Hardwood record 



25 



Surface of 21 feet and over allows of 3 

 biches sap aud two defects, or allows of '.i 

 I Inches sap and three defects, or allows of no 

 ' sap and four defects. 



Selects- Grade fas on the good side, and saps 

 or common No. 1 ou the poor side. 



Saps Smallest width 5 Inches, shortest length 

 8 feet. 



Xarrosv boards — Boards 5 to S inches wide 

 allow of no defects, excepting a short split. 



Wide boards — Hoards 1) Inches and over wide 

 allow of one defect ou one face. 



IMPORTANT. 



In the common grades sap is no defect. 



i"om. No. 1 — Smallest width 5 inches, shortest 



-•th S feet. 



I boards o inches wide must work two-thirds 



:ir face in two cuttings. 



I'lear cittings must be 5 Inches wide and 2 

 I feet long or longer. Reverse side must be 

 sound. 



All other boards must work two-thirds clear 

 face in two cuttings, if board is shorter than 

 12 feet; In three cuttings, if board is 12 feet 

 long or longer. 



Clear cuttings must measure at least 2 feet 

 by 4 inches or 3 feet by 3 inches. Reverse side 

 must be sound. 



Com. No. 2 — Smallest width 4 inches, shortest 

 length 4 feet. 



All boards must work one-half souud in three 

 cuttings. If board is shorter than 11 feet ; in 

 four cuttings, if board is 11 feet long or longer. 



Sound cuttings must measure at least 2 feet 

 by 3 inches. Sound cuttings are pieces free 

 from rot aud shake. 



Com. No. 3 — Smallest width 3 inches, shortest 

 length 4 feet. 



AM boards must work one-fourth sound. 



A grade may contain shake, rpt, heart, knots, 

 wane, but the use of the board as a whole must 

 not be affected materially by these defects. 



B grade may contain defects without limit. 



CHESTNUT. 



Fas — Smallest width 6 inches, shortest length 

 8 feet. 



Length — 20 per cent of Iwards may be under 

 12 feet long ; 10 per cent of boards may be 8 

 feet or feet long. 



Standard defects are admitted according to 

 Surface measure as follows : G feet, one standard 

 defect ; It feet, two standard defects ; 12 feet, 

 three standard defects ; 10 feet, four standard 

 defects. 



Com. No. 1 - Smallest width 4 inches, shortest 

 length G feet. 



Itoards 4 inches wide by G or 7 feet long 

 must be clear; 8 to 11 feet long, must work 

 two-thirds clear face in two cuttings ; 12 feet 

 or over long, must work two-thirds clear face 

 In three cuttings. 



Clear cuttings must measure at least 2 feet 

 by 4 Inches. Reverse side must be sound. 



All other boards when G feet to 11 feet long 

 must work two-thirds clear face in two cut- 

 tings ; when 12 feet or over long must work 

 two-thirds clear face In three cuttings. 



Clear cuttings must measure at least 2^ feet 

 by 4 Inches or 3 feet by 3 inches. Reverse side 

 must l>e sound. 



Wormy — Inspect just like common No. 1. 

 Worm holes, however, are admitted without 

 limit and arc not considered as defects. 



Com. No. 2 — Smallest width 3 inches, shortest 

 l«Dgth 4 feet. 



Ail boards must work one-half sound (not 

 cltar) in three cuttings, if board' is 4 feet US 10 

 febt long : In four cuttings, If board Is 11 feet 

 01* over long. ' . 



; Sound cuttings must measure at least 2 feet 

 by 3 Inches. ' 



Com. No. 3 — A and B as In poplar. 



Finish — Comprises boards inspecting fas on- 

 line face ; also clear face boards 4 and 5 inches 

 wide. The reverse face of linisli must be sound. 



OAK. 



Fas — Smallest width () Inches, shortest length 

 S feet. 



Length — 20 per cent of boards nuiy be under 

 12 feet long; 10 per cent of boards may bo 8 

 feet or 9 feet long. 



Krlght Slip is no defect in boards C and 7 

 Inches wide, up to one-third of wldlh of piece 

 on one face : In boards 8 Inches aud over wide, 

 up to any width on one face, is one standard 

 defect for every one Inch on the reverse face. 



Standard defects are admitted according to 

 surface measure as follows : G feet, one standard 

 defect: 9 feet, two standard defects; 12 feet, 

 three standard defects ; 10 feet, four standard 

 defects. 



IN THE COMMON GRADES BRIGHT SAP IS NO 

 DEFECT. 



Common No. 1 — Smallest width 4 Inches ; 

 shortest length G feet. Boards 4 Inches wide 

 by G or 7 feet long must be clear ; by 8 to 11 



Inches long must work two-thirds clear face in 

 two cuttings ; by 12 feet or over long, mnst 

 • wdVk two-thirds clear face in three cuttings. 

 'Clear cuttings must measure at least 2 feet by 

 4 Inches. Reverse .side must be sound. All other 

 boards, when 6 to 11 feet long, must work two- 

 thirds face In two cuttings ; when 12 feet or 

 over long, must work two-thirds cl(>ar face In 

 three cuttings. Clear cuttings must measure 

 at least 2 feet by 4 Inches or ;i feet by 3 Inbfies. 

 Reverse side must be sound. -«■...,- 



Common No. 2 — Smallest width 3 Inches ; 

 shortest length 4 feet.' All boards must w-ork 

 one-half dear face in three cuttings if boaM is 

 feet to 11 feet long; in four cuttings If board 

 is 12 feet or over long. Clear face cuttings 

 must measure at least 2 feet by 3 In'ihes. Re- 

 verse face must be sound. 



Common No, 8— A, B, as In poplar. 



Finish — Comprises boards inspecting fas on 

 one face ; also clear face boardS^ 4 and 5 Inches 

 wide. The reverse face of Hnlsh must be sound. 



Boats jVfacfe from Tree Trunks. 



Down in those countries bordering on 

 the Caribbean sea, the traveler frequently 

 sees curious and very unusual objects. 

 One which attracted my attention in par- 

 ticular was a boat, or canoe, forty feet 

 long and thirty-six inches wide, which had 

 been made from the trunk of a mahogany 

 tree, hollowed out by fire. It was equipped 

 with a mast, sail, seats and rudder and 

 other riggiug, and its captain, who was also 

 the owner, was very proud of his craft. I 

 had heard of boats made in this primitive 

 way, and was much interested iu talking 

 with a party who was familiar with the 

 peculiar process of making these boats. At 

 first thought it would seem almost impossi- 

 ble to hollow out the trunk of a large ma- 

 hogany tree by fire without burning it too 

 much, taking chances of ruining it or pos- 

 sibly reducing it to ashes. But the fact 

 is, no such danger need be feared. The fire 

 is handled so carefully aud kept so com- 

 pletely under control that when the boat 

 is completed the hull will be of compara- 

 tively uniform thickness throughout and 

 perfectly smooth on both the outer and in- 

 ner surfaces. This is accomplished by a 

 series of very small fires, made of fat pine 

 splints, or of a very resinous substance 

 secreted by the wax palm, which is found 

 in that country. These substances produce 

 great heat, with but little blaze, and the 

 wood is thus charred iu for a depth of one- 

 half or three-fourths of an inch. The little 

 fire is then shifted to another place in the 

 bottom of the boat, and the charred wood 

 is scraped off as deep as it is burned. An- 

 other, of the fires is then moved, and the 

 burned wood scraped off as before, and 

 this process of shifting the fires, and scrap- 

 ing, is repeated time after time, until"' the 

 whole interior of the log ia burned and 

 scraped out. It is only when the boat is 

 nearing completion, and the hull has about 

 reached the proper or required thickness 

 that tbe greafcst care is necessary, so as 

 not to butn through or make the hull un- 

 even, or too thin in some places and too 

 thick in bthers. Several fires can be kept 



ill operation at the same time and the work 

 accomplished more rapidly than one would 

 think. The outside of the log so nearly 

 conforms to the shape of the boat that it 

 only needs to be brought to a point at tlie 

 stem or front end and tapered slightly at 

 the stern, and worked down on the bottom 

 side to somewhat flatten the bottom, and 

 thus render it less liable to capsize. The 

 greatest work in making the boat is exca- 

 vating the interior. 



Many years ago this was the common 

 method of constructing boats among the 

 people of the nations of Central America 

 and other southern countries. Now they 

 are shaped and hollowed out by the use of 

 modern tools, such as the ax, adz, auger and 

 plane. A search for a suitable tree from 

 among the monarchs of the forests is the 

 first part of the labotious task. When one 

 is found with sufficient girth and length and 

 straightness of trunk, to make a boat of 

 the required dimensions, it is felled. Once 

 on the ground, the log is cut off the re- 

 quired length, the upper third is cut away 

 on a straight line from end to end. On this 

 fiat surface the workman begins to hollow 

 out the inside of the boat with an adz, 

 which is the most suitable tool for this 

 purpose. He does not complete this part of 

 the work at this time, however, but only 

 sufficient of it to lighten the log so it can 

 be readily turned upside down. This done 

 he begins work on the outside of the log, 

 which is cut down to the exact shape re- 

 quired iu the boat. It is planed off per- 

 feetlj- smooth, and then turned upside down 

 again and work resumed on the inside. A 

 scribe is made around the edge designating 

 the thickness of the hull, and the wood is 

 carefully cut out to this line. To secure uni- 

 formity of thickness of the sides, a rudely 

 constructed caliper is used to frequently 

 try the thickness as the work progresses. 

 When the bottom is reached a series of 

 holes about five-eighths of an inch in 'diam- 

 eter is bored through the bottom, twelve or 

 eighteen inches apart, the shorter spaces 

 being where there is the most curvatiire to 



