Plywood And The Lumber Dealer

Elsewhere in this Plywood Section will be found two detailed articles concerning the history and present status of Douglas Fir plywood. Needless, then, to use this article (which aims simply to be a round-up of plywood thoughts) repetitiously. Charlid Buckner, and the Plywood Association, give you the facts.

In 1922 when THE CALIFORNIA LUMBER MERCHANT started business there was no such thing as Douglas Fir Plywood. They were making a small amount of laminated Fir veneers in the Northwest at that time, but the panels were mostly for doors, and the Plywood industry that the retail lumber dealer knows had not even been born. It was in 1925 that suddenly Douglas Fir plywood lunged ahead into considerable production, and it was then that the California lumber dealer found a stock item that was destined to become one o'f his biggest and best merchandising products.

Likewise it was destined that this Fir plywood should find in the retail lumber dealer its biggest and best sales agent, and distributing unit. fn a recent speech Charles E. Devlin, Managing Director of the Douglas Fir plywood Association, referred to the retail lumber dealer as one who had "historically done the selling job for our industry.,, He did. And he will continue to do so. The rise of plywood production is likewise told elsewhere. Year after year the sale of plywood for a continually developing and widening number and character of users became a bigger and bigger part of the lumber dealer's business. He learned to sell it for at least a thousand uses As the plywood industry reached out and made more kinds and qualities of plywood for rnore and different uses, the lumber dealer went along, and enlarged and intensified his merchandising efforts. Until it came to pass that Douglas Fir plywood became the lumber dealer stock that was sold for more purposes and used in more ways than any other lumber yqrd stock in history.

When the war came along and -tle govenlment reached out for building materials for the million and one war needs that so rapidly developed, then plywood came into its own. But it was at the expense of the retail lumber dealer, for the war effort needed all the plywood that could be made and a whole lot more; so the place in the lumber yard where the plywood used to be piled, became a very lonesome spot indeed. And though the war has been over for two years, Douglas Fir plywood is still very scarce in the shed of the average California lumber dealer. Hereby hangs a tale; a very wretched tale indeed. For no other building material seemed to subject itself rnore thoroughly and completely to the operations of the Black Marketeers. as plywood.

They call it the "grey market"; why grey, no one knows, for it was and still is one of the darkest of the dark market spots in the building world. As has been said to THE CALIFORNIA LUMBER MERCHANT many times of late by sad-voiced specialists in plywood-1,the grey mar- ket still prevails." So D<.ruglas Fir plywood is very scarce in the retail lumber yards of California at this time. You can hear the story on all hands that if you are willing to pay the price and know the right people you can buy all the plyrvood you can possibly use. But on top of the business table, plywood is scarce, particularly the everyday ihicknesses of one-quarter and three-eighths. Thicker stuff is somewhat easier to get.

No so with hardwood panels. They are in surplus, both in California and throughout the entire nation. "They are running out of our ears, all species," said a big panel and plywood man to the writer of this piece. You can get any species you want. Just name it. In any quantity you can pay for. Only Southern Gum panels are scarce, and even that item is getting more plentiful. The hardwood panel market was strong until ahout the first of last February, 11'hsn-fang-the demand began to sag. The lumber dealer can get all the fancy hardwood panels he wants. Of course tl,ey cost nearly three times as much as Douglas Fir plylvood, and so cannot be used for the same purposes to any great extent.

The Douglas Fir mills of Washington and Oregon, 33 in number and with several others in coursd of construction, are making 30,000,000 square feet of plywood panels every week this year, making it by far the biggest peacetime year. Some of these days the "grey market" will pass away, some of the great needs of the nation rvill cease to be needs, and the lumber dealer will again be able to stock plywood in quantity and go forth and sell it enthusiastically.

Hqrdwood Plywood Mcde lrr San Frcrncisco Plant

The Davis Hardrvood Company, Bay and Mason Streets, San Francisco, has the only plant in the San Francisqo Bay area that makes plywood commercially. Hardwood plywood is made in the following woods: prima vera, ujuste, Spanish cedar, oak, harewood, satinwood, mahogany, maple, ash, genisero and walnut.

This plywood is mostly used for fine furniture, store fixtures, cabinet work, and interior paneling in homes, offices, and department stores

The plant equipment includes hydraulic presses, veneer taping machine, a 54" glue spreader with rubber rolls for synthetic glues, veneer jointer, and sanders. The plant lras been in operation for the past 25 years, and has furnished panels for some of the finest buildings and stores in San Francisco.

Plywood Paneling Suggestions

The Douglas Fir Plywood Association, Tacoma 2, Washington, publishes a very attra'ctive and practical booklet on the use gf plywood for interior paneling. How to panel wall surfaces in homes, offices, and shops is plainly taught, demonstrated, and illustrated in this very useful book.