The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1880-11-04
Substantial Fur. iture.

In nothing is a purchaser so easily
deceived as in cabinet work. Cabinet
making is essentially an art. and de-
mands q clear understanding of the
nature of the material which has to be
worked, and the various modes of con-
structiOn, SO as to obtain the greatest
amount of strength with the least waste
of labor or material. The carpenter is
always an honorable person. Why
should not the cabinet-maker be equally
so? For the simple reason that the car
penter is forced, in much of his work
floors, joists, roofs and other response
BILE timbers), to remember that lives
may depend upon the thoroughness of
his work; whereas the cabinet-maker's
craft, though requiring greater precis-
ion and accuracy of finish. seldom has
to resist any great strain, and the con-
sequence is that much of the furniture
sent out is considered durable enough
if it has just sufficient tenacity to hold
together with careful usage. And the
public encourages this state of things
by asking over and over again for the
cheaper article, without attempting
to form any sound judgment in the
matter.
It is notorious that we get so accus-
toned to continual breakages in our
furniture (weak Joints becoming frac-
tuled and bits of carving dropping off),
as to regard them as inevitable. This
need not be if people would pay more
regard to soundness of construction and
less to meretricious ornament.
It is not the easiest thing to tell at
glance whether chair or cabinet or
sideboard is likely to last lifetime,
or whether it will "spring leak" the
day after we get it home; and for this
reason few broad hints for the guild
ance of untechnical purchasers may be
serviceable.
Many people seem to think the nature
of wood will allow of it's being turned
and twisted about at pleasure; but a
mement's reflection will convince the
resder of the absurdity and impossible
ty Of this. The trunk of a tree may be
described as q cluster of tibers running
in the direction of its length, and
through which the sap flows. These
fibers constitute what is termed the
GRAIN of wood, and are more or
less compact in different kinds of tim
Der: thus giving rise to the terms ''close-
grained and "open-grained." The
closer the grain the harder the wood.
A shortness of grain also renders q
wood more liable to snap when used a.
legs or columns.
We have said that the grain runs with
the length of the trunk. If we want to
Gus stick out Of the trunk of large
tree (Which, by the way, we never do,
as the ofshoots form better ready-made
sticks and more elastic), we cut in the
direction of its length, and the fiber or
grain running its natural way gives to
the stick the greatest possible strength.
But let Us suppose the tree to be
of large enough circumference to
allow of the same-sized stick being cut
across the trunk, at right angles TO its
upward growth. After infinite trouble
we hack out q piece similar in size to
the first. Now with your hands try the
strength of the two. The first, with
the grain running lengthwise, will not
yield; the second, cut right across the
trunk, snaps with more or less ease.
It was cut across the grain, and is COM
posed merely Of succession of short
fibGs, which have q minimum Of cohe-
sivs power. Therefore, the first prin-