HARDWOOD RECORD 



37 



Forest Fires 



COAL GimvE, O.. May 12. — Editor Hardwood 

 Kecoud : I have just read the article on page 

 39 of your issue of May 10, headed "A Blow to 

 Forest Conservation," and vividly recall yonr cen- 

 sure of us last fall for permitting fires in our 

 timber in dry weather. This is an extremely 

 difficult problem to handle and one that timber 

 owners are constantly up against. Should any 

 suggestions occur lo you at any time, I shall be 

 glad to hear from you. — Yellow Poplar Lujiber 

 Co>tPAXT, C. M. Crawford, Secretary. 



To the foregoing communication the fol- 

 lowing reply has been made: 



Chicago. May 20, 1910. 

 Mr, C. M. Crawford, Yellow Poplar Lumber Co., 

 Coal Grove. O. 



My dear Crawford. Your favor May 12th has 

 not had previous personal response owing to my 

 absence from the city in the South. 



The more I tramp" the woods, the more I see 

 the necessity of careful ranging to prevent the 

 starting of forest fires, and their extinguish- 

 ment if they do get started. 



I believe my judgement will be fully verified 

 when I state that fire does more damage to the 

 average timber property than taking out of it 

 Ihe mature and hyper-mature timber as lumber 

 operations progress. The only solution of the 

 perpetuation of timber growth in this country is 

 close ranging during season when fires are likely 

 to occur. It is not only in the mountain country 

 where these terrible fire scalds occur, but they 

 rage in the Lake States, on the Pacific Coast 

 to an appalling extent, and more or less even in 

 the lower Mississippi Valley region. I can 

 trace all timber diseases to fire scalds. The 

 lowering of lumber quality from this cause is 

 simply appalliui;. 



VA Tual vii^iliiucc is the only way that this 



loss can be prevented. There should be an 

 awakening among state legislatures towards ma- 

 terially assisting timber owners, framing laws 

 making it a crime punishable by a severe pen- 

 alty to set fires either maliciously or through 

 carelessness. The chief offenders in this par- 

 ticular are the farmers, squatters, hunters and 

 campers. 



It is time that public sentiment be aroused on 

 this manifestly important subject. 



H. H. GiBSOX, Editor. 



Change in Inspection Force 



The following letter is being sent; out to 

 members of the Xtitioiial Hardwood Lumber 

 Association by F. F. Fish, secretary-treas 

 iircr : 



Fred Furgason, who has been in charge of our 

 Cincinnati inspection work for several years, has 

 resigned and is no longer connected with the 

 National Hardwood Lumber Association. 



The inspection for Cincinnati and district, for- 

 merly handled by Fred FHirgason, is now in 

 charge of F. P. Southgate, and to avoid possible 

 confusion dtiring the transfer of records you are 

 requested lo mall to Mr. Southgate a copy of all 

 applications sent Mr. Furgason for National in- 

 spection that have not been taken care of. 



From this date, please address all requests for 

 inspection in Cincinnati where the official cer- 

 tificate of this association is required, to F. P. 

 Southgate, Hotel Savoy, Cincinnati, O., and 

 oblige. Yours very truly. 



National Hakdwood Lumber Association, 

 F. F. Fish, Secretary-Treasurer. 



VENEERS 



Veneers in Bedroom Furniture 



Tliat it pays to manufacture an e.xclusively 

 high-grade line of goods in bedroom furniture 

 is affirmed by Balkwill & Patch of Chicago, 

 who years ago started a partnership in that 

 line. Today this firm has an enviable stand- 

 ing among furniture bouses, and numbers 

 among its customers the majority of the bet- 

 ter class of the distributing trade. There 

 is consumed annually in the Balkwill & Patch 

 factory, upwards of half a million feet of 

 veneer, priucipally mahogany, walnut, oak 

 and birdseye. 



This firm has been employing thoroughly 

 up-to-date methods in building up a modern 

 business, and witli various other manufac- 

 turers in similar lines, long has recognized 

 the value of demonstrating to customers that 

 a high-priced article should be of high quality 

 all the way through, and hence, instead of 

 incorporating birch for other core and side 

 materials in the construction of grades of 

 exceptional quality, and stating that the 

 cheaper wood is in every way as good for 

 the purpose, solid mahogany is used through- 

 out, even to the posts. This business policy 

 enables salesmen, in selling to particular cus- 

 tomers, to say that a piece advertised as solid 

 is absolutely solid mahogany in every part. 

 The impression is not con%'eyed that the 

 article is in any way common, and he is 

 not forced to argue upon the adaptability of 

 bircli for the uses to which mahogany core 

 is being put. Of course, it is a recognized 

 fact that birch, when covered, is in every 

 way as good as any wood that could be em- 

 ployed for that purpose. This policy has 

 been responsible for the different furniture 

 concerns using large quantities of high-priced 

 woods, where not absolutely necessary except 

 as a strictly business policy. 



Bedroom furniture manufacture, consider- 

 ing high-priced articles only, is almost ex- 

 clusivelv a veneering proposition. In the 



class of furniture where beauty of figure is 

 so generally demanded, it would be impossible 

 to produce satisfactory result.s by employing 

 solid wood; the variety and beauty of the 

 figure shown in veneered cabinet woods is 

 common knowledge. In addition, the use of 

 veneers insures greater stability of parts, 

 and an ultimate saving in cost is effected. 



The flat, straight parts, where veneer is 

 necessary, usually embody no features at 

 variance with the common veneer panel man- 

 ufacturer. Of course the different items of 

 furniture are built after certain styles and 

 sizes, and hence the parts are standard in 

 dimensions, allowing of the manufacture of 

 a quantity simultaneously. Panels are glued 

 up to size, or so that they can be cut without 

 waste. This is true of such parts as drawer 

 tops, sides, etc., which require no further 

 operations than bandsawing to exact size, 

 and trimming. Mahogany, the African vari- 

 et.y, has a largely predominating consumption 

 in furniture manufacture, and as in other 

 cabinet lines quartered oak, walnut and birds- 

 eye are about the only other precious woods 

 enjoying any special utilization. Birch, as 

 n core wood and for drawer stutf and sides 

 in the well made, medium grades, offers the 

 most suitable qualities as to physics and 

 color, and in cheap lines it is successfully 

 stained in imitation of mahogany. 



A different method of procedure is necessi- 

 tated in making up the curved fronts_ aud 

 other parts commonly found in the modern 

 designs. Different processes for securing the 

 curve are in use in different establishments, 

 though the practice of shaping the core be- 

 fore gluing up the veneer is necessary in all 

 plants. Some concerns accomplish the first 

 result by using steam and then bending by 

 pressure. Another way is to glue up a block 

 of several layers, and then band-saw it to 

 the required sw-eep. Many firms think that 

 the best results can be obtained by sawing 



directly from one piece, a special machine 

 being used, one saw cutting the concave and 

 the other the convex face. 



Unless an abrupt sweep is required the 

 gluing up process is very simple, and the 

 veneer is applied in a caul box. Where the 

 design calls for a curve of small diameter, 

 however, it is often necessary, to prevent 

 cracking, to secure a partial curve in the 

 veneer previous to gluing. This is accom- 

 plished in different ways, one of the most 

 practical being to place the piece along a 

 pipe carrying live steam and bend by gradual 

 pressure. Of course, this line of manufac- 

 ture is no exception to the rule that a back 

 veneer is necessary on all parts to equalize 

 ten.sion. 



Similar parts in the various items are 

 made up as nearly as possible at one time 

 to systematize and economize in manufacture. 

 Cabinet makers assemble the various parts 

 and turn out the complete article ready for 

 the finishers. Cabinet finishes are constantly 

 changing, and the up-to-date manufacturer 

 must not only be well posted on the different 

 styles in use, but must be capable of im- 

 proving upon them. Birdseye, oak and wal- 

 nut are commonly finished in natural colors 

 in bedroom suites. Mahogany has always 

 been thought of as possessing a deep, red 

 tone, but in reality that is merely the stain; 

 it is now often finished in the natural color. 



The New Albany Veneering Company has 

 completed another addition to its big plant 

 at New Albany, Ind. This last extension 

 ::overs an area 75x.50 feet and is two stories 

 high. When the plant was erected four years 

 ago, it was the largest of its kind in the 

 country, but the rapid growth of the business 

 has since compelled several additions. The 

 company produces high-grade built-up tops 

 and panels, and its factory is running at 



capacity. 



« •(' * 



On May 3 the baud mill and veneer factory 

 of the Wisconsin Lumber & Veneer Company 

 at Mound City, 111., was destroyed by fire. 

 The loss is estimated at about $150,000, only 

 half covered by insurance. A stock of 2,000,- 

 000 feet of hardwood lumber on the yard 

 and 2,000,000 feet of logs in the river was 

 saved. This plant furnished hardwood lum- 

 ber and veneers for the Wisconsin Chair Com- 

 pany at Port Washington, Wis. Fred A. 

 Bennett of Sheboygan is president of the 



concern. 



* * * 



The Empire Manufacturing Company has 

 completed construction on a fine new veneer 

 plant at Goldsboro, N. C. The company has 

 equipment to cut a high-grade of three-ply 

 box material as well as single-ply and three 

 and five-ply furniture stock, such as drawer 

 bottoms, backing and panel material. The 

 cutting will be mostly in gum, with some 

 oak and poplar, and wUl be marketed to the 

 furniture trade and to box manufacturers. 



At a recent meeting of Chicago and Reed 

 City representatives of the Reed City Veneer 

 & Panel Works an agreement was effected for 

 the organization of a new company to take 

 over the business of this concern. It is 

 planned to capitalize the company at $75,000 

 and to erect new buildings on the site former- 

 ly occupied by the company, and to repair 

 the old structures, making the entire plant 

 a modern institution. Not less than twenty 

 men wUl be employed. 



• * « 



A new veneer concern has been organized 

 by G. T. Roth and S. M. Arnold at Elkin, 

 N. C. It is to be known as the New Hope 

 Veneer Company and has $20,000 capital. 



