July II), 1»1S. 



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Little Things in Wood Working f|l|| 



III II planing mill today it is nccessiiry to note tlio littlo things as 

 well :is the Inrgpr ones, to niako the balance Hhiiw on the rifjlit Hide 

 of the ledger ut the end of the year. Here are a few little points 

 that have eonie to tlic attention of the writer at one time and 

 another. 



In many injitancot: stiekermen are seen using the grindand-fit 

 plan for making cutters. This is very tinprotitJible, especially when a 

 system so nuicli more simple and accurate can be nscd. By laying 

 out cutters lieforo grinding, one always knows when he is right. 

 He can then place cutters in the inacliiiie properly and go ahead with 

 little or no trouble, and not spoil a quantity of stock ill setting 

 for each run. 



An instance worthy of ob.servatioii was recently noted in the 

 grades of lumber used in the manufacture of ceiling, siding and 

 flooring. The trade in this locality generally demands No. 1 for 

 most ceiling and flooring orders. This firm having installed one of 

 the latest improved matchers with truing devices, tried the experi- 

 ment of mixing half No. 1 with half No. 2. This proved quite suc- 

 cessful, as the machine elevated the quality sufficiently on the lower 

 grade to pass it along with the higher, thereby netting a nice profit 

 on the side. This was on white pine lumber. 



The writer also has in mind a double surfacer that was giving 

 trouble through not ha\'ing a perfect running balance. There had 

 been several operators hired for this machine, none of whom was 

 able to do anything with it. Finally a man was hired who seemed 

 to be above the average operator, and he started at once to locate 

 the trouble. He found the lower cylinder had two holes drilled to 

 balance up the head. One of these had been drilled in the wrong 

 place, and to overcome this an extra washer was placed over the 

 knife. He secured an old piece of bolt that happened to fit this 

 hole snug, and wrapped several thicknesses of string around the 

 spindle over the bolt, which held it securely in place, thereby giving 

 him a perfect running balance and eliminating the trouble. 



In one plant there came the usual in\'cntory time at the end of tlie 

 year, and as the company operated several yards in various portions 

 of the city, there were several items of odds and ends of stock that 

 had accumulated throughout the year, which seemed to be unsalable. 

 These were sent back to the mill to be worked up into whatever 

 smaller items they would make. In the collection was a good yard- 

 truck load of stock casings that were not perfectly clear grade. 

 The foreman being an ambitious fellow, saw an opportunity to 

 dispose of these casings, as he was acquainted with the trade and 

 had a knowledge of drawings. There are nearly always some corners 

 in a house where clear grades of casings are not essential, as they 

 are not often seen, and by keeping this thought in mind the foreman 

 was able to dispose of a few pieces from time to time, until the 

 whole load was disposed of at a profit. 



in lumber; second, one cuii use cheaper labor when a loader is watch- 

 ing the men. Who has not se<'ii stock cutters look all around for the 

 foremen, then slash the first board that came handy, rogiirdleu 

 of waste or the firm's interestsf 



It is to be wondered why some employees about a ]>lant will waato 

 a lot of time unnece.'^sarily every time a slight accident occurs in 

 their particular line of woik. Take for instance a siiw filer who calls 

 in every man about the jdaiil, Irmn the presiiient of the firm down to 

 the office boy and yard laborers, to show them a saw after it has hit 

 a nail or some foreign matter which happens to strip the points 

 off a few saw teeth. One wonders why such conditions are tolerated, 

 as they are surely unprofitable and look very much like child's play, 

 rather than conservative manhood. 



All item that deserves attention is the care of tools used, especially 

 those used on fast feed equipment. The writer recently visited a 

 |)lant where an old style matcher was in use. The busine.«s, strange 

 as it may seem, was on the increase, and it was decided to have the 

 machine equipped with cutter caps for thin knives to be used on tho 

 four-slotted heads, as the machine was a very good one of its class. 

 . Appliances were al.«o placed on it for truing devices, which would, 

 under proper management, have almost doubled the capacity of this 

 machine. But, unfortunately for the firm, there was no one in the 

 mill that understood the technical points of fast feed equipment, 

 therefore the tools and equipment were lying about in various corners 

 of the mill. It is to be doubted if a man who understood the opera- 

 tion of a fast feed outfit could find anything to operate it success- 

 fully. The firm has an investment of $800 or $900 in this one item 

 alone, from which it is not realizing any returns. 



Danger of Too Much Talk 



Too much talk either in letters or liiisine>s calls is con.siilerably 

 worse than not enough. This is a thought expressed by an important 

 buyer of lundx'r who said that many a traveling salesman coming his 

 way had spoilt his chances for business by talking too much. Some 

 would assume that he, the buyer, didn't know what he needed or what 

 he wanted. Others would take on some strenuous line of "scientific 

 approach" talk and many of what seemed the most enterprising 

 really killed off their enterprise by talking too much. While he was 

 telling of several specific incidents of this kind he was going through 

 some of his daily mail and finally picked up a letter of three pages 

 .saying that not all the aggravating talk is done in the office by word 

 of mouth either. Some of it comes in the mail. Some people state a 

 l)roposition by mail and then write a whole sermon to tell about it, 

 which is generally tiresome. If they would state their proposition and 

 stop till asked for further ailvice they would be better off and get 

 more business. 



Talk is a good thing in its ])lacc, and it is worth money for a man 

 to be qualified to speak authoritatively about what he is selling. The 

 value of the knowledge and talking, however, is too often impaired 

 by the quantity unloaded on the harassed business man. 



The stock corner where all the stock of various items that pass 

 through the mill are gotten out, is one of importance and should have 

 a first class man in charge, as considerable profit can be thrown into 

 firewood very easily. The stock cutter should be a wideawake man, 

 always on the alert to work up stock economically and see ahead, 

 in order to dispose of any waste and keep down the scrap pile. 

 For a plant employing three or more cutters, the management will 

 find it profitable to secure the services of a first class man to put in 

 charge of the stock cutting. He should understand grades of lumber 

 and the various items which stock is gotten out for, and should pick 

 out lumber according to requirements and instruct the cutters how 

 to work it up. This is profitable for two reasons: first, the saving 



Demand for Oak Bark in England 



The tanners in Kiigland are in need of material for the production 

 of leather, and the price of oak bark has gone up in that country and 

 it now sells for fifteen to sixteen dollars per ton on the car, just as 

 it comes from the tree without being broken or bagged. The pro- 

 duction of oak tan bark in the United States is something over 

 320,000 tons a year, and it is valued at about eleven dollars a ton; 

 but the prices paid depend ujjon locality as well as grade of bark. 

 At present ocean freight rates it is not possible to ship American bark 

 to England, but it might not be impracticable to ship extract. The 

 annual production of this article in the United Sates from oak bark 

 and wood, is 19,000 tons, and the average value is $38 a ton. 



