42 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Truing Up Log Band Saw Wheels 

 To secure good sawing it is o£ the utmost im- 

 portauce that the face of the saw wheels be 

 kept perfectly true and flat. In working, it is 

 found that the front edges of the wheels wear 

 faster than the rest of the face ; consequently. 

 if this is allowed to continue, a greater strain 

 is thrown on the back part of the saw, and the 

 front of the blade, being more or less slack, is 

 «pt to run from the line, and cracks are set 

 up : the tension of the saw also is damaged and 

 •distorted. When wear is found on the wheels 

 they should at once be trued up. If the wear 

 Is not great, this can be best done by grinding 

 them to a true surface by means of a largi" 

 emery wheel, but if they arc much out, it may 

 be necessary to take a preliminary cut in a 

 lathe and afterwards grind them. Care should 

 be taken that the emery wheel is not forced, 

 .and water can be used with it to advantage. 

 It may be taken as an axiom that perfect band 

 sawing Is impossible without perfectly true 

 ■wheels. 



The Working Qualities of Mahogany- 

 There has existed for many years a general 

 impression that mahogany is about the most dif- 

 iicult wood to work there is, since it is so heavy 

 and hard. In connection with the early history 

 of this beautiful wood has always been re- 

 lated tlie story of how the English doctor 

 wished to use mahogany in decorating his hous<', 

 but the workmen refused to cut the lumber, 

 raying that it was so hard that it ruined their 

 tools. People have learned since, however, that 

 this was a mistaken idea, and they know now 

 that plain mahogany is about as easy to work 

 as ,iny of the plain hardwoods. When the wood 

 is old and thoroughly dry it gets hard and heavy 

 after being treated with finish. Plain mahog- 

 any, however, is fairly easy to work, and it 

 has an advantage which is greatly appreciated 

 by users — it gives little trouble from swelling 

 and shrinking. The wood takes an excellent fin- 

 ish. It is not inclined to split and sliver and 

 is really easier to work on machines or even 

 with plain tools than hard dry oak. 



There are so many different species of ma- 

 hogany that even an expert finds difficulty in 

 recognizing them. Certain varieties blend so 

 closely with Spanish cedar that it is often dif- 

 ficult to tell whether a piece of lumber is the 

 cedar seen in cigar boxes or mahogany. This 

 species is the kind that is easiest to work, as 

 It has a plain straight grain and texture like 

 Spanish cedar. Of course the wood of the va- 

 riety which is a deeper red in color is curly, 

 with burls and involved figure and often much 

 ■cross-grain, and is more difficult to work, but 

 this is no harder than the same kind of figure 

 or grain in oak or maple and really not so 

 ■hard, as It is less liable to split. More care 

 is needed and more time must be taken in work- 

 ing a piece of curly or figured mahogany than 

 the plain stock, because of the gross grain, and 

 ■also for the reason that as a general thing wood 

 of this sort is intended for a higher grade of 

 polish. Crotch mahogany, the figure in which 

 frequently presents practically an end wood for 

 the face, is often a trying proposition to the 

 worker, but it would be Just as difficult to handle 

 oak or maple which presented end wood in 

 this way. Since mahogany is such a beautiful 

 wood and its tones arc enhanced with age, the 

 difficulties it presents in working are entii-ely 

 •offset by these advantages. 



Green Heart Timber from Guiana 

 , The flfly large pairs of lock gates In the 

 Manchester ship canal are constructed entirely 

 of green heart timber from British Guiana. The 

 «arae can be said of the gates of the Bridge- 

 water canal and also of the dock gales In the 

 Mercy Harbor, which for the past fifty years 

 liavc been constructed altogether from this tlm- 

 l>er. In the new naval docks lu Mechll, Scot- 

 land, the wood has been extensively employed. 



and more recently at the Panama Canal it has 

 been specified for sills and fenders for lock 

 gates. 



The durability of this wood Is practically 

 without limit. It will outlast iron fastenings 

 several limes over. In 1894 It was found that 

 in rebuilding the gates of the Canada locks, the 

 green heart timber placed there thirt.v-eight 

 years before was as good as new and was used 

 in the new construction. 



At the port of Georgetown every wharf is 

 built on green heart piles which, unlike teak, 

 oak or any other hardwood, are entirely immune 

 from the attacks of the teredo. This is said 

 to be due to the large quantity of alkaloid 

 bebcerlne, which is found only in this wood. 



Piano Industry Centers in Chicago 



The manufacturing zone of Chicago comprises 

 the greatest piano center in the world. In this 

 district are produced aunually about 430,000 

 pianos, which are made In 30 different plants. 

 As a general thing the type of instrument made 

 in this market is of the higher order, the cheap- 

 er instruments being manufactured at eastern 

 points. 



The reputation of Chicago as a music manu- 

 facturing center is not confined entirely to the 

 production of pianos. Here are also turned out 

 annually thousands of organs, mechanical 

 piano players and similar instruments. The 

 city of Chicago is the center of the organ in- 

 dustry of the United States. 



the coast. In its natural state the wood Is 

 unusually porous and light but of a damp, soggy 

 character. It is subjected to an evaporating 

 process, extracting the moisture and reducing 

 the weight, so that it is not only lighter than 

 ordinary cork but Is capable of being compressed 

 into much smaller bulk. It Is marlceted In slabs 

 nud pulverized. 



The possibilities of commercially exploiting 

 the tree have been recognized of late, and 

 numerous concerns are advertising the wood for 

 sale. The planters themselves are realizing that 

 it would be far more profitable for them to place 

 their corkwood logs on the market rather than 

 burn them, and an instance is cited of one 

 banana grower who closed a contract In New 

 York for 150.000 feet of the wood. Another In- 

 quiry from the same market calls for 1,000,000 

 feet. While the export tax imposed by the gov- 

 ernment of Honduras is excessive, still it is ex- 

 pected that the Industry will flourish. 



Corkwood of Honduras 



It has always been the custom in Honduras 

 when clearing land for cultivation to burn all 

 forest growth except that which is readily 

 marketable. As corkwood has always been con- 

 sidered valueless, large quantities have been 

 destroyed in this way. Nevertheless the supply 

 is still abundant. 



Up to 1908 the value of corkwood was an 

 unknown quantity. Its discovery commercially 

 is attributed to the captain of a schooner, who 

 on one of his trips to Honduras for dye and 



A New Jointer or Hand Planer 



H. B. Smith and his successors, the II. B. 

 Smith Machiue Company, have been building 

 jointers for many years. Tiiose which were 

 made forty or fifty years ago had each table 

 mounted on four links which were of the same 

 radius as the cutting circle, then known as the 

 Carey style. Subsequently they built them with 

 the table mounted on four slides, and a few with 

 only one large or long slide to each table. Later 

 (some twenty-five years ago) they built them 

 with four slides or Inclines to each table In such 

 a manner that the tables were made to adjust 

 radially with the cutting circle; and while the 

 design did not indicate It, the base was made so 

 that it could rest on the floor In three places 

 like a three legged stool. As Indicated by the 

 halftone, the company has brought out a new 

 design in which the frame is cast whole and 

 rests upon the floor In three places, so that it 

 cannot be twisted out of line by changing floors. 

 The longer table comes, first, so as to handle 

 long materials with better facility. The follow- 



II. li. SMITH itoiwn sAiirfN iii:aip with kxi\i:s. caps am* bolts in place. 



hardwood, was given a piece iii" the corkwm/c' 

 for examination. The possibilities of its ex- 

 ploitation appealed to him Immediately, and 

 he carried a sample to the home office in Now 

 York. Since that time his cargoes have in- 

 cluded large quantities of corkwood logs. 



The type of land resulting in the best de- 

 \elopment of the tree is marshy. Even here it 

 seldom grows above 2 feet In diameter. Above 

 that size, however, it is not marketable, nor 

 when It Is kss than 8 to 10 inches thick. It is 

 found most abundantly along the lowlamls of 



ing description will give a better Idea of the de- 

 tails and adjustments : 



The frame is of box form, very rigid and is 

 provided with a chute for delivering the shav- 

 ings to the rear, where connection should be 

 made to the exhaust pipe system. The top of 

 the frame for supporting the table inclines is 74 

 inches in length, while the base is 4G Inches long 

 by 24 inches at the rear end of the 12" and 16" 

 machines. The larger machines have wider 

 frames. 



The tables arc extra wide and cojointly are 



