40 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



January 25, 1919 



nambuco. In the tra.lo the wcmI is referred to sometimes also as Para, 

 Bahia, Victoria and Rio wood, wliieh are tlie names of ports from wblcli 

 the wood is occasionally shipped. The experienced liow maker knows the 

 wood as Pernamhuco and he knows Just what he wants. He is exceed- 

 ingly careful in his selection of the logs, and it Is safe to say that on an 

 average a carload of Pernamhuco loss intended for dye making contains 

 only a few articles suitable for the bow makers' use. 



The logs arc usually from thirty to forty-five inches in length and from 

 Ave to fifteen inches' in diameter; the larger logs are always split into 

 halves or quarters. Nearly all of tliem are faulty, that is, they show 

 knots, serious cross grain, rot or other defects which make them unfit for 

 bows.' The logs must not be less than thirty-six Inches in length, and 

 in thickness from six to eight-inch logs are preferred. The wood of the 

 young trees is said to be more vigorous and "nervous." It is claimed by 

 users of this wood that large logs have not got the qualities of the young 

 and small trees. However, if the grain in the woo4l is reasonably straight 

 and is free from knots or other defects, logs fifteen inches in diameter can 

 be used with satisfaction. 



The trees attain a diameter of two feet at the base and upward to fifty 

 feet in height. As a rule, the trunks are almost perfectly straight and 

 clear of branches for over three-fourths their total height. It is said 

 to be one of the most beautiful trees in South America. If the bow maker 

 is successful in securing the desired logs he immediately reduces the sticks 

 into what he calls blanks; these are the bows in the rough Jind in this 

 condition he seasons them sometimes for many months. The drier they are 

 the better will be the bow. Every operation from the selection of the 

 wood to the finished bow requires expert knowledge of the wood as well 

 as of the method of handling and working it. Great care is exercised in 

 cutting the log' radially. This is of the greatest importance, and unless 

 this is done the bow will not assume the characteristic curvature, which 

 keeps the hair on the bow always uniformly taut. Special planes, draw 

 knives and other tools are required to work the bow down to its desired 

 dimensions. As a matter of fact, there is no other small article that is 

 made of wood which requires so much time, energy and precision as the 

 first-class violin bow. 



Australian Spotted Gum 



Spotted gum (Eucalyptus maculata) is one of the best known and 

 most used of the group of trees known as Australian hardwoods. It is a 

 grayish-yellow timber, with a close grain, which Is sometimes straight 

 but occasionally interlocked, hard, tough and elastic. It is extensively 

 used where resilience and lightness combined with strength are the 

 desiderata, as in coach building and similar industries. Recently it has 

 been much used for cabinet-making purposes, as the color somewhat 

 resembles that of oak. Considerable use is also made of the timber for 

 street paving ; blocks that have been down for many years show no signs 

 of wear. On account of its strength it is much used in the building trade. 

 Spotted gum is now generally employed by boat builders for timbers or 

 ribs of vessels, formerly of ash or elm. When steamed or boiled It readily 

 bends to conform to the shape of the vessel and has very little tendency 

 to split or crack. Strength tests recently made with three pieces of timber 

 each 38 by 3 by 3 Inches showed a mean breaking strain of 7,375 pounds. 

 The weight of a cubic foot of spotted gam Is 55 Mi pounds. 



Cloth Made of Wood 



Twine, thread, and cloth have long been manufactured from paper, 

 but something new has been announced in Germany. A summary in the 

 British Board of Trade Journal, April 25, says of this new luvention : 



There has been much discussion in the German press during recent 

 weeks concerning a wood-pulp fiber named "cellulon," for which large 

 claims are made as an eCBcient substitute for jute, cotton, and other 

 fibers. Swiss spinners and weavers are keenly watching the develop- 

 ments of this textile substitute and already regard it as of considerable 

 Importance. The British consul general at Zurich, who has seen a sample 

 of the cloth made from cellulon, describes it as extremely strong, although 

 It Is made directly from wood pulp. 



It Is not easy to reconcile the various descriptions of the process of 

 manufacturing cellulon from pulp, and it may be that more than one 

 method is employed. It appears to be certain that the fiber is not made 

 by spinning long strips of paper run off reels through water in the manner 

 which German paper textile substitutes have made familiar. The accounts 

 agree in describing the process, or processes, as a direct manufacture from 

 wood pulp. The British consul general states that the method employed 

 is on the same general lines as artificial silk manufacture ; that Is, by 

 squeezing pulp under high pressure through small holes in plates. He Is 

 familiar with the artificial-silk works at Krefeld and considers that the 

 methods employed there are adaptable to making cellulon. 



But however cellulon may he manufactured, there is no doubt that It 

 Is being exploited very actively in Germany, especially as a substitute 

 for jute. The Munchener Neueste Nachrichten, which describes the extent 

 of Its adoption In Germany up to last month [March], states that many 

 of the largest Industrial concerns in the cellulose, paper, and textile Indus- 

 tries have already taken out licenses for the working of this invention. 

 Some large factories are already at work exploiting it ; other factories for 

 such exploitation are being buil't or projected. The Cellulon Company has 

 been formed by the existing license. 



According to the Correspondenz Textllindustrie, the production of 

 cellulon yarn will have to be reserved exclusively for the supply of the 

 army for a considerable time to come, and its appearance on the open 

 market therefore can not be expected for the present. The experiments 

 made so far have shown^ says this technical journal, cellulon to be a 

 thoroughly equivalent substitute for cotton, hemp, jute, and linen. Wood 

 cellulose has thus acquired a new and unexpected Importance In German 

 economic life as a textile raw material. 



South African Boxwood 



An article in the July number of the South Africa Journal of Industries, 

 Pretoria, gives figures on the use of South African boxwood, which is 

 probably the tree known to botanists as Oonioma kamassi, and locally as 

 cape boxwood, knysna boxwood, and kamassihout. Following is an extract 

 from the article : 



The total quantity of boxwood exported during the financial year 1916- 

 17 was 5,204 cubic feet, and the average net return for these shipments 

 was approximately 41 cents per cubic foot. As opposed to this method 

 of departmental working, 5,000 culnc feet were purchased standing at 

 Fort Grey by a leading timber company at 36 cents per cubic foot, the 

 net return to the Department being 35 cents per cubic foot. 



The different uses to which this wood is put are as follows : Wood 

 engraving and inlaying in cabinetmaking ; manufacture of croquet mallets 

 and other small turned articles, such as chessmen ; manufacture of rules, 

 measures, etc., including slide rules ; making plumbers' tools and oc- 

 casionally handles for joiners', carpenters', and wood-turners' tools ; manu- 

 facture of shuttles and parts of bobbins for use in textile industry. It is 

 also stated that small quantities have been sold to munition works, where, 

 it is believed, the wood is used in making fuse parts. 



Owing to the difliculty and uncertainty of obtaining freight and the 

 prohibition of the Importation of boxwood into the I'nitcd Kingdom, the 

 exportation of boxwood abruptly ceased and arrangements were made to 

 dispose of the quantities on hand to local buyers, as far as possible. 



Statement Regarding Mahogany Prices 



The following statement comes from a leading manufacturer of mahogany 

 lumber and veneers relative to the price situation on mahogany, and rea- 

 sons for such figures : 



Below are current prices on mahogany lumber, as follows, viz. : 



4/4" 



Per M ft. 



Ists & 2nd.s $30n.0O 



No. 1 common 200.00 



No. 2 common 100.00 



Moulding .strips, 3"-5"x6' ,& up 200.00 



Shorts. 4" & up X 2' to 5' 1^9-5*^ 



No. 1 wormv 75.00 



Short shorts. 2" & up x 1' to 4' 60.00 



Thinner and thicker .stock in customary proportions. 



The compelling economic factors that are present in any manufac- 

 tured line, such as increased cost of labor, domestic freight rates, etc., 

 apply with equal force to mahogany, and in addition thereto are the 

 increased ocean rates wliich represent a goodly proportion of the cost 

 of mahogany. Nevertheless the increase in mahogany prices as con- 

 trasted with pre-war prices is relatively small when compared with 

 other manufactured articles, which in some cases amount to several 

 l^undred per cent. 



Hardwood News Notes 



-•< MISCELLANEOUS >= 



The Atlas Lumber & Manufacturing Company, Cincinnati, O., has 

 changed its name to The Atlas Lumber Company. Other concerns which 

 have altered their titles ai'e : The Hargrove Moye Lumber Company, 

 Columbia, Miss., now the H. W. Hargrove Lumber Company, and at 

 Toledo, O., the Allen A. Smith Company has succeeded the Goodsell Manu- 

 facturing Company. 



The Glendale Lumber Company has been incorporated at Glendale, Ky. 



The Wayne Spoke & Bending Company, Ft. Wayne, Ind., is closing out 

 its business. 



The Lynch Hardwood Lumber Company has incorporated at Indian- 

 apolis, Ind., with a $25,000 capital stock. 



The capital stock of the Landau Cabinet Company, St. Louis, Mo., has 

 been increased from $20,000 to $100,000. 



A voluntary petition in bankruptcy has been filed by the Lee Chair 

 Company, Oneida, N. Y. 



The Tennessee Saw Mills Company has recently commenced business 

 at Knoxville, Tenn. 



At Helena, Ark., the Helena Band Mill Company has been incorporated. 



The capital stock of the Columbia Hardwood Lumber Company, city, 

 has been increased to $100,000. 



The Belleville Coflin & Casket Company has been incorporated at Belle- 

 ville, 111. 



-< CHICAGO >• 



W. O. King & Co., city, have leased their yards and sheds to the Red 

 River Lumber Company. 



J. J. Fink has withdrawn from the Fink-Heidler Company here. 



The Haskelite Manufacturing Company, manufacturer of panel stock, 

 has removed its general office from Grand Rapids, Mich., to 133 W. Wash- 

 ington boulevard, Chicago. 



There have been a number of important meetings in Chicago in the 

 past two weeks which brought many prominent lumbermen to town. 

 These are noted elsewhere in the issue. The January furniture shows 

 also contritiuted their share of visitors. 



