32 



Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



April 25, 1918 



oak plank, with which you are famiUar, are fair to the 

 producers or not." 



Mr. Thielens stated that he does not know the price 

 fixed for spare parts, but said that the price figured for 

 thick oak to be used, based on twenty-four months' dry, 

 was $110 for three-inch and $120 for four-inch. He said 

 that the price to be paid for the spare parts is based on 

 the average cost of five firms actually turning them out. 

 He said further that wagon manufacturers are not working 

 on spare part production. 



He then referred to possible variations of specifica- 

 tions as to the kind of wood permitted, referring particu- 

 larly to recommendations resulting through efforts of the 

 Madison laboratory and the wagon manufacturers. The 

 recommendations suggested the addition of several per- 

 missible woods in certain parts, although poles and reaches 

 will remain of oak. The recommendations take in more 

 northern woods than heretofore considered suitable. 



Regarding the questions that might come from furni- 

 ture manufacturers as to air drying and production, he 

 suggested that the members compile a combined ques- 

 tionnaire to be referred to the wood stock committee. 



There followed a number of direct interrogations which 

 brought out: 



That the lumber must be dried to seven to ten per cent moisture 

 content; 



Parts must be interchangeable; 



That inspection after painting rather than in the white is 

 recommended. 



Questions on inspection were brought out, both as to 



inspection of lumber for grade and inspection of the fin- 

 ished article for acceptance or rejection by the govern- 

 ment. It was stated that birch for wagon seats is not yet 

 specified. 



Mr. Thielens said that all questions of inspection for 

 buying of plank are to be regulated on the basis of inspec- 

 tion rules promulgated and maintained by the lumbermen. 



Mr. Thielens said further that there is no distinction 

 between red and white oak, nor between northern and 

 southern oak. 



R. K. Irwin then reviewed the work of the war service 

 committee, composed of Mr. Schravesande of Grand 

 Rapids, Mr. Shearman of Jamestown, N. Y., and Mr. 

 Tomlinson of High Point, N. C. He stated that in his 

 opinion the assessment of one-quarter of one per cent of 

 business secured would provide amply for future ex- 

 penses, but urged further that in case it were necessary 

 to go beyond this point, the members should consider 

 this as an extremely low selling cost for the product of 

 the furniture factory. 



Mr. Schultz advocated a more efficient handling of 

 the meetings of the affiliated associations and the Fed- 

 eration, saying that the Federation meeting should come 

 prior to the meetings of the affiliated bodies, so that 

 points of interest brought up may be considered at the 

 Federation meeting and thus uniform action could be had 

 at the affiliated meetings. 



After talks on other subjects of interest the meeting 

 adjourned. 



Trouble in Airplane Veneer Production 



Radical Changes Must Be Made If Program Is to Succeed 



T IS APPARENT to everybody that there is 

 something wrong with the production of ve- 

 neers for airplane construction. So far as can 

 be learned veneer is indispensable for this pur- 

 pose, and yet if the present chaos is maintained the out- 

 come is certain disaster. Veneer and panel manufac- 

 turers were never better organized than they are now and 

 organization is essential to quantity output. But they 

 have gone further than the national association and have 

 appointed a War Service Bureau of national reputation, 

 which could easily regulate the entire veneer and panel 

 production of the country and reduce to the vanishing 

 point such effort as might not fit with the government's 

 needs. This committee has been on its toes ready for 

 action ever since it was organized several months ago. 

 It has not sat still and waited for orders, but has put 

 itself in the path of hard work and tried strenuously to 

 have its services utilized. 



That there is still difficulty in getting airplane veneer 

 points to but one thing, namely, that the trouble lies at 

 the source; that if the veneer and panel committee's ad- 

 vice is not taken by officials as sincere and is not followed 

 there cannot be sufficient veneer production to meet the 

 needs, even of a modified air program. 



The following correspondence is published, in the order 

 of origin, not because it reveals anything startlingly new, 

 but because it gives a good idea of the true situation. It 

 is published because only with pressure can wrong condi- 

 tions be righted and in the hope that it may result in 

 sufficient pressure from enough sources to do some good. 

 It can be also emphasized that everybody concerned in 

 the correspondence has as his motive only the most earnest 

 desire to GET SOMETHING DONE. 



From J. A. Graf, S. 1. A. & A. E. SSL,, 



1315 West Twenty-first Place. 

 To E. W. Meeker. Managing Editor, Hardwood Record, 

 Chicago, 111. 



Subject: Aeroplane Veneers. 



Inclosed please find article, "Aeroplane Veneers," for your next 



issue of Hardwood Record. Hope we get results. Kindly mail 



me a copy of the issue you publish this in; also a copy of your issue 



of March 10. Assuring you that same will be very much appre- 



The articles follows: 



Since the veneer industry has added the 

 jmption, the birch veneer manufacturers 

 endent. They will try to sell you log r 

 rock and if you don't like it just leave it, 

 ticker who just wired that he would take it 



J. A. GRAF. 



ve been very inde 

 for dimension fac^ 

 r they have anothe 

 any price. 



