26 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



New Model Edger. 



The Gordon Hollow Blast Grate Company of 

 Greenville, Midi., has recently made some Im- 

 portant improvements In the Tower 32-inch 

 edger, of which it has always made a specialty. 

 The new model, herewith illustrated, is designed 

 for mills cutting not to exceed 20,000 feet in 

 ten hours. It meets the requirements of small 

 mills in every particular, taking up little room, 

 consuming little power and costing little. At 

 the same time it is very strong and perfect in 

 every way, since it represents the fruit of six- 

 teen years' labor devoted exclusively to the 

 manufacture of blast grates, edgers and trim- 

 mers, and is the product of one of the most 

 practical designers in the United States. 



The edger is not a cheap machine in any 

 sense except price, which is low chiefly because 

 the edger contains everything essential but noth- 

 ing superfluous. Its exceedingly practical char- 



together, and it reflects great credit on the in- 

 dustry and perseverance of Secretary Odell in 

 accomplishing it. Concerning the report Mr. 

 Odell says : 



"Attached herewith you will find the first an- 

 nual stock report of the Michigan Hardwood 

 Manufacturers' Association, or, perhaps it would 

 be more nearly correct to call it the first end of 

 the year report, as it does- not show a full year 

 owing to the fact that our association was not 

 organized until July 13, 1906. In many re- 

 spects, however, it is an annual report and one 

 that contains information that will be of bene- 

 fit to the manufacturer, wholesaler, jobber and 

 consumer. You will find on a careful study of 

 the report that it contains more complete and 

 accurate information in regard to the hardwood 

 situation in Michigan than any other report yet 

 furnished the manufacturer. 



"It is more complete because it probably rep- 



THE TOWER 32-INCH EDGER. 



acter is demonstrated by the fact that there are 

 over 2,500 of the old style machines, much in- 

 ferior to the present pattern, in use. Particular 

 attention is called to the following features : 



The vital parts are carried by a substantial 

 Iron husk resting solidly on the floor. There are 

 three long bearings — the third outside the driv- 

 ing pulley. The saws may be removed without 

 disturbing the arbor, the whole operation being 

 the acme of simplicity. The arbor is provided 

 with a steel feather key extending throughout 

 its entire length, thus doing away with small 

 individual keys for the different collars. There 

 Is an exceedingly simple aDd practical adjust- 

 able guide on the side nearest the stationary 

 saw. The figures indicating the position of the 

 saws are in full view of the operator. The 

 manner of shifting the saws is in accord wjth 

 the most modern and approved practice. All 

 parts are made to template, and are therefore 

 exaetly alike, and hence interchangeable. 



The Tower 32-inch edger, new model, will 

 edge from two to eight boards while the main 

 saw or side edger is edging one, leaving the 

 saw free to perform its proper function of cut- 

 ting up logs, increasing the capacity of the" mill 

 25 per cent and producing lumber with edges 

 that are parallel as well as straight. In fact, 

 it converts a small mill into a large mill in 

 miniature. 



Hardwood Situation in Michigan. 



The Hardwood Record is indebted to Bruce 

 Odell, secretary of the Michigan Hardwood Man- 

 ufacturers' Association, for a tabulated analysis 

 showing by grade, kind and thickness the vari- 

 ous amounts of hardwood lumber in the hands 

 of manufacturers in Michigan on January 1, 

 1907, , together with a report showing the unfilled 

 orders for stock held on the same date. 



The report is supplemented with figures show- 

 ing the total cut of 1906, and the estimated cut 

 for 1907. An abstract'of these statistics is re- 

 produced in connection with this article. Unde- 

 niably it is the best statistical report pertaining 

 to the hardwood industry of Michigan, or per- 

 haps any other state, that has ever been gotten 



resents 80 to 85 per cent of all the hardwood 

 lumber cut in Michigan, shows the amount of 

 each kind of hardwood cut during the year 

 1906. the estimated cut for the year 1907, the 

 amount of stock on hand January 1, 1907, the 

 amount of unfilled orders for 1906 stock and 

 the amount of the 1906 cut remaining at the 

 mill unsold ; also the amount of orders booked 

 January 1, 1907, to be furnished from stock to 

 be cut during the year 1907. You will note in 

 the report of the amount of stock on hand and 

 unfilled orders that it shows the different sizes 

 and grades of each kind of hardwood, informa- 

 tion that probably no other general report has 

 contained. 



"It is more accurate because it was made at 

 the end of the year, when every manufacturer 

 had a complete inventory of his stock and could 

 furnish actual figures instead of estimates. 

 Probably it is more accurate than any other re- 

 port for the further reason that it is one in 

 which every manufacturer reporting feels that 

 he has a personal interest. 



"Among many other items of interest to all 

 concerned in northern hardwoods are the follow- 

 ing : Only a little over 8 per cent of the total 

 1906 cut remained in the hands of the manufac- 

 turer unsold at the end of the year. The propor- 

 tion of the different woods manufactured dur- 

 ing 1906 and unsold January, 1907, is as fol- 

 lows: Eight per cent of the basswood, less 

 than 6 per cent of the beech, less than 19 per 

 cent of the birch, less than 12 per cent of the 

 elm and less than 8 per cent of the maple. The 

 report also shows that more than 10 per cent 

 of the 1907 cut was contracted at the beginning 

 of the year, so that counting all unfilled orders 

 in the hands of the manufacturers at the be- 

 ginning of the year 1907, there was not enough 

 stock remaining at the mills to fill the orders 

 booked by the manufacturers. 



"A comparison of the actual cut of the year 

 1906 and the estimated cut for the year 1907 

 shows the following results: A decrease in the 

 amount of beech, birch and rock elm, with bass- 



w 1 and ash about the same, a slight increase 



in the amount of soft elm and an increase of 

 about 1" per rent in the amount of maple. The 



increased cut of maple is nearly all reported by 

 a few mills that manufacture maple flooring, 

 and the increase is to cover the increased capac- 

 ity of their flooring plants. Owing to their be- 

 ing no snow until late in the winter and the 

 scarcity of labor, it is very doubtful if the man- 

 ufacturers will be able to put in the amount 

 of logs for lumber that they estimate for 1907. 

 "Taken as a whole the prospects for northern 

 hardwoods over the year 1907 seem very good 

 and the output should bring full values. The 

 manufacturers £0 into the year with an unusu- 

 ally light stock of many woods and there ap- 

 parently is no surplus in any one of the north- 

 ern hardwoods. It is not the policy of this asso- 

 ciation to try to dictate prices, but rather to 

 furnish the manufacturer with as complete in- 

 formation as possible and let him be his own 

 judge as to prices. With conditions as shown 

 in this report and every indication that more 

 than the usual amount of northern hardwoods 

 will be required during the year 1907, it would 

 appear from all the usual sources of reasoning 

 that it will be reasonable to expect higher prices 

 for all kinds of northern hardwoods than have 

 prevailed during 1906." 



STOCK ON HAND AND UNFILLED ORDERS JANUARY 

 1, 1907. 



Feet 



Feet unfilled 



on hand. orders. 



Black ash 1,401,000 856,000 



Basswood 7,507,000 5,444,000 



Beech 15,269,000 12,845,000 



Birch 12,030,000 6,588,000 



Rock elm 1,047,000 507,000 



Soft elm 7,502,000 5,412,000 



Maple 73,636,000 53,936,000 



Totals 118,392,000 85,588,000 



CUT OP 1906. 



Ash : 8,695,000 



Basswood 20.238,000 



Beech 43,052,000 



Birch 2S'.858,000 



Rock elm 3,267,000 



Soft or gray elm 19.907,000 



Maple, hard and soft 241.207,000 



All other hardwoods 15.817,000 



Total 387,041,000 



ESTIMATED CUT FOR 1907. 



Ash ' 9.511,000 



Basswood 26,382,000 



Beech 40,622,000 



Birch 26,083,000 



Rock elm 2,674,000 



Soft or gray elm 24,366,000 



Maple, hard and soft 265.932,000 



All other hardwoods 21,592,000 



Total 417,162,000 



Miscellaneous Notes. 



Dispatches from Beaumont, Tex., state that 

 the Allen Powell Lumber Company and C. R. 

 Cummings of Houston have purchased a site for 

 a proposed hardwood mill. The tract fronts 

 along Brakes bayou, adjoining the pumping plant 

 of the Beaumont Water Company, and is near 

 the Reliance mill of the Kirby Lumber Company. 

 It consists of about seven acres and cost $S,000. 

 A plant will be installed at a cost of about 

 $50,000. All kinds of hardwood will be handled 

 and prepared for export. 



J. Pierpont Morgan recently purchased 1,200 

 acres of Adirondack timber land for $35,000. 

 It formerly belonged to Daniel Strobel of Herki- 

 mer and is completely surrounded by the state 

 forest preserve. Mr. Morgan now holds 2,751 

 acres in this locality. 



The Kaukauna Lumber & Manufacturing Com- 

 pany of Kaukauna, Wis., is securing many logs 

 for its new sawmill, 200.000 of which have al- 

 ready been obtained, and large stocks are being 

 hauled on custom orders. John Jansen is presi- 

 dent. 



Five sawmills are operated in Hayti by Amerl- 



