Apiii ao. i'.m 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



17 



Standardization of Dimension 



Chairman of Standardization Committee of Association of Wood Using Industries 

 Discusses Some of the Problems That Must Be Overcome 



*By ff'illiam .4. BahbitI 



Tlir titlf uf tlii.s srrics of stiiilirs (•(ii-rrct ly di'sciiln's tlir |uiiipiisi' 

 fur wliich tlioy htivc Ijcen writti-u. riolialily im mii' (ciTtainly 

 not tlu> writer) who knows anytliinij aljout tin' .niiiiiloxitics ;inil 

 iliflii'ulties of tli.' |iroj;v.im of stamlarili/.atioii would assuiiif tci 

 have the coniiilctc .iiiswur, or even to 1)c :il>l<' to state correi-tly all 

 the problems. Tt is to be hoped, howevi'r. that these studies will 

 serve to stiimilate tin' rapidly growing interest in the stamlanl 

 ization program, and to call forth suggestions and cipiistrui-tive 

 critieisnis from all roncerned. 



lu order that lumlier men and woodusers, who lia\c' nut had the 

 (jpportuuity to follow the development of the standardization jiro 

 gr.am thus f.ar, may get in toueh with the situation, a little history 

 might be worthwhile. 



The beginnings of the program are to be found in tlir,etforts 

 of one of the afHiliated associations of the .Vssociat ion of Wood 

 I'sing Industries to establish a sound and depend.able basis for 

 st:iuilar<l eost aceounting among its nieuilier lirms. .\ vimv ex- 

 haustive a"nalysis of the raw material reipiirements of this asso- 

 eiation for lumber brought out a number of suggestive facts, and 

 soine that were | ositively startling. The logical and ine\itabb- 

 conclusion from these facts seems to indicate .-i gradual, but 

 event u.ally, .a complete revolution of procedure, not menly in this 

 ]i.-irticular wood using i)idustry, but in all wood using industries. 



This analysis showed that on :i merchautabh' Inmlier liasis the 

 association's annual requirements were one billion eight hundreil 

 million feet, chietly hardwoods. This analysis further showed that 

 the logical and only satisfactory basis for the prineiinil r.iw 

 material fact(n' of cost is not lumber but dimension stock. Xn 

 extension of the ini|uiry shows th.at this fuadament.al is also true 

 of nearly all luuibi;r used for fabricating purposes. 



Hut when the board measure of this requirement iji thi' form of 

 dimension stock w.as determineil it was found to be only one bil- 

 lion two hundred thousand feet, board measure. Six hundri'd mil 

 Hon feet are being wasted annualh- by the reduction of commercial 

 lumber to usable dimension by this one industry alone, which is 

 one of till' smaller .at tliat. 



Might Have Saved Over Billion Feet 



Furthernu)re, it api)e;ired that the bulk of this requirement could 

 have been produced from commercially low grade stock and non- 

 commercial waste, now largely a total loss in lumbering operations. 

 In fact, it has always been known that s\ich a salvage could lie 

 made, and tli;it not only the six hundred million feet, but the 

 whole billion eight liundred million feet, couM be iiroduceil from 

 such sources. 



These considerations 7i;itnrally raised the tinal .and critical tjues- 

 tion: 



''With all these facts established scientilically. and a matter of 

 common knowledge in a general way, both to the jirodueer an<l 

 consumer of lumber, why should there not be an immediate change 

 to a sound and economical basis?" 



There is a very large iind decisive number of reasons why such 

 a change from a wasteful to an economic basis can be accomplished 

 only by slow stages, against much static and some active opposi- 

 tion. Among these it may be useful to mention som(> of the more 

 important. 



• Editor's Xotc: Tliis is the first of a scriva of thrve articles hy Mi . 

 liabbitt, dealing With the manifold problems of standardizing dimension 

 for the wood using industries of the country, a work undertaken hy the 

 Association of Wood Using Industries on belialf of both the producer of 

 hardwood timber and the fabricating of wood products. The subsequent 

 articles will be publislied in II.\rdwooi> Uecoicd as Mr. Ilabbitt issues thtm. 



Tile ihiinI diriiciilt te.atuic- of the situation is the liugencs> of Ilie 

 ]iroposition. Its bulk is cidossal. I'ut all the lumber \n\vs in 

 America in one great yard, an<l it would be a small yard compared 

 to the stor.age grouml re(|uired to store the wasted portions of the 

 trees from which the lumber was cut. This matter is not only huge 

 in its mere jiliysical jiroportions; it is also huge in its interlocking 

 relations with e\ery phase of manufacture in the country. It is 

 .1 huge ]ir(ililem presented from llie \ iewjioint (if mci-hanic.al lapiip- 

 uu'nt alone. 



The change of basis from the present wasteful methods of wikmI 

 fabrication to .a li.-isis of comparative conservation in\(ilvc'i the 

 organization of .a manufacturing and sale.3 proposition on tlu' [lart 

 of lumbermen which eventually will rival their organiz.ation for 

 manufacturing .and selling merchantable lumber. The problems 

 of dimension sizes .and grades are indefinitely more complex and 

 difficult than lumber grades and siiecifications. The problem of 

 education will be fully as difficult as that, e. g., involved in estab- 

 lishing a market for red gum. The Standanliz.ation Committee is 

 fully aware of these considerations, and cherishes no delusions as 

 t(i till' difficulties ahead, or as to the slow progress th.al will bi> 

 made tow.ard their solution. 



Under these circumstances, it became evidently lidtlt llif duly 

 .and the ojiiiortunity of this association to look for a solutioji of a 

 cojidition which produced such enormous wastes, and prevented 

 suidi lingr s.alvages from the fast-waning timber resources of our 

 country. This, briefly, is the story of the beginning of the stand- 

 ardization program. The organization of the Association of Wood 

 Using Industries and the friendly co-operation of the various asso- 

 ciations of lumbermen ha\'e now pl.aced this jirogram on a n.ational 

 b.asis. 



Some Problems Which Have Been Solved 



The tirst inoblem has been to get the necessary entente cordialc 

 between the ]iro(lucer and the consumer with regari.1 to the pro- 

 gram of standardization. This has been by no means a simple, 

 easy matter. It re()uired the compilation of much data to estab- 

 lish a presumption in favor of the program. Dimension stock is no 

 new ]:roposition either to lumbermen or to wood users. Past his- 

 tory has little to testify in its favor. Every lumberman has a 

 choice collection of experience in manufacturing dimension stock, 

 which every wood user can match in his attempts to use said stock. 

 Tlie proof has been fully established that the f.iult is mutual. The 

 produi'cr did not think that it was worthwhile to manufacture his 

 ilimension proiierly. He looked down on the job, instead of up to 

 It. The user took the view that because it was dimension stock, 

 .ind probably manuf.actured from waste, he ought to be able to 

 buy it at one-half to one-third its real value. 



Both parties are now well in accord. Dimension stock is of such 

 high import.ancc th.at it is entitled to first consideration in care 

 and accuracy of manufacture. Wood users realize that dimension 

 stock, so manufactured, is the most valuable and economical form 

 in which they can get their raw material; and that to get it they 

 must pay what it is worth. This means a market price which will 

 make the manufacture of dimension stock a commercially souml 

 proposition for the producer. 



The elimination of the "specialty" haz.ard, in the manufacture 

 of dimension stoidv, is another problem which has been successfully 

 disposed of. Formerly both parties to a contract for dimension 

 stock assumed a risk which does not apply to commercial lumber, 

 viz., the exceptional loss should either party to the contract fail 

 to keep his agreement. If the user failed to take the stock he 

 contracted for then the producer had left on his hands an unsal- 



