The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-06-07
FOR BICYCLE TIMBER
WOODS SUITABLE FOR CARRIAGES
AND WHEELS GETTING SCARCE.
Choice Timber OF a Certain Age and
Quality Requfred-Hcw IL II Chosen
The Best Varieties.


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rather than diminished, by the marvellous
erowth OF the bicycle trade. Probably just
"a many fine carriages are made to-day
as ever. ard since the manufacturers OF
ught-weight bicycles have adopted the wood
rim for the wheels. the demand for good
carriage timber has been doubled. The
wood rim Of a wheel does not seem 10 re-
quire a great amount Of timber, but when it
Is remembered that every piece must be
carefully. selected. and that only the finest
specimens OF certain varieties OF trees can
be used in high-grade bicycles, the con-
sumption of timber becomes apparent. In
al the fine woodwork trades 1t IS not so
much what is actually used. but the amount
that must necessarily be wasted to secure
the best, that tests the consumption.
Forest ash and white-wood possess the
best qualities for fine carriage work, while
hickory, elm. and birch are used generally
for special parts OF the vehicle. The best
carriage makers contend that no wood can
take the place Of elm for light hubs. and
that hickory makes the best light spokes.
The coarse-grained hickory, carefully Sc
lected and cured. is also used in large guam
titles for the spokes OF heavier vehicles.
The framework of carriages requires the
best forest ash and white-wood, the size OF
the trees and the fineness Of grain and uni
form texture OF the wood rendering them
invaluable for this work. The trade believes
that no substitutes will ever be obtained for
them. Forest ash. for instance, Is firm, but
not hard. and its elastic properties are not
great. although IL Is tough and resilient.
Almost the same can be said OF the best
Our forests OF ash, hickory and elm are
comparatively small and they are diminish
ing every year, although white-wood is still
quite plentiful. But the supply of this tim
Der for the carriage trade cannot be meas
ured by the acre: for in one tract OF wood
land probably not more than a dozen trees
fit for this trade can be found. Second
growth forest ash is very different from the
first or natural growth, and while II is very
good where great strength combined with
elasticity is required, Ii cannot be used sue
rage bodies. The second-growth ash Is
harder than the first growth and is tough,
heavy and very elastic. Seeond-growth ash
riages and where its form can be retained
by metal.
The forester who grows ash for the car
riage trade or the lumberman who harvests
II must necessarily be an expert at his bust
ness, and he goes. through forests and up
land woods to select individual trees as
carefully as a man would select a horse. Gen.
orally the best forest ash trees are not
found in the open glades nor in extensive
forests of these trees. They are found in
the best condition In woods where other va
rietieS of trees abound. scattered here and
there where nature planted them. The most
important test that the woodsman makes
after he takes in the Whole tree with his
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impossible to explain this test. for ii is
something that must be learned by expert
ence. BY the general appearance of the
outside bark and many little signs under
meath II the expert decides whether the tree
is still growing, or whether it has reached
maturity, and is on the decline. The car
rage trade requires trees that are thorough
ly matured, healthy and vigorous.
THE TEST OF WOODS.
Another test OF the growing tree is the ter
minal leaf. SO long as the tree is growing,
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shoots at the base and on the branches, but
when It has reached full-grown maturity
these leaves never expand; they fall just as
soon as the new bud has formed. When these
buds do not appear and barren branches
push forth the decaying period of the tree
has set in, and the heart of the tree
begins o.dry. Up to the period of decay
the grain Of the wood improves. 1t is some
times impossible to determine just when
the maturity OF the tree has been reached.
although the bark test. the leaf test and
the appearance OF the stag horns on the
%toprnost branches prove pretty infallibie
All the choice timber of the carriage and
bicycle trade has TO be selected when the
trees are growing, for when they are cut up
into logs ii is impossible to determine the
period OF growth at the time of cutting. The
down and the trees may have Deen zoo
young for good carriage timber. In our
NOTt0ern states the experts generally &c
into the woods in August. but in the South
ern States a few weeks later. The trees
selected are marked by chipping off the
January they are CUT. the markers going
into the woods again to identify their marks.
The best manufacturers of bicycles select
their timber in the same way. The wood
rims OF a bicycle require just as much
strength, residence and toughness as the
spoke and hubs Of a carriage. The best
forest ash probably makes the most satisfac-
tory rims. and a ciose-grained hickory, prop
erly cured and bent. gives aboat equal re-
suits The coarse-grained hickory il heavier
than the fine grained, but when put 10 the
test the lighter wood sustains from 10 to 10
per cent. greater weight without breaking.
Saving, seasoning, and testing the wood for
bicycle rims and carriage spokes. hubs, and
all fail TO secure proper timber il in the be-
ginning the trees are not properly selected.
facturers. and as this suffers less from Sec
ond growth. forests of IL may be planted to
supply the trade. although the grain of the
second growth is not so desirable as the
first growth. First-growth hickory. on the
contrary. has a coarse. crooked grain. and is
spokes. while the second-growth produces
fine carriage timber. Good second-growth
and probably plantations of these trees
would produce more returns TO the grower
than any other.
CARRIAGE MAKERS IDEAS.
Manufacturers of carriages are a very con-
sentative class OF men and the woods they
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the only varieties At for their work. 1t is
this very conservatism that has given Amer
lean wagons such a name. But while II is
undoubtedly true that the woods tested by
long experience stand at the head, recent
experiments have shown that other varie-
ties may answer a good purpose. For in
stance. some OF the best builders OF high
grade carriages use ironwood. lancewood,
and other varieties of hard woods in place
OF hickory and ash These woods can be
obtained cheaper than either lrst-class for
est ash or second-growth hickory. The tests
OF woods based upon scientific claims have
had more to do in overturning the idols
OF the carriage builders than anything else,
and the makers of bicycles have been an in
duential factor IN the same direction With
out any OF the preconcelved notions of the
carriage-builders TO guide their ex-
per1ments in a narrow channel
the makers of high-grade bicycles
have made wood rims of a great va
riety OF woods. They had no experience dat
ing back a century TO teach them which va
rieties were the best suited for their pur-
pose. All they could depend upon was scien-
ti5c tests. in respect TO hrmness, elasticity
and durability. When the wood rims first
came into use the best firms would not guar
antce them even for a year. Many OF them
mart 90 -fn~o~ snuf4o - ehroa .Or@h -