HARDWOOD RECORD 



21 



Naturally, the stave billets dry consider- 

 :ilily while piled up waiting for the finishing 

 pl;iiit, but they are seldom dry enough for 

 marketing direct from the finisher, so they 

 are usually cross piled on the yard after be- 

 ing finished and left from 30 to 90 days, as 

 the occasion may require, before starting on 

 their journey to market. At some seasons of 



the year, when hauling is best, they may be 

 taken to the railroad while green and piled 

 for further drying there, so as to be available 

 when wanted, but as these hauls are usually 

 over long distances, it is important to reduce 

 the weight as much as possible before haul- 

 ing; consequently they are usually piled on 

 the vard and alloAved to drv there. 



Hardwood toothpicks. 



.-Vlthough the common toothpick is a very 

 ordinary affair, it has formed an important 

 factor in the wood-working industry in re- 

 cent years. This is due to the demand for 

 special kinds of toothpicks, such as those 

 made of scented woods, specially designed, 

 nr engraved and elaborately stained and 

 packed. While manufacturers iu this coun- 

 try are not lacking in ingenuity in the pro- 

 duction of artistically designed hardwood 

 toothpicks, the most interesting kinds may be 

 seen in the Orient. Tbe natives are fini- 

 artisans in the line of engraving. Tooth- 

 [licks appear to be their specialty. 



Fig. 1 is a form of headed hardwood tooth- 

 pick of Chinese design. The workman selects 

 billets of hardwood and tediously works out 

 the pieces with a single tool while squatted 

 cross-legged on the floor. He does not care 

 very much how long it takes; time is no object 

 to him. He makes various kinds of tooth- 

 picks and goes about peddling them. The 

 American manufacturer goes at it on a dif- 

 ferent scale. He undertakes to do away with 

 as much hand labor as possible. He intro- 

 duces machinery to work up the material and 

 finish it. However, in catering to the pre- 

 vailing demands of the market he must pro- 

 duce some elaborately carved and colored 

 toothpicks, many kinds of which must be 

 scented. 



The feathered type of toothpick [ire.seuted 

 in Fig. 2 requires considerable material for 

 the shaping of its fan-head. This is an 

 American style of special toothpick, and the 

 fan-like form is readily stamped out by 

 means of cutters. The so-called "looped" 

 toothpick is a copy of a design used in 

 Manila. The hard, flint-like "bullett" wood 

 of the islands is utilized for making these 

 toothpicks by hand. The fiber of the tough 

 wood develops a series of small circles in the 

 tissue as shown, upon polishing. Among tlie 

 chiefs of the .Jolo island district can be seen 

 toothpicks finely cut from hardw-oods and 

 richly ornamented at the head with pearls, 

 as shown in Fig. -1. 



The American manufacturer of hardwood 

 toothpicks has various trials to meet. The use 

 of unseasoned stock often brings on a 

 "liowed" condition of the toothpicks, illus- 

 trated by Fig. 5. Splits (Fig. 6) not infre- 

 quently prevail, unless a system of assort- 

 ment is followed and defective picks taken 

 jut. Broken toothi>icks are more common in 

 hardwood stock than in softwood. Stubs pre- 

 vail to some extent, but the popular form 

 of jiointed toothpick is shown in Fig. 9. 

 Majile and hic-kory are largely used in the 



/oaiuifacturc of the common styles of tooth- 

 picks today. The bolts are prepared for the 

 machinery by luttiug the pieces as shown 

 iu Figs. 10 and 11. While it is essential that 

 (Stock which is free from knots be selected it 

 js practicable to run uneven stuff to a certain 

 extent. Much depends upon the character of 



^•AUIIOTIES OF IIAKDWOOD TOOTHI'ICKS. 



the automatic machinery. Tlie liand-tooth- 

 pick makers can utilize chosen portions of the 

 stock, whereas machinery necessarily operates 

 iipon any sort of stock as it comes along. 

 For example, in Fig. l^J we exhibit the sheet 



in a solid form at the left, and the partly 

 cut toothpicks at the right. In the event of 

 a knot or other defective portion coming un- 

 der the action of the knives, the liability of 

 the strip being broken is apparent. Hence 

 care is taken to select timber which will pass 

 through properly. Following the cutting of 

 the points conies the burnishing process in the 

 tumbler cylinder. Fig. 13. This device is 

 used only on special toothpicks. The action 

 of the rolling picks inside the cylinder tends 

 to make them smoother, especially if polish- 

 ing ingredients are introduced. The cylinder 

 bears on a shaft and the latter revolves in 

 bearings arranged in the uprights. The belt 

 operates on the tight and loose wheels (d), 

 and the wheel shaft carries the gear (c), 

 which meshes witli tlie large gear of the drum 

 as shown. 



In the .saturation process, which gives the 

 required scenting to fancy toothpicks, the 

 contrivance shown iu Fig. l-l is employed. 

 This consists of bearings (e, e) which carry 

 rolls for supporting a moving perforated 

 apron. The toothpicks are carried along on 

 this apron in large numbers, evenly dis- 

 tributed. Tlie air blast is carried through the 

 pipe as shown, and this discharge carries with 

 it the perfumed vapors. The uozzle is ar- 

 ranged so as to play the scented vapors up 

 into the perforations of the moving apron (f). 

 The saturation is ample to penetrate the fibers 

 of the picks and each absorbs sufficient to 

 assume a delicate perfume. In Fig. 1.5 we 

 sliow the type of box ordinarily used for 

 jiacking scented hardwood toothpicks. Neces- 

 sarily they are more costly than the inferior 

 pine stuffs. The average hardwood tooth- 

 pick is even better made. The points are 

 truer and better finished. Odors which often 

 come from the pitch in pine are avoided. 

 Dentists say it is best to use carefully as- 

 sorted hardwood toothpicks. 



NetsOs Miscellany. 



The Wagon Industry. rinis..lidato, many of the smaller concerns dis- 



Int( resting- statistics liavo l),.,.i, pivpared by "'"li""iing the manufacture of vehicles and con- 



Ihr rensus Bureau of the United States regard- ""'"''' ""^"' ''"'"''' •'™'' '" '''"I"'"' '""' custom 



iiiK tlie wagon and carriage industry of the ''""'''■ "^^^^ statistics, of course, do not include 



eoinili-y. These figures are to form a part of ""' "Pei'^t'on'* "f wlieclwright plants, where all 



the Census of .Manufactures for 1905. It will '"' "!* '''"*' "^'' '''"'''' ''"siness is the i-eiiairing of 



bo noted that there has been a substantial in- vehicles. 



crease in this line of manufacture in the past '^''"' ""SO" industry of the country, turning 



live years. Follnwim; are the comparative fig- ""* "'*''"'" •l^l^^.OOO.OOO worth of products yearly, 



uiM's for lOfiO aud llMi."): '** "" important factor in the consuuiption of 



lOOr,. 1900. harihvoods. 



•Number of establish- A Disastrous Fire. 



™™'^*' ■*•''-"■' ''-O-i Fire of unkumvn origin destioved the con- 



•'""»:'' $12G.320.G04 .i;i09.S7.-..SS.-; ,„,„« „nd building of the Baxter .Moulding Com- 



Salar.pd officials, |,.,„y^ j.^ggj gj \Am\si. 111., August l.S, entailing a 



clerks, etc: |,jj,j. ^j .$130,000, divided as follows: Building, 



.Vninber ,-.,0.-„S 4,00.3 .f33,000 ; machinery. .140,000 : contents, .$55,000. 



Salaries .-.,2,'!9.04:i .■',. 750,915 -pho company carried .$15,000 insurance on the 



Wage earners: buildini; and .¥55,0(1(1 on machiuerv and stock. 



Average number.... (J(1.722 (52,249 The officers of the company are :' C. A. Ander- 



^^ "S^'^ 30,S7S.25.'3 251,145,281 son. president: Oscar Xienan, vice president and 



Miscellaneous ex- ti(>asiirpr : J. C. Richards, secretary: F. Sattig, 



Iienses 10.182,604 5,800.687 superintendent. The building was a two-story 



Cost of materials used 01,215,170 53, 723, .311 brick, 450x150 feet, and was erected in 190.3 



Products : Total value 1''"' f'lc manufacture of mouldings, picture frames 



of 125,332,970 113,234,590 '""' t'™m<'d show cards. The company had Just 



_„..,. ^, , ,, . , ' ' installed machinery aud stock costing $25,000 



The fact that there is a decrease in the num- ,,„rt had completed an $8,000 contract for an 



bcr of wagon manufacturing establishments is eastern concern, which was ready to load on 



because there has been a nc.ticenhlr tinidcncy to cars. The factory will und.uilitcd'ly be rebuilt. 



