Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1891-07-10
RARE AND COSTLY WOODS
WHERE THE TIMBER FOR FINE
FURNITURE Is OBTAINED.
All Parts of the World Laid Under
Tribute-How Various Kinds OF
{ Woods are Treated.


Tribute-How Various Kinds o.
Woods are Treated.
Very few people ever stop to think
how much of our national prosperity has
a wooden foundation. Nor is that all.
We lay all wooded regions under tribute.
The far and fragrant East sends US san
dalwood and ebony, so precious tina,
they are sold by weight. Norway
England, Spain, Southern Italy, South
and Central America, Mexico, Cuba and
the West Indies in general add to oul
supply. So, too, does Canada in very
large measure. She sends us every year
pines from many million stumps. She
supplies also much more than half the
yellow birch, which, by help of aniline
stain, is very Proteus of timber. 1t is
strictly temperate growth-haunting
hills where snow lies long and summers
are short and hot. Next to Canada as
source of supply come Maine, Vermont,
northern New York and the mountains
of north Pennsylvania. Its main use is
In veneers, that in time become chair
backs and car-seats and all sorts of
panels. Logs work much better if they
come to the mill green. First they are
stripped of bark, then cut into
lengths and steamed in vat for
twentyfour hours. Then big ma
chine catches the bits of log and holds
them lengthwise of the fiber against
a lancet-edged, half-round cutter. In
the twinkling of an eye the log is big
wooden ribbon. whose length depends
upon its girth. Sixteen thicknesses of
it come out of every inch, and it takes
twenty-four after they are cut to make
an inch of solid wood. 1t is not often
that SO many go together. For car-seats,
chair-backs and so on these thicknesses
are used-the grain of the middle one
running against that of the other two.
They are glued together with the strong
est sticking of the glue pot and nodded
by hydraulic pressure into whatever
form is needed. They stay in the mold
until the glue is set hard. After that
nothing but steam or moisture will move
them from their proper curves or rec
tangles. After hardening they are kiln
dried, then sand -papered and stained
cherry or mahogany, or else simply var
nished to show their natural yellow.
The process is much the same for all ma
tive hardwoods. For some purposes ven
eers are sawed instead of cut. The
waste is much greater, but the grain is
better preserved. Birch is wonderfully
cheap-only $12 the thousand-in the
rough. Manipulation adds to its value
several hundred per cent. Even with
costlier woods, such as walnut, it more
than doubles it.
The best walnut in the log fetches
twelve to fourteen cents the foot. inferior
qualities-known as ''secopd growth
comes sometimes as low as $50 thou
sand. 1t is enormously in fashion,
though, and as the supply yearly grows
smaller the price is likely to grow larger.
1t comes mainly from the middle south
Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and
North Carolina. Richmond is quite an
entrepot for it.
Few things are more picturesque than
getting out walnut. The trees grow
sparsely here and there in the forest.
Rich, deep alluvian is its favorite SOIL
If it is rocky and fed with DRAWINGS of
limestone hills, so much the better. In
the narrow, rich bottoms along mountain
streams or the chimes of the hill coun-
try, 1t grows to a girth and stature else
where unknown. Up, up to the far blue |
heaven it sends Its black brown column,
straight and true. At fifty years old it
will be four feet through, at a hundred |
may be five. A curious fact in tree
growth is that the larger the trunk the
smaller the yearly increase. Walnuts
less than two feet through will not pay
Tor cutting. Even that measure the |
local buyer looks at askance, though he
sells 1t for the same money to the manu.
facturer. A three-foot log is "good
stuff" four-foot one 'sfine," provided
1t has no burls or hollows or is not
"doated" at the heart.
In the old lavish days the telling was
done with axes and the logs "butted" as
they lay. Now the logger saves muscle,
time and timber by saving down the
trees. No matter how straight they
grow, there is always to woodmans
eye a slight chang" to one side or the
other. By looking up the trunk he
finds it out and governs himself accord
ingly. He saws first upon that side
nearly half way through the trunk, using
crosscut about six feet long. A man
stands at either end of it, and at the end
of half an hour is more than willing to
rest bit. Then two small logs are laid
crosswise for the tree to fall upon and
the saw is set In upon the other side.
Swiftly, surely, the sharp teeth bite
their way to the heart. When the saw
Is well buried wedge is driven to the
cleft behind it to keep the tree from
binding-that is, resting so heavily upon
the blade as to stop its work. It takes
nice calculation and steady hands to
make both savings meet true in the CEN
ter. For ordinary timber an inch or 50
of difference does not matter. Walnut,
though, is so prone to split that little
may spoil several hundred |
dollars worth of wood. To lessen the
risk of it. telling is not done in windy
weather.