32 



Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



February 10, 1918 



What 



Wood 



Went? 



at tlic Janiiarv shows 



Walnut 



and we have it. 



Sliced for your straight line 

 effects. 



Half Round in hoth mottle 

 and grain figure with heauti- 

 ful matching possibilities. 



Don't you want to look at our 



samples and select just what 

 you have in mind as being "the 

 thing" to use since you re- 

 turned from "up there." 



The Louisville Veneer Mills 



operating Rotary Machines, Saws, Slicers 



Louisville Kentucky 



is no excuse for using veneers when the matter of the 

 appearance of the wood is not the prime consideration, 

 it would be eliminated by consideration of the present 

 situation in the furniture business. 



Practically all of those who have been manufacturing 

 furniture with veneered tops, end panels and drawer 

 fronts, when their products were being finished with var- 

 nishes which covered but did not hide the wood, are con- 

 tinuing to employ the same materials today. They have 

 not changed the character of the material used simply 

 because of the change in the finish. Veneered work hav- 

 ing proven satisfactory heretofore, whether because of 

 the convenience with which it inay be obtained or for 

 other reasons, the manufacturer is continuing to employ 

 it now, when the element of appearance of the face veneer 

 does not figure in his calculations. 



However, as suggested above, the quality of the mate- 

 rial over which the enamel is spread is a factor that is 

 being taken into account. The finisher \^'ants a close- 

 grained surface which does not absorb too much of the 

 material. This makes the best base for enamel to be laid 

 over, and among the woods which are pronounced by 

 furniture men to be especially suitable for this w^ork are 

 birch, gum, maple, beech and elm. Tlie first three on 

 this list are already generally used in the trade, the first 

 two being prime favorites for other reasons, so that it 

 is hardly likely that there will be any necessity for change 

 in the character of the material used, as a result of greater 

 attention being paid to the suitability of the face from 

 the standpoint of furnishing a foundation for enameling. 



Gum seems to be living up to its reputation as a gen- 

 eral utility wood, running birch a close second in this re- 

 spect. Birch won its first reputation as a wood which 

 could be finished to resemble mahogany, but now is 

 being chosen on its merits in many cases, and offered as 

 birch and not as a mahogany substitute. Gum went 

 through the same process, being introduced as the best 

 possible material with which to furnish a pseudo-mahog- 

 any or American walnut, but there is comparatively little 

 gum being sold today which is not offered and adver- 

 tised by the manufacturer and the dealer as gum. TTiat 

 both woods are proving most satisfactory in the w^ork 

 of enameling is merely a further tribute to their general 

 value and usefulness, indicating one more reason why 

 they may be considered among the most popular of all 

 cabinet woods. 



Even if there were cheaper woods which could be sub- 

 stituted for these in the enameling work, it is doubtful 

 if furniture manufacturers would take much pains to seek 

 them out. In the first place, the materials referred to 

 are familiar and well understood. They are handled in 

 the factory without difficulty, because everybody knows 

 just what to expect of them. From drying to finishing, 

 they offer no problems w^hich have not been met and 

 solved already. Hence, there is always a disposition to 

 continue the use of time-tried favorites, rather than turn 

 to something else which may temporarily have advan- 



All Three of Us Will Be Benefitea if You MenUon HARDWOOD RECORD 



