The Uses of Lumber

Many woods find some use in vehicle construction; but hickory and oak compete closely for the lead, and, taken together, supply over 60 per cent of the raw material. Hickory is used most largely for the spokes and rims of buggy wheels, for gear parts, and for felloes, hubs, axles, hounds, and bolsters. Wagon hubs are made of elm and birch; and—in addition to hickory and oak—hard maple, white ash, beech, and other hard, strong woods are used for gear parts. Yellow poplar has been much used for the bodies of carriages, delivery wagons, and automobiles, since it can be obtained in large, clear sizes, works well, and takes paint and polishes easily. Wagon-box boards are largely made from cottonwood, red gum, basswood, and yellow poplar. Bottoms are made of longleaf and shortleaf pine, and also of maple, gum, and oak. Ash is used for frames; while osage orange is used for felloes, especially in the Southwest, where, under severe climatic conditions, the ordinary woods shrink too much.

The proportion of the total consumption of wood for vehicles, contributed by the more important species, is shown in Table 20.

Table 20 Vehicles (Annual wood consumption, 740 million board feet) Woods Used Per Cent Hickory 32 Oak 29 Yellow Poplar 7 Ash 6 Maple Cottonwood 4 Elm 4 Yellow Pine 4 Red Gum 4 Birch 2 • Other Woods 3 • Total 100 7. Woodenware, Novelties, etc. The manufacture of woodenware, novelties, and similar articles requires more than 400 million feet of wood annually, of which ash, basswood, and Table 21 Woodenware, Novelties, etc.

(Annual wood consumption, 400 million board feet) Woods Used Per Cent Ash 15 Basswood 14 White Pine 12 Maple 9 Birch Spruce 7 Chestnut Yellow Pine 5 Elm 4 Beech 3 Cottonwood 3 Cypress 2 Red Gum 2 Oak 2 Yellow Pine 2 Cedar 2 Tupelo 1 Other Woods 5 Total 100 white pine supply nearly equal parts, with the balance contributed by over fifty other species.

Much of the material for woodenware goes to the factory in log form, without passing through the sawmill. Wooden pie and picnic plates, butter trays, and dishes are largely made from rotary cut maple, beech, and birch veneers. Many more substantial kinds of woodenware are turned on lathes, among which are dishes, bowls, platters, and trays made from basswood, cottonwood, and maple. Butter paddles and trays are made of ash and beech; and bread-boards, of basswood, cottonwood, white cedar, silver maple, and birch. Pails, buckets, and small tubs make up no small proportion of the woodenware output, and they often have white pine staves. Hoops for these articles are made from elm, ash, birch, and red oak. Peck, half-peck, bushel, and half-bushel measures are commonly made with bodies of oak, birch, maple, or white pine, and bottoms of white pine, basswood, or ash.

Novelties include wooden candlesticks, pin trays, paper weights, etc., and are frequently made of the higher-grade and more expensive native and imported woods.

Wisconsin produces the most woodenware of any State, with Michigan ranking second; while New Hampshire, Iowa, Vermont, and New York supply many articles of this class.

8. Agricultural Implements.

Notwithstanding a greatly increased use of iron and steel in the manufacture of agricultural implements, such as plows, harrows, cultivators, drills, planters, threshing machines, rakes, and other articles, more than 300 million feet of lumber is annually used in this industry. Yellow pine supplies over 30 per cent of the lumber required for agricultural implements; oak, more than 20 per cent; and maple, 15 per cent, with relatively small quantities of cottonwood, red gum, ash, hickory, white pine, basswood, elm, beech, birch, and nearly twenty other species.

Longleaf pine is used in agricultural implements where strength but not necessarily toughness is required. Oak finds a large use for plow beams and handles; beech, hickory, and oak, for neck-yokes and single trees; while cottonwood, yellow poplar, red gum, white elm, beech, tupelo, cypress, and Douglas fir are used for seeding and drill boxes. Douglas fir and longleaf pine are also used for poles and tongues of agricultural implements.

Illinois is by far the most important State in the manufacture of agricultural implements, while next in order are Ohio, New York, and Indiana.

Table 22 Agricultural Implements (Annual lumber consumption, 320 million board feet) Woods Used Per Cent Yellow Pine 31 Oak 22 Maple 15 Cottonwood 5 Red Gum 4 Ash 3 Hickory 3 White Pine 3 Basswood 2 Elm 2 Beech 2 Birch 1 Other Woods 7 Total 100 9. Handles.Handle manufacture is nearly as important as agricultural implement making in regard to the quantity of wood required; and hickory supplies more than two-fifths of all the handle material. Next to hickory, ash—especially white ash—furnishes some 23 per cent of the handle wood; and maple, 15 per cent; while beech, oak, and birch are important handle woods for certain purposes.

Table 23 Handles (Annual wood consumption, 280 million board feet) Woods Used Per Cent Hickory 43 Ash 23 Maple 15 Beech 6 Oak 4 Birch 4 Red Gum 2 Elm 1 Other Woods 2 Total 100 Hoe, rake, spade, shovel, and fork handles are chiefly made of ash; sledge and ax handles, of hickory; broom handles, most largely of maple, beech, and birch; cant-hook handles, of hickory and hard maple; pump handles, of oak, ash, and maple; and handles for wire stretchers, of white and rock elm.