OF OHIO 67 



such as mahogany, Circassian walnut and black walnut are used in 

 solid pieces. Veneer is bought from the veneer mills in surface 

 measure, the sheets ranging- from 1-24 inch to 1-8 inch in thickness. 

 As a rule, the expensive foreign woods are obtained in the former 

 thickness. Cores, or the backing- to which veneer is glued, are made 

 of solid lumber or built-up lumber. The latter is purchased already 

 made built of several layers of cheap veneers glued with the grains 

 transversing. Built-up lumber is rapidly growing in favor every- 

 where with furniture makers. It has the qualities of not warping 

 and being light with exceptional strength. 



In Ohio white oak is the principal furniture wood and next to it 

 red oak, which furnishes about one-half as much as white oak. With 

 these two, over 52 percent of the total of the furniture material can 

 be accounted for. A large amount of the oak reported is quartered 

 oak, for this industry absorbs the largest amount of quartered stock 

 reported by any other class of manufacture in Ohio. It costs con- 

 siderably more than the plain sawed oak, owing to the fact that only 

 prime logs are used, the waste in quarter sawing is greater, and 

 more skilled labor, and time are required in producing it. The 

 enhanced beauty of quarter-sawed wood is due to figures and waves 

 of the grain caused by sawing tangentially across the medullary rays. 



Sugar maple and yellow poplar are employed in about equal 

 amounts. Part of the maple is required for the outside or finish, 

 especially the bird's-eye or mottled wood, but the main portion is 

 made into drawer sides and bottoms, couch frames, table slides, 

 tops, legs, etc. Yellow poplar, although greatly in demand for 

 backing, the bottoms of drawers and coring, is used also for the 

 exterior of furniture in painted or enameled work. 



Red gum is of great service in two ways, now that the difficulties 

 of seasoning the wood have been fairly well overcome, which hereto- 

 fore prevented its extensive use. It goes, like yellow poplar, into 

 hidden work and besides is a favorite wood for finish, either in natural 

 color, where sometimes its richly mottled wood resembles Circassian 

 walnut, or it can be stained so as to be a close imitation of mahogany 

 and other cabinet woods. It is not uncommon for furniture makers 

 to call products made from red gum resembling Circassian walnut 

 hazel wood. The idea of giving new names to this wood likely 

 originated abroad, where it is called satin walnut and where it was 

 used for cabinet work before its adaptability was considered in this 

 country. 



Hemlock and buckeye went for backs of case goods and drawer 

 sides, but were reported only in small quantities. Basswood was 

 the favorite for interior work, especially shelving, and it also served 



