November 25, 1918 



Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



23 



Birch as Veneer Wood 



Material Furnished by Different Species of Birch 



EARLY 25,000 feet of birch logs a year are re- 

 duced to veneer in this country, and nearly all 

 of it is worked by the rotary process. More than 

 fifteen states report the manufacture of birch 

 veneer. The largest producers are here shown: 



Feet, Log Scale 



Wisconsin I 6,2 1 8,000 



Vermont 2,300,000 



Michigan 1,875.000 



Maine 1,838,000 



New York 714,000 



Arkansas 299,000 



Ohio 1 19,000 



Maryland 75,000 



North Carolina 23.000 



New Jersey 20,000 



Indiana 15,000 



West Virginia 1 5,000 



Birch veneer comes from widely separated regions, 

 though two-thirds of all is reported from Wisconsin. Four 

 and perhaps five species of birch are represented in the 

 veneer output. They are sweet birch, yellow birch, paper 

 birch, river birch, and probably white birch. The amount 

 of each cannot be definitely stated because figures are 

 not separately tabulated and all birch is listed as the same; 

 yet it is well known that all are not the same kind. 



The sweet and the yellow birches are used more than 

 the others in the form of veneer. Most birch furniture 

 and interior finish are of these w^oods; while boxes, bask- 

 ets, and vsrrapping sheets for rooted plants and other nur- 

 sery stock, account for much of the veneer made from 

 river and paper birch. 



The high grade veneer for furniture is more important 

 than the rest and is made in larger quantity. Yellow and 

 sweet birch develop a high percentage of colored heart- 

 wood, virhich is much valued by furniture makers. It is 

 rich brown or reddish. This is the birch which often 

 passes for mahogany. The white sapwood of yellow and 

 sweet birch is acceptable as veneer for furniture and finish, 

 but it is not usually considered equal to the colored heart- 

 wood. 



The heartwood of paper birch is as nicely colored and 

 is as satisfactory as that of the two furniture birches, 

 except that the heart of paper birch is comparatively 

 small and is not often cut in veneer. The trunk of paper 

 birch is mostly white sapwood, and the veneer cut from it 

 fills important places, but in certain lines only. It is made 

 into three and five ply panels; or it serves as the cores only 

 of such panels, where finer woods are wanted for the sur- 

 face sheets. 



Much paper birch veneer has been used in the manu- 

 facture of shipping boxes when a white, clean appearance 

 is desirable. Many lemons have been shipped from Italy 

 to this country in boxes made of New England paper 

 birch veneer. The wood is strong and it is not necessary 



that the shipping boxes be made of thick sheets in order 

 to insure safe transportation. 



A large part of the excellent panels formerly made in 

 Russia and which enjoyed a high reputation, were of a 

 species of birch very similar to paper birch of this country. 

 The Russians seasoned much of their veneer by passing 

 the sheets between hot rollers. They made panels of 

 veneer which a few hours before had been cut from green 

 logs. That process has not been much tried in this 

 country, but no reason why it would not succeed is ap- 

 parent. Paper birch is suitable. 



Birch veneer runs in thicknesses about like other woods. 

 More is one-eighth of an inch than of any other thickness, 

 and one-seventh comes next. These two thicknesses ag- 

 gregate more than one-third of the whole birch veneer 

 output of the United States; but much is cut one-fourth 

 and three-sixteenth inch. 



The quantity of birch sawed into lumber per year is 

 eighteen times as large as that cut into veneer. 



Explaining the Woods 



Most veneer and panel manufacturers, whether talked to either 

 individually or collectively, will admit a lack of knowledge on the 

 part of the public about woods. Most all will admit that here is a 

 fruitful field for effort of an educational character, and agree that 

 it would be better for everybody concerned if the public as a 

 whole could be more specifically educated in its knowledge of 

 wood in the finished form. But when the question arises as to 

 whose duty it is to do this there is a slacking of interest and a 

 tendency to shy away from a further discussion of the subject. 

 This is regrettable, not merely because it is a handicap to the edu- 

 cation and progress, but more specifically because it is also a 

 handicap to advertising progress. There is no bigger field for 

 educational possibilities in connection with veneer, panels, furni- 

 ture and cabinet wood of all kinds than that of explaining the 

 woods to the genera! public. 



Two fields of endeavor are open. One is among the dealers in 

 furniture, pianos, and talking machines and the other is among 

 the public schools of the country to educate the rising generation 

 to more intimate knowledge and understanding of the different 

 woods and their beauty. A little work along the latter line has 

 already been done by men interested in the welfare of the veneer 

 industry. It has been found comparatively easy to interest the 

 schools in veneering and but little time and effort are required to 

 collect a diversified lot of samples of veneer which enters int« 

 furniture making and other industries, both in the form of tha 

 thin face veneer and of built-up wood. With a bundle of samples 

 a very interesting talk can be made to a school on identification 

 of different woods in common use, both domestic and imported; 

 how veneer is produced and used, and why built-up lumber re., 

 sists splitting and has greater strength. 



The need for educational work among retail furniture dealers 

 and their clerks was made apparent recently by a few experiments. 

 It was found by actual inquiry by buyers and prospects in furni- 

 ture stores that on an average more than half of the general public 

 could not distinguish plain oak from quartered oak. birch from 

 mahogany, and could not name plain maple. Some of the more 

 outstanding figures in wood could be distinguished. Many could 

 recognize birdseye maple and there was a general idea that ma- 



