UTILIZATION OF SYCAMOKE. 11 
cornered. Sycamore is well adapted for this also because it cuts 
well, makes a strong veneer, and glues well. 
Red gum has largely displaced sycamore for tobacco boxes in 
recent }^ears, chiefly on account of the scarcity of sycamore. Red 
gum not only does not contaminate the tobacco, but has the added 
advantage of cutting into plywood more easily, and therefore faster 
than the sycamore. The gum splits more readily, but this difficulty 
is obviated by lock-cornering in place of nailing. Red gum, how- 
ever, does not make so attractive a box, and tobacco manufacturers 
have had considerable trouble in getting the trade to accept it 
because there was a suspicion that the grade of tobacco contained 
in the gum box was inferior. Sycamore is often used for the more 
conspicuous outer plywood pieces, but gum is being mixed with it 
more and more for such pieces, since the tobacco-box makers often 
can not get a sufficient supply of sycamore even for the outside ply. 
Both red gum and sycamore are cut into veneer by the rotary proc- 
ess, the thickness depending on the box to be made from it. Tobacco, 
boxes are usually made from thick ply. The veneer is cut into large 
sheets which are kiln-dried. There is less waste if the sheets are not 
put under pressure in the drying process, and for this reason they are 
dried on edge. After drying they are glued and held together 
under pressure until the glue is dry. On account of the greater 
warping of red gum there is greater resultant waste because of splits: 
This is more than compensated for, however, by the greater pro- 
portion of clear material obtained from large gum logs than from 
large sycamore logs, which are almost invariably defective. All 
sheets which have holes or checks running through them are thrown 
out. Those with small defects are glued together with clear pieces. 
Gum plywood stock is usually separated into light and dark grades, 
the lighter-colored wood giving the best appearance. 
When thin ply is glued together, the grain in one sheet runs at 
right angles to that in the adjacent sheet. In thick ply, however, 
as one-quarter inch, the grain of the different sheets runs in the same 
direction. If glued with the grain running at right angles, such 
thick sheets are apt to pull apart. The sheets, as they are cut 
from the log, are glued together, face to face or back to back, in 
relation to the center of the log, so that the warping in one will be 
offset by that in the other, as it tends to take place in the same direc- 
tion in the different sheets. 
The caddy is one of the most common forms of tobacco box. This 
is square at the ends and is usually made of two-ply material about 
one-quarter inch thick and lock-cornered. Ordinarily, the only 
nails used are those in the strips which hold in the top and bottom 
heads. This makes a very strong box. 
