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Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



June 25, 1921 



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shrinks approximately twice as inuch in the tangential direction 

 as indicated in telephone line pole example. 



Since the wood is quite elastic, it is entirely possible to dry it 

 in a straight condition without producing any other ill effects 

 aside from natural shrinkage. 



In other words, lumber and veneers must be held and stressed 

 in a straight, flat position while the moisture is being reduced to 

 exact requirements. 



The solution of this problem lies in having at all times an exact 

 knowledge of the atmospheric conditions throughout the drying 

 period and during the process of manufacture. It is common 

 knowledge that oven-dry lumber and veneer will imbibe or pick 

 up moisture from the air, but to be exact, we must know just 

 how much it will pick up. When the product ceases to give up 

 or take on any further moisture, it is said to be in equilibrium 

 with the atmosphere. 



An impirical term which we have coined for this condition is 

 E. M. C, meaning Equilibrium Moisture Content. 



Musi Know Plants E. M. C. 



It is well recognized that the E. M. C. changes not only from 

 one season of the year to another and would be different in 

 various localities, but also needs to be known in the individual 

 plant: however, it is entirely practical to work out standard dry- 

 ing and moisture control practice based entirely on this condition. 



Once you have determined the average E. M. C. in your plant, 

 you know definitely to what moisture content your stock must be 

 reduced. Adjustments may need to be made during seasonable 

 changes, especially in the colder climates where we are required 

 to reduce the outside atmosphere already low in relative humidity, 

 by heating it to a comfortable working temperature in the plant. 



Some consideration must also be given the nature of the product, 

 its use and where used, so that under certain circumstances it 



would be advisable to control the E. M. C. during the entire year. 

 This would not, however, be common practice, since there is 

 another factor working in our favor at all times, which is the 

 particular type of construction used in panels, furniture, and, for 

 that matter, all wood-work composed of more than one piece, 

 which will permit balancing of stresses, shrinkage and swelling. 



In establishing the E. M. C. for your particular plant and prod- 

 uct, it is first necessary to make extensive tests. These can be 

 made by taking a number of oven dry cross section pieces of 4/4" 

 board about 1 /4" in the direction of the grain and suspending 

 them in different rooms in your plant. After a few days they can 

 be tested in the same manner as ordinary tests on lumber would 

 be made to determine the moisture. The results of repeated fre- 

 quent tests w^ili permit you to work out an average E. M. C. w^hich 

 can be generally maintained at least during our extreme opposite 

 seasons, summer and winter, providing of course that your entire 

 product or a valuable portion thereof is not shipped to an extreme 

 climate, in which event the E. M. C. would need to be adjusted 

 to make up for at least a portion of the change. As an example, 

 a manufacturer of furniture whose plant is located in Denver, Colo., 

 where the E. M. C in the open is very low, would get into much 

 difficulty if he shipped his product overseas, unless he made pro- 

 vision to hold the moisture content of his material and finished 

 product proportionately higher. I do not mean by this that the 

 product w^ould need to contain anything as high as the E. M. C. 

 on ship-board as this would be 1 8 per cent or more. The exact 

 E. M. C. in this case would be dependent upon conditions at final 

 destination, the construction of the product and its intended use. 

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Stabilization Is Key to July 

 Market 



Stabilization of prices for the July markets has been the key- 

 note of the recent meetings of various furniture trade associations. 

 including the National Council of Furniture Associations, held 

 in Chicago and elsew^here. 



The National Council, which met at the Drake Hotel, Chicago, 

 on June 15, adopted this resolution: 



"Be it resolved that it is the sense of the meeting of the National 

 Council of Furniture Associations in session on June 15, 1921, 

 that the following recommendation be conveyed to each secretary 

 of the members of this respective organization of furnitui"e 

 manufacturers: 



"(a) We recommend that furniture manufacturers refigure 

 their costs very carefully prior to the July market. 



(b) Such costs should be figured on the basis of present 

 market of labor and materials, and on the basis of normal operation. 



(c) Selling prices established on that basis should be made 

 as low as you are convinced it is possible to make them including 

 a fair margin of profit. 



(d) If the foregoing suggestions are carried out by every 

 furniture manufacturer, there will be no change in prices during 

 the sales season approaching.** 



Leaders of the furniture industry are convinced that the success 

 or failure of the July market depends upon whether or not prices 

 are stabilized when the market opens. Investigations of the 

 retail branch of the industry have shown that the retailers are 

 ready to do business on the July market, provided they can be 

 convinced that prices have been placed upon the new normal 

 basis and will not continue downward. The retailers have dis- 

 posed of the bulk of the "distressed" and "close out" stocks 

 offered by manufacturers earlier in the period of depression. They 

 have been buying in good volume for the past sixty days, better 

 during the last thirty than the first thirty, indicating a steady 

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