i8 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



centei is elear, knots of considerable size will 

 cause practically no trouble, because it is 

 very seldom that au axle breaks anywhere ex- 

 cept close to the thimble, in the center or 

 where the gane is cut for the hound. Any 

 reasonable defect between these points is not 

 a serious matter to the country wagon maker, 

 but such stuck would be rejected by a city 

 manufacturer. 



Had the mill man who was referred to 

 above, as an example, been more familiar with 

 the requirements among the different ela 

 of users of axles, he would probably never 

 have risked sending his stock to an open mar- 

 ket. What he really did do after this ex- 

 perience was to work up a business with a 

 large iron store which sent an inspector t 

 mill and took up the stock right on the mill 

 yard, branding . \.i\ piece which he accepted. 

 The material thrown out by him was SO! 

 again and everything considered good enough 

 to make axles, regardless of the fact thai hi 

 had thrown it out, was put in a pile to sea- 

 son, can-fully sheltered from the sun. Sta 

 as it may seem, from the available residue left 

 by this inspector, axles were made which 

 sold for a higher price than the iron stor< 

 paid for first choice. It is also strange that. 

 as scarce and high in price as hickory timber 

 is now, any wagon factory should turn down 

 an}- stick of hickory timber that will make a 

 good axle. 



Winn we sum up the whole business oi 

 manufacturing, we find that the man thai 



the best price for ids axles, and i 

 ticallj accepts the mill man's inspection, or 

 in other words, takes anything that will I 



a g I axle, is the country wagon maker. The 



next best customer, looking al the matter in 

 the same light, is the city wagon factory of 

 not too large proportions, while the leas! 

 sirable customer, especially on the point of in- 

 spection and price, is the large wagon manu- 

 facturer and the iron stores. Of course, the 

 latter buy larger quantities, but that is aol 

 excuse enough for the wide difference we find 

 in inspection and in price. The small buyer is 

 always expected to pay a little premium ovei 

 the large consumer, but when he pays a stiff 

 premium and pays it, too, for material thai 

 will not be accepted by the large consumer, 

 it is an unfair difference, but is just the con- 

 dition of affairs in the hickory axle ma 

 to-day. The small buyer is not being im- 

 posed on in this, either, because he is never 

 ted to take anything that will not make 

 a good axle, which leaves us face to face with 

 the question — is the large buyer imposing on 

 the manufacturer and, if so, whose fault is it? 

 The large purchasers of axles who ai 

 stringent on inspection should bring forward 

 some mighty strong reasons for rejecting any- 

 thing that will make a good hickory axle. I f 



y wagon maker can get a g I axh 



out of a stick of timber, the large 

 turer with lis improved facilities oughl to be 

 able to get it. too. Some of the wide-awake 



y relaxed 

 their but 



what we nerd is more of this. We should get 

 to the point where an axle is an axle, no mat- 

 ter whether it is sold to a country black- 

 smith, a city wagon manufacturer, or to an 

 iron store. As a last bit of advice, it is in 

 order to add that what throwing out is i 



done should positively be done at the mill. 

 There you can take your cull stock and work 

 it over into smaller material of various kinds, 

 as has been pointed out in these columns be- 

 fore, while if you let it get into the consumers ' 

 hands the freight eats up all profit. 



HardWood Record J\fait 'Bag. 



[In this department it is proposed to reply 

 to such inquiries as reach this office from the 

 Hardwood Uecokd clientage as will be of enough 

 general Interest to warrant publication. Every 

 patron of the paper is invited to use this de- 

 partment to the fullest extent, and an attempt 

 will be made to answer queries pertaining to all 

 matters of interest to the hardwood trade, In 

 a succinct and intelligent manner. 1 



Shuttle Blocks and Hickory Billets. 

 Bbembn, Germany, June 5 Editor B 

 wood Record: In your issue of April 10 I notice 

 an inquiry from Beech Hill, Ga.. asking for ad- 



- of dealers In shut tie blocks and hlcl 

 billets. I am Interested In these articles and 



Dimensiens m Meier 



62 

 81 



flSo^m /eng 



S7/22 



+S, 



y^ 



94-0 ■%, / ony 



WOOD BILLETS DSBD IN GERMANY. 



would thank you tor forwarding mj address and 



1 etches to said part; and t<> ot 

 who may be interested In manufacturing iliis 



111 m:i r.1.1 I KING. 



The sketches of billets above shown are sup 

 plied by Mr. Bruen ng, and like ma1 irials are 

 handled quite extensively in the various trade 

 centei oi uany. — Editor. 



Suggestions from London. 

 London, June 28. Editor Hardwood Rec- 

 obd: At a recent meeting of the Timber Trades 



Hardwood Bectlon) a circular letter 



from tin' National Lumber Exporters' Associa- 

 tion of Memphis addressed to the trade In gen- 

 eral cam.' under discussion. I should like to 



make « remarks, which ought to make the 



selling of lumber In this market a much easiei 

 matter than it is at present, on the conditions 

 of handling lumber on arrival which possibly 

 Uppers iif lumber have had time, when on 

 this sldi id study. The pari of the 



goods, on arrival, is taken away from the quay 

 rges on a special rate. As 

 may be easily imagined, the quays are in a 

 very tate, and while sorting to marks 



is all ing to ti -1 ades Is 



not, unless charges amounting to about di 



the charge for delivery from thi paid, 



so that any dispute a la usually set 



tied then and there between buyer and seller. 



unfortunately fre- 



quently, through certainly no fault of the sell- 

 ing agent, but for the reason that shippers do 

 not pay sufficient attention to the requirements 

 of buyers, or have not had their wants properly 

 explained to them. Be that as it may, these 

 disputes do happen and have to be settled, and 

 \.i\ often neither shipper nor buyer is saiis 



Many buyers have only sale for prime lum- 

 ber, and when they receive a grade that has 

 been "salted" find It difficult to dispose of the 

 off grade. It is proposed that the off grade 

 should be sorted out at buyers' yards, and most 

 nd this back to the docks at a 

 probable cost of $15 to $20 per M feet. I am quite 

 prepared to admit that some agents are inclined 

 i" favor buyers, hut shippers should be able to 

 find this mil tor themselves and the remedy is 

 In their own hands. I think that a good many 

 Bhippers trust too much to Inspection who do 

 not understand the requirements of this mar- 

 11 and often shippers want too big a profit 

 on their Lumber. 



There are some few shippers whose goods can 

 be and are taken from the quay without inspec- 

 tion and give entire satisfaction, but there are. 

 unfortunately, more Bhippers whose goods re- 

 quire careful Inspection before delivery, and It 

 i- very difficult to get repeat orders for these 

 shippers' stocks. That more care should be 

 sed by the carriers of lumber no one will 

 deny; for instance, cars of wide poplar or coffin 

 oak are often two to three months en route 

 and arrive badly spin through careless hand- 

 ling somewhere. There is no satisfaction In of- 

 fering au allowance, as buyers would rather do 

 wni. out such boards, as they are useless for 

 the purpose for which they were bought, granted 

 the lumber was all rlghl when it was shipped. 

 but it is 1 In- condition of the parcel when it is 

 received tlint causes trouble, for a board twentj 

 inches wide with a split four to six feet in 

 length Is not worth as much as two pieces ten 

 Inches wide. 



The idea of stationing graders on this side 

 is a very good one, but they would have to 

 tand the conditions of the market on 

 both sides of the water, and after paying trans- 

 Inn: charges, lumber is about twice as valuable 

 when it arrives here as it was at the mill. — B. 



A Timber Opportunity. 



Forest, Wist Carroll Parish, La., June 

 29. Editor Hardwood Record: I am much Im- 

 pressed with the opportunities in this parish for 

 furniture manufacturers to move down and make 

 the superb White oak into furniture instead of 

 Into staves, or sent In the log to Europe, sawed 

 into boards, or sent to furniture manufacturers 

 North and Uisi as quartered oak. 



[He white oak Is going fast, but there is a 



g Ily quantity left. It is really sickening to 



sei how this country is being despoiled of such 

 ran material, and I am seeking to make some 

 move. Can't you Induce some furniture manu- 

 facturert to move down and take time by the 

 forelock? Y n can do this country a world of 

 good and promot 1 inten 



in 1 he preml 



There are a half dozen or more towns sure 

 ti tie built on the railroads now- building through 

 here. In each of these a large furniture fai 

 would lind a great held for operations. Why not 

 build a town based largely on furniture manii- 

 fact tiring? 



There is an abundance ol >weel gum as well 



