HARDWOOD RECORD 



23 



and rather light pressure as compared to some of that used in 

 hydraulic press vrork. 



"So you see this question of. what kind of presses to use is a 

 complex one that is governed by many different factors. One thing, 

 however, vhich is more important than the metliod of applying pres- 

 sure in the modern presses, is the means provided for getting stuff 

 into and out of the presses. If you are putting up work that must 

 be clamped in forms and set nside while the glue hardens you will 

 find that tliis putting in and taking out involves more time and work 

 than that of putting on and taking off pressure, and in selecting 

 presses this feature should be gh en serious attention. You can gen- 

 erally get the pressure on and off easier than you can get the mate- 

 rial into and out of the presses. Study your material, what you 



intend to make, how much and how long it will have to stand aside, 

 and try to get a combination tliat will lighten the work of handling 

 as nnich as practical. Then you will probably find, if you are doing 

 a wide range of work, that you will have use for both power and 

 hand presses. The matter of choice between belt drives and hydraulic 

 will depend some on personal preference, some on the first cost, and 

 some upon the quantity of work to be done. The power driven screw 

 presses cost much less in the beginning and fill a sort of general 

 middle ground between the hand press and the massive hydraulic. 

 "But after paying due respects to tlie belt driven power press 

 and the more expensive ponderous hydraulic, don't forget that the 

 little old hand press always has been and always will be a big factor 

 in the veneer trade." c. R. O. 



K^K^a^mai^^imCTTOiW.'l^.i:^.-^^.^^^^^ 



Finish for Oak Floors 



A flooring expert whose preferences are strongly on the side of oak, 

 has compiled a table which, according to his ideas, shows the compara- 

 tive beauty of floors of different materials. In this comparison marble 

 is taken as the most beautiful floor, and is marked one hundred per 

 eent in tlie scale. The other materials are rated in percentages as 

 follows : 



Oak 



9.5 



Cork tile 85 



Tile, clay 85 



Mosaic 85 



Maple 80 



Compcsitiou flooiing 80 



Terrazzo 80 



Rubber tile 80 



Linoleum , 75 



Whlto pino 60 



Portland cement concrete 45 



Yellow pine 40 



Slate 40 



Face brick 40 



Paving brick 30 



Limestone 20 



The appearance of nearly all floors depends on the tinish, and 

 this holds true of oak to as great extent as of any other. Architects 

 recognize it. They know that the fii'st impression when entering a 

 house is generally produced by the appearance of the floor, because 

 that is the first part seen. The finisher is instructed to put his best 

 work on that part, and upon his success often depends much of the 

 value of the house. 



FiNisHixe Oak Floors 



Personal taste and artistic or decorative effects are the guide for the 

 floor finisher. The clear grade of oak flooring should have a natural 

 •oak filler, the color of oak. The select and sap clear grades want a 

 light golden oak filler, and after the floor is filled it should be gone 

 over with a little burnt umber mixed with turpentine to darken light 

 streaks. This will make the select and sap clear grades look like 

 the clear grade except slightly darker in color. In filling the No. 1 

 common grade, a dark golden cak filler should be employed, and the 

 light streaks darkened in the same manner as the select and 

 sap clear grades. If a little care is used in laying this grade, splen- 

 did results can be obtained. 



Treat the floor with a paste filler of desired tone, to fill up the 

 pores and crevices. To thin the filler for application, one has a 

 choice of using turpentine, benzine, wood alcohol, or gasoline to get 

 the right consistency. When the gloss has left the filler, rub off with 

 excelsior or cloth, rubbing against the grain of the wood. This will 

 make a perfectly smooth and level surface. It keeps out dirt and 

 forms a good foundation, which is the key note of successful treat- 

 ment of floors. Allow the filler twelve hours to set or dry before 

 applying a wax or varnish finish. Never xise a liquid filler on any 

 floor. 



The Wax Finish 



A wax or varnish finish can be used. The wax finish is preferred 

 by many, due to economy and ease of renewing places that show the 



wear. The renewing can be easily applied by housekeeper or servant. 



Tlie best metliod for applying tlie wax is to take cheesecloth and 

 double it to get a little more thickness; then make it into a sort of 

 bag. Put a handful of wax inside of this and go oyer the floor thor- 

 oughly. You will find that you can work the wax through the meshes 

 of the cheesecloth to give an even coating over the floor. This pre- 

 vents too much wax in spots and wasting it. After the floor has been 

 gone over with the wax and allowed to dry, say about twenty minutes, 

 it is ready for polishing. Rub to a polish with a weighted floor brush, 

 first across the grain of the wood, then with it. A clean, soft cloth 

 can be used in place of the brush if desired. Then a piece of woolen 

 felt or carpet should be placed under the brush to give the finishing 

 gloss. After waiting an liour, a second coat of wax should be applied 

 in the same way as the first and rubbed to a polish. 

 The Varnish Finish 



This is usually more expensive than the wax finish, but it gives 

 a very hard surface, yet at tlie same time it is elastic. Two or three 

 coats should be applied after the application of the paste filler. Each 

 coat should be thoroughly rubbed with oil and pumice. Any of the 

 standard hardwood flooring varnishes is recommended. 

 Floor Oil Finish 



When a high-class finish is not desired, a very economical one can 

 be had by the use of a light flooring oil, that is made expressly for 

 this purpose by many paint and varnish houses and oil makers. It 

 serves as a filler as well as a finish and is strongly recommended for 

 oak flooring in public institutions, office buildings and stores. This 

 oil keeps the dust from rising and also preserves the floor. 



Curing the Tardy Habit 



Tardiness is a habit and like other habits it varies in the strength 

 of the intensity and persistence among those who have it. Some- 

 times it is a habit very easy to break and at other times it is just 

 about as easy to break an old toper from the whiskey habit. Time 

 clocks have enabled manufacturers and millmen to put a check upon 

 tardiness and to preserve a correct record, but even the time clock 

 will not always cure tardiness. 



This wouldn't matter so much were it not for the fact th.it often 

 the tardiness of one or two men will hold up or seriously interfere 

 with the operations of a plant. In the average sawmill, for example, 

 it is important to have every man on the job at starting time and a 

 good mill foreman will do one of two things — either he will cure the 

 habit of tardiness or he will get rid of the man who persists in it. 



The best general cure for tardiness is the presence of the mill fore- 

 man on the job before starting time every morning. With a fore- 

 man who is on the job regularly before starting time there wiU be 

 little tardiness. There may be a few who will come late, even if they 

 know the foreman is there to see them, but these few should be talked 

 to seriously but kindly. Then if, after a fair effort of this kind, 

 they can not shake off the habit there is only one thing to do, and 

 that is, replace them with other men who can shake it off. 



