HARDWOOD RECORD 



25 



<r __ - ■uw * »—» • _*. »-» v with the careless placing of veueer on cheap 



1 f)6 J\l0d€m £ Umitlire r QCtOTy, furniture, when one strip may be of a nat- 

 urally beautiful figure and the one next to it 



GIA'E AND THE LAYING OF VENEEK. .,,.«? . T „ 



01 an entirely different grain. In fine work 



Although glue in some form has been used The importance of the glue room can . u , tMs ig avoided and ^ greategt care 



from the earliest times for furniture work, never be overestimated, but as a feature of . , , , , ,, . ,, ,, 



........ is taken to match the grain exactly, the 



tue question of its proper preparation and furniture building it becomes of exceptional . 



..... , . ,, , .... . ., , . . , . . .. ,. parts of the veneer surtace being numbered 



handling is a problem that still perplexes the interest when considered in relation to the 



factory manager. It must be reduced to amount of laminated work being turned so that the best of the stri P can be laid 



workable shape without loss of its strength out at the present time. In the laying of with taste - In the makin S U P of g ood ma " 



or spreading qualities or the joints to which veneer great attention should be given to hogauy stock, when the work is laminated, 



it is applied will be unsatisfactory. Expe- the condition of the face wood and the cor- beautiful surfaces are obtained with crotch 



rience and repeated tests are the only cri- ing. As a general rule veneers, being very mahogany, the darker heartwood giving an 



terions by which to judge the quality of thin, are well dried, many times their sea- attractive and finely graduated figure. It is 



glue. In determining the value of glue its soning is much more thorough than that of evident that in this work only the greatest 



strength and water-taking capacity ought to the body on which they are placed. Unless care caa avoi( i error ; for to have the iaoal 



be thoroughly ascertained. The investiga- good judgment is exercised in the proper surface the figure must join and match per- 



tion should be conducted in a scientific man- tempering of wood after it comes from the feetly. In table tops and in general in 



ner and a careful record kept of the weight kiln so that it will not err in the extreme a11 I ar ge surfaces of the best work the same 



of the glue and the amount of the water. of being too dry, there is a possibility of its skill is shown, so that when the finish is put 



There are some elemental facts about glue absorbing moisture on exposure to the air on the grain of the wood is brought out in a 



which, of course, are observed wherever it and thus expanding and wrecking the work. harmonious figure throughout all the differ- 



is used, and one of these is that glue should This disaster is avoided in many cases by ent pieces. 



never be heated in anything brought direct- making the work with several plies of stock The proper matching of the veneered strips 



ly in contact with the fire, for it is apt to and placing them with the grain running iu on the surface of any fine class work is one 



be, burnt and thus rendered worthless. It opposite directions; but it is a mark of scien- of the most careful and striking features of 



must also be softened in water before it tific craftsmanship to first get the stock in furniture making. In this phase of the in- 



can be melted by heat, and in this particu- as nearly perfect condition as possible before uustry the craft has attained a level far in 



Jar glues differ widely, taking from eighteen making it up. advance of any hitherto reached, for the de- 



and twenty ounces to thirty-five ounces of The matching of veneers for large sur- velopment of veneer machinery has put with- 



water to a pound of glue. But the thickness faces like those of the headboards of bed- in the reach of the manufacturer a surface 



of the glue depends on the temperature, for steads and fine table tops is rightly con- at once perfect, beautiful and susceptible of 



as the temperature increases the glue will sidered a fine art. Every one is familiar the most exquisite treatment. 



stand more water. If glue dissolves in cold 



^l^J^ZtlZ^lZ:: The Mahogany and Cedar Trade. 



it is melted. T1]0 active conditions governing the mahogany utilized in large quantities in lines of manufac- 

 Since the development of the veneer in- an( j foreign cedar trade during the year just ture into which it has heretofore but lightly en- 

 dustry to its present magnitude the spread- closed, both as regards demand and prices, makes tered. This is occasioned more particularly by 

 ing capacity of glue has become a theme a re ™ew for that period of more than passing reason of the marked advance in the value of 

 r J ° interest " general domestic hardwoods, which are now on 

 for study, and in this connection there are Jn an int ,,,. vi „ w wlth ,.,,„ F H errimann. one a level that enables mahogany to come into corn- 

 several features that are of importance. of tU(? leading brokers of New York city and the petition freely, to say nothing of its own mer- 

 While the glue is being spread on the stock, only statistician in that mahogany and cedar its as a wood of beauty. 



its temperature must be carefully looked trade center, he stated that during 100G his fig- The current range of prices at this writing 



after for this quality affects the spreading ures showed the following receipts for that year on mahogany run from to 12 cents per foot 



.. -Tiii y, from various producing countries as compared in the log. wholesale, according to quality and 



capacity to a considerable degree, often as ... , n „. . . . _. . . ... . r „ 



r J fe > w ,tii 19O0 : point of origin. The most desirable, such as La- 

 much as twenty-five per cent. The liquid mahogani logs- beceived. gu° a and Santiago, are firm at 12 cents, but 

 must be carefully protected from any strong the general market averages between 9 and 

 drafts, as this tends to dull it by evaporat- ,, , ™?;' n "ijf' 10 cents. Cedar prices range from 9 to 15 



;„„ <■!,„ „.„*„,. „ni,„, „i • i„„„ „*„„ ""ban ports 14.0-J dAu.i.. cents under the same conditions, with the aver- 



nig the water, although more or less water \i PV ie-in norts t; ''.so 055 , .... 



. . . f Mexican ports 0,00a v.voo age close to ]3 aud 14 ceD ts. 



is being constantly taken from it on its ex- Central & South American ports. 5,229 3.84G . . . . .„ , ..„ „.„.. t „„,,„ ,,„., 



b ' ' ,0-1 • An important factor in the cedar trade during 



posure to the air. The handling of glue African ports ■ 4,204 l.,74t, the year was the trouble on the Island of Cuba, 



from the pot to the face of the wood is a ,. kt tuq which occurred at the height of the season and 



scientific process, and one that should be forced a curtailment in shipments when the 



carefully looked after if the best results ' ' dab logs received. wood was in ^urgent Aomana here. Had it m>t 



are to be attained. With a proper test of ^ ™^ 19° 6 - '",/,',,, ^ave 'been 'much 6 ' Urger° and have per- 



the substance and a thorough knowledge of Mexican ports" "l'ii'>:: r.'w.i mitted of increased trade, 



its qualities combined with the requisite Central & South American ports. 1,362 2,409 The increase in receipts of Mexican mahog- 



care in preparing and handling it, the best any, as above noted, were greatly appreciated 



work can be obtained and many instances Totals 91,335 160,065 by the trade, and all wee sold promptly show- 



- j. ,. . . . , . , ., „_.' . . ing the popularity of this grade. Several 

 of faulty joining which are often attributed Notwithstanding the marked gain in receipts months claps,, 1 without any receipts from Mex- 

 to the glue can be traced back to poor a s shown above, the market has been such that ico, owing to lack of rain which compelled 

 workmanship in other departments. all arrivals have been promptly absorbed dur- buyers to use other grades, but immediately re- 

 Even when the glue has been tested and inc tbe year at a higher range of values than ceipts arrived. Mexican stock came into its own 

 . . .. . ,,3,i, has been obtained for many years. Further- and the year opens with a very active call and 

 found satisfactory care should be taken to more ,,„. market has been ehai . acterized during „ ;u . ly sMpments urged . C uba mahogany has 



have the wood properly tempered for its re- a greater part of the year by a demand far in likewi.se enjoyed increasing saleand large, good 



ception. When both the coring and face of excess of receipts, with the result that at many logs are in active call. San Domingo has prac- 



built-up stock are of the same warm tern- periods the local wholesale market was bare of tically ceased as a factor in local trading, there 



perature glue does its best work and when stock : Especially was this so of cedar, the in- having been only about 1,000 logs received dm- 



r ° creasing use of which has been nothing short of ing the past three years. There is, however, 



applied to thoroughly seasoned lumber should marve lous, and in that respect it is a fact in some demand for large, good logs, but the aver- 



give a durable and strong joining. current trading that mahogany is likewise being age receipts have been of small wood and a 



