The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1883-08-18
Rare and Costly Woods.

LII Oluch tlIuSS DcuSJeaUS, doors ana
other furniture were made of solid
rosewood, mahogany, or whatever the
variety might be, while now the more
common kinds of wood are veneered
with the more expensive and beautiful
woods. In this way the same outward
appearance is gained at much less
cost, and furniture is apparently made
out of woods which are not obtainable
in sizes sufficiently large to make solid
pieces of furniture. At first the veneers
were sawed, but this method, as the
wood increased in value, caused so
much waste that machinery was in
vented for the special purpose of making
veneers with the least possible loss. A
veneer-mill in operation is curious
sight. The machinery is ponderous
and seemingly unwieldy, but it works
with the utmost precision and nicety,
not varying a fraction of an inch even
when carrying load of 5000 pounds
To carry such weight the machinery is
necessarily massive, but moves with the
exactness of a printing press. The
wood, before being taken to the mills,
is put in the sweat room or steam-box,
where it is subjected to the action Of
steam until it becomes soft and offers
less resistance to the knife. The tine
taken in this process varies, according
to the solidity and firmness of the wood,
from six to twenty-four hours. After
having been thoroughly permeated with
steam it is firmly fastened to II part Of
the machinery which revolves about
razor-like knife that is utterly immov-
able. Unless the wood has been steamed
it is impossible to shave it into as thin
sheets as desired, for if it were hard
and dry the sheets would be brittle and
unfit for use.
The knife can be set so that sheets of
any thickness may be shaved off With
one of these machines wood can be cut
into sheets as thin as tissue-paper, but
when so thin they are not of much val
Tie, as the glue with which they are
fastened to other woods shows through,
and if used they must be backed with
paper. AS many as one hundred and
fifty sheets have been cut from an inch
of wood, but for common purposes the
veneers run about fifty to the inch.
Another advantage in this invention,
other than the economy of material, is
the increase in the size of the sheets
when shaved over those that are sawed.
The steamed sheet is about four times
the size of the others, because it is taken
from the entire circumference, while, il
a saw is used, nothing can be obtained
but a transverse section.
Wood known as French walnut is the
most valuable for veneers. 1t has, how
ever no claim to the name walnut, and
is only termed French because large
quantities of it are exported from Mar
settles to this country. This wood grows
in Persia, Circassia and Asia Minor, and
is becoming very rare. 1t is only seen
in the most costly furniture, and great
care is taken TO prevent its waste. The
grain of this wood is very peculiar, and
presents twists and figures of the most
fantastic and beautiful designs looking
in many cases like mosaics. There is
no other wood which presents to the eye
such pleasing contrasts and shades of
color.
Next to French walnut, rosewood or
mahogany is probably the most valua-
BILE. Large quantities of these woods
are cut into veneers, and fine pieces
often bring as high prices as French
walnut. Ebony is very valuable wood,
but owing to its extreme hardness is sell
dom sent to the veneer-mill. Economy
has become necessary, also, in the use
of our native woods, and burls of white
and black walnut, ash, maple and cherry
are in much demand. The use of black
walnut as veneer is in its infancy, but
the wood has become so scarce that il IS
now stretched as far as possible. Pop
lar, ash and oak are commonly veneered
with walnut and other more expensive
woods in the manufacture of all kinds
of furniture. Rosewood veneer is used
largely on billiard-tables and piano
boxes. Much veneering is now used in
the interior decorations of fine houses,
and in giving a hard finish to railroad
cars. Chair seats, car seats, brush
backs, telephone boxes, cigar boxes,
sewing machines, cases and many other
things which come under the eye, are
only limitations of what they appear to
be. Business cards have been printed
on veneer, and it has also been used as
wall paper. From the finer French wal
nut burls veneers have been cut which
none but an expert could distinguish
from manipulating. Table covers are
usually made of these. They range in
price from 1875 to many hundreds, and
can be made as expensive as the pur-
chaser wishes. - Cincinnati Enquirer.
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