Birch-Its Properties and Uses

Trade Name-Unselected Birch, Red Birch, Curly B:rch. Habitat-Canada, Northern part of U. S. southrvarcl through West Virginia.

Texture-Average hardness and stiffness for hardu'ood, ancl more than average toughness.

Grain-Uniform, close and even.

Sawing-Plain Sawn.

Color-Sapwood, white. Heartrvood, reddish with some white.

Weight-Four pounds to the board foot.

Strength-More than ample for all prlrposes herein enumerated.

Thicknesses-l inch, lr/4 inches,2 inches and 4 inches.

Widths- 4 inches to 12 inches.

Lengths-S to 16 feet,

Supply-Sufficient for many years.

Characteristics-Hard, close-grained wood, f ree from cxcess warping and shrinking. Finishes very smooth with almost no grain raising and takes a very high polish.

Figure-Plain to highly figured.

Painters' Finish-Excellent for any finish, stain, enamel or paint.

IJses-Interior finish, fine cabinet and fixture work, furn!ture, vehicles, musical instruments, wooden-ware, novelties.

Veneer-Rotary cut to thicknesses of 1-20, 1-16, and l-8 inches.

Several species of Birch are recognized, by botanists and

For 18 Yearg

..CHICKASAW BRAND'' OAK FLOORING har been a dandard of Grade-Quality-Manuf acture

Manufactured Bv

Floori ng Go. mmphrr,Iom.

And Diltributed By

M. SLATTERY BRoadwey 1496

315 Produce Bldg.,Lor Angelcr foresters, but from the standpoint of the practical woocl tusers in this locality, there are only two kinds-..IJnselected" and "Selected Red Birch.'t -

The heartwood of Birch is Red and the .sapwood is yellowish white. Therefore, as Birch is all pliin sawn, th.ere js a very small percentage of lumber produced rvhicl-r rvill sirow all red or all white.

As practically all Birch grows in the lake states ancl along the east coast, the shipments received here are in the form of unselected lumber.

Th term "IJnselected Birch" does not refer to the qualitl. of lumber, but is that stock from which no color sefection l:as been made, and contains both red and white wood.

When "Selected Red Birch" is specified, it necessitates r''cl<ing and ripping from the unsel-ected stock, and while the standa-r{ SradinS _rules make provision that only Z5 per cent of face need be red, Red Birch is practically un_ obtainable i1._!arg9 quantities. Red Birch his no qoiliti". superior to "IJnselected Birch" other than color.

Curly Birch 'is the lumber which, due to the peculiar growth of the tree, contains more or lesp wavy grain. This grain cannot be develope-d by any method oi 3u*irrg, ana only an occasional log will contain part curly grain.*

Curly Birch, like other highly figured lumbe-r, is mostly cut to veneers.

. Paper Birch is unfit for finish or structural lumber, anc' is used almost exclusively for the manufacture of spools, tooth picks, etc. It is not stocked in this market. '

-From the Service Bulletin, Millwork Institute of Calif.

Annual rings of trees growing over this Redr-ood show it has lain on moist ground over two centuries. It is sound: free from decay or eYen worm holes.

Over this 600 yelr old Redwood, trees close to 200 years old have grown. Yet the cut shows the buried Redwood sound and frce from decay.

Whg Redwood Safrslies

Particular Customers

The-life_ history of three Redwood trees that lie in the California forests re, the.best .testimony, to Redwood's permanence and resistance to rot, rnougn-restrng rn molst ground and covercd with moss. mold and forest d-ebns lor from 250 to about 400 years, not one of dhem is decaved. w orms ha-ve not bored in to them. Cut into at random, their wood fibre re. -as brrght-and sound as that in a live Redr-ood iust felled. rhrs, rot-resistance earns Redwood preference ovei other commercial t'ooos. anq exptarns its increasing use by builders, architectg and con- slructron engrneers, Write for Information on TpL Co. kmber aul milluork.

R. NORTON Hmry Bldg. Portland

(Continu-edJrgm fge 30) in width compared to the old standard of. /a inch off,.ryhile { and 6-inch finish was to be /s inch ofr as against I inch 6fr. The thic}cress of all finish was established at 25-32 ftlCh compared with s/ inch. Partition to be /a inch thick as against 11.16 inch.

Extensive tests, made by a number of the best mills in the industry from lumber cut true to width, showed 39 per cent of improperly finished stock. These tests proved conclusively that the Fir industry could not accept !h" p{ogram in fult. It was, as a result, debated in the Association meetings time and time again only to be laid ori the table. This delay proved a disturbing factor to both Secretary Floover and [he industry as there appeared to be no way o,pen to compromise the difrerences. It was, however, finitll proposed ih.at the program be accepted with reservatioirs-on a few sizes only, these reservations to be made as follows: 8, 10, and l2-inch Finish restored to the former standards, namely z/a inch off in width and' s/a inch net in thickness; 4 and- 6-inch Finish I inc}:, off in width and slinct. net in thickness. 6-inch Drop Sidin_g, Rustic._Flooritig, C"itittg and Partition w;rs compromised from a Sfu-inch oierall widlh to 5 7-16 inches as against the old standard of 5/s inches. The thickness of Partition stock was.changed f.iom s/a-inch to 11-16-inch. With these reservations, the West Cbast Lumbermen's Association unanimously adopted the American Lumber Standards and, during December last, obtained written pledges from 65 per cent of its membership to put the program into effect orr January lst. These mills are irow tnatling the new standards as rapidly as their shed stocks of the old sizes will permit.

I referred in the first instance to grade marking, which principal was established as part of the American Lumber Standird program. It calls for the markilel of all lumber of grades iqufualent to No. 4 Cornmon and Better and reads as follows:

"ff marked atall, all pieces of a given grade must be grade marked (except that unavoidable mechanical skips are, o.f course, allowed).

'"An easily branded mark or insignia, copyrighted, an-d Nationally uniform, be used in connection with the- grade mark and be available to identify shipments from all mills of lumber manufactured in accordance with American Lumber Standards.

"An appropriate mark symbolizing American Lumber Standardl-be-copyrighted and its use be available to these mills which shaf have agreed to maintain the agreed standards of size and grade and to submit their lumber product upon complaint to an official Association insPection."

-Grade marking embraces also trade marking. fn order to carry out the-program in absolutely good faith and improve ind maintiin -the grade standards, the West Coast Lumbermen's Association, at its annual meeting held in January, determined upon a course of action, both worthiohitu itta novel with which, I feel sure, you will agree. It amended its by-laws and unanimously passed the follo\,ving recornmendation made by its Board of Trustees:

"On and after February t,1926,no mill shall be admitted to membership in West Coast Lumbermen's Association whose grades-fall below a test of grades efficiency, to be determined by the Board of Trustees.

"Any member mill whose grades, over a- reasonable periB-d, shall fall below the test of grading efriciency established hjy the Association, shall forfeit its membership in the Association.

"This membership qualification together with the list of Association members in good standing, shall, from time to time, be nationally advertised-"

This means just what it says, that a membership in the Association calls for properly manufactured lumber, uniformly graded. To maintain this standard, we have to back us up the Association's Bureau of Grades, a Depart- ment which has been in existence for rnany yeais. Thi, Bureau is in the hands of competent management and its inspectors work absolutely without infuence on the part of any manufacturer. They are responsible to Mr. L. A. Nelson,'whose ofrice is in Portland and who is given full control of the Department under instructions to administer same fairly and impartially. Wherever these inspectors have been placed, their work tias been outstanding in character with complaints rare on the part of the buyer and but slightly more pronounced on the part of the manufacturer.

During my administration, the work has been somewhat extended and, in California, for some months, an Association inspector has been available to handle complaints in lieu of the P. L. I. B. inspection service which was withdrawn. The Bureau of Grades inspectors are, in my opinion, better qualified for work of this character since they have been trained in the grading of yard stock rather than of rough lumber which, in the main, covers the work of P. L. I. B. inspectors.

Each grade mark stamp, you will note from the impressions which I have to show you, carries with it a number which is recorded in the Association office and'which,iden' tifies the manufacturer. Therefore, lumber worked to American Lumber Standards and grade marked will be guaranteed stock. It will show the number of the maker and thus place the responsibility for improperly manufactured or graded lumber where it belongs.

Eventually it is proposed to advertise in lumber Journals the names of those mills who have adopted the new standard sizes and are trade marking their lumb4r so that dealers may have access to a large number of mills in making their purctr,ases. The Association has gone still further and on January lst,'1926, issued new standard grading and dressing rules which'contain West Coast American lumber Standard and Extra-Standard sizes. It has also prepared and is having published a new basic list which its members are pledged to adopt on March lst. Furthermore, and most important, is the fact that it has been advised of the certain acceptance by the Central Committee of its reservations. This practically insures approval of the West Coast sizes by the mass meeting, which is to be held in the Department of Commerce, during April.

I now wish to direct your attention to the part you manifestly should play in this program and in doing so I will refer to the report of the annual meeting of the Massachusetts Retailers held in Boston on December 5th which was attended by mo,re than 700. This meeting unanimously advocated the grade marking and standardization of lumber and at its close the following resolution was adopted:

"Resolved-That the representatives of New England's lumber and building industries in this meeting give our unqualified endorsement to the movement for standardized and grade marked lumber, inaugurated and fostered by Secretary of Commerce Ifoover, as of distinct advantage and benefit to the consuming public and to all branches of the building and lumber industries; that \ /e urge all lumber producers th'roughout the country to brand the grades on their produce so that the practice may become universally effective; that we pledge our assistance toward establishing this movement in Boston and vicinity and throughout New England as rapidly as conditions permit; and, further, that we commend the system of grademarking employed by the Southern Pine Association and its efforts to promote this constructive program."

Comment by President Basley of that Association told of trials to the retail lumber dealers and stated:

"The retailer has continually beenr at variance with the wholesaler or manufacturer in regard to an adjustment for inferior grade or scant-sawn stocli. But a light is beginning to show itself and to illuminate his clou{y existence. It i' the rising sun of standardization in all its ramifications including grade marking. The manufacturer should saw and work sizes and patterns according Lumber Standards; the architects and specify them." to the American engineers should

President Basley should have gone further and stated the retailer should insist upon getting them.

The standardization program was, I believe, participated in either- directly- or through a National orgairization by most of the Association retailers of the country. It is for thi! reason that I charge them with equal responsibility in put- ting this move into effect and direct your attention to-the obligation which, as retail association members, is yours. In my judgment, it is as much their duty in placing orders to demand-stock worked to these standiids "" it i" itre duty of the manufacturer to make them and I feel, therefori, that_their support in this direction can be properly sought and I shall entertain no misgiving as to what their position will be henceforth.

My experience, since resuming operations abotrt twr. weeks ago, is that some of the retailers are accepting lum- ber worked to the new sizes unhesitatingly w[ite others 119 not There are, of course, some who treat their pledges lightly and others who unhesitatingly fulfill them-. ftre East is now accepting the new standards to a very large extent and the West should do likewise.

Standardization of lumber is essential to the best interests of the retailer and grade marking is equally so. Such important movements aie brought ab-out and cohsummated through tedious and deliberate action on the part of competent, farseeing, and unselfish men. It is by this frocess that things worthwhile are achieved. This great movement encountered more opposition than any other I have known within the industry. This oppositidn is, however, Tti9ly crumbling and eventually will disappear. Among California retailers, however, some determined opposition may be expected. This will follow attacls from some mills outside of the Association who consistently oppose all pro- gressive movements. Time will overcome this too. since standbr.dized products in all lines are being demanded and lumber isno exception to the rule. Sufficient has been said to acquaint you with the facts and it now becomes our joint problem.

_

Y-ou gentlemen can help in this movement by ordering lumber worked to American Lumber Standards and Wesl Coast sizes.The question uppermost is: Will you and will you do it nowi In any ivent, your support is being counted upon.

Following Mr. Kingsley's address, there was a general discussion on the matter of Standardization and-Grade Marking which brought out much valuable information on these subjects.

C. W. Pinkerton, President of the California Retail Lumbermen's Association, was then introduced by President McBride. Mr. Pinkerton's subiect was Certified Lumber. Mr. Pinkerton referred to the action taken at the last annual convention of the state association at which time a resolution was adopted that the association adopt for the use of its members, and such others as may be authorized to use the same, a certificate to be delivered to the customer certifying the grade oJ materials sold and delivered to him. He explained in detail the workings of the Certificate Plan, and spoke of the progress that has been made in getting the plan into shape. He stated that tradd mark adopled by the committee and form sheets .had already met with the ap- proval of the Directors of the association, and that plans were now under way to have the trade mark copyrighted. Mr. Pinkerton said that the Certificate Plan was -a purely voluntary matter with the lumber dealers, that they wer-e asking savings banks and building loan associations to cooperate with the lumber association oh this movement, also that the secretary of the state board of loan associations has asked that the California Retail Lumbermeh's AsSo-

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