Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 124, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 November 1909 — INCREASING USES FOR VENEER [ARTICLE]

INCREASING USES FOR VENEER

Process by Which It Is Prepared for the Cabinetmakers. Hardw'ood trees, such as the oak, the walnut, and the ash have been made more valuable in modern days by the invention ofyveneering machines, up the logs into a uniform thickness of less than onetwentieth of kn inch. Veneering is not a new art, but in early days it was all hand work, and the process was so slow and laborious that the cost was great. Some of the old furniture of Colonial days shows how patiently and accurately the first American cabinet makers w (irked; but as a rule solid wood furniture was preferred andmanufactured. The veneer of today, says the Christian Endeavor World, instead of Cheapening furniture, really makes it in many respects superior to the solid hardwood articles. The several layers of veneer are glued in the surface with the grain running in opposite directions. This gives a firm, substantial finish, which will rarely warp in hot or cold weather, or swell or crack. Heavy mahogany or oak doors are inconvenient to handle, but by making the doors of IJfelit wood and veneering them on the outside we have handsome doors that are easy to handle, and which never warp and sag. Altogether, the veneer is considered one of the greatest improvements in the wood working industry of the day. Without veneering machinery it would of course, be impossible to place fine cabinet articles within the reach of the multitude. Parlor and ornamental furniture and cabinet pieces, with handsome veneered surfaces, appear in nearly all of our homes. The very best of the oak, the walnut and the ash trees are selected for veneering. Only the 1 poor, coarse and knotty logs are turned over to the manufacturers of the cheaper articles. A large walnut tree, with a perfect grain is worth a good deal of money; for it can be made into hundreds of feet of veneer. -1 The veneering machines are of two kinds —sawing and slicing. The former was at one time considered the best and people demanded only sawed veneer for the choice furniture, but it requires an expert today to distinguish the difference. “T Expert woodsmen are traveling through the great all the time' in the interests of the veneering companies, and when they find a handsome hardwood tree they buy it. Sometimes it is found in the heart of the woodg and again on s.ome lonely farm or in the dcoryard of a small country home. _lf it is large, straight and perfect in grain, ten times as much will l:e out for it as it would be worth for ordinary lumbering purposes. These perfect specimens- of hard-" wood trees~are then cut and trimmed, sawed info convenient lengths, peeled and even spilt. The logs ars shipped to the factory in this rough condition, sometimes thirteen to twenty feet in length. The first process is to cook them. This is done by plunging them into a vat of hot water or steam, where they are left until th§y become soft and pliable. When propdrly cooked they go to the veneering machines. These either Slice or saw the legs intp slabs of an inch in thickness. So perfect are the slicing or cutting machines that the veneer does not vary' a hair’s breadth throughout its’ whole length. The usual veneer is one-twentieth of an inch in thickness, which is so thin that it scorns as if it must be broken when handled; but in its soft, pliable condition it rarely cracks or breaks. Next it is hardened or seasoned by steaming, which takes from one to two dfiys. When it has been properly seasoned the moisture is all extracted from it, and it is strong,'tough and elastic. The veneer is then ready for the cabinetmaker. He cuts it into different lengths to suit his purpose, utilizing every small piece that might otherwise prove waste. Nearly every spuare inch of the log is used by the cabinet makers, so that the I amount of waste in a tree is signlfiI cant. Nearly everything is veneered today, from our pianos and sideboards to cars and the interior of ferryboats. Car manufacturers are among the largest consumers of veneers, and ope may study’something of the art any time during a journey in cars or boats.. The art of the cabinet workers is I skilful and cunning. They lay the veneers on so that no joints are visible, and by running the grain of one layer opposite to that of the next they toughen and harden the surface so that it rarely warps'or shrinks. The graip of the veneers comes out. better than solid wood, and the surface will take a much higher polish, while the strength and durability are remarkable, considering the built up character of the wood.