Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-05-01

HEAyllY, FLOORS MADE
or WOOD BLOCKS

Scientific American: Combining Ill
OF the essential elements Of rood.
general purpose. heavy service floor,
creosoted wood block floors ARE .
coming quite commons. Although the
first cost of this wood block construc.
ton is higher than some other types,
maintenance cost 10 almost negligible
by comparison because OF its great
durability. while 1t makes many econ
omies possible in plant operation.
The resistance Of wood block floors.
to wear is astonishing. Under the ex-
tremes Of load and heavy trafic the
ends Of the wood fiber iron out
smoothly to form a surface that ROW
stronger and more compact with use;
q surface which is claimed to be per-
n1anently level n does not abrade,
crack. crumble. chip or corrueate.
With all this it is the easiest floor to
repair. should repairs be necessary.
1t is firm and hard enough to offer
small rolling resistance, yet never be-
comes slippery or loses its resilency.
It absorbs vibration; is a snon-con-
ductor Of heat and cold: is cornpara-
lively noiseless and does not origin
proof and vermin proof.
Most interesting Of all is the fact
that wood block floors Of the better
kind resist high temperature extra
ordinarily well and char very slightly
even when directly subjected to Are.
When set on a concrete base q wood
block floor is exceedingly dif1cult to
burn. There have been instances in
foundry operation of crucibles over
turned and molten metal poured upon
the blocks, which showed but little
damage. In the nre which COM
pletely destroyed the P. & r. pier No.
29 at Philadelphia, Pa, the struc-
tural steel was twisted and warped.
and after the wreckage was cleared
away the creosoted block floor wa
found to be damaged very little, suf-
surface. These blocks were taken up,
scraped and relaid and are still giving
excellent satisfaction-a practical
demonstration of their freedom from
damage by fire.
A shop or factory floor with all
these physical advantages must pro-
mote higher efficiency both as regards
employees and mechanical equipment.
Being free from both cold and damp
working conditions are improved. The
absence Of dust and the distinctly
antiseptic nature of the ~creosote pre-
sentative, are real factors in securing
better health among the workmen.
Owing to the particularly resilient
nature of its surface, the wood block
floor is comfortable to work on and
labor is spared much Of the fatigue
attributable to floors composed of
harder materials. This characteristic
also helps to keep tools from being
blunted or castings broken that may
be allowed to fall. Then, too, the
absence of dust ave bearings and
other delicate parts OF expensive ma
chimes from injury. Truck labor is
greatly reduced and also the accident
hazard is low with a floor that is not
broken, or patched and that
never becomes slippery.
The absorption Of vibration Is an
other valuable point in favor of wood
block floors, as it enables greater ac-
curacy to be obtained in the operation
of precision tools. Again, the use Of
such small units al wood blocks makes
it a simple matter to take up any
section Of the floor to put down pipes,
conduits or rails, OF the foundations
Of heavy machinery, and to relay 1t
quickly again without any alteration
OF floor level. Light machinery can
be lag-screwed directly to the blocks,
perfect stability being insured by the
strength of the binding.
dong-leaf yellow pine has been Sc
lected for the better grade of wood
flooring. for the reaso that, on the
authority of the American Railway
Engineering association. it exerts the
greatest resistance to end compression
because of the extreme density Of its
fiber and high proportion of summer
wood 4.