34 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



begun to suggest to our repreieutatives who liiive not beeu turuiug 

 in orders of this kind that they have been overlooking a good oppor- 

 tunity, and already results from this little attempt at direct exploita- 

 tion have been forthcoming." 



The same expert handling of hardwood flooring that is an essential 

 to satisfactory experience with it is all the more emphasized in con- 

 nection with its use in show-windows. Ordinarily it is undei-foot, 

 and though seen and appreciated to a large extent, it is not forced 

 upon the attention of the observer. In the window, however, it. is 

 an important part of the "stage setting," and the observer gives it 

 greater attention than he would under other conditions. Though 

 it is an incident of the display, it is nevertheless an important one, 



and often the licjiutil'ul appearance of tho wood is what attraci;, the 

 first glance of the passerby to the exhibit of the merchant. 



All of this means that the stock should be perfect in manufacture, 

 dbsolutely dry and properly laid. As the plate glass radiates heat 

 freely, and the floor is likely to be exposed to considerable humidity, 

 this should be taken into consideration in laying the stock. The 

 finish must be done as carefully as a ball-room floor. In other words, 

 the show-window puts flooring into an extremely prominent position, 

 and the character of the stock and the way it has been put in place 

 should be such that only praise may be lieard from the observer. 



G. D. C. 



it ;;iWS<aagOTs;witi)tmuiiMiitJwa^ B^s^^ 



The Veneered Door 



The veneered door is frequently cited as a shining example by the 

 advocates of veneered or built-up work, especially in the cabinet 

 world which shows superiority in construction as compared to solid 

 work. The evidence of superiority is claimed on the fact that the 

 veneered door has made wonderful progress, not by virtue of licing 

 less expensive than the old solid door, but it has made this progress 

 commanding a higher price than the old-time door. The point is 

 fairly well taken, too, but it is not often fully considered. It is 

 not a victory of veneer products pure and simple but the progress 

 of the veneered door is really more a triumph of hardwood for 

 interior finisli than anything else. 



This is not said with the idea of disparaging veneered work and 

 its qualities. The veneered door properly put up unquestionably has 

 points of construction that make it a superior article, but all its 

 superiority and public favor do not come from these points alone. 

 Quite a percentage of it comes from the favor shown to hardwood — 

 its beautiful figure and appearance of the stained and natural finish 

 as compared with the old-time painted door. It is impossible to 

 state how much of the credit for its popularity is due to veneering 

 and the method of construction and how much of it is due to the 

 superiority of hardwood for this finish. The subject might be 

 analyzed by making a few suppositions, but even these will not make 

 it as clear as it should be to be convincing as to the exact size or 

 prominence of the factors in the case. 



We may point out, for example, that some veneered doors are made 

 of pine and other woods of which solid doors were formerly made. 

 There is only a limited quantity of these, however, and there is often 

 a specific reason, for them. It either involves the use of peculiarly 

 attractive figure in pine, which is best obtained by cutting the wood 

 into veneer, or it involves the use of wid« panels, which are difficult 

 to get from sawed stock. 



An ardent advocate of veenering might take the stand tliat if 

 hardwood is the main factor in bringing these doors into public 

 favor, why are they not made of solid hardwood after the same man- 

 ner as the regulation doors are made of pine? The answer to ihis, 

 though it may not always satisfy the veneer man, is, that it is difficult 

 to get satisfactory door construction out of heavy pieces of hardwood, 

 and difEciilt to get solid clean stock at any reasonable price to make 

 doors in quantity. 



Xow and then one does find a solid hardwood door of quartered 

 oak witli stiles and rails made from solid 1% inch stock and panels 

 from thin quartered lumber. These, however, are not common and 

 it would be difficult and expensive to make them in large quantities. 

 Moreover, it undoubtedly makes a better job of construction to build 

 up the frame work for a door out of a series of narrow strips, 

 whether these strips be hardwood or soft wood. The dividing up of 

 a stile or rail into a multitude of units which are properly jointed 

 and fastened together, makes a more stable frame; one less likely 

 to warp and twist, and one that will hold its shape bettor against the 

 influences of changing weather conditions than if made of solid 

 lumber. Whether or not the built-up stiles and rails can be made 

 cheaper than the solid ones is a question tli:it |KThaps depends on the 



kind of material and the location of tlic facturv. 



As a general proposition it is argued that good veneered work is 

 no cheaper than solid work, but is better. Whether it really is. 

 cheaper and better often depends on what the work is and what 

 service it has to perform. Let us take a plain oak door frame, for 

 example. In some localities it would undoubtedly be cheaper to 

 make this from solid wood, and for some purposes it would unques- 

 tionably be better, as for a front door or any outside door exposed to 

 the w-eather, a solid frame will stand the test of time better than a 

 core body covered with veneer. On the other hand, for inside work, 

 where it is not exposed to severe weather, a core body with face 

 veneer not only presents a better appearance, but actually forms a 

 better door. This kind of construction is a protection against warp- 

 ing and twisting, and the door retains its shape better than if made 

 of solid wood. If the finish is to be of quartered oak or mahogany, 

 it is undoubtedly cheaper to make it by the built-up veneer process 

 than to make it of solid wood, but if it is plain gum or plain oak 

 and the factory is located in a timber section, the point of cheapness 

 would be in favor of the solid work. 



When it comes to door panels the matter of dimensions is involved 

 that sometimes makes it imperative to use veneer and at other times 

 makes it cheaper. 



For example, the regulation panel for the standard five cross-panel 

 3x7 door requires panel dimensions of about 10%x27 inches net. 

 This docs not appear to be a very difficult dimension to secure in 

 solid stock, but when the fact is considered that the panels must 

 present two clear faces for natural finish and are consumed in great 

 quantities, it will be found that the stock is quite expensive even in 

 plain woods and more so, of course, in quartered woods. 



When it comes to mahogany, veneering is imperative to get the 

 mahogany finish. Solid mahogany panels could be secured to full 

 dimensions in a single piece, but it would be not only difficult and 

 expensive but would involve considerable waste. Therefore the nat- 

 ural disposition is to make up the panels of two or more nieces 

 jointed together edgewise. 



As compared with this method of making solid panels and jointing 

 them edgewise, the veneered panel undoubtedly has points of su- 

 periority. It not only is a stronger panel for the same weight but 

 affords an opportunity to utilize timber to a better advantage. Stock 

 with defects in it can be \ised for the center ply and the clear stock 

 lor the outside faces. 



Taking the larger ]iancls into consideration, it is impractical to 

 get tho wood in the solid except where redwood doors arc being made, 

 and these arc not a very big item in the door world. Here whether 

 hardwood or pine is used, the veneered work is both cheaper and bet- 

 ter than solid. 



One could go on analyzing and supposing things and pointing out 

 various features about the veneered door, some illustrating an ad- 

 vantage for the veneering, others showing weak spots in veneered 

 work as comjiared to solid, but after all, the final summing up would 

 show that there are two factors making for the jiopularity of the 

 veneered door. One is veneered wnrk ;incl its advantages in construe- 



