34 



Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



November 10, 1920 



J. J. NARTZIK 



INCORPORATED 



MILLS GENERAL OFFICES 



GRAND RAPIDS, MINN. 1^^^ MAUD AVENUE ^ND WAREHOUSE 



DES ARK, ARKANSAS (^ J^ I G A G O CHICAGO, ILL. 



Rotary Cut Veneers 



and 



Panels 



CARLOAD LOTS OR L. C. L. SHIPMENTS 



Lipton's Challenger Has Plywood Deck 



The almost unlimited range of uses to which veneer 

 and plywoods may be put with the use of waterproof 

 glues is suggested in a highly interesting way by the fact 

 that Sir Thomas Lipton's challenger, the yacht Shamrock 

 IV, had a plywocd deck. Lawrence Ottinger of the 

 United States Plywood Company, New York City, who 

 went on board the yacht, for the express purpose of as- 

 certaining to what extent plywood had been used in its 

 construction, tells an interesting story of his discoveries. 

 He said: 



"I took advantage of Sir Thomas Lipton's courtesy to 

 the public, and examined the Shamrock IV as she lay at 

 anchor off Ninety-sixth St., in the Hudson river. 



"The deck of the boat is made of five-ply, %-in. ply- 

 wood, laid up with casein glue, the grain running across 

 the deck. The supporting braces are also of plywood, 

 seven-ply and 1 -in. thick. it was difficult to determine 

 the kind of veneer used, as the deck is heavily painted, but 

 from the end grain it appears to be ash faces. With a soft- 

 w^ood core of the white pine species. All of the bulkheads 

 below are of three-ply, and the mast is made of numerous 

 pieces glued with casein glue, the radial faces showing on 

 the surface. The hull is of solid construction, the wood 

 being mahogany. 



"The use of waterproof plywood in the construction of 

 the yacht originated with Sir Thomas himself. For many 

 years the tea chests used by his firm have been made of 

 the Russian blood-albumin plywood, and the strength and 

 lightness of this material indicated it as ideal for yacht 

 construction. 



"While Sir Thomas has again been unsuccessful in his 

 attempt to lift the cup, his boat crossed the ocean and per- 

 formed creditably; it is, in fact, a more seaworthy craft 

 than the Resolute. The commander of Shamrock IV be- 

 lieves that their next yacht will have a plywood hull as 

 well, because the deck has not developed weakness of any 

 kind, even though subjected to great stress and strain 

 when the sails were pulling." 



Plywood could hardly be subjected to a more exact- 

 ing test than that to which it was put on the British speed 

 yacht. Imagine the pulling power of the great mast of 



the vessel, when the tremendous spread of sail was set 

 and the craft was endeavoring to outdistance the Ameri- 

 can competitor. The plywood desk stood this strain, w^ith 

 the development of no defects. 



The plywood deck and braces in this craft had already 

 been put to the severe test not only of strain, but oftime, 

 as the Shamrock crossed the Atlantic under its own canvas 

 in 1914 and lay in dry dock throughout the years of the 

 war, waiting for peace and the opportunity to race. 



Making the Most of Gum 



A man who has long been a producer of staves and 

 some items in dimension lumber along with his cooper- 

 age stock, asked the writer recently for some advice as 

 to the probable advantages of rotary veneer making for 

 the utilization of some gum timber he had in his stumpage 

 holdings. 



The discussion of the matter raised in the writer's mind 

 the whole question of where and how to make the best 

 use of our gum timber. It is a peculiar fact that while 

 in the past gum was kicked around and made unwelcome 

 everywhere there is now awakening a realization that our 

 gum supply is being reduced rapidly and the time has 

 come to study it earnestly that we may make it serve 

 our uses and at the same time realize the full measure of 

 profits and benefits from what timber is cut and used. 



Gum has long been the most conspicuous v^food in the 

 veneer industry and now we are facing the question of 

 whether it should be used extensively in any other form 

 except that of veneer. Gum makes good lumber and 

 commands good prices now as lumber, but it is doubtful 

 if gum in the form of sawed lumber has ever brought the 

 returns or served the good purposes it can be made to 

 serve by converting it into veneer. 



Broadly speaking, there is less waste loss in converting 

 gum trees into veneer. It is a wood which cuts nicely on 

 a veneer machine and can be made to serve a multitude 

 of uses in the form of veneer from plain plywood to fancy 

 figured face wood. 



To make the most out of gum of course that which has 

 distinctive color and attractive figure should be sorted 

 out from a plain stock and handled as a face wood so 

 as to realize more from the tree both in beauty and in 

 money returns. Some of it can be handled in the form 

 of rotary veneer, while some should be quartered and 

 sliced or sawed to get more of the beauty element than 

 is practical in rotary cutting. These are details, the main 

 idea is that we should sort out and realize on the figured 

 part of the gum and not let so much of the good color and'; 

 figure go into plain work as has in the past. 



The broader question of whether gum timber should all 

 be cut into veneer or worked into other products is one 

 which will gradually solve itself, and in the solving it will 

 be likely to show a decided trend toward veneer cutting 

 as a means of making the most out of gum. 



