SELLING LUMBER 



385 



perintendent turns to his records and finds that certain cars of 

 stock from certain mills were received and stacked for seasoning 

 on a certain date; he gives a copy of the original order to our 

 block mill foreman, with instructions to cut 28,000 feet B. M. of 

 dry stock and giving car reference, which in each instance is 

 marked on the pile. It is the block mill foreman's place to satisfy 

 himself that the material designated is in proper condition to re- 

 ceive treatment. The planks are then handled by locomotive crane, 

 onto a conveyor, and moved up to the block mill, where the first 

 step is to surface 2S1E and from there to the cut-off table, where 

 the plank is cut to block machine length. In cutting 3-inch blocks 

 we use nineteen 14-gauge saws, cutting twenty-one blocks each 

 time a piece passes through. Directly behind the saws stands an 

 inspector, ready to take frequent cuts for gauging in order to de- 

 tect any variation in -the depth of the blocks, and his instructions 

 are to stop the mill when the cuts vary more than one-sixteenth of 

 an inch and to locate which saw is making the trouble. This may 

 seem like very close cutting, and it is, but one saw on an arbor, 

 making uneven blocks, would cause considerable trouble and after- 

 wards an uneven floor. From the machine, the blocks fall onto a 

 table, where a second inspector stands ready to cull out any blocks 

 showing bad checks, wane, shake, knots or other defects, and from 

 there onto a conveyor, which carries the blocks to the loading bins, 

 and from which they are dumped into waiting cages on trams and 

 run into the treating cylinders for treatment. 



The treatment consists of an initial air pressure of approxi- 

 mately 75 pounds per square inch, followed by an oil pressure of from 

 175 to 200 pounds, and a final vacuum, which, with the aid of the 

 compressed air in the wood cells, forces out all surplus oil, leaving 

 the fibres coated with oil and the timber thereby preserved. From 

 this point on, the handling is of slight interest, until the blocks are 

 laid, so we can leave the block at this point and turn to the methods 

 to be followed in the promotion and sale of our product. 



The whole fabric of our sales promotion is built on an adver- 

 tising campaign that brings many inquiries from interested readers. 

 It is our practice to send literature and a personally written letter 

 in answer to all inquiries. We do not use form letters or printed 

 circulars, as experience has shown us that these means bring but 

 meager returns, while on the other hand, personally written letters 

 (and where possible addressed to some official) return us a very 



Care in 

 Cutting Blocks 



The Treat- 

 ment Given 

 Wood Blocks 



Sales 



> o motion 

 Built on 

 Advertising 



