Apiil 2r,, 1922 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



21 



The Executive's Round Table 



This Department Is Maintained for the Use of Hardwood Record' 



Subscribers and Is Open at All Times for a Frank Discussion of Any Subject Having to do 

 with the Production, Sale, Shipment, or Utilization of Hardwood Lumber 



Interesting Thoughts from Important Men on the Subject of 

 Hardwood Dimension Stock 



The dimension [noblem in the hardwood industry is an evolutionary 

 development, which is becoming more and more important as evolution 

 moves in the direction of exhaustion of hardwood supplies. A solu- 

 tion of the problem must be arrived at, because it means conservation, 

 or economy, which is demanded with increasing urgency as the evolu- 

 tionary process goes on. 



The dimension problem has been a subject for discussion in the hard- 

 wood producing and consuming industries for nearly two decades, and 

 the discussion has gradually intensified as the need for the solution 

 of tlie problem has grown. In the last year or more the question has 

 received in the trade the broadest general discussion. The Association 

 of Woodusiug Industries was formed more for the purpose of dealing 

 with this question than any other. Its standardization eommittee, 

 which has been dealing with the problem, is its most active one. The 

 chairman of this committee, Wm. A. Babbitt, has devoted a tremendous 

 lot of time and energy to practical study of the prol>lem and a great 

 deal of the information he secured has been transmitted to the trade 

 in article prepared by him and published in H.vrdwood Record anil 

 other trade papers. 



As a result of the activities of this committee the U. S. Forestry 

 Department, through its Forest Products Laboratory at Madison, 

 Wis., some months ago undertook a thorough study of the problem. 

 A crew of investigators was organized and has made studies in a dozen 

 or more chair factories in various parts of the country. The results 

 of these studies is now being siunmated and the Laboratory promises 

 in the near future to make important revelations to the trade on the 

 dimension question. 



In the meantime, it is well that the subject be thoroughly aired in 

 the trade and it is the duty of an organ of the trade, such as Hard- 

 wood Record, to foster this discussion. This is why Hardwood Record 

 is devoting the first number of its ' ' The Executive 's Round Table ' ' 

 to letters on the dimension question. This exchange of ideas through 

 Hardwood Record entered a most important phase about a month 

 ago when a letter from the operator of a hardwood mill was published. 

 This letter dealt with some of the hard practical difficulties standing 

 in the way of the solution of the dimension prolilem. For instance, this 

 man maintained that dimension stock can not profitably be manu- 

 factured except FAS prices be received for it. He maintained, how- 

 ever, that the furniture, vehicle and other users of hardwood lumber, 

 who would like to purchase their hardwood requirements in dimension, 

 are not generally willing to concede that dimension stock is worth 

 more than No. 1 Common and in some instance No. 2 common prices. 

 He did not want to disparage the value of the dimension movement, 

 but believed that the problem mu.st remain in a stalemate until tlie.se 

 differences are reconciled. 



This letter elicited other important letters on tlie dimension sub- 

 ject, one of which is being printed below. Others, which have already 

 been received by Hardwocid Record, will be published in this depart- 

 ment in subsequent issues. 



A Ijetter from a Large Consumer of Hardwoods 



March 31. 1922. — Editor Hardwood Record: Apropcs of your letter 

 of March 30, I read with interest letter signed "Sawmill" in a recent 

 issue of Hardwood Kecord on the dimension proposition. It is, of 

 course, all right for the millman to adopt this attitude. The conse- 

 quence obviously is, however, that the West Coast people are reaping, 

 in the Middle West territory, profits because of their ability and will- 



ingness to furnish dimension stock. We purchase, for instance, from 

 200,000 to 300,000 feet annually of Cottonwood box boards 4/4 13 to 17" 

 wide, which we must have in 14, 16 and 18" lengths. Anything under 

 14 feet is worthless to us. We fonuerly secured a good deal of this 

 material from our own 'tracts in Tennessee, which we operated for 

 twenty-five years. These operations were discontinued last year by 

 a decision of the board of directors which made it necessary for us 

 to go into the market for this material. We have found that we can 

 secure Douglas fir, which is quite as strong and satisfactory as poplar, 

 and get it in any dimension we want without any trouble at all. Con- 

 sequently we have got about five or six carloads coming in from the 

 Coast now purely because the West Coast mills are willing to supply 

 the lengths we desire, and I suppose I get fifteen circulars a day offering 

 Cottonwood and poplar in standard random lengths and widths at 

 prices which show that the millmen have got a lot of lumber on hand 

 and want to get what money they can for it. 



We have for many years used from 500,000 to 750,000 feet of % yellow 

 poplar box boards, %" thick, 13 to 17" wide, in 14, IS and 18' lengths. 

 The difficulty of securing this material has increased steadily. We 

 were in the market not long ago for several carloads of 6/4 fir.st and 

 second oak, 6' and 12' long, 8" wide, from which we have been accus- 

 tomed to saw the ribs for our bus body roofs. There were so many 

 objections brought up by those of whom we inquired for price that 

 we threw the whole plan overboard and arranged to use bent ash ribs, 

 and have placed and secured several car ordere for these. We use a 

 good deal each year of 8/4 oak for body sills, which must be first and 

 seconds. We buy this material in planks 3" wide or wider, but the 

 lengths must be 14, 16 and 18' long. Fortunately we have got a large 

 stock of this material on hand, enough to run us up into the summer, 

 and I am sending out inquiries now for replenishment of this stock and 

 getting the same objections. They are unwilling to supply dimension 

 basis stuff. Now, frankly, plank oak, poplar or Cottonwood of these 

 sizes less than 14' is utterly useless to us. It would be foolish to pay 

 the freight on it, as it would go direct from the car to the furnace. 



I don't think our experience is particularly unusual, as I have talked 

 to a number of other manufacturers who have the same complaint. 

 It is obvious that the manufacturer is growing more and more special- 

 ized in production. We have, for instance, turned over our entire 

 facilities to the production of school and bus bodies and are the largest 

 manufacturers in the country devoting our facfiities exclusively to the 

 production of this one line. It would seem to me that the hardwood 

 manufacturers' organization would do well to secure for users of 

 lumber, especially those who require dimension stock, an estimate 

 basis of their annual production and arrange in turn with the mills 

 for production of such hardwood lumber as could be used by these 

 manufacturers. Now, manufacturers whose stocks have been fairly 

 well exhausted during the past year or so are coming more and more 

 into the market inquiring for prices, and in many cases making quan- 

 tity purchases preparing for the revival of business, which is slowly 

 but surely coming. The mills have in many cases large stocks of 

 lumber which they are most anxious to dispose of and turn their 

 inventory into money, but the material they have is, in many cases, 

 practically useless as far as the manufacturer is concerned. 



As to saying this cannot be done, we can simply use our own experi- 

 ence. We have made the types of bodies that we are now making for 

 the past seventeen years, and in that time we have made other types 

 calling for dimension stock in hardwoods. We have operated our own 

 timber tracts in the South for the past twenty-five years, and have 

 found that it is quite practicable to produce all lumber on a siie basis 

 that would amply fulfill our requirements or would fulfill any standard 

 dimension requirements of any manufacturer. No manufacturer 

 expects to buy first and seconds oak on a strictly dimension basis on 

 as low a price basis as he could get random lengths and widths. The 

 manufacturer is perfectly willing to pay this additional price to get 

 this dimension stoclv. as any one would prefer to secure a carload of 

 material at $100, practically every foot of which can be used at the 

 factory, than to purchase a carload at $50, 50 per cent of which, or 

 even more, is not even worth paying the freight to the factory on. 



(.Signed) . 



I Cotlthiuitl oft liftfjr '2fi) 



