Getting Started

I WILL ask you to help me get started in the manufacture of some dependable commodity in the line of furniture. I have started a

example, we have had a number of inquiries for concerns to make spool cabinets for thread manufacturers. In this case, you will be furnished with specifications of the cabinets and allowed to bid on a certain number. The lowest bid usually gets the job. The last inquiry of this kind came from Blodgett & small plant here, repairing, uphol- Orswell Company, 118 East 25th Street, New York City, and if you are interested you stering and making new furniture, might write this firm for particulars, as we but my ambition goes further. do not think that the business has been placed as yet. Another live prospect for work of would like to get out something in this kind is W. H. Colby, 2647 Park Boulequantity. I have tried out several vard, Detroit, Mich., who has asked us for pieces, but did not have the right thing.

I

Answer by the Editor-In all modern business enterprises, the first thought must be given to sales. The finances must be in sight to establish and maintain a strong sales organization, or the business is doomed from the start. That the world will beat a path to the door of the man who makes the best mouse-trap may have been true in the old days, but it no longer applies. Unless he has a few salesmen out hunting for business, the mouse-trap maker is going to find himself with a lot of stock on his hands. Hence, before we go any farther, we must impress upon you that you must have sufficient capital to finance a sales organization if you are to get anywhere in this, or any other business.

Of course it is possible to secure the services of salesmen on a commission basis. If you

the names of manufacturers who would be interested in making a shoe cabinet which he has designed and placed on the market. In both cases you would have nothing whatever to do with the sales if you were to get this business.

If you will permit us to suggest an outline for you, we would say to go after such jobs as the two outlined above, and by this means build up a small industry. If you are successful in it, try to interest local capital in your enterprise and raise enough funds to begin the manufacture of a small line and hire a salesman or two, or make a few commission connections. If this goes through smoothly you will be on the right road to a successful career as a manufacturer of furniture. It is true that the road will be full of pitfalls, and the most trying of these will be lack of capital to swing the business over periods of depression.

can make an attractive article for which there WE manufacture a considerable

is a good demand, it is not a difficult matter to sell it on commission. Or you might be able to make a deal with a few jobbers whereby they will contract for your entire output. Usually, however, this is not an attractive proposition for the simple reason that when all your goods are sold to one or two customers, they virtually own you, and can tell you just what they will pay for your goods instead of you telling them what you will sell them for. Furthermore, if you lose one of your customers, when you have only two, you will be forced to cut your production until you can find a customer to take his place. In other words, if you place your goods on an open market, and through your salesmen are able to build up a large number of customers, the loss of a few does not seriously affect you, as each one buys only in small quantities and his trade can be replaced without much trouble: but when your entire output is taken by one or two firms, the loss of a customer may prove fatal.

The next possibility comes in the manufacture of accessories for other industries. For

quantity of upholstered furniture and would appreciate information from you as to the relative value of sisal fibre and tow as a base for moss and cotton.

Buffalo, N. Y.

L. Co., INC.

Answer by the Editor-Regarding the resiliency of the two we do not think that there is a great deal of difference but the sisal fibre is much cleaner than tow and does not harbor bugs nor is it dusty. There seems to be an opinion prevailing among better manufacturers of upholstered furniture that sisal is preferable to tow and they are endeavoring to get away from the use of the latter. One manufacturer states to us that sisal mixed with moss or cotton makes an almost ideal stuffing for furniture. It is evident that the clealiness of sisal is a good talking point with the retail customer.

I

Warped Veneer

WOULD like to get some information through your question box in regard to three-ply overlays. I have been making them with a 1/28-inch burl walnut face, 1/28-inch plain walnut back and a 1/20-inch sap gum core. By the time we are ready to use them they are warped so badly that we cannot use over one-half of them. Kindly give me what information you have on the subject, as over 70 per cent of my work is with burls. Evansville, Ind.

P. B.

Answer by John Welmers-You state that you have been making your panels with a burl walnut face, sap gum core, and plain walnut back. In so doing you are violating one of the fixed laws of veneering, and it is a wonder that you can use even half of them. Veneers such as burls, crotches, butts, etc.. have a great amount of end grain in them. By this is meant that instead of the grain running the length of the veneer, as it does in By holding a plain veneers, it runs through. sheet of such veneer to the light, it will be noticed that the light can be seen through the pores. Veneer having much of this end grain is "stronger"-a term often referred to -than veneer having but little, or none at all. In other words, due to this end grain, it swells and shrinks more as it absorbs moisture, or dries out. All veneers have this tendency, but plain veneers only shrink and expand in one direction, while the veneer in question swells and shrinks both in length and width, due to this end grain.

To prove this, it is only necessary to refer to the panels in question. The plain back veneer has probably about the same shrinkage so the across the grain as the face veneer, shrinkage of the face and back are balanced in the width of the panel. The back veneer does not swell or shrink appreciably with the grain, but the face does, consequently when gluing up the panels, the veneers swell, due to absorption of water from the glue, and when they again dry out, they shrink-or try to do so. The tension across the face and back are balanced, but this is not true of the length. The face veneer shrinks in length, but the back does not, so it gives way to the face and the cupping occurs.

veneers

To glue such panels successfully, it is necessary to glue them dry-if such a thing is possible. About the nearest you can come to this is to spread the core on both sides with animal glue, allowing it to dry until it beThen apply the comes "rubbery." and place them between hot cauls and get them under pressure as soon as possible. The heat dissolves the glue enough to make it penetrate the veneers, but if they absorb moisture they cannot swell because they are held under pressure.

Although the above method will increase the number of good panels in a batch, the practice of using like veneers on both face and back is the safer. This may cost a little more, but is cheaper in the end when the amount of spoiled work that results from your present

method is considered. At the best, if a panel glued up by the method given in the preceding paragraph comes through in good shape, it may still go wrong with changes in atmos. pheric condition.

Engineering for Woodworkers

WE wish to train our engineer

ing students in such a way as to enable them to take up their work in woodworking plants if called upon to do so. Thinking you could help us in outlining such

changes and additions to our regular courses as would be necessary in order to thus fit them, I am asking if you will kindly write me fully in reply to the following:

1. What, in addition to their present mechanical and electrical courses, will be necessary for them to take up?

2. Would you advise a thorough course in the kiln drying of wood?

3. What effect will this addi

tional knowledge have on their prospect for employment?

Please give such information as you feel will help us to fit these boys for their life's work.

Manhattan, Kans.

H. W. A.

en

Answer by the Editor-The usual woodworking course taught in universities as requirements in mechanical and electrical gineering are very limited in scope as regards the woodworking industry, and are mainly designed for ultimate use in the metal trades. as all other courses in these curricula tend in the same direction, that is, metal as the material of manufacture. The fundamentals taught in the regular courses apply equally in the wood field as in the metal field and present courses in machine design, materials of manufacture, heating and ventilation, etc., need only to be broadened in scope as to include, application of the mechanical principles of design to woodworking machines, hard and soft woods, control of atmospheric conditions in factories, etc., respectively.

Next allow us to suggest a branch of engineering sadly neglected in the majority of universities in connection with the regular courses in engineering and a real necessity to the man who now enters the woodworking field. This is factory management-from the purchase of raw materials to the disposal of the finished product. This is especially true in the woodworking field today as the industry has not yet developed to the point where engineers for technical purposes only are to be found. In short, the engineer must manage the enterprise, more especially the manufacture of the product, using his technical knowledge in the solution of his problems. This latter involves a full knowledge of the materials which he uses (glue, lumber, veneers, plywoods, varnish, etc.), equipment, (design, speeds, feeds, power requirements, etc.), labor and manufacturing costs in order that he may produce at a figure below the market possibility of the goods.

The above calls for an added course in the mechanical laboratory where the experimental equipment is of a woodworking nature, and speeds, feeds, power requirements, set-ups. maintenance and flexibility of standard machines for performance of different operations, are the meat of the subject.

A thorough course in the kiln drying of lumber including its physical properties as well as kiln operation should be added, as such knowledge not only serves for direct operation

of the kiln but for the handling of material through the factory.

Your third question as to the effect this additional knowledge will have on their prospect for employment can best be answered by an editorial appearing in the FURNITURE MANUFACTURER AND ARTISAN, June number, a clipping of which we are enclosing.

We hope we have fully covered your inquiry and also wish to assure you that it is our desire to be of service to you whenever

we can.

Milky Varnish

ANSWERING your letter of the

6th regarding trouble we are having in our finishing department on account of our mahogany varnish turning green or milky, will say that we do sponge or glue size before staining. After sponging, it is fine sanded or sand polished, then water stained by dipping and brushing and air dried 20 to 24 hours, then sanded and filled first coat, then air dried about 20 hours and filled second coat, then kiln

dried about 14 hours and varnished. We put on four coats of varnish, coating every day and kiln drying about 14 hours between each coat. After the fourth coat we kiln dry 14 hours at 120 degrees, using 40 per cent of moisture, then air dry from 14 to 21 days, then water rub. The green or milky cast is not visible until after the rubbing is done. THOS. GRIFFITH.

Louisville, Ky.

Answer by Walter K. Schmidt-In further reference to the subject of your letter of December 9th, beg to say that we have endeavored to run down your difficulty and the concensus of opinion is that the difficulty lies in your varnish. One authority says. "From a real guessing standpoint, I would say that this is entirely in the varnish. The milky cast certainly is and the green can come from four coats of extreme dark colored varnish."

Would it not be advisable to take this proposition up with your varnish house, and would you permit the writer to suggest that you endeavor to produce your finish with less material. Is it necessary to use four coats of varnish?

Produce on the raw wood an absolutely smooth surface; fill and shellac or wood lacquer the filler coat. Again see that this is absolutely smooth and dust thoroughly and see what you can do with two coats of good varnish; then polish or rub.

standing that it is caused by the swelling of the grain when dipping with the water stain. You have probably noted that it occurs on the upper and lower ends of the legs where the coarse grain is present. Entering the pores from both ends as the water stain does it is evident that the pores expand very rapidly and form these little ridges. The remedy for it lies in brushing or spraying the stain rather than dipping, or the use of an oil stain instead of water.

Another scheme would be to seal the pores with a glue size as is practiced by piano manufacturers. As you probably know, piano companies apply a very thin glue size and when it has set they sand it off very carefully and then put on their water stain. This is rather an expensive operation and is not practiced in furniture factories to our knowledge but it is apparent that it would do away with this trouble.

If you find that this information will not solve your problems we would suggest that you send us a number of your chair posts, one of which has been stained and clearly shows these ridges, and we will be glad to experiment with your problem in our wood finishing laboratory.

Hardened Stain Powder

DURING the war our factory powder. The other day, I opened bought up quite a little stain hard. I had to cut one side of the up a can of mahogany, and it was can and dig it out in little chunks with a chisel. I tried the stain in some water, and the color seemed to be all right. But, before going ahead, our superintendent thought it would be better to write and get your advice on this matter. Please let us hear from you as early as possible as we want to use the stain very shortly. BERT D. JONES.

Smithton Bluffs, Ia.

Use of Low Pressure Boilers

WILL you kindly give us the

following information:

1. Are many furniture manufacturing establishments changing over to electric motor drive?

2. Is it your feeling that most of the plants that make this change buy their power from central stations rather than manufacture it themselves?

3. Is steam used to any appreciable extent in the manufacture of furniture?

4. At what pressure is the steam ordinarily used?

5. Just what service is it used for?

6. Do most plants which are still using mechanical drive depend upon the exhaust from their steam engines for steam for manufacturing purposes?

New York.

P. B. & P. Co.

are

Answer by L. Seutter, M. E.-We pleased to give you the following information in answer to the questions you asked us. We are listing these answers in the same order that you listed your questions, hence reference to your letter to us will make our reply clear. 1. Furniture factories are gradually changing over from steam to electric drive. The change, however, being dependent to a great extent on the obsolescence and scrapping of old equipment. That is, the substitution of electric for steam drive is in general process throughout the plants and the electric installations are being made as replacements for old equipment. It is true that the new factories almost without exception are using complete electric drive and practically none of them are installing engines to drive line shafts.

2. There is no standard practice regarding the purchase of electric power. We would say roughly that one-half the factories now

use electric power that is purchased and the other half develop their own power. Where a factory is conveniently located to a possible source of power, either water or fuel, it is economical to purchase the current needed but where conditions are such that it is cheaper to develop their own electric power they do so.

3. Yes, there is considerable steam used in furniture manufacture.

4.

Low pressure steam is ordinarily used as practically all of the work can be done with it.

5. This service is used for factory heating in the winter months, tempering sheds, operation of dry kilns, conditioning rooms, varnish dry rooms, steam tables, glue pots, etc.

6. Both exhaust steam and live steam are used independently and together, depending upon the amount of steam furnished by the engines and the load requirements. Live steam alone is used for kiln and room operation at night when the engines are not running.

Price Advance Not Essential to Profit

J.

L. MALTBY, whose work in accounting is well known throughout the furniture industry, recently received a letter from one of his clients in which he was asked the advisability of increasing wholesale prices an average of 10 per cent just prior to the January market. Mr. Maltby's reply touches upon so pertinent a subject that we asked permission to pass it on to our readers.

Answer by J. L. Maltby-I have yours of recent date, asking for advice on the subject of making an advance of at least 10 per cent for the immediate future. I have no doubt but that you have in mind the pricing for the goods which will be placed on the market at a time so near at hand.

My judgment would be that it would not be a good move on your part to advance prices at this time. Several reasons come to mind as to why this is not a good policy. In the first place, you are just entering upon an extensive advertisng campaign in conjunction with your fellow manufacturers. This, if it has any strength at all, will bring to you a larger output, which will reduce your costs, and leave you with a larger margin at the end of the year.

The second reason would be that, a knowledge of this campaign being generally displayed, the first impulse of the buyers would be that you were undertaking to take the cost of the advertising out of them at the first opportunity. This in itself would not be a good procedure.

I have noted your claims to being an optimist. It has been said that "a pessimist is a man who wears both a belt and suspenders." It would seem to me that if you advanced your prices at this time, that you would be in the situation of a man who is adding suspenders to his already sufficient equipment for keeping himself presentable before the public. It is not our belief that the addition of these adjuncts would either add to your security or appearance. I would not exactly anticipate that you would be "mobbed," but serious consequences might result, which would be uncomfortable.

As I have frequently stated during the past few months what the buying public needs most to be convinced of is the sincerity of the exhibitors of furniture and allied lines, that they are not in the profiteering business, but the bad taste has been in the mouths of many people, and it takes a long time to remove these impressions. So I hope that all of my clients, at least, will put their dependence upon the main point of re-establishing confi

dence, and in this manner set the wheels of industry a-whirring.

The present situation presents itself to me as being very satisfactory. Furniture prospects for the ensuing year are better than they have been in over a year, notwithstanding the labor difficulties which have interfered with large mass production in various centers. The fact remains that there has been a considerable relief in housing generally scattered throughout the country, and this will doubtless have a great effect in the coming sales season.

Customers of my clients have already stated that they are going to the market in January with full expectations of buying.

Retailers' Wants

Retailers and manufacturers who are in possession of the information requested in the following will confer a favor by corresponding with the persons whose addresses are given. Answers have been sent direct from this office, but there are others who will be able to supplement this information, thus making it of greater value to the recipient.

MAPLE CHIFFEROBE—Aug. Carlson & Son, Rhinelander, Wis., are in the market for a plain maple chifferobe.

ENAMELED TABLE TOPS-Heoge & Company, Urbanna, Va., would like to hear from manufacturers of enameled table tops.

KITCHEN CUPBOARDS A. J. Witzler, Perrysburg, O., has asked us for the names of manufacturers

of kitchen cupboards.

&

LIFT TRUCKS-The Scheve Angert Co., 1801 Elm Street, Cincinnati, O., would like to hear from manufacturers of lift trucks.

ASBESTOS TABLE MATS-The Adler Furniture Co., Warren, O., would like to hear from manufacturers of asbestos table mats.

NESTED SMOKING STANDS-Gus M. Salzer & Bro., Springfield, O., are anxious to hear from manufacturers of nested smoking stands.

LAWN SWINGS-W. H. Colby Printing Co., 2647 Park Boulevard, Detroit, Mich., is anxious to hear from manufacturers of lawn swings.

WOOD AND GLASS CASTER CUPS -F. L. Distelhurst & Son, Berwick, Pa., would like to hear from manufacturers of wood and glass caster

cups.

COLONIAL DRESSER IN GUMKane Furniture Company, Kane, Pa., would like to hear from manufacturers of a 48-inch Colonial dresser in gum.

SOLID MAHOGANY SPINET DESKS -Dick & Dunn Company, Inc., 1687 Main Street, Buffalo, N. Y., are in the market for solid mahogany spinet desks.

BRASS BIRD CAGES ON STANDSThe Seifer Furniture Company, Whiting, Ind., would like to hear from manufacturers of brass bird cages on stands.

PORCELAIN CASTER CUPS-AUgusta Furniture Company, 11 S.