Fir Plywood Association Holds Annual Conlerence

Fir plywood, the $80,000,000 building comrnodity manufactured by 31 Pacific Northwest factories, probably will not be available to civilians until after Japan is defeated even though building restrictions may be eased sooner.

That fact is one of two all-important conditions characterizing the plywood industry today, according to reports presented to plant owners and officials at the recent the panels can be distributed through normal channels as soon as government buying lessens. Fir plywood manufacturers face no reconversion problems; production will not be interrupted by any changeover from war to peace.

Further, as soon as more skilled workers return to logging camps and factories, production can be boosted toward the optimum of two billion feet annually, which is annual business session of Douglas Fir Plywood Association. the manufacturers' trade association, held at Tacoma, Wash.

The second factor--a highly favorable one-is that the 'panel makers already have developed and readied for market new supplementary products-combinations of plastics and plywood. These new alloyed materials unite the properties of both plywood and plastics in one panel ; as such, they not only constitute a new building material but will serve to "extend" timber resources of the area.

The new materials will be offered whenever material restrictions are li{ted.

Thomas B. Malarkey, vice president of M and M Wood Working Co. of Portland, Ore., and re-elected president of the industry association, answered in this way the question of how soon plywood will be back in lumber dealer stocks for sale to civilians:

"War Production Board officials tell us Army and Navy demands for fir plywood to build military structures in the Pacific and as crating for the war goods make it the most critical of all materials. Accordingly, fir plywood will continue to be allocated.and be available only to the military or to those industries supplying war needs.

"We are prepared to carry on as '10O per cent war producers to V-J day. But from a practical business point of view it is no privilege to continue on as major war producers while other industries reconvert. The plywood industry must strive to release itself from government controls of all kinds at the earliest moment consistent with efiective prosecution of the war'"

Repeated by all speakers at the meeting as one condition {avoring plywood manufacturers-and the panel jobbers and retail lumber dealers who sell it in peacetime-is that about 25 per cent greater than at present.

Although plastic.surfaced plywood has been produced in accordance with military specifications for many months and much speculation has been evidenced as to its future possibilities, few details of the present and future products previously have been released. However, at the meeting not only was development of the panels reviewed but also furniture, signs, boxes and novelties built of the new material were displayed.

"The rapid development of products combining plywood or veneer (thin sheets of wood) and plastic overlays is perhaps the outstanding industry advancement of the year," W. E. Difford, managing director of the trade association, told the industry leaders in making his annual report. "From this expanded program, the industry can place itself in a stronger position in the manufacture and sale of its basic product-plywood-and at the same time improve its place in a broader field of wood processing and efficient wood utilization."

By bonding a plastic surface to plywood or veneer many new properties are added to its inherent strength. Some panels may have completely finished surfaces which are hard. smooth. wear-resistant and water-resistant and in a variety of colors. Other plastic-plywood sheets would be intended for further finishing such as painting. The natural wood appearance is retained in some surfaces; other plastic sheets mask the wood completely.

"Production of the new combination material-in addition to standard grades of plywood-will mean Oregon and Washington factories can provide themselves the opportunity of increasing their output, particularly in dollar volume, beyond present capacity," Mr. Difford forecast. He emphasized that by adding the new surfaces, lower grade veneer and plywood can be used as a basis for a finished product that is both attractive and durable.

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Let us reflect lor q moment cnd recrlize thct ihe

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Fir Plywood Association Annual Conlercnce

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Further evidence that the plywood inclustry, a relatively new ofishoot of the lumber industry, plans to maintain and strengthen its position, was presented in a talk by E. W. Daniels of Hoquiam, Wash., president of Harbor Plywoocl Corp., and chairman of the management cornmittee r.vhich actively directs association affairs.

Mr. Daniels related progress of the new Plyrvood Research Foundation, a separate organization previously established with an initial appropriation of $100,000 and just starting operations. He listed objectives of the foundation, located at Tacoma, as follows :

"1. To develclp means of using waste rvoods resulting from present processing at plvwood factories and in the forests.

"2. To produce ne'vv products u'hich the plylvood factories can manufacture in addition to their present panels.

"3. To improve plywood through chemical means.

"4. To improve the production and properties of Douglas fir plywood through improvement in processing and manufacturing equipment."

Introduced by lVIr. Daniels were Dr. John G. Meiler, director of the research foundation, and Harold R. Evans, field representative of tire organization rvho rvill foster development of improved machinery for plyrvood factories.

While the new research institute 'lvas being organized, work of the long-established industry laboratory, also at Tacoma, has continued to expand during the past year. Much of the development of the plastics-plywood combination has come from this source although in this field individual plywood firms and plastics manttfacturers also have contributed greatly.

Also continued throughout the year was the advertising and promotional program of the fir plyrvood industry directed at telling specifiers of building materials-architects, engineers. builders and lumber dealers-that fir plywood basically is a peacetime building commodity though at present serving as a war material. This advertising program will continue and has been extended to reach farmers and amateur and professional boat builders, comprising large markets for lumber dealers to serve in the future.

Business at the meeting, which was limited to a twohour session in contrast to the two-dav sales conventions held in peace-time, included reelection of all association officers for a second one-year term. In addition to President Malarkey, they are:

Arnold Koutonen, president of Olympia Veneer Co., Olympia, Wash., vice president; Hermant E. Tenzler, president of Northwest Door Co., Tacoma, secretary; and J. P. Simpson, general manager of Buffelen Lumber & Mfg. Co., Tacoma, treasurer.

Trustees of the all-industry board include: E. W. Daniels, J. R. Robinson, president of Robinson Mfg. Co., Everett, Wash.; George H. Royer, sales manager of Smith Wood-Products, Inc., Portland; and Craig L. Spencer, president of Elliott Bay Mill Co., Seattle.

Plywood procluction for 1944 totaled 1,500,000,000square feet, about the same as for the previous year. The bulk of the output went directly to the Army and Navy with the remainder distributed, under WPB allocation, throughout the nation but for sale only on top priority ratings.

Mr. Daniels, in relating the work of the management committee during the year, paid high tribute to the cooperative spirit which has been maintained between industry and War Production Board officials. Particularly, he called attention to the contributions of Clifford P. Setter and B. A. Hondo of the plywood section of WPB and to Frost Snyder, president of Vancouver Plywood & Veneer Co., of Vancouver, Wash., rvho has been WPB consultant at Portland.