CHAPTER XXV I. 



BEITISH TIMBER AND SOME OF ITS USES. 



THE following is a brief account of a few of the many uses 

 to which home-grown timber may be applied. 



Oak has long been associated with our national defence 

 as the chief element in ship-building, but although iron and 

 steel have, to a great extent, taken its place, yet for barges 

 and small boats, the timber is still largely used. Wagons 

 for railway mineral traffic are largely made of oak, while ths 

 builder finds in it his best material for the strong frames of 

 domes, spires, and roofs of public buildings. It is also used 

 for the bottoms of carts and wagons, cart-wheel spokes, 

 fencing, furniture-making, railway " sprags," charcoal, etc. 



Ash timber is largely used by agricultural implement- 

 makers, it possessing great elasticity and bearing consider- 

 able cross-strain. It is the best wood for shafts of all kinds, 

 for tool handles, wooden rakes, and is largely used by 

 furniture makers. 



Beech wood is the chief constituent in the making of 

 cane-bottomed chairs, and is largely employed for the handles 

 of joiners', carpenters', and other wood-worker's tools. For 

 gnn stocks, saddle-trees for heavy harness, wheel-felloes, and 

 bobbins it is largely employed. When of large size and 

 clean growth it is used for calendar machines, and for 

 engineering purposes in spinning and bleaching districts. 

 It makes excellent charcoal. 



Sycamore timber is peculiarly white and smooth and free 

 irom grain, which makes it valuable. It is used for curtain 

 rings* churns, butter prints, backs of violins, founders' 



'186 



