THE USES OF WOOD 



157 



INCENSE CEDAR FOR LEAD PENCILS 



This splendid cedar from the Sierra Nevada Mountains is now 

 being substituted for the southern red cedar in the manufac- 

 ture of lead pencils. It is a much larger tree than the south- 

 ern cedar, but it is wanting in odor, the wood is not so red nor 

 is it so soft as that of the southern tree. 



facilitate the marking of very fine lines on the measuring 

 scale, at least as small as the sixty-fourth of an inch. It 

 is one of the straightest-grained woods in the world, and 

 that gives it additional value as material for the manu- 

 facture of rulers. Turkish boxwood is now so scarce 

 and expensive that very little of it comes on the market, 

 being manufactured into rulers in this country, and its 

 place has been largely taken by the W^est Indies species. 



The name rosewod is often heard, but the same spe- 

 cies is not always meant. Several trees of the genus Dal- 

 bergia, but of different species, are included in the term. 

 They come from widely separated countries, among them 

 being Africa, South America, Asia and Central America. 

 A large part of the rosewood used in the United States 

 Statistics do not show that a single foot of it is now 

 of a species from Africa {Dalbergia Melanoxylon). This 

 comes from Brazil, but considerable use has been reported 

 is best known as African blackwood or African grendilla. 

 The Brazil wood is Dalbergia nigra. All the rosewoods 

 belong to the same order of trees as our locust. The 



color is usually black or purple. The name is not be- 

 stowed on this wood because of the color, as might be 

 supposed, but on account of the delicate odor of the fresh- 

 ly-cut wood. The odor does not persist long, for it soon 

 ceases to attract. The wood is named for its odor, but 

 is valued for its color and fine grain. It is heavy. 

 Perfectly seasoned specimens may sink in water. It 



THE WOODEN SPIRIT LEVEL 



This instrument is used to plumb walls and posts and to deter- 

 mine whether foundations and floors are horizontal. Various 

 forms and patterns are in use, but wood is one of the most satis- 

 factory materials that can be used. (Photograph by courtesy 

 of the Stanley Tool and Level Company, New Britain, Con- 

 necticut.) 



varies much in hardness and may equal ebony. Its prin- 

 cipal uses in the professional and scientific instrument 

 industry are for T-squares, spirit levels, cameras and 

 drafting instruments. 



Several different woods are bought and sold under 

 the name mahogany. They come from different parts of 

 the world, and some of them are in one family of trees 

 and some in another. If strict botanical definitions are 

 insisted upon, the name could be applied only to the ma- 

 hogany grown in tropical America ; but woods of Africa, 



THE DRAWING TABLE 



The table here shown has a metal stand, but many have 

 wood. The top, which is the main part of the table, is 

 always of wooa, and it is hinged so that it may be tilted 

 and inclined in any way that tne operator may wish. The 

 top of the table is generally of basswood or white pine, 

 which are so soft that thumb tacks will sink into them 

 easily. 



