WOOD USED BY THE WHEELWEIGHT. Ill 



The manufacture of the handles of tools requires large 

 quantities of wood, as axe- and hatchet-handles, and handles of 

 hammers, spades, scythes, hoes, thrashing flails, Sec. 



Split pieces of young beech saplings are chiefly used for axe- 

 handles, as well as of hornbeam, oak, juniper, ash, and the 

 service-tree. Beech or birch handles for scythes ; for spades 

 and hoes, ash, elm, robinia, oak and birch are used. Wooden 

 hay-forks are made out of forked birch, ash or aspen ; wooden 

 brakes for wheels, of beech or hornbeam. 



In making all these articles the wheelwright uses logs and 

 scantling of dift'erent dimensions, above all, logs of 3 to 8 inches 

 in diameter of oak, ash, elm and birch, but all kinds of wood 

 are used, and chiefly cloven wood, from which the core and the 

 sapwood have been removed, as such material is less liable to 

 warp or crack. Curved and bent wood is often of special value 

 to the wheelwright, although such pieces are frequently made 

 artificially. 



Elmwood aftords excellent material for the wheelwright, some- 

 times that of the common elm and sometimes that of the 

 wych-elm being preferred, but it is very difficult to work, 

 and costs the artificer more labour and trouble than he often 

 cares to bestow. Near the sea-coast much exotic wood, ready 

 cut to size, is used by wheelwrights, especially American hickory 

 {Caria) and oak (chiefly Quercus virens). 



Butchers' blocks use up much beech- and oak-wood, though 

 elmwood is best for the purpose, if it can be obtained of suit- 

 able dimensions. Pieces of large diameter, and thoroughly 

 sound, are required. 



The manufacture of railway-carriages and -trucks consumes 

 enormous quantities of wood of high quality. The horizontal 

 beams underlying all passenger-carriages as well as goods-trucks 

 are made of squared oak timber. They lie between the iron 

 girders supporting the carriage, and rest directly on the axles. 

 Broad-ringed ashwood is preferred for the uprights, which are 

 dove-tailed into the horizontal beams and pieces which unite 

 with them to form the framework of the carriage, but oakwood 

 is sometimes used, and also more recently the wood of Ailan- 

 tJius (jlandidosa, Desf. The flatly-curved roof-supports are made 

 of bent elm, ash, or Scotch pinewood. All panels and the 



