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Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



April 10, 1918 



made, but the rank and file have held to solid lines most 

 persistently. Now several more manufacturers are mak- 

 ing arrangements to install the essential equipment for 

 making built-up parts. They are doing this in spite of 

 the high cost of the necessary machines and materials. 

 No doubt the meager and lessening supply of native 

 woods, together with the exceeding high price of suitable 

 solid lumber has something to do with the movement. 

 Whatever the causes, the indications are that producers 

 of cabinet wood veneers, crossbanding and core stocks 

 will find a growing demand from Canadian manufac- 

 turers. Whether or not these demands can be readily 

 met today is another story. 



Phonograph business has apparently prospered since 

 the beginning of the war. The comparatively low price 

 at which a machine may be purchased ; the deferred 

 payment plan used in marketing, and the versatility of 

 the instrument have all helped to develop this field to a 

 point that has encouraged several firms to enter it. Some 

 piano manufacturers seriously canvassed the field as a 

 possible solution of keeping plants in operation, but the 

 scarcity of labor has held most of them up. A few, 

 however, took up this line and naturally will be ready 

 to push it harder if the importation of foreign makes is 



prohibited, and the prohibition is continued when the 

 leturned soldiers again don the mufti and fill the present 

 depleted ranks of labor. 



It is highly significant to note that an effort to find any 

 among the furniture and piano manufacturers who had 

 ceased operations on account of the war was almost 

 futile. One solitary name was found in the furniture 

 industry; that of the Toronto Furniture Company, whose 

 high-grade line was known not only at home, but in the 

 United States. But the reason is that the Curtis Corpo- 

 ration took over the plant and now, instead of furni- 

 ture for the peaceful home, it is turning out airplanes for 

 the United States in order that our skylarks may throw 

 the fear of wrath to come into the soul of "Billy Boche." 



Still, while none have been compelled to cease opera- 

 tions, conditions arising out of the war have taxed their 

 resourcefulness, their enterprise, their capabilities, their 

 perseverance and determination to an extent that not one 

 of them could possibly realize they were able to exert 

 before confronted with the reality. Now, with the war 

 daily making further call upon their labor and material 

 markets, they are still full of the spirit of "carry on and 

 win the war." 



Suggested Glue Specifications 



Conditions and Terms Under Which Tests Are Made and Recorded 



HE importance of glue increases as new discov- 

 eries are made and new processes tried out. No 

 veneer work can be satisfactory unless the glue 

 is good. The airplane calls for a very exacting 

 use of glue and no article which is not fully up to the 

 standard can hold a place in the airplane factory. 



The special committee on glue appointed by the society of 

 automobile engineers of the United States has recommendea the 

 following glue specifications for consideration: 



Process specifications. Tests at airplane factory are made 



to determine the strength of glue joints under the average condi- 

 tions prevailing in the glue room. Tests shall be made on repre- 

 sentative v^oods used by the manufacturer concerned. The glue 

 test specimen shall be made of three boards, Y^ to 1 inch thick, 

 4 feet long, and 5 J/2 inches wide. The gluing must represent 

 actual practice, and no special precautions other than those ordi- 

 narily used shall be taken in preparing the glue or wood for the 

 test specimen. The gluing shall be performed by the employes 

 of the airplane factory who are accustomed to handling this kind 

 of work. No protective coating of any kind shall be applied to 

 the wood surfaces or to the finished specimen. This specimen 

 shall set not longer than one week. The 4-foot specimen shall 

 be cut lengthwise and 1 shear blocks cut from each half, accord- 

 ing to the dimensions given. The shear blocks shall be tested as 

 follows: 



(a) Ten of the shear blocks shall be tested immediately after 

 sawing. The strength of the glue in shear shall not be less than 

 that of the wood. 



(b) Ten of the shear blocks shall be soaked in water at 20 

 degrees Cent, for fifteen hours, and tested within thirty minutes 

 after removal from the water, without any preliminary drying. 



The strength after soaking shall not decrease more than 60 

 per cent. 



The required strength shall be obtained for 80 per cent of 

 the samples tested under each condition. A rejected propeller 

 may be substituted for the 4-foot specimen specified above. 



The tests of the airplane factory shall be in the presence of 

 an inspector for the signal corps regularly stationed at the fac- 

 tory and familiar with the methods employed there. A test shall 

 be made whenever a brand of glue is changed or a change is 

 made in the method of gluing which in the opinion of the pur- 

 chaser's inspector is important enough to warrant a test. 



Material Specifications 



General. — This specification covers all glue for propeller con- 

 struction and for splices of important structural members, such 

 as longerons and beams. For all other work where woods of 

 low shearing strength are used any glue recommended by a 

 reputable glue manufacturer can be used. 



Quality. — The glue must be a high grade hide glue, sweet, 

 and free from any deleterious substances. The glue shall be com- 

 pared to a standard sample for adhesiveness, jelly strength, vis- 

 cosity, grease, and foam. The standard sample may be obtained 

 from the director. Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wis. 



Test for adhesiveness. — The glue manufacturer may compare 

 his glue with the standard sample by any method he desires. 

 The test by the government, however, will be made as follows: 

 The strength test will be made by gluing together two pieces of 

 maple or birch one inch thick, having a shearing strength of at 

 least 2,400 pounds per square inch. This will require wood hav- 

 ing an air dry weight of about 50 pounds or more per cubic 

 foot, and a moisture content of from 8 to 1 2 per cent. These 

 will be tested by shearing them in a testing machine. The glue 

 will be mixed in proportions of two parts of water to one part 



