SPLIT WOOD FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 61 



a heavy planing iron (o) working vertically on two guides, which 

 can be shifted about horizontally, so that the edge of the blade 

 may be moved along any given curve. The heel (b) moves pari 

 passu with the plane, and, as it presses up against the sheet of wood 

 being cut out, prevents the latter from breaking or tearing. The 

 -wood to be treated is first cut up into billets of the required length. 

 These billets, before being placed on the machine, are roughly 

 squared and thoroughly softened by steaming. As soon as a billet 

 has been cut up, the sheets are all put into drying presses heated 

 ■with steam. They remain in these presses for a variable time, the 

 average being about one minute for every one-twentieth inch of 

 thickness. 



6. Wood for matches and match-boxes. 



For matches we require wood that is easily split and burns steadi- 

 ly with a flame. It should, therefore, be soft. Conifers answer 

 best. Match-sticks, or splints as they are called, are made from 

 solid blocks cut to twice the length of a match, and having a square 

 section of about 3 inches side. The blocks are first steamed and 

 then placed in a special machine which knocks off several splints 

 at a blow. The splints are dipped at both ends into the ignitible 

 composition and cut across in the middle when dry. 



The boxes are made of any soft wood that splits easily. All 

 knotty portions are removed, and the wood is divided into small 

 parallelepipeds of square section, which are then split by a special 

 machine. Before the thin boards are pasted into the form of 

 the box or covey, they are smoothed inside a revolving hollow 

 roller. 



7. Wood used for certain fnusical instruments. 



These instruments comprise those of the violin <j]ass, guitars, 

 mandolines, zithers, and sitars. For them the fibres of the wood 

 should be cut through as little as possible in order to preserve 

 their sonority. The wood should be completely free from every 

 kind of flaw, and the grain should be straight, parallel and uniform, 

 so as to secure even vibrations throughout and to prevent warping. 

 The wood should also be thoroughly seasoned, and as little as pos- 

 sible liable to change of volume with alternations of moisture and 

 drought. The bellies or sounding boards of the instruments are 

 best jnade of conifer wood, while the sides may be made of some 

 harder broad-leaved species. It is superfluous to say that sitars 

 are the only instruments of this class made in this country. 



