26 



Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



March 10, 19 lb 



One of the things which distinguishes our sawmill and 

 lumber industry from that of the old world is its standards, 

 in much of the old world country, the sawmill simply 

 converts the logs into flitches, thick plank and timbers, 

 and these in turn are worked up at the planing mills and 

 factories in whatever dimensions are required. in this 

 country we do differently. We coined the word lumber, 

 and built up the lumber business around the inch unit as 

 a standard, and early developed the habit of cutting the 

 stock to standard thickness, width and length, and un- 

 doubtedly quite a measure of the great success and prog- 

 ress of the lumber industry of the United States is due 

 to this early standardization. Anyway, out of it we have 

 built up the greatest lumber and woodworking industry 

 the world has ever known and at the present time we are 

 doing the same thing with the veneer business. 



Also we are gradually making progress at standard- 

 ization in the veneer and panel business. We have 

 been both unintentionally and unconsciously reducing ve- 

 neers to standard thickness and it is only a step further 

 to making standard widths and lengths. We are doing 

 this in many lines now and many people are able to 

 carry certain stocks of veneer ahead of needs. In pa;-.- 

 els it is not so easy nor has as much progress been made 

 as in veneer, but some progress is being made even there. 

 Meantime, many veneer people feature stock on hand 

 and advertise it today. 



One phase of the veneer business practically estab- 



1^^^- ^;^ 



Made in St. Louis by 



St.Louis Baskets Box Co. 



WE MANUFACTURE 



a complete line of 

 Built-up Stock in most 

 any size or thickness, 

 including Walnut, Ma- 

 hogany, Quartered 

 and Plain Oak, Ash. 

 Gum, Plain or Figured 

 Birch, Yellow Pine, 

 S y c a m ore, Cotton- 

 wood, etc. 



ESTABLISHED IS80 



WRITE for COMPLETE PRICE LIST 



lishes its own standards and that is the fine face veneer — 

 the figured stock and the flitch stock. This must be cut 

 to suit the timber and the width and figure adapted after 

 it is cut to the best combination for getting results. This 

 is a special branch of the industry, however, one in 

 which the figure and face appearance are the controlling 

 factors. There is, of course, some room to exercise the 

 standardization idea here, but the main field for riding 

 the hobby of standards to bigger things and better results 

 is in the plain rotary veneer industry, and in the making 

 of plain panels and built-up lumber. 



Just before the war turned the world upside down we 

 had some interesting development started in connection 

 with standardizing the veneer industry. At a meeting 

 held at Indianapolis Robert E. Belt, of the Federal Trade 

 Commission, made a talk to the members attending, in 

 which the subject of standardization played an impor- 

 tant part. 



Mr. Belt had in mind not merely the standardization 

 of sizes and testing methods, but also the standardizing 

 of cost sheet methods and cost figuring generally. 



At that time, too, a committee was named to go before 

 the National Hardwood Lumber Association with the sub- 

 ject of veneer grading rules and specifications. The idea 

 of that conference was to investigate the practicability of 

 including the grading rules of veneer in with the standard 

 rules for grading lumber. Still, in a way, it was a step 

 toward standardization. 



It is easily apparent, however, from observation and 

 talks with those engaged in business, that we are grad- 

 ually working toward more standards and more stock 

 carrying in the veneer and panel business. Moreover, 

 since the standard hobby is one that will be ridden ex- 

 tensively in practically every industry during the present 

 year, it should prove a splendid way in which to push 

 the idea of more standards and more following of stand- 

 ards in the veneer and panel industry. J. C. T. 



Veneer has been successfully substituted for paper for certain 

 purposes. When cut thin, the printer makes use of it for cards 

 and stationery. It is not claimed that in price it is a competitor 

 of paper, but as a novelty it is popular. The amount of rough 

 handling it will stand surprises most people. It may be sharply 

 bent without breaking or splitting, and ink shows well when the 

 printing has been properly done. Wooden visiting or business 

 cards are not unusual. 



% ■ . 



All Three of Us Will Be Benefited if You Mention HARDWOOD RECORD 



A radical change has taken place during the past fifty years 

 in the popular definition of veneer. It was once commonly 

 understood to mean something flimsy or counterfeit, something 

 not as good as it looked. That view has changed, and it is now- 

 understood that there is nothing sham about veneer. It is not 

 intended to be a covering for faults and defects, but rather as a 

 finish that adds value to the article. It is known that an article 

 covered with veneer may be better than one of solid wood. That 

 understanding has been reached by a long process of education 

 relating to the uses of wood. 



