Solid Wood Products 



2719 



EXCELSIOR 



WOOD FLOUR 



Figure 22-70. — Value of shipments of excelsior and wood flour in the United States, 

 1958-1977. (Data from Bureau of the Census.) 



Excelsior is used for protective packing material, low-priced padding in 

 upholstery and mattresses, filtering material, animal bedding, and toy stuffing. 

 It may also be used as a filler in cement and magnesite boards. Excelsior is 

 usually cut from species that are light in weight and color, soft, tough, straight- 

 grained, absorbent, and free of odor. For some uses slight odor is not objection- 

 able, and excelsior having some resin is acceptable. For use as packing and 

 upholstery, excelsior must be resilient and expand readily after compression. 



At one time or another excelsior has been made from most native woods 

 except the hardest and most pitchy species. The bulk of commercial excelsior, 

 however, has always been produced from cottonwood {Populus deltoides Bartr. 

 ex Marsh), aspen {Populus tremuloides Michx.), southern pine, and basswood 

 {Tilia Americana L.). In the late 1950's cottonwood and aspen accounted for 

 about 50 percent of the total production, southern pine 40 percent, basswood 8 

 percent, and other woods 2 percent. 



The transportable limit for excelsior wood, because of costs, is about 50 to 

 100 miles. Bolts are usually cut 37 or 60 inches long, and must be free from 

 growth defects and reasonably straight-grained. They are peeled by hand or 

 machine, usually at the time of cutting, and stacked at roadside to dry for 3 to 6 

 months before being transported to a plant where they are stacked in the yard or 

 stored under cover to complete the drying. A shed may contain 3,000 to 5,000 

 cords or more in various stages of drying. The wood is not allowed to dry longer 

 than 2 years, to avoid decay, which renders it worthless for excelsior use. Well- 

 seasoned bolts are trimmed and cut to the proper lengths for excelsior making. 

 Following are typical specifications: 



