36 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



•i c;j{TOi»tiiatiaTO!TOM!witiatg)iii^^ 



The Mail Bag 



Any reader of HARDWOOD RECORD desiring to communicate 

 with any of the Inquirers listed in this section can have the ad- 

 dresses on written request to the IVIall Bag Department, HARD- 

 WOOD RECORD, 537 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, and referring 

 to the number at the head of each letter and enclosing a self- 

 addressed stamped envelope. 



B 443 — Has Oak Wagon Stock 



Canton, Miss., May 2. — Editoi- IIabdwood Record : Will you kindly 

 give me the names of a few buyers of red and white oak wagon and 

 buggy stock, such as poles, bolsters, etc. 



Thanking you. ■ •. 



This party has been supplied with a list of possible buyers of 

 the material he has to offer, and any others can have the address 

 on application. — Editor. 



B 444 — Some Queries on Dryness 



Pittsburgh, Pa., Apr. 30. — Editor Hardwood Record : We use hickory 

 and maple and find it necessary in some cases to withdraw as much 

 moisture as possible and are anxious to learn the experience of other 

 parties in handling such stock. We give below a list of questions, re- 

 garding which we would appreciate your advice : 



1. What percentage of moisture will kiln-dried maple plank, 10/4". 

 12/4". 14/4" and 16/4". stand so as to guarantee it .igainst warping? 

 Is there any reason to believe that material having less than 5% moisture 

 in it would warp after working? 



2. Is there any possible chance of a 14" disc made from 8/4" maple 

 that has less than 2%% of moisture in it. warping after it has four 

 holes of approximately 2" diameter bored equal distance apart and mid- 

 way between centre and circumference : or if so. to what extent must 

 kiln-drying be carried to guarantee this? Also, what is the life of the 

 material after it has been reduced to 2',i!';o? 



3. What is the life of 8/4" hickory cut into handles approximately 

 1%" diameter, anywhere from 8 to 24" long, that does not contain over 

 8% of moisture? 



4. Does not hickory bcconii' brashy after being redut'ed to 8% ? 



It is not possible to answer any one of the above four questions 

 with plain "yes" or "no." Much depends on circumstances. It 

 is difficult to see how any permanent advantage can result from 

 reducing the moisture contents of wood below about eight per cent 

 and then exposing the wood to atmospheric conditions. It will 

 absorb from the air enough moisture to raise tlic contents to eight 

 per cent or more. In fact, about twelve per cent is not far from 

 the average. After this preliminary statement, the questions may 

 be taken up seriatim. 



1. There can be no guarantee against warping if the planks 

 are so situated that one side will absorb or part with moisture 

 faster than the other. It is not the degree of moisture in wood 

 that causes warping, but the fact that one part of the wood 

 contains more water than another part. The result, however, may 

 be somewhat modified by variations in structure of different parts 

 of the same piece. Wood with less than five per cent of moisture 

 is not proof against warping. It may warp while absorbing water 

 from the air, or while parting with some of it afterwards. 



". The answer to the second question is practically the same 

 as the answer to the first. It refers to a specific piece of wood, 

 however, and the disc might be placed where temperature and 

 moisture conditions are equitable, and warping would not occur. 

 In an ordinary room the wood will, within the course of a few 

 months at most, contain from eight to sixteen per cent of moisture, 

 no matter how dry it is when it is placed in the room. 



It is not possible to say what the life of the materi.al will be 

 after it has been reduced to 2% per cent of moisture. If it 

 could be kept that dry it would never decay, but it might wear 

 out, or insects might speedily destroy it. Since that degree of 

 dryness cannot be maintained in practice, the question is purely 

 theoretical. 



3. An unconditional .answer to the third question is impossible. 

 The life of hickory, in this instance, evidently refers to the period of 

 service it will give. There is no limit except such as is imposed by 

 conditions exterior to the wood itself. It is simply a matter of 

 experience as to how long handles will last, supposing, of course, 



that they are not attacked by decay or bored bj- bettles. In use- 

 the wood cannot be kept down to eight per cent of moisture. 



4. Available reports of timber engiuiers do not warrant the- 

 statement that hickory becomes brashy after its moisture content 

 has been reduced to eight per cent, yet such may be the case. 

 It is pretty generally true of timber which has been reduced to a 

 high state of dryness that, if it subsequently becomes saturated 

 with moisture, it loses some of its original strength. That may 

 occur in the case of the hickory referred to in question 4. 



Although thousands of tests of timber have been made by engineers 

 in laboratories, and almost every possible field has been covered, 

 there is ne\ertheless plenty of room for practical wood users to 

 throw light on many a difficult problem. "Without questioning in any 

 way the exhaustive research work that has been done in the laboratory, 

 the fact remains that it is often the practical man. face to face witb 

 real problems, who hits upon the valuable discovery. 



B 445 — Wants Wood Specimens for Experimental Purposes 



Chicopee, Mass., M-.iy 1.— -Kditor HAitDWm.iD l:i:i'uKi> : W,- are desirous of 

 getting one or two pieces each, 3V2" or 4" square, of the following woods: 

 Black willow, coat willow, cotton gum or tupclo, and one or two pieces 

 2x2x12" long of Oregon maple, mountain laurel or spoouwood. We would- 

 be very much pleased if you could put us in touch with .sources of supply 

 for these as we wish to secure these samples for experimental purposes. 



The above letter is from a leading manufacturer of sporting 

 goods. For all of these woods that grow in commercial quantities 

 wo have suggested sources of probable supply, and have further 

 advised that coat willow and water gum are of so meager and 

 scattering growth that they are not obtainable in commercial 

 quantities. — Editor. 



B 446 — Weight of Maple Logs 



Merrill. Wis., May 5. — Editor IIakdwood Ri:cuu!> ; \\ill you Uiuilly in- 

 form us as to the average weight of hard maple logs per thousand feet? 

 We buy a great many maple logs and the shipping weights which the 

 railroad company has put on them vary so widely Ibat it seems to us 

 something must be wrong. These weights show differences varying fron» 

 12,700 to 1G,400 pounds on the same quantities of like logs. 



Would also be glad to have you give ns a list of the maple flooring 

 manufacturers in Michigan and Wisconsin as we are seeking certain sized 

 waste that we might be able to use in our line of manufacture. 



The foregoing letter is from a leading handle aud dowel manu- 

 facturing house which has been advised of the best source of informa- 

 tion to secure approximate weights of maple logs. The writer 

 has also been supplied with a list of tlic maple flooring manu- 

 facturers in the states named. — Editok. 



B 447— The Meaning of "FAS" 



Toronto, Can.. Ma.v 5. — Editor IIardwoud Record : Will you be good 

 enough to tell us Just what the term "FAS" means as applied to lumber, 

 and very much oblige? Manui'actubixg Co., Ltd. 



The above writer has been advised that "FAS" is a term 

 signifying "firsts and seconds," which was coined by F. F. Fee, 

 the oak manufacturer of Little Rock, Ark., and was officially 

 adopted by the Hardwood Manufacturers ' Association a few years 

 ago to express the term in abbreviated form. — Editor. 



B 448 — An Analysis of Okiune Wood 



Louisville. Ky., Apr. 21. — Kdilur IIardwdcii) 1!i:cipi!i>: Wc are sending 

 you under scpcrate cover a specimen of okoume wood from Cape Lopez, 

 l-'rench Congo, on the west coast of Africa. Will you kindly analyze this 

 and let us Isnow its properties as far as can be determined from the 

 sample ? 



The above letter is from a leading foreign woods manufacturing 

 institution which has been advised that the usual nomenclature of this 

 wood is "okume. " It has been supplied with the following physical 

 analysis: 



This wood belongs to the ISiirsera genus, but the exact species 

 is uncertain. It is frequently called African cedar in commerce, 

 and bears remarkable resemblance to Spanish cedar (cedrela odorata} 

 of which cigar boxes are made. It is soft, brittle and slightly 

 fragrant. Under the microscope it shows scrattering, large open 

 pores which run straight. When the wood is cut lengthwise, the 

 pores produce channels which are very similar to those of Spanish 

 cedar. The meduUarv ravs are numerous but too small to be 



