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HARDWOOD RECORD 



or bench type of saw, but for heavy service 

 the swing saw is better. All this must be 

 decided by each mill man for himself, being 

 guided by the amount and kind of work to 

 be handled more than the amount of money 

 the equipment will cost him. Struggling 

 along with a patched-up homemade outfit is 

 not economy and will cost enough extra in 

 operation by reducing capacity, etc., during 

 the year to more than pay for new equip- 

 ment. There are some instances, however, 

 where an old side edger rig can be over- 

 hauled, the table shortened, for practically 

 all the wagon stock work will run 7 feet and 

 less in length, and give excellent results in 

 working up flitches into axles, bolsters, slide 

 bars, bottom cleats, etc. It will relieve the 

 mill of a great deal of detail, and a man 

 at a saw of this kind can be more deliberate 

 about the work than a sawyer with the mill 

 and several men who are temporarily idle 

 every time he pauses to consider how and 

 what is best to be done. 



But, to return to the manner of planning 

 the plant, the first thing to settle is where 

 to put the cross cut. The simplest, easiest 

 and cheapest place is to swing it right 

 under the line shaft, which would put the 

 cross cut bench right in the center of the 

 dimension stock department. This is a 

 case where cheapness is not best, how- 

 ever, and there are two other places 

 where the cross cut can be located and 

 give better service. One is along the wall 



of the addition, and the other across the 

 line of rolls that pass through the main 

 mOl. The latter place, across the rolls of 

 the main mill, is probably the best, for the 

 bulk of the trimming, or at least the heavy 

 trimming, can be done while the stock from 

 the mill is still on the rolls, thus saving one 

 handling. The only objectionable feature 

 about swinging the cross cut over the rolls 

 in the main mill is the fact that it will 

 necessitate the use of either a pair of gear 

 wheels to give a right angle turn to the 

 shafting, or a mule stand and a corner turn 

 with a belt. Eventually it may be found 

 that in addition to the swing cross cut 

 over the main rolls for cutting flitches and 

 the general run of stock from the mill it 

 will also be advisable to add some kind of 

 a light cross cutting rig for retrimming 

 small stock from the rip saw. This can be 

 driven from the same line shaft as the rip 

 saw, and may be a light, inexpensive ma- 

 chine of the cord wood kind, or of the regu- 

 lar equalizer type. 



For the majority of wagon and agricul- 

 tural implement stock a single rip saw is all 

 right, but should it be desired to take up 

 the manufacture of chair rungs and other 

 light dimension stock of this class a gang 

 rip saw becomes a necessity. This may also 

 be used to make lath, and it is a good thing 

 to have provided timber and work justifies 

 its use. However, the best advice is to 

 start in modestly, with two machines, and 

 then enlarge as time and experience assure 

 of just what additional machines are needed. 



Hardwood Record Moil Bag. 



[In this department it Is proposed to reply 

 to such inquiries as reach this offlce from the 

 Hardwood Record clientage as will be of enough 

 general Interest to warrant publication. Every 

 patron of the paper <s invited to use this de- 

 partment to the fullest extent, and an attempt 

 will be made to answer queries pertaining to all 

 matters of Interest to the hardwood trade, In 

 a succinct and intelligent manner.] 



Wants Table-Tops. 



Nbw York, May 25. — Editor Hardwood Rec- 

 ord : Can you give us the names and addresses 

 of any firms engaged in the manufacture of 

 dimension, kiln-dried, glued-up table tops? We 

 would appreciate any information you can give 

 us. — & Co. 



This concern has already been furnished 

 with a list of manufacturers known to fur- 

 nish this stock, but if there are others in- 

 terested in communicating with the writer of 

 the above letter, the Hardwood Record will 

 be glad to supplement the list with their 

 names. — Editor. 



Slaughter of Hickory in Indiana. 



CONNERSVILLE, IND., June 5. — Editor HARD- 

 WOOD Record : I visited Clark county, Indiana, 

 recently and saw great cords of hickory poles 

 piled up at the railway station for shipment. 

 Upon Investigation It was found that 500,000 

 hickory trees are annually destroyed by the 

 farmers of that one county for hoop poles. 

 These poles bring the land owners but 50 to 60 

 cents per thousand, out of which must be paid 

 the cost of cutting and hauling to station. The 

 receipts are barely enough to pay common labor 

 prices for the work, the landowners realizing 

 scarcely anything for the trees. 



This Is a terrible waste. In a few years our 



vehicle timber will be gone. These half a mil- 

 lion trees destroyed each year in one county 

 alone would bring a handsome revenue for far 

 more important uses. Only one or two men no>. 

 receive any benefit from this trade as dealers. 



Carriage makers should show some interest 

 in the perpetuation of the woods of which they 

 are such heavy consumers. The carriage trade 

 journals are requested to copy this item. — John 

 P. Brown. 



The foregoing letter from John P. Brown, 

 editor of Arboriculture, is a very timely 

 communication on the subject of the way in 

 which the small remaining growth of hickory 

 in this country is being destroyed. If the 

 timber were felled and put to uses that would 

 show its owners a reasonable profit there 

 could be but little fault found, but when 

 farmers slaughter hickory for the making of 

 hoop poles, the practice is little short of 

 criminal. The writer of this letter is very 

 much interested in forestry matters, and is 

 doing good work from a practical viewpoint 

 along this line. — Editor. 



Otis-Alcus Lumber Company Not a Merger. 



New Orleans, La., May 29. — Editor Hard- 

 wood Record ; Referring to the notice on page 

 24 of your Issue of May 25, this notice is not 

 correct. The Otis-Alcus Lumber Company, Ltd.. 

 will not take over the business either of the 

 Otis Manufacturing Company or of S. T. Alcus 

 & Co., Ltd. Both of these firms will remain 

 entirely distinct, the Otis Manufacturing Com- 

 pany making a specialty of mahogany lumber, 

 and S. T. Alcus & Co., Ltd., being engaged in 

 the manufacture of boxes and box shocks. While 

 the Otis-Alcus Lumber Company, Ltd., is owned 

 by some of the stockholders who have an in- 

 terest in the Otis Manufacturing Company and 

 in S. T. Alcus & Co., Ltd., and expects to have 

 business relations with both of these firms. It 



will not handle mahogany lumber or engage In 

 the manufacture of boxes, expecting to devote 

 its main attention at first to the handling of 

 Cottonwood lumber and a little later to other 

 domestic lumber. The Otis-Alcus Lumber Com- 

 pany, Ltd., has only a small amount of Invested 

 capital, and the combined assets of the Otis 

 Manufacturing Company and S. T. Alcus & Co 

 Ltd., are at least twenty times the amount so 

 far invested in the Otis-Alcus Lumber Company 

 Ltd. — Otis Manufactcrinq Company. 



The Hardwood Eecord regrets exceedingly 

 this error in regard to two such well and 

 favorably known concerns as the Otis Manu- 

 facturing Company and S. T. Alcus & Co., 

 Ltd., and is glad of this opportunity to set 

 its readers right. — Editor. 



'S LETTER TO HIS 



Chicago, June 6, 1906. 



My Dear Son: I am surprised that you 

 find, it necessary every time you want a 

 fourteen-foot length of four-inch pipe to 

 make a trip to Memphis in order to make 

 the purchase. Buying a chunk of two and 

 thirteen-sixteenths shafting, an iron pulley 

 or a few set-screws really does not necessi- 

 tate a personal visit to that wicked city on 

 the banks of the Mississippi. There are* 

 several good machinery supply houses in 

 that town which will execute your order on 

 a mail requisition without taking up your 

 time or involving so much expense. In do- 

 ing as you did, you probably had in mind the 

 advice I have given you concerning buying 

 hardwoods in cross-pile. This is another 

 proposition, and it does not require the care 

 which apparently you have been exercising. 



I note by your last month's expense ac- 

 count that your trips to Memphis have cost 

 considerable more money than the sum 

 total of the sawmill supply purchases you 

 made. Of course I know it's a little dull 

 for you down in the swamp, and that there 

 is a good deal of the real works around 

 Memphis, but I think the boys will be just 

 as glad to see you up there if you don't go 

 quite so often. I know your bunch of 

 friends at Memphis. They are hot off the 

 griddle all right, and most of them look 

 like certified checks. At the same time I 

 think you will earn more money for the 

 Rattlesnake Lumber Company by sending 

 orders for minor mill supplies by mail and 

 staying around the job. You must get to 

 making lumber pretty soon if we are going 

 to have any dry stock for the fall trade. 



Afl^airs here are not very lively, and a 

 good many buyers are really serious about 

 National inspection. They seem to want 

 National grades when they buy under that 

 agreement. We jobbers in this town are 

 getting wedged in between the devil and 

 the deep sea; manufacturers are soaking us 

 on one side and our customers on the other, 

 with the result that our margins are get- 

 ting altogether too thin for comfort. 



Keei) busy and get the mill to going just 

 as soon as possible. Your affectionate 



Father. 



P. S. — Your mother wants to go down with 

 me to see you soon. Eighteen and car fare 

 for you if things are not right in the board- 

 ing house when she gets there. 



