The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-04-25
100 INCHES LONG.
A Knife That slashes Out Some Remark
able Veneers.


Wausau, Wis.,, April 20-The use of
veneers is greatly on the increase in this
country, and SO is the number of IN ills
cutting this class of lumber, for 1t is
lumber, though very thin.
The year 1880 there was but one little
mill in this great State and but one or
two in Michigan, but from this small
beginning the number has been increased
to six large mills in Wisconsin, and as
many in Michigan, Indiana and almost
without number in the South. In 1880
two young inexperienced men came out
from New York city to embark in the
business of cutting the native woods of
the State into veneers and thin lumber,
but because of a lack of knowledge of
the business of treatment of these woods
for cutting they did not succeed, and the
| mill had to change hands to be re-
modelled before understandable stock
would be produced.
Under new management this mill
proved a success, and from this small be-
ginning the business has spread into
different parts of the State in various
places contiguous to the base of supplies
of the finest birch, oak, maple, Eastwood
and elm grown on the face of the earth.
The uses to which yeneers and thin
lumber are being put seem to be as
greatly on the increase as is the produc-
ing capacity of the mills, and it is sur
prising to one unacquainted with it's
manufacture to see the number OF
turn out.
l have in mind one of these mills To-
Gated at Wausau, Wis.,, wherein is the
largest cutting machine of this kind in
this State; it has knife
that is 100 inches long, and from log
that length will turn off a sheet 1-3oth
of an inch thick and many feet wide
across tho grain, showing the most beau
tiful grain and figures that can be i'm
agined in wood.
| The logs for these mills are hauled
from the not distant forest in winter on
sleighs when a sufficient supply is put
| in to last the mill and keep it cutting
during the following summer and until
snow comes. Again, to see those i'm
mense piles of logs in the yard one
would not think it possible for the mill
to get away with such quantity during
the year. To watch these logs from the
time they are launched in the yard near
the mill until they come out finished and
dry veneer is very interesting. First
the logs are taken into the great dra G
saws and then out into lengths suitable
TO fill the length of knife or to make the
stock ordered (for all this stock is cut
to order). From the drag saws the Sec
| tions or blocks are put in steam boxes
and watts to steam and cook or soften to
make the cutting more easy; also to en-
able the men to remove the bark before
quitting The logs remain In steam and
hot water from IL to 10 hours.
| Once in tine great machines the log
revolves against those ponderous knives,
cutting whatever thickness is called for,
until there is nothing but a small core
remaining. From the QUITTING machines
| the great sheets go on to a large table,
where they are cut into Dimensions des-
ignated By the order. From the cutting
tables the dimension stock goes to the
patent roller dry1rs, where these shests
are dried as fiat as paper in about 10
minutes. From there the sheet ieuves
the cutters hands, SO it is possible for
this company to fill orders very promptly.
In fact log may be standing on the
or in, tha nd lofo q
O'Clock at night of the same day that
same log may be in veneer, dried and
81 ued into piece of furniture. This of
course, contemplates its being cut but
100 thick, rs the log requires but very
little steam for this cutting.
One of the great adv antages,of the use
Of veneer is the getting OF very light
and very stiff Job, secured by the crossing
of grain of the sheets, which, when glued
| together, are much stronger than the
same thickness Of single ply.
Another great advantage gained in
cutting in this way is that there is 10
saw dust, thus great saving.
These veneers ere mostly used in fur
nlture manufacture-chairs, ete.-beside
great many other uses, such as jackets
for shipping cases, staveless barrels, and
numberleHs other kinds of light pack
ages.
The first machine made for the cutting
of these thin sheets of wood and veneer
was invented and built by man named
| Sturtevant, the latter inventor of the
blower or exhaust fan, and was hui 1t
expressly for making shoe pegs, cutting
the wood into ribbons and sharpening
An end to make the point after which
the ribbons were cut into size of pegs the
other way, and from this other men nave
been improving on that machine until
the most perfect cutting even in thick
ness and smooth surfaces is obtained, so
that with use of little sand paper the
piece is ready to go into nice furniture
| job.
| Slur on His Bravery.
6he-Don't you think Fido is brave