grain of the lauans gives them a tendency to warp in seasoning, but these woods can be dried satisfactorily with proper methods. Lauan wood is easily worked with tools, glues well, and takes stains and other finishes satisfactorily.

Avodire.

This species, which belongs to the same family as mahogany, is a native of the West African coast. Supplies come principally from the Ivory Coast. The logs reach a diameter of 3 feet; therefore, quartered veneers in reasonably good widths are available. A great many of the logs are rejected in the forest, as only a small proportion yields the figured wood desired in veneers. The most typical figure found in Avodire is a rope figure. The wood is relatively light, cuts well on a veneer knife, dries flat, works with considerable ease, and takes a satisfactory finish.

Ayous.

This West African wood (also called African white wood, obeche, and samba) comes principally from Nigeria and the Gold Coast. The logs that find their way into export run from 28 inches to 5 feet in diameter. The wood is straw-colored, and is usually cut on the quarter to give a stripe pattern. Ayous does not have the depth and luster of primavera, but it is considered a reasonably satisfactory substitute for that wood.

Narra.

This wood grows in the Netherlands Indies and the Philippines. As it appears in our markets, it varies in color from deep red shadings to attractive rose tints. This is known as red narra. Yellow narra ranges through the brilliant browns to golden yellow. When cut on the quarter, the appearance is not unlike that of quartered unfigured satinwood, although the stripes are wider than in satinwood." Orientalwood.

When first introduced into this country, this wood was called Oriental, Australian, or Queensland walnut, and also Australian laurel. The last of these names is probably the best, because this species is of the laurel family. No other foreign wood has in recent years found the market that has been accorded to orientalwood. The appearance of orientalwood varies greatly. It ranges in color from brown to gray, often with vivid pink streaks or an all-over pinkish cast, and frequently contains very dark pigment streaks. A rather large percentage of this wood closely resembles walnut when it is cut on the quarter, and it was as a replacement for walnut that it found its greatest market. Veneers are usually cut on the quarter; and, as the logs are of tremendous size, quarters of excellent widths are available. When the logs were first imported, difficulty was experienced in the cutting because of silica in the wood. Proper technique overcame this difficulty. Orientalwood works up well in panels, having the toughness and strength to keep veneer breakage at a minimum. It takes glue satisfactorily and sands to a clean, smooth surface.

Paldao.

The dao tree is native to the Philippine Islands, Indochina, and the East Indian Archipelago. The wood has been known for a long time, but in recent years it was brought into the American market

under the name of "Paldao." It shows a wide variety and an unusual amount of figure. In color it ranges from gray to reddish brown. Some of the grain markings resemble those of walnut to a marked degree, while others have a resemblance to the markings of zebrawood. On the market the tendency is to use Paldao in much the same way that black walnut is used. The wood is not considered plentiful in any of the range over which it is found.

Primavera.

Primavera comes from southwestern Mexico and Guatemala. Although is has been called "white mahogany," it is not of the mahogany family. Primavera is a very light-colored wood, usually a creamy white. Aside from its light color, the grain of the wood (and very often the figure) closely approximates that of mahogany. When cut on the quarter, the veneers so produced show the typical mahogany figures of plain stripe, broken stripe, and a wide variety of mixtures of stripes, mottles, and fiddleback figures. Primavera is a rather light wood, ranging from 22 to 3 pounds per board foot. Its veneers dry flat, take glue well, and are susceptible to all good finishing procedure.

Sapele.

Sapele is produced on the West African coast. Its sapwood is pale, with a pinkish tint. The heartwood is light red when first exposed to light and air, and on exposure it darkens to a reddish brown. Most of the Sapele logs are cut on the quarter, and they produce a straight stripe which in width is about halfway between the stripe of mahogany and that of satinwood.

Satinwood.

Few woods known today resemble satinwood in depth and richness of texture. This wood comes from Ceylon, East India, and the West Indies. Santo Domingan satinwood, although very scarce, is considered the finest of the satinwoods. At the present time, however, there is practically no West Indian satinwood on the market, and the principal supply comes from India and Ceylon. Satinwood is hard and has long been in the world's markets as a fine cabinet wood. Its weight ranges from 412 to 5 pounds per board foot. As satinwood logs are generally rather small, the veneer dimensions available are narrow. Satinwood is very fine grained, and when cut on the quarter produces a rich stripe. Many satinwood logs also produce veneer that shows a fine mottle or bee's-wing figure. The color of satinwood may vary from a golden yellow to a light golden brown with ripples of light across the surface. Satinwood crotches, although expensive, are a definitely marketable item.

Tigerwood.

This wood, which comes from the West Coast of Africa, has also been known by its botanical name, Lovoa. It varies in color from a dull grayish brown with black streaks to a bright satinwood gold. Cutting on the quarter brings out a strongly striped figure which accounts for its nomen, "tigerwood." In most cases the stripes are narrower than those typical of mahogany, but each stripe stands out with remarkable clarity and depth. The wood is rather light, weighing from 212 to 3 pounds per board foot.

New Guinea Wood.

This wood from New Guinea (also called Guinea walnut) belongs to the same family as Paldao, although it is softer and lighter textured than Paldao. New Guinea wood is often sold as a substitute for orientalwood.

Figure 10. This museum piece is a reproduction of an original gaming table used by Julius Caesar. The artistic matching and blending of French walnut, black French walnut burl, holly, and satinwood show masterly workmanship.

MANUFACTURE OF HARDWOOD PLYWOOD

The manufacture of hardwood plywood is of never-ceasing interest, even to those intimately associated with its processing. The variety of constructions, the types of wood, and the methods of development are extensive and present an ever-changing picture.

Hardwood plywood manufacture divides itself naturally into four stages: (a) The cutting of face veneers; (b) the manufacture of cross-banding veneers and of core stock; (c) adhesives; (d) panel assembly. Of these, face veneer cutting is probably the most intriguing, as every fresh log, burl, stump, or crotch brought to the veneer

mill is something of a mystery until it has been cut. Only the saw, the lathe, or the slicer can confirm or contradict the log purchaser's judgment.

METHODS OF CUTTING FACE VENEERS

Market requirements and the character of the log determine which type of veneer cutting will be employed. There are six of these types: (1) Rotary cutting, (2) half-round rotary, (3) back cutting on rotary lathe, (4) flat slicing, (5) quarter slicing, (6) sawing. In preparation for cutting by any one of the first five methods, the entire log or sections of it are either conditioned in boiling water or steamed for periods of from a few hours to several days, depending upon the hardness and other properties of the wood. There are several exceptions; poplar, basswood, magnolia, and several other woods are cut cold. Logs to be prepared for sawn veneers are not treated.

Logs best suited for rotary and half-round are selected in the log yard. A preliminary cut through the center of a log selected for slicing, back cutting, or sawing gives the flitcher a conception of the real character of the figure. His experience and judgment often determine the type of cutting and the angles at which the cuts are to be made. The nature of the veneer figure depends on his decision. Faulty judgment may result in the production of an average or poor figure from a prized log. Good judgment in cutting enhances the log's value tremendously.

Rotary Cutting.

This is the oldest and most common method of veneer cutting by knife. The log or bolt is mounted on a lathe and turned against a presure bar and a knife with a razor-sharp edge. The operation is similar to unwinding a roll of paper; as the log revolves, the veneer is peeled off in a thin, uniform sheet. Rotary cutting produces a swirly, variegated grain-marking, as the knife edge travels more or less along the arc of the annual growth rings in the tree.

Rotary veneer can be produced in large widths, yielding semimatched veneers as well as one-piece faces.

Half-Round Rotary.

This process is accomplished by means of a lathe similar to that used in rotary cutting, except that a "stay log," an eccentric device, is used. By fastening a half log to the eccentric, it is cut off-center and a wider cutting sweep is obtained than would be possible with the log mounted on the usual lathe centers. As the blade cuts through the annual rings off the line of their arc of growth, the figure is much milder than that obtained in full-round rotary cutting and shows slightly more heart character than that produced by slicing. Adjacent sheets yield a symmetrical pattern when matched. (See fig. 13.) Back Cutting on Rotary.

Cutting of this type is also done on a rotary lathe with the use of a "stay log" "and differs from half-round rotary cutting in that after the log is cut through the center lengthwise, it is fastened to the "stay log" on the bark side. In back cutting the first sheets come from the heart of the tree, or the heartwood, while in half-round the first sheets come from the outside of the tree, or the sapwood. The direc

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Figure 11.-Fine specimens of walnut veneer logs. Note stumps attached. Modern methods of cutting veneer afford close utilization of the tree and also bring out the beautiful figures in the wood, especially those highly prized figures of the irregular portions of the tree, as stumps, crotch, and burl.

Figure 12.-Veneer slicer.

Handles logs up to 16 feet in length. Note pile of cut veneers in

foreground and freshly cut sheet which attendants are removing from beneath blade of

slicer.