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B. W. LOUD. DANVILLE. KY. 



U. K. KLINE, LOUISVILLK, KV. 



II. M. MICUUITT, LOCKI-ORT. N. Y. 



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The chief feature of the semi-annual meeting of the National Veneer 

 & Panel Manufacturers' Association which convened at the Auditorium 

 hotel on Tuesday, June 8, was the re-organization jjlan as embodied in 

 the new constitution which was adopted after discussion. 



President B. W. Lord of Danville, Ky., opened the session with a 

 short, informal talk in which he gave three reasons why the associa- 

 tion should be of especial value during periods of depression in that 

 it served for co-operative work in traffic matters, in development of 

 export and other new trade, and in anti-substitute campaigns. 



The theme of the talk of E. H. Defebaugh, the retired secretary, 

 was that the people of this country as a whole have been using their 

 live assets for luxuries and do not have sufficient money to j)ay for the 

 ordinary necessities that they used to buy. 



European Veneering Methods of Manufacture and Gluing 



H. M. Merritt of the Merritt Manufacturing Company, Lockport, 

 N. T., outlined his observation of the veneer and panel business as it 

 prevails abroad. He said : 



My subject being European Veneering Metliods of Manufacture and 

 Gluing. I will start b.v explaining that what we call built-up panels are 

 universally called plywood or multiply wood, as generally the material 

 Is made up of as many plies as Is necessary to obtain the required 

 thicliness. Oftentimes 2" to 4" stocli Is made up of many layers of 

 1/16" veneers. Just imagine the durability of a panel made up in this 

 way. 



The methods of plywood manufacturing in Europe are geographical: 

 that is, they vary in different localities. In the northern countries of 

 Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, the timber runs rather small and 

 here you will find that the process mostly in use is the building up 

 of plj'wood from tliin veneers tliat can l)e cut upon small spindle veneer 

 lathes to get the most from the log possible. In fact, they really begin 

 on a size where we leave off. There arc many plants in Europe that 

 would like to take our waste In cores to make up into plywood. I saw- 

 logs as small as 6" In diameter cut into veneers, and, In fact, if some 

 mills could get logs running to 10" to 12" they considered they had 

 something pretty good. 



No doubt you will say they cannot get very many face veneers from 

 small logs. This is quite true ; but here is where the multi-ply wood 

 manufacture comes in. In making stock up of several plies of the tliln- 

 ner veneers cut in the proper thickness to make up the required dimen- 

 sion, the manufacturer can cut all of his veneers of one or two thick- 

 nesses. And, as there is to be only one face and one back to each fin- 

 ished plywood, you can readily see that they can easily use all of the 

 poorer quality of veneers on the inside. 



Right here I might suggest that many of you are leaving in the bush, 

 or wasting many good quality logs averaging between 8" and 12" that 

 could be used to excellent advantage In cutting into crossbanding and 

 backs as well as faces, if you would equip yourselves with small spindle 

 lathes to work the cores down to, and possibly, under 3". Many times, 



also, you have good sound hearted cores left from your large spindle 

 veneer lathe that have much good veneer in them. 



In the central and southern countries of Europe we find the plywood 

 manufacture more varied, as the timber is larger and they can afford to 

 cut thicker veneers and even use sawn lumber to make up core stock 

 similar to our own methods. There Is much wood brought In from 

 .Vfrlca, such as galloon mahogany, which is used quite extensively. 



There is quite a variety of woods in Europe, but they have not learned 

 to use much of it except birch, alder, gaboon and walnut. 



The uses of plywood are also varied, the better quality being used for 

 furniture, interior finish, parquetry fiooring, novelties, etc., and the 

 poorer and cheaper qualities for drawer bottoms, cheaii furniture, center 

 stock, boxes, tea chests, etc. 



The plywood trade is unlike the panel trade in our country. Most 

 of the manufacturers specialize on standard sizes, but vary the thick- 

 nesses and do not go into supplying innumerable sizes of dimensioned 

 stock. This simplifies the manufacture aud the purchaser cuts from this 

 stock to meet his own requirements. This is not, of course, the universal 

 custom, but it is quite general. 



It would seem that the American manufacturer should not be called 

 upon to furnish exact size dimension panels any more than the lumber 

 dealer is called upon to furnish his material all dimensioned and finished 

 to length, breadth and thickness ready for assembling. If this could be 

 accomplished, it would help to solve the waste problem in the veneer 

 and panel plant and the purchaser could select stock sizes that he could 

 cut from to good advantage : thus saving the necessity of keeping in 

 stock an endless amount of each and every size panel used In his manu- 

 facture. I saw plywood In various sizes, from the chair seat size to 

 .")XlO feet, and each manufacturer specializing In only one or two standard 

 sizes and running his plant twenty-four hours a day. 



The marketing of plywoods is also different than It Is here. It Is the 

 universal custom to sell the product of a plant through brokers that 

 handle several mills' output, and in this way the uses of plywoods go to 

 the broker and he selects his sizes to meet his requirements. Most of 

 these brokers arc located in London. 



.\bout a year and a half ago you had the pleasure of listening to a 

 talk upon the Russian process of gluing green veneer by means of a 

 waterproof cement by Mr. Cronstrom, a native of Finland. He gave you 

 a very interesting address and no doubt many of you were interested to 

 !ea''n that this was being done. If this could be accomplished success- 

 fully in making up all kinds of panels, it would mean a great saving 

 in labor now required to dry veneers and redry them, as well as saving 

 many thousand square feet now lost in shrinkage and breakage In 

 handling. This process is practical in making up the cheaper plywoods 

 and using such woods as alder^ but for the better qualities of plywoods, 

 made up of birch and other woods. It Is not so practical, on account of 

 staining, checking and otherwise damaging the quality. I found that for 

 the better quality stock, they were careful to dry their stock thoroughly 

 first. In fact, some of the plants that started with gluing up green, 

 gave it up and are now drying their veneer first. 



London is a large market for plywood and on account of the climatic 

 conditions, it is quite necessary that the material should he as near 



