COMMERCIAL USES OF CHESTNUT 



965 



color. The pulp must be bleached to a greater extent 

 than that made from lighter colored woods, which fact 

 increases the cost of production, but in view of the great 

 abundance of the wood and its cheapness it is not prob- 

 able that this objection will greatly weigh against its use. 

 All the uses to which chestnut is put that we have so 

 far mentioned may be called rough uses. It does not 

 necessarily require a sawmill to manufacture railroad 

 ties, telephone poles, fence posts and cordwood. They 

 are largely gotten out of the 

 woods and sold by farmers and 

 small dealers. There is hardly 

 a New England or Middle States 

 farmer who does not cut ties, 

 poles, and posts from his wood- 

 lot in the winter when regular 

 farm work is slack. In parts 

 of the South, farmers regularly 

 depend for a part of their in- 

 come from the revenue derived 

 from selling chestnut cordwood 

 to the tannic acid and pulp plants 

 of the section. There is no 

 other tree which contributes so 

 many rough products to our 

 modern life, nor in such 

 amounts. Yet the amount of it 

 sawed into lumber entitles it to 

 fifth, practically to fourth, place 

 among all hardwoods or groups 

 of hardwoods cut in this 

 countrv. 



show is of chestnut elsewhere. This is particularly true 

 of bureaus. 



There are two reasons for the popularity of chestnut 

 in the furniture industry. First, it is abundant, light, 

 holds its shape well, does not warp, is not affected by 

 moisture, and can be obtained in wide widths. This 

 makes it desirable for use by itself. Second, its open, 

 porous structure, combined with freedom from knots, 

 pitch or blemishes, and the frequent presence of numer- 



CHESTNUT LUMBER 



Chestnut lumber is used for 

 house construction, both inter- 

 ior and exterior. For interior 



work it is used both for trim, casing, etc., in plastered 

 houses and for ceiling and siding in buildings where 

 plaster is not used. It takes paint well and finishes at- 

 tractively in the natural wood, but is too soft for flooring 

 or for other places where there is excessive wear. Its 

 local uses for dimension materials has already been 

 touched upon. Yet in spite of its many uses for build- 

 ing and construction it is much more in demand for house 

 furnishing than house building. It is, in fact, one of our 

 leading furniture woods, quite probably surpassing any 

 one of the oaks in volume used, yet, with the exception 

 of panels in wooden bedsteads, kitchen furniture and the 

 less expensive chairs, bureaus and tables, we see little 

 furniture finished in chestnut. Its great use comes as a 

 core stock for veneers, for most of our furniture, even 

 the better grades, is veneered. Tables, desks, bureaus, 

 cabinets and the like are often made of chestnut and 

 covered with thin veneers of oak, maple, cherry, walnut 

 or expensive tropical woods such as mahogany or rose- 

 wood. The essential wood of pianos is frequently chest- 

 nut, onto which other woods are veneered. Sometimes 

 furniture made of more desirable woods where it will 



Courtesy Pcnna. Chestnut Blight Commission. 



CHESTNUT USED AS INTERIOR TRIM 



Chestnut is used for house construction, both in the interior and exterior. It is desirable for trim, 

 casing, etc., in plastered houses, and for ceiling and siding in houses where plaster is not used. 

 It takes paint well and finishes attractively in the natural wood, but is too soft for flooring or for 

 other places where there is excessive wear, 



ous small holes, called pin holes, or shot holes, caused 

 by a boring insect, known as the chestnut timber worm, 

 enable the glue which binds the core to veneer to take a 

 good grip, in addition to the other qualities mentioned 

 before, makes it the leading wood for veneer cores. A 

 special grade of chestnut called "sound wormy" is used 

 for this purpose and is in much demand. Chestnut also 

 has a special advantage when used with oak in that its 

 similar color and superficial resemblance in plain section 

 enable it to be finished on sides and ends of tables, desks, 

 etc., whose tops are veneered with oak. 



Cofiins are hardly to be classed as furniture, yet they 

 are made of much the same woods, and the process of 

 manufacture is quite similar to that of many more cheer- 

 ful articles. The coffin manufacturers probably use more 

 chestnut than any other wood. It is used solid in coffins 

 and coffin boxes of the less expensive grades, and as a 

 backing for veneered coffins of higher price. 



A glance over previous sheets reveals the fact that we 

 have failed to mention chestnut as a shingle wood. Most 

 of our shingles are of soft wood ; western red cedar, 

 northern white cedar, cypress, yellow i)ine, hemlock and 



