28 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Wood ScreW J\Iaking in Philippines 



Only a few years ago a large proportion of 

 the screws, bolts and nails used in the Phil- 

 ippines was made of wood. Americans have 

 of late rears introduced into the islands metal 

 screws, nails and bolts, with the result that 

 the manufacture of these articles from wood 

 has fallen off to a considerable extent. Still, 

 the industry is by no means exhausted, and 

 many shops engaged in the manufacture of 

 hardwood screws enjoy prosperity, and from 

 the present outlook will continue to do so for 

 some years to come. 



The native workers are not only providing 

 large quantities of hardwood screws for do 

 mestic use, but a considerable export trade 

 is also engaged in. American manufacturers 

 in turn find a good market for their metal 

 articles among the Spanish, Filipino ami Chi 

 nese builders of the islands. 



These screws and bolts are made from the 

 many varieties of hardwoods with which tli'' 



islands abound. Maple, boxw !. Brazil wood, 



black and green ebony, snake-wood, corn-wood, 

 iron-wood, king-wood and others are used. 

 The so-called iron-wood makes excellent 

 screws. This wood is selected from the 

 toughest timber and nicknamed "iron" 

 wood. 



A few of the various patterns of screws 

 produced by native turners are exhibited in 

 the cuts. Figure 1 illustrates a common V- 

 shaped thread cut upon the shaft. The work- 

 man selects Ihe billets from the collection of 

 seasoned stock, and proceeds to turn out the 

 tapering screw, using crude, and oftentimes 

 dull-edged tools. Sometimes a file of rude 

 pattern is used, and occasionally natives may 

 be seen laboriously gouging out the shape of 

 the thread with a common knife. In the mod- 

 ern systems, threads are cut in a turning 

 lathe, but they are usually uneven and not 

 nearly as satisfactory as the hand-turned 

 work. The threads are deeply depressed and 

 a good grip is assured. 



The flat thread shown in the figure 2 is cut 

 square as exhibited, and is considered one of 

 the strongest made. The workman proceeds 

 slowly and carefully in designing and shaping 

 this screw, and oftentimes devotes much ap- 

 parently unnecessary time in getting the cor- 

 rect alignment. 



Another form of hardwood threaded screw 

 is shown in figure 3. This thread is cut 

 around the shaft with an ordinary pocket 

 knife. Several hours are often required to 

 carve screws of this nature properly. For- 

 tunately the natives have no regard for time. 

 The American woodworker has neither the 

 time nor the patience possessed by the Fili- 

 pino workman. He sits upon the ground, and 

 using his toes as well as 'his fingers, shapes 

 the billet of wood, and laboriously cuts the 

 thread chip by chip which often requires 

 half a day's tedious work. The native screw 

 maker utilizes the hardest species of woods 

 obtainable, and they are so tough that the 

 threads may be cut with the assurance that 



they will last, and the heads shaped with 

 the knowledge that no common strain will 

 wreck them. In fact, the screw head is 

 shaped and the slot for the screw -driver blade 

 put in just as in the metal screw. 



Figures 4 and 5 show two designs of screw 

 heads: the eonically shaped, figure 4, and the 

 cylindrical form, figure o. 



A type of ' ' drive ' ' hardwood pin that is 

 very interesting is exhibited in figure 6. The 

 -eetion of wood is reduced to the right size, 

 turned to shape, and then the native proceeds 

 to cut the feeble thread outline. This is 

 often done with a knife manipulated by 



hand; only rarely is an emery wheel employed. 

 In using this screw a hole must be bored 

 first, then the pin is driven in with vigorous 

 blows of the hammer, making a very strong 

 connection. Very heavy timbers are often 

 connected with these pins. 



The Filipino woodworkers do not confine 

 all their time to the making of these articles. 



They also construct connecting rods and arms 

 from the native hardwoods which are ex- 

 tensively exported to other countries. Figure 7 

 is a type of key-fastening arrangement con- 

 sisting of a round pin, split as shown. When 

 the pin is driven in, the wedges or keys, a, a, at 

 either end, serve as a kind of lock, and a 

 very secure fastening results. Sometimes the 

 plain tapering pin as presented in figure 8 is 

 used. 



Among the other hardwood articles seen in 

 Filipino shops are arms made of exceedingly 

 tough wood. In figure 9 the part b, is hard- 

 wood, and the strap for the end, marked c, is 

 leather. Either metal or tough hide may be 

 utilized for this purpose, caribou hide being 

 nsed frequently. Hardwood wheels in use in 

 the Philippines might be exported to this 

 country to advantage. One of these is ex- 

 hibited in figure 10. The native selects the 

 choicest hardwoods, and cuts the sections out 

 so as to fit into the flanges on the hub of the 

 wheel, as at e. This flanged portion is fitted 

 with the necessary bolts, so that the flanges 

 ran be brought up tight on the sides of the 

 wood pieces, thus making a strong combina- 

 tion, d. Figure 11 shows one of the singular 

 systems of driving wood pins for connecting 

 timbers. The hardwood pins, f, aro usually 

 permitted to project as shown. In case of 

 necessity, they may be driven deeper, and as 

 they taper, the farther they are driven in the 

 tighter becomes the combination. 



Since the American occupancy of the isl- 

 ands, there has been a revolution in the wood- 

 worker's art. The slow, laborious met hods of 

 manufacture used by the Filipino are grad- 

 ually being replaced by modern ones. The 

 crude tools of the native are giving way to 

 the cheaper grades of machinery, and the out- 

 come will, in all probability, be that in a few 

 years th? Ph'u'ppine Islands, so rich in valu- 

 able hardwoods, will be a great manufactur- 

 ing center. 



NeWs Miscellany. 



In and Around Louisville. 



A canvass of the hardwood trade of the city 

 of Louisville only emphasizes the well-known 

 fact that Louisville is one of the greatest 

 hardwood centers of the south. There is a 

 large number of hardwood manufacturing 

 concerns of note, as well as numerous wagon 

 and agricultural implement factories, which 

 draw heavily on Kentucky's vast timber re- 

 sources. Louisville is also a box manufac- 

 turing center of no little importance. 



The renowned hospitality of the South is 

 nobly demonstrated here, and one finds an 

 open door and outstretched hand at every 

 turn. A call on Edward Defebaugh of the 

 Barrel & Box Publishing Company met with 

 his usual generosity and the EIabdwood Rac- 

 oon man was given the freedom of the office 

 and treated as an old friend. It is to be re- 

 gretted that the 12-cent difference could not 

 be adjusted satisfactorily— but that, as Kip- 

 ling savs. is another story. 



J. Crow Taylor, the Record's Louisville 



correspondent, is truly a "good fellow" as is 



also George Schmidt of the Chicago Lumber & 



Coal Company, whose acquaintance was made 



through Mr. Taylor. 



R. M. Cunningham and T. Smith Milton 

 rank high among Louisville's hospitable citi- 

 zens. Mr. Cunningham is full of his project 

 to rebuild the L & N. depot, recently de- 

 stroyed by Are. and judging by his enthusiasm 

 he surely will carry out his plan to rebuild 

 it in four months, as his contract calls for. 

 T. Smith Milton has just returned from a 

 southern trip, and has many stories of quar- 

 antine rules to tell, particularly in connection 

 with Birmingham, Ala., where he had a rather 

 unpleasant experience with an overzealous of- 

 ficial. 



From Cunningham's office it is but a few 

 steps to the office of Wemhoff & Ballard. 

 This is not, strictly speaking, a hardwood 

 concern, although interested in hardwood 

 news, as evidenced by Mr. Ballard's remark, 

 "We like to read the Record." 



Mr. Brown of the W. P. Brown & Sons 

 Lumber Company is a thorough business man. 

 A short trip through this company's yards 

 convinces one that its trade is good. 



H. S. Fullenlove is away on his vacation, as 

 is also the manager of the Kentucky Veneer 

 Company, and Edward L. Davis nf Rdward L. 

 Davie & Co. 



