22 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Walnut Burls for Veneers. 

 .T. V. Hamilton of Fort Scott, Kan., has fur- 

 nished the Record with a number of interesting 

 photographs of walnut logs and burls, some of 

 which are reproduced herewith. Mr. Hamilton 

 is a well known lumberman and exporter and 



of the tree are never fully restored, but the 

 blood of the tree, its sap, still flows, and a knot 

 or bump is formed, which finally develops into 

 a great irregular chunk of wood, the burl. The 

 walnut variety is more numerous in localities 

 where the timber is of a stunted or rugged na- 



FI.NE EXPORT WALNUT LOG. 



what he doesn't know about walnut nobody else 

 knows. In a little explanation accompanying 

 the pictures he says : 



"There are several kinds of figured wood in 

 black walnut, in each one of which the grain 

 of the timber is twisted or crinkled in a way 

 peculiar to itself. One of the most popular fig- 

 ures used by cabinet makers, furniture manu- 

 facturers and others for veneering fancy panels 

 is the black walnut burl. These are quite rare. 

 BO much so that they hardly average one to a 

 hundred trees, and very few people have suffi- 

 cient knowledge to enable them to form an accu- 

 rate estimate of their value from their forma- 

 tion or general appearance : he must be an ex- 

 perienced dealer in veneers who can with much 

 certainty fix a satisfactory price before the burl 

 has been dissected by thp saw or knife, and its 

 interior exposed to view. The burl is some- 

 times confused with swirl or knurl, and is fre 

 quently known by these names, yet it is quite 

 a different product and has a grain and texture 

 peculiarly its own. It is a spinous knot, the 

 surface of which is covered with little conical 

 points which are its distinguishing feature. Only 

 those that grow at the stump or root of the 

 tree, called root burls, mostly covered beneath 

 the earth and thtis protected, are valuable, for 

 almost invariably those growing high up" on the 

 tree, where they are exposed to the sun and 

 rain, are bark grown and otherwise defective, 

 being full of small cavities, forming habita- 

 tions for insects which destroy their commercial 

 value and render them worthless. 



"A burl may grow in any conceivable form, 

 but the most perfect specimens resemble in shape 

 a huge turnip, the surface of which is covered 

 with small cones or spurs, with points as sharp 

 as a needle, and as it continues to grow in size 

 year after year, these points are covered and 

 others form. In this way the burl is built up 

 and the spotted or dappled appearance called 

 bird's ej'e is created, a figure which shows up 

 beautifully when cut into thin sheets and highly 

 polished. The roots run out from the under 

 side and edges of the burl instead of from the 

 tree, as usual, as the smaller these roots the 

 better the quality of the veneers it will produce, 

 for the reason that the roots lessen the quantity 

 of straight grained wood it will contain. Special 

 value altaclies to them because of the peculiar 

 twisted or distorted grain or figure, and the 

 nature of the figure has all to do with the 

 value, which in the rough ranges from ten cents 

 a pound up to whatever value the dealer may 

 think he sees in it. In tree anatomy an en- 

 largement of this kind would be aptly termed 

 a wood tumor, or morbid action of the sap fluid, 

 producing abnormal or unnatural formation, or 

 degeneration of the tree ; at the same time it is 

 a growth that possesess all the firmness and 

 solidity of straight grained and healthy wood, 

 susceptible to a high polish. The burl is caused 

 by a bruise or some other mishap befalling the 

 tree while it is young: nature begins to make 

 good the accident by repairing the injury, but 

 fails. The symmetry and graceful proportions 



LARGE WALXUT BURL. 



ture. and less frequent where it is large and 

 thrifty, and the trees more magnificent in pro- 

 portions." 



The method of converting these burls into 

 veneers is a difficult one, and it is also difficult 

 to describe in such a way that the reader will 



-T. V. HAMILTON OF FORT SCOTT, KAN., 

 THE WALNUT EXPERT. 



get a clear idea of the process. They must 

 first be sawn into pieces as one would cut an 

 apple into quarters or halves, but care and judg- 

 ment must be exercised in opening the burl in 

 order to throw the best and largest flakes or 

 figure on the same block. Special devices, slay 



duce the largest sheet of veneers possible, of 



the most handsome natural pattern contained in 

 the richly "figured" portion. 



After the veneer has been produced and all 

 the processes necessary for its creation have 

 been completed, it is ready fuv the glue-room, 

 where it is spread upon the panel or surface 

 it is to adorn : and it is here that another fine 

 art is rapidly developing. The skill of the 

 artisan who lays and arranges the veneers on 

 the piano case, the table top, or the large panel 

 for the Pullman car, so as to produce the most 

 pleasing appearance, is second only to the skill 

 of the artist in painting a picture, and an equal 

 if uot greater amount of practice and experience 

 is necessary. The sheets of veneer are trimmed 

 and turned over, or reversed and arranged in 

 many ways to enhance their attractiveness. Fre- 

 quently the widest and most prominently figured 

 ends of stump figure or crotch or feather are 

 so nearly placed in conjunction with each other 

 in the center of the panel as to blend perfectly 

 and produce a most beautiful and striking ap- 

 pearance. 



The Ideal Eiln. 



It is safe to say that the subject of kiln dry- 

 ing has received more attention during the past 

 two years than was given it during the preceding 

 twenty years, with consequent improvement in 

 methods and results, but that the ideal kiln is 

 not yet in general use is proven by requests for 

 information which pour into the offices of kiln 

 manufacturers who advertise positive results by 

 their processes. 



The old saying, "Well begun is half done." 

 applies very aptly to this, the first step in the 

 manufacture of all wood products, for accu- 

 rate records kept in a number of plants dur- 

 ing the past year prove that proper drying saves 

 not only the waste due to warping, checking 

 and honeycombing, but permits of the lumber 

 being worked much closer to knots and swirls : 

 that it also reduces the cost of both power and 

 labor by rendering the stock straight, soft and 

 free from case hardening. One concern, cut- 

 ting about 40,000 feet of hard and soft woods 

 daily, estimated their saving last year, directlj 

 traceable to improved drying, at upwards of 

 .$5,000, from which it will be seen that the 

 perfect kiln has a field as wide as the lumber 

 industry itself. 



Investigation among a largo number of plants 

 also discloses the fact that much so-called 

 drying, which is nothing more nor less than 

 baking, is done on a "trust-to-luck" plan, stock 

 being put into the kiln at irregular intervals, 

 the heat turned on and the temperature al- 

 lowed to go where it will, lumber being taken 

 out when it looks dry, feels dry or smells dry. 

 by someone who very likely has no idea as to 

 the requirements of the plant, very few being 

 found who had formulated any sort of test 



BEAUTIFUL PANEL OF REVERSED CROTCH WALNUT VENEER. 



blocks, etc.. have frequently been arranged to 

 hold the unshapely and irregular sections of 

 wood firmly, though in a tilted or slanting po- 

 sition, so that the knife of the rotary veneer 

 machine will operate in such a way as to pro- 



for bringing their stock out in proper condition. 

 Assuming that this lack of method prevails 

 largely throughout the United States, especially 

 with the smaller plants, the following sugges- 

 tions may not come amiss. 



