Popular Science Monthly 



129 



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FRONT ELEVATION 



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TRAHSVE.RSL 



SECTio Hat- 



A. 



Diagrammatic drawing showing dimensions and plan. The entire structure is built up of wood 

 for the framework and covered with concrete, the bird-houses on top being covered with tiles 



The inside compartments, including the 

 floor, are built independent of the side wall 

 and top, so that they can be let down from 

 below for cleaning. These are held in place 

 at each end -with a metal chain which runs 

 over a suitable pulley on the inside of the 

 column and down to a point opposite open- 

 ing 4 ft. from the ground and suitably 

 secured in place. The opening for access 

 to the above chain has a suitably hinged 

 door. All woodwork is painted a light gray 

 color and finished in sand. 



A Printing Process for Imitating 

 Hard Woods 



THE art and practice of graining dates 

 back about 150 years, the exact period 

 not being known; hence imitating hard- 

 woods is by no means a modern idea. An 

 expert grainer to do his best, uses only his 

 best; whereas Nature, always variable, 

 gives us her best and her worst, and the 

 result is seen in poor cabinet work. In 

 other words, the woodworker in making 



up a piece of work will often use pieces of 

 natural wood that are not beautiful and 

 often not matched so that the finished job 

 will not compare with that of the expert 

 grainer. 



For some time past there has been a 

 serious shortage of fine hardwoods suitable 

 for cabinet work and, to help out, veneers 

 have been used. For this the wood is 

 sliced into extremely thin pieces or sheets 

 which are glued to a baser wood; or plain 

 woods are stained to make them look like 

 the finer hardwoods. Various methods 

 other than graining have been adopted for 

 imitating hardwoods. About 25 years ago, 

 a Pittsburgh painter invented a machine 

 for filling a board with punctures so that 

 when it was stained the surface resembled 

 oak. The board could be sawed and cut 

 in the ordinary manner and finished in 

 perfect imitation of oak. 



The most modern method of graining 

 employs a printing roller. The roller is 

 made of a strong light wood, well seasoned. 

 This may be in the form of a segment of 



