March to. 1918 



Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



Wooden Caster Coming Back 



It is not exactly proper to say thai the wooden caster for beds 

 and other heavy furniture is coming back, for it has never gone 

 out. It did lose some ground, however, to the metal caster. 

 Since metal has increased so greatly in cost, while wood has re- 

 mained practically the same, the little wooden wheel is regaining 

 whatever ground it lost. The caster is made of hardwood and the 

 harder the better, but it must be a w^ood not easily split or crushed. 

 One of the advantages of a wooden caster over one of metal is 

 that it is less noisy when rolling over the floor. Birch, beech, 

 maple, and lignum vitae are good caster woods. In non-splitting 

 qualities black, gum is excellent, but it is not hard enough to stand 

 severe usage. Mesquite has properties that seem to place it 

 among our best native woods for casters, but it is not much used. 

 Turkish boxwood is usually regarded as the highest class caster 

 wood, but it is expensive. 



Russian Veneers Missed 



Before the war Russia exported much veneer and veneer panels, 

 largely to Great Britain, while a little came to .America. This 

 supply has now wholly ceased and there is no way of telling when 

 it will again begin. Much of that Russian veneer was made of 

 white birch and alder. Three years ago a Russian veneer manu- 

 facturer visited the United States in the interest of the trade and 

 addressed a number of association and board of trade nieetings 

 in this country, where he gave interesting descriptions of the 

 processes of manufacturing his product. One point that attracted 

 the attention of veneer makers here was that in Russia it w^as cus- 

 tomary to dry the sheets of veneer by passing them between hot 

 rolls. In that w^ay they were quickly made ready for gluing 

 into panels. The absence of Russian veneer from its former 

 markets will create a demand for something to take its place, 

 and American veneer makers ought to be able to get some of the 

 business. 



Veneer for Coffee Drums 



It is announced that a large veneer mill is to be built at 

 Sacramento, Cal., and will specialize in rotary cot ton wood and 

 sycamore veneer for coffee drums and fruit baskets and crates. 

 Cottonwood is considered one of the best woods for coffee and 

 sugar drums. It is white in color. light in weight, and tough in 

 texture. Sycamore is little inferior to it in all qualities except 

 color. The veneer industry in California, so far as hardv^roods 

 are concerned, has never been large, and only three hardwood:; 

 of that region can be regarded as wholly suited to veneers for the 

 barrel and basket business. These three are cottonwood, syca- 

 more, and alder. The supply of these woods is not great in 

 any one region, but the trees are scattered in many places along 

 the water courses. The shipping drum business on the Pacific 

 coast will be stimulated when the supply of home made veneer 

 becomes available. 



Veneer panels are no more durable than is the glue that holds 

 the sheets together. For that reason the improvement of glue 

 and the development of the veneer industry have gone on side 

 by side. Glue must have holding power that is not seriously 

 aflected by weather changes: for the panel that falls apart in 

 damp weather is a failure. It is probable that panel makers are 

 the largest users of glue; at least it is certain that they arc ths 

 most exacting users. 



When the cores are utilized as they may be, there is little waste 

 when wood is manufactured in veneer by the rotary or the slicing 

 process. Even the loss due to sawdust is eliminated. Little veneer 

 is now made by sawing, which formerly was the principal method 

 of nnaking it. The easy manufacture of very thin lumber by the 

 band resaw has met a demand which was formerly filled, in part, 

 by ."awed veneer. 



PERKINS 



GLUE 

 COMPANY 



SOLE MANUFACTUREKS 

 AND SELLING AGENTS 



PERKINS 

 Vegetable Veneer Glue 



(PATENTED JII,V 2. 1912) 



805 J. M. S. BUILDING 

 SOUTH BEND, INDIANA 



The Dean - Spicker Co. 



Manufacturers of 



Oak— Mahogany— Walnut 



AND 



LUMBER 



22nd St. and So. Crawford Ave. 

 CHICAGO 



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