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Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



March 25, 1921 



■American Walnut 



We manufacture both lumber and veneers 

 from selected logs grown in the famous 

 lov^a walnut district. The result is our 

 product possesses unusual merit, being 

 favored by Nature with a most beautiful 

 grain and color. We will appreciate a list 

 of your needs in both lumber and veneers 

 of walnut. 



DES MOINES SAWMILL CO. 



10th and Murphy Streets 



Des Moines, Iowa 



White Mountain Forests to Supply Veneer Stock 



High prices of Southern hardwoods are causing manufacturers 

 to turn to the White Mountain forests as a source of future market 

 supply, according to the Forest Service, United States Department 

 of Agricvilture. 



"High-grade lumber is now so costly as to prohibit its common 

 use as the solid body of furniture and other wood products," the 

 Forest Service states. "This condition is causing manufacturers 

 to resort to the increased use of veneers. Now we find the frame 

 or skeleton of articles ranging from tables to phonograph cases 

 made of common wood veneered with high quality stock. By 

 veneering it is possible to get ten times as much surface measure 

 as sawn lumber would yield, since 1,000 board feet of lumber 

 will produce 10,000 square feet of veneer, cut .05 inch thick. 



The New England forests are capable of supplying the w^ood- 

 w^orking factories of that region with veneer stock equal in quality 

 to the material used in the South and by the large manufacturers 

 of Wisconsin and Michigan. At present, however, there are but 

 six mills in this region which produce veneer, an insufficient num- 

 ber to even supply local demands. 



Veneer mills should be near the source of supply. The White 

 Mountain National Forest of New Hampshire offers just such ideal 

 conditions, says the Forest Service. Here, under Federal manage- 

 ment, a continuous supply of high-grade hardwoods is assured, and 

 the New England w^ood manufacturers near by afford an unlimited 

 market. 



The supervisor of the White Mountain Forest at Gorham. N. H., 

 reports that there are a number of excellent chances for veneer 

 mills in the vicinity of his forest. One of these is at Gilead, Me., 

 where the Wild and Androscoggin Rivers join and fo'-Ti an outlet 

 for the hardwood on the slopes of the Wild River Valley. An- 

 other fine veneer mill site is at Woodstock, N. H., a cntral point 

 to all the forested areas on the low^er Pemigewasset River. The 

 Forest Service holds a large amount of timber in this region, and 

 of the 23,000,000 board feet recommended for sale during the 

 next five years, there is a large quantity of birch and maple suitable 

 for veneer. 



The Fore«t Service does not confine sales from the National 



Forest to veneer logs, but requires the removal of all merchantable 

 material from areas on which cutting is done. A plant estab- 

 lished in either of these regions should be prepared, therefore, 

 not only to purchase logs suitable for veneer from operators al- 

 ready on the ground, but should be equipped to make use of 

 poorer grades of material suitable for the manufacture of bobbins 

 or toys, it is said. 



Building and Using Wood Cauls 



In making wood cauls for use in the glue room when panels are 

 built four questions usually arise. 



1. What kind of wood shall be used? 



2. How many plies shall be used? 



3. What shall be the thickness of each layer of plywood? 



4. What shall be the entire thickness of the caul? 



Some favor basswood, because of its lightness and also because 

 it absorbs moisture readily and dries out rapidly. In reality the 

 absorbing nature of basswood is detrimental to its making a high 

 grade caul. The function of the caul is not to absorb moisture. 

 On the contrary the greater its moisture resisting qualities the 

 better, because it is less liable to be affected by the glue sticking 

 to it. Then, too, a caul that will absorb moisture readily will have 

 a tendency to warp and twist, which is not desirable. The bass- 

 w^ood caul is also easily bruised and some-what difficult to keep 

 clean. It soon gets full of dents and presents an uneven surface to 

 the veneer in the press. In spite of these shortcomings, however, 

 a basswood caul, properly made and properly cared for, v^ill last 

 a long time and give good results. Gum will make a more substan- 

 tial caul than basswood, and maple is to be preferred to either. 



The plies in a caul may be any number, according to the use 

 it is to be put to, but three or five ply cauls are most generally 

 in use, with three ply predominating. 



The third and fourth questions are interwoven. The thick- 

 ness of the entire caul should depend on the use for which it is 

 intended. Thick cauls are difficult to handle and take up no 

 (Coutimicd OH page 44) 



