^ 



Scientists Work With Wood 



The Forest Products Laboratory at Madison, Wis., has prepared 

 a summary of work done and conclusions reached during 1916. 

 Extracts from that summary are given in the following paragraphs: 



Structukal Timbers 

 Since the density classification for southern yellow pine has been 

 completed, a number of lumber companies have been advertising 

 timbers manufactured and graded according to these rules. In every 

 case called to the attention of the laboratory where buildings have 

 coUapsed because of poor quality timber, an examination showed that 

 the timber would have been rejected if the density classification now 

 in effect had been used. Similar grading rules for Douglas fir have 

 been tentatively agreed upon by a committee of the American Society 

 for Testing Materials in consultation with the West Coast Lumber 

 Manufacturers' Association. A field study is now being made by 

 the Forest Service, and tests on structural sizes wiU be made before 

 the rules are presented for final adoption. 



Kiln Drying 



When air passes through a pUe of green lumber it is cooled and 

 a downward circulation is caused. A method of pUing which facili- 

 tates this was tried in the dry kiln and proved very successful in drying 

 green maple and other woods. This improvement has enabled us to 

 dry stock quicker and with less loss than heretofore. 



One of the difficulties attendant upon kiln-drying lumber is the 

 tendency to caseharden. Steaming wood for a brief period after it 

 was dry was tested on a commercial scale and proved successful in 

 removing casehardening. 



The new high-veloeity-low-superheat method of rapid drying proved 

 satisfactory with southern yellow pine, a carload of which was sent 

 to the laboratory for test by a southern lumber company. Arrange- 

 ments have been made to try this process on a commercial scale. The 

 lumber tested was dried from the green condition to six per cent 

 moisture in sixty-four hours. In other tests it was dried to shipping 

 weight in thirty-nine hours with less than one per cent loss. 



Experiments in kiln drying air-dried red gum were very successful, 

 the stock being dried with less than one per cent loss. Eed giun is one 

 of the most refractory and difficult woods to dry, and this has undoubt- 

 edly had a serious effect on the extension of its markets. Experiments 

 are now under way for kiln drying this species green from the saw. 



The shape of shoe lasts makes it difficult to season the blocks from 

 which they are made, and manufacturers have suffered serious losses 

 in drying lasts. Experiments in kUn-drying green last blocks have 

 given promising results, about 30 per cent of the blocks being dried 

 perfectly in twenty-one days. Present methods gi air-drying require 

 about one and one-half years and necessitate a heavy carrying charge. 



Decay in Lumberyards 

 Studies to determine the extent to which lumber is attacked by 

 fungi while seasoning in lumber yards were continued and a number 

 of specific cases were studied which showed how sound lumber is 

 infected with disease from partially decayed lumber before ship- 

 ment is made. A report embodying simple rules for restricting the 

 spread of fungus in lumber was completed. 



Durability op American Timbers 

 About 1,500 pieces of wood representing fifty different species are 

 under test to determine their relative durability. At the end of 

 three years, all of the conifers with the exception of cypress, redwood, 

 yew and the cedars have decayed. Most of the hardwoods have 

 entirely rotted. 



Tests to determine the effect of various amounts of resin in the 

 southern pines upon their durability have yielded results which indicate 

 that the duraljility of these woods does not depend directly upon their 

 resin content. 



Identification Service 

 Over a thousand samples of wood were submitted for identification. 

 Sawdust, fibrous material, chips, dyewoods, roots and barks were sent, 

 as well as pieces of furniture and sections of ties and timbers. A wood 

 specimen found in a glacial drift and estimated to be approximately 

 half a million years old was among the specimens identified. 



Treatment of Hardwoods 

 Chestnut oak treats like red oak instead of like white oak with 

 which it is now usually classed. This vpill proliably result in a re- 

 classification of the wood by the railroads, since white oaks are not 

 usually treated but red oaks are. One railroad has already made a 

 reclassification. The value of chestnut oak for ties is materially de- 

 creased, of course, by the reclassification. 



Preservation or Silos 

 Creosoted wood staves were driven into one of the sUos of the 

 University of Wisconsin and analyses were made of the ensilage in 

 contact with these staves. It was found that although the ensilage 

 contained a certain amount of creosote, it did not prove injurious 

 to the appetite or health of the cattle. This confirms the results of 

 previous studies. 



Put your shoulder to the wheel of your own business by helping 

 your fellow lumberman. No telling what might happen. 



If you think you don 't need to advertise when business is good and 

 can't afford to when it is bad, when are you going to mend that hole 

 in the posterior portion of your nether garments? 



Lumber is getting only ten per cent of the advertising devoted to 

 construction materials. Why has lumber consumption decreased, while 

 building construction has increased? 



Twenty per cent of gross sales on some commodities is spent for 

 advertising. Our trade Extension Fund is only 1/100 of one per cent. 

 Don 't ' ' kick ' ' — kick in. 



A nicely floored and well roofed loading shed is a splendid ad- 

 junct to almost any woodworking factory. 



The items of both oak and gum lumber have livened up consider- 

 ably in the export trade during the past few months, an evident fore- 

 runner of lively times coming. 



