Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1897-06-17
WOODS USED IN FURNITURE.
Some Points About Mahogany Der
No Longer Neglected.

Experts in old furniture are much
guided in their judgment as to par
ticular pieces by the wood of which
they are made Mahogany furniture
purporting to be as much as two cen
turtles old is subject to suspicion, be-
cause mahogany was little used in
furniture until about the middle of the
eighteenth century. A colonial New
England piece is much more likely to
be of oak than of mahogany, unless it
belong to the late colonial period.
Mahogany was a luxury even then,
and oak was used in ordinary house
holds as being at once moderate in
price and durable.
1t is easy to tell whether a professed
European piece of walnut furniture is
genuine by the quality of the walnut
European walnut is a denser and finer
wood than most of our walnut A
piece of furniture made of ash at I'M
exposed points is almost certain to be
of American manufacture, but a piece
having beech at such points is likely
to be of European manufacture Beech
is plentiful in Europe and relatively
scarce in this country, and with Amer
lean makers of furniture ash is
cheap substitute for beech and oak. A
chair made entirely of beech is always
certain to be of European manufac-
ture. Such chairs are often beautiful
IN form and extremely durable. Mod
ern taste demands, however. that the
beech be stained to initiate mahogany.
Near as New York is to mahogany
forests of the West Indies. the best
mahogany comes from Liverpool The
Liverpool timber merchants have long
controlled the mahogany trade, an
they get most of the best logs from
the West Indies and latterlv even from
Mexico. Much mahogany is brought
TO New York directly from the ma
hogany ports, especially those of Mex
leo, but for especially choice logs New
York importers still look to Liverpoo1
Indeed, English timber merchants own
a good deal Of the mahogany now living
at the Lewis street inspection wards
Some of ii has lain there nearly ton
years, subject TO damage by the eIe-
ments, while the British owners wait
for better prices.
New woods have come into use ~
late years, partly because timber of
the sort long used in furniture-making
mas become scarce, partly because
modern machinery makes it nossihIa
to work woods that in earlier times
could not be proftably worked. Birch
which is tough, crooked and difHcuIt
to work, is coming into use for factory
made furniture. This wood warns
easily, but it looks well and serves the
needs of the factory makers Asnan
also is coming into use for the man
ufacture Of furniture. though n too
is a grabbed wood, unit to be worked
save by modern cutting machinery.
Another OF the woods that the furni-
ture-makers have been driven ~ uss
is sycamore. Ii is fairly abundant and
cheap in the United States and its
markings are distinctive and beautif,,l
but II is Enthusiastically because of lis
tendency TO warp II is sometimes
used as a veneer over less beautiful
but more trustworthy wood. Some OF
the North River ferry boats are ven
eered with sycamore. All Of these
Troublesome woods have been improved
for use in furniture by modern meth
DDS OF rapid seasoning.
Birch sycamore and the other
Grabbed woods are not used by the
cahinet-makers because their furniture
Is handmade and the labor and expense