does not result in such damage to tools or fragile objects falling upon it. It can be laid for less than one-half the cost of concrete and will stand hard wear, but is not adapted for outdoor use. Such floors are warmer and less noisy than concrete floors and it is probable that they will be widely used in the future." We know nothing personally of the preparation or who makes it.

CORRUGATED PACKING

I am told that one of your recent issues contained an article on packing furniture in corrugated paper cartons. Buffalo, N. Y. R. D. WAGONER.

Answer by the Editor-We have not thus far published any articles on furniture packing in corrugated paper cartons, though there are evidences of an opening for packing of that type. Thus far the practical applications are comparatively limited and occur in instances in which the furniture is of such size and shape as to readily lend itself to the use of that particular type of packing. The Globe-Wernicke Co. and the Macey Co., also, we believe, use corrugated packing boxes for their sectional bookcase units. You will readily appreciate that that particular type of furniture could be handled in corrugated cartons with special advantage. Recently the Berkey & Gay Furniture Co., of Grand Rapids, has been wrapping some of their furniture in corrugated paper rather than in the usually employed excelsior packing pads. After wrapping, of course, most pieces have to be crated in addition and the usual frame packing crates are employed. Another recent development along these lines has been made by the Oshkosh Bottle Wrapper Co., of Oshkosh, Wis. This concern has developed a patent corrugated packing pad consisting of a corrugated filler in a Kraft paper envelope following the general principle of the excelsior packing pad. Undoubtedly other instances can be found with applications along these lines as well as instances in which furniture is shipped in corrugated boxes, the same way as the Globe-Wernicke Co. ships its.

Answer by Walter K. Schmidt.-It will be impossible to make a wax that will give the wood a color just as shown by your sample. In order to match it we would suggest that you use an ounce of carbonate of potash and one ounce of bichromate of potash to a gallon of water and give the wood a thorough coat. Then sand it and coat with a walnut brown dye of sufficient strength to produce the color. Then give it a coat of orange shellac. Wax with any good finishing wax. Do not judge your color, however, until the shellac coat is put on.

TREATING HARDWOOD FLOORS

Can you tell me an inexpensive preparation for treating hardwood maple floors where there is a great deal of wear, so as to preserve the natural whiteness of the floor, allowing, however, for the slight discoloration that naturally comes from oiling maple floors. Oklahoma City, Okla.

A. W. HORNING, Oklahoma High School, Answer by Walter K. Schmidt-I take it that your inquiry means that you wish an inexpensive preparation for refinishing the spots on the floor where they are worn and the balance of the floor still in condition. If the floor has become grimy and gray because the finish has worn off, bring it back to its newness by washing it off, with a solution of permanganate of potash which will turn the entire woodwork brown and then with the second coat of warm solution of oxalic acid, say, one ounce to the gallon. When this is thoroughly washed off, the maple will be white. Sand it smooth and give it a coat of hot

raw linseed oil, then two coats of ordinary shellac. You will have to decide whether you want the white or the orange. When this is thoroughly dry oil rub, taking off the luster and dulling the finish by giving it a tenacity which will stand a good deal of wear. This method-that is, a coat of shellac and oil rub-will keep your floor in perfect condition all the time.

CHANGING THE STAINS

I have a lot of Early English chairs and dining-room furniture which I want to make over into a fumed oak finish. Will you tell me the best way to make a stain so that I can match the Craftsman finish. Is there anything which will take the color out of the wood after the varnish has been removed. I used an aniline stain. The best of us need help sometimes. A. MALLCOTT, Oklahoma City, Okla. Bass Furniture & Carpet Co. Answer by Walter K. Schmidt-In order to change the Early English to fumed oak it will be absolutely necessary for you to remove all of the finish, filler and stain. I take it that you understand how to remove the finish. If the finish is a varnish, you will have to use a varnish remover. If it is wax, use naphtha and turpentine, then take off all of the shellac with wood alcohol. To completely remove the stain, your method of procedure will depend a good deal upon whether it is an oil stain that you have used or a water stain. If it is an oil stain you can remove the filler and the stain with naphtha and a picking brush. If it is a water stain, most of it can be washed off with a potash solution, using about an ounce of potash or sal soda to the gallon of water. Both of these alkalis will have a tendency to turn the work a reddish brown, which will not interfere with the making

of fumed oak. After your wood is thoroughly cleaned, give it a coat of bichromate of potash, say, two ounces dissolved in a gallon of water. Sand and follow with the last coat of stain. The strength of it, however, you will have to judge by making tests and which will depend upon the color of the wood as it was left by the removal process. The second coat must be made up of a brown, preferably a walnut brown, toning it with black nigrosine. You can throw the final shade by using a little Bismark brown and a spirit black in the shellac coat. Then finish in the usual manner.

EQUIPMENT FOR KITCHEN CABINETS

Can you give us the names of some glass manufacturers in the United States who make Mission spice boxes and glass sugar bins in swing baskets suitable to kitchen cabinets. THE H. E. FURNITURE Co., Ltd.

Milverton, Ont.

Answer by the Editor-The Sneath Glass Co., Hartford City, Ind.; Cambridge Glass Co., Cambridge, Ohio. Other makers of glass jars are Imperial Glass Co., Bellaire, Ohio; Fostoria Glass Co., Moundsville, W. Va.; McKee Glass Co., Jeannette, Pa.; Coöperative Flint Glass Co., Beaver Falls, Pa., and The United States Glass Co., Pittsburgh, Pa.

VENEER MANUFACTURERS

We would like very much to procure, if possible, a list of veneer manufacturers, and will thank you if you will advise us whether a list is printed and how we can get it. Detroit, Mich. TUFTING MACHINERY SUPPLY CO. Answer by the Editor-A very considerable list of veneer manufacturers was supplied, but there may be others who will desire to communicate with this questioner.

TRIMMINGS AND BRASS FITTINGS

Will you please put me in touch with manufacturers making supplies used in the manufacture of brass beds, the manufacture of mirrors, casters and trimmings required on bed-room furniture. I want to find steel and brass tubing, wrought or cast fittings for beds, trimmings for furniture, including drop-front desks, drawer handles,

pulls, knoke, table books, medal ornaments, friction plates for adjustable mirrors, drawer, desk, chest and wardrobe look.

The Kamehameha Schools is a bounding school for Hawanan puls and boya, decommodating in its three departments 330 students, and a teaching staff of 45 proph, all housed upon the school grounds,

The wood shop, in which I am instructor, is having preater demands made upon it ench your for the furnishTop of tow biblings, and the renewal of pieces deterior nted through time and wear The ravages of a borer, which operates in the Territory, are extensive and M. E. CROWMAN, expen we

of Problems of the Finishing Room in this number you will find the first of a series of articles in which the subjent will be treated exhaustively.

STEEL TANKS

Somebody makes steel tanks with gauge and pumps for varnish supplies suitable for wood-working plants. Grand Rapids, Wis. AHDAWAGAM FURNITURE CO. Answer by the Editor-S. F. Bowser & Co., Fort Wayne, Ind., and F. Cortez Wilson & Co., Chicago, Ill.

SAP IN GOLDEN OAK

Will you please furnish me with a formula for taking up sap in golden oak so that uniform color can be secured? I am having trouble in matching up on account of sap stain. H. H. S.

Elkhart, Ind.

Answer by Walter K. Schmidt:-You do not state whether you are using an oil stain or water stain. There are only two ways and really none of them are satisfactory for taking care of the sappy parts of the wood. The best way is not to use the sappy part of the log, but where it does appear it would be better to avoid staining it with the regular stain, but followed with some greatly reduced. If you wish to go into further detail, let us know what stain and method you are using.

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The Forest Products Exposition NDICATIONS of active cooperation on the part of the wood-working interests of the country forecast the pronounced success of the Forest Products Exposition, to be held in the Coliseum, Chicago, April 30-May 9. according to the report of Manager George S. Wood. One of the principal factors encouraging those behind the exposition movement is said to be the rapidly growing belief, in all branches of American wood industry, in the valuable and enduring benefit of an impressive demonstration of the efficiency of wood as a basic material

Elaborate plans for display are being made by the associations, many large and small manufactures are vitally interested and an exhibit is being planned by the forestry department of the national government vijë is declared the most enlightening ever given. arrangements have been completed for the spe's TruLeder of the Chicago exhibits to the New York Ervitic where they will be installed by the same workmen addition to the large attendance expected no the pam of manufacturers, producers, specialists, EMIL TESTS the mechanical forces, a wide response is peus deter part of the layman, to whom the exposition will some ularly appeal. Through trade organizations L representatives, information concerning -It taking is being given throughout different sections

country.

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HERE is an old saying to the effect that the medicine that is a curative for one person may be a poison for another. So the ideal "break out" department, for one furniture factory may not be worth much to another. Each plant has conditions peculiar to itself which must be considered before any attempt is made to suggest that a machine should be placed thus and so, in order to obtain the best results.

Still, it is generally admitted that machines should be arranged so that the material in process will pass from one operation to the next in the quickest possible time. It is also admitted that the ideal shop will contain sufficient trucks to hold all the material in process without making it necessary for the operators to lose time placing material on the floor and picking it up again. Room to work is another important matter to be considered, and too few mill rooms have sufficient space for efficient work. This article, however, is not to be a discourse on factory idealism, but a brief consideration of one ideal mill room in a Wisconsin factory. The Sheboygan Couch Co. has for its president E. W. Schultz, who is probably one of the most enthusiastic men on the question of common sense (scientific) management to be found in the furniture field. He has gathered into the organization a corps of men who are nearly, if not wholly, as enthusiastic as he is himself, and some fine results are being obtained through this hearty coöperation.

Originally the plant, though operated by electric power, was equipped with line-shafting throughout. After a most rigid investigation it was decided to remodel the plant and apply the principle of direct motor drive to each machine. Today there is no line-shafting whatever in the mill room, and in all the rest of the departments combined there is less than 40 feet. The difference in the cost of power has been proved conclusively in this instance to favor the individual motor drive. All material in process is on trucks, and it moves from operation to operation, department to department in as nicely regu

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lated a manner as a trans-continental passenger train proceeds from one station to another.

The mill room itself is in a one-story addition, with a floor space of 9,600 square feet. The whole floor is of solid concrete, covered with maple flooring except where the machines rest on the solid foundation. Thus the heaviest machines are operated with scarcely any vibration. The writer has visited many factories, but he has yet to find one that seems to be more ideal than this one. Consider the plan, which shows at the lower end ample storage room for dry lumber, which is separated from the rest of the room, to some extent, by the track from the dry-kiln. A careful study of this plan will show the efficient arrangement of machines and ample room for all operations.

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American Seating Statement

HE American Seating Co., increased the volume of its business $450,000 during 1913 over 1912from $3,200,000 to $3,650,000, reducing its liabilities $250,000 during the same period. It increased its liquid assets from $1.55 to $1 to $1.90 to $1 of its indebtedness. Seventy thousand dollars was expended on betterments to its four factories. Of this amount $50,000 was expended on the Grand Rapids plant, which turned out 57 per cent. of all the goods manufactured by the company. The company employed an average of 1,433 men, 857 of whom were kept at work in the Grand Rapids factory. The total payroll of the company was $961,000, of which $604,000 was paid to employes in the Grand Rapids factory. The company has reached a point where its opera chair output exceeds its school desk output, both numerically and in amount. Nearly all school desks are now made of steel. The manufacture of wooden desks with cast iron frames will be abandoned altogether in the course of a year or two.

GRINDING

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N MY article in the February number of THE FURNITURE MANUFACTURER AND ARTISAN I outlined some of the fundamentals in carving. It is my purpose to continue the consideration of this interesting subject in what may follow. Carving tools are often sold without handles, which can be procured at a store, or from a wood turner. If they are obtained in different woods, it enables one to select and remember certain tools more easily. When placing a tool into a handle, care must be taken to prevent splitting. To avoid this, the hole in the handle should be large enough to take the shank of the tool almost without driving. A shred of gutta percha should be placed in the hole and the shank of the tool heated and then driven into position in a vise. This applies particularly to those tools which have no shoulder. Those without shoulders are termed spade tools

required for sharpening the veiner, V tools and such like. Carvers' tools are not sharpened in the same way as cabinet-makers', but are rubbed on both sides, about twothirds outside and one-third inside; the back of the tool resembles a teaspoon, and it has no shoulder.

A stout piece of leather covered with a paste of grease, emery and crocus powder is necessary to strop the tools after sharpening. It also assists, if used frequently, in retaining a keen edge without the trouble of constantly sharpening. The sharpening of carving tools requires a good deal of experience and skill, which can only be obtained by practice and patience. Good work can only be done with sharp tools, and the state of his tools is often a good index to the carver's skill. To test the edge of a tool, cut against the grain of a piece of pine; if it cuts freely, it is fit for use. Soft woods need sharper tools than hard woods. One of the most useful tools to a carver is the "scratch" or "router." This little home-made implement is useful for scratching flutes and moldings, or for cutting around margins instead of using a chisel, the line being cleaner and straighter. The fence is adjustable with a butterfly or wing screw. The hollow which is shown in the side view of the cutter is to make a cutting edge. The stock is cut through at A, enabling cutters of various sizes to be used. In working, it must be kept tight against the

and are frequently widened out fish-tail fashion at the cutting part. This kind of tool is very useful to get into corners with and it does not hide the work when in use so much as a straight tool, which is an advantage. Some carvers prefer their chisels slightly curved at the edges; when preparing grounds, these do not leave any trace of the cut at the edges on the wood. Frequently tools are purchased which are not properly "tempered." If too hard, they break away like glass. Tools with this defect may be softened by heating over a lamp chimney until they change to a straw color, when they should be dipped into sweet oil. If too soft, they should be hardened by making them "cherry-red hot" and then dipping into cold water. When tried with a file, they will be found to be as hard as glass, and must then be softened in the manner described above. Sharpening is the next consideration. For this purpose there are several kinds of stones. The most generally used is the "Washita." Turkey stones are also largely used. These stones should be lubricated with olive oil and petroleum, which prevents clogging, or with

B

Leg Held in a Block

edge of the work and held firmly to prevent "racing." The same tool is very effective for routing or cleaning up grounds, or if the screw and stop be removed so as to give a uniform level base and a suitable cutter inserted, it can be used for leveling and cleaning out the ground around raised ornament.

There is some difficulty experienced in holding a circular leg secure while carving and at the same time being able to turn it with the necessary freedom. The illustration shows an efficient method of overcoming this difficulty. The two blocks which hold the leg are cut out V shape, which is better than being circular, because legs, etc., of varying sizes can be held in the V, whereas a circular shape cannot be used for many different sizes. The block marked B works in a groove and is secured at the bottom. It can be moved to accommodate different lengths. A strong leather thong is fastened to the base at the back and passes over the leg, being screwed to the front of base. Metal washers are used to prevent the

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Industrial Relations

UBLIC hearings in important industrial centers from New York to San Francisco will be held during the spring and early summer by the United States Commission on Industrial Relations. This announcement has been made by Frank P. Walsh, chairman of the Commission. The hearings will embrace in their scope all the main divisions of the inquiry directed by Congress.

Among the cities that probably will be visited are New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Paterson, Scranton, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Wheeling, Charlotte, Greenville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Nashville, Louisville, New Orleans, Detroit, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Chicago, Houghton, Milwaukee, Madison, St. Louis, Kansas City, St. Paul, Denver, Trinidad, Dallas, Houston or Galveston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Butte and Lead.

Through examination of witnesses competent to speak for employers, trades unions, other labor organizations, unorganized employes and the general public, the Commission hopes to obtain information concerning the idustrial situation that will lead to constructive recommendations.

Some of the subjects to be inquired into in each city are irregularity of employment; possibilities of ending irregularity and increasing production through scientific management; the activities of trades unions and employers' associations; and the extent and operation of governmental machinery for regulating the conditions of industry, including the relations between employers and employes.

Successful methods of maintaining harmonious relations beneficial to both employers and employes will be inquired into particularly, with a view to their adoption in other centers where no such methods have been tried. Eminent authorities in subjects to be included within the scope of the inquiry have joined the staff of the commission and are now aiding in planning the hearings.

Witnesses desired by the Commission will be summoned under the authority granted it by Congress, and volunteer testimony will be welcomed. Announcing the plan for hearings, Chairman Walsh said:

"The commission will carefully avoid acting as a board of mediation and conciliation, and will not allow itself to be drawn into local controversies or recognize such controversies unless in doing so it can obtain information that has more than local and temporary significance.

"Every interest will be given a hearing. The commission will strive to put aside all bias and prejudice. It will urge others to do the same, in the hope that the industrial problem may be studied in the light of reason.

The open mind will be our watchword and we shall endeavor to provide a forum where men representing all factions can meet in the common purpose of finding a way out from bitterness and strife. To accomplish this we shall need the cooperation and help of all concerned. We shall ask those who meet with us at the hearings to come not as employers or employes, but as men belonging to the same human family.

"The hearings are to be undertaken as one means of carrying out the instructions of congress to inquire into the industrial situation and to report our conclusions and recommendations.

"The commission wishes in particular to invite the help of every person who has a constructive suggestion. Such suggestions will be especially welcome when they are supplemented by testimony as to the successful carrying out the ideas they embody."

to present plans the hearings will begin the March.