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- Michigan Artisan; 1908-06-10
Michigan Artisan; 1908-06-10
- Notes:
- Issue of a furniture trade magazine published in Grand Rapids, Mich. It was published twice monthly, beginning in 1880. and Twenty-Eighth Year-No. 23 JUNE 10. 1905 Semi-Monthly
SATISFIED CUSTOMER
No. 163 SAND BELT MACHINE.
is the best proof that
our Sand Belt Machines
are what we claim for
them.
Other c US tom e r s
claim they do m 0 r e
than we claim for them.
They will do for you
what they have done
for others.
Let us tell you more
about them.
A!kfor
CATALOGUE E.
•
1.~II
:j
i,
j The Best Truck-- The Strongest Truck
WYSONG &. MILES COMPANY, CedarSt.andSou.R.R •• GREENSBORO, N. C.
This is the famousGillette Roller Bearing Factory
Truck-the truck on which it is said, "One man
can move a load of 3000 pounds while with
the other trucks it takes three men,"
This is the truck that is strong where others are
weak-the truck that has an unbreakable
malleable iron fork.
This is the truck YOU are looking for if youwish
to invest in rather than waste money on factory
trucks.
Gillette Roller Bearing Co.
ORAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
The Light•• t Running, _ __
"Lonll •• t L....tlnll Tru,," "
"I
•
~UNS LInE A "WAGON
Our trucks have the large center wheels revolving
on turned, taper bearing axles, just like a wagon.
Eight No
Regular
Sizes
Box
Bearings
Built oLbest materials, Mi~higan hard maple bodies and high grade castings made to special
patterns, our trucks give best returns for your investment. There is nothing about them easily broken
or that mig-ht get out of order. Tust built in quality. Better sendfor ~atalog and pri~es.
Grand R.apids Hand Screw Company
HANC eCREVVS. BENOHES. OLAMPS
918 Jefferson Avenue. GRAND RAPIDS. MICHIGAN
• ---------------- ---.
Here are a few specimens of our Colonial, Glass No~Kum~Loose Knobs
NEW DESIGNS. LOOKS LIKE CUT GLASS. SEND FOR PRICES.
No. 194. Diam'j 1% inches. No. 195. Diam. l~ inches. No. 196. Diam .• 1M inches.
GRAND RA>,;...;.' PIDS BRASS CO.
No. 175. Diam., % inches • GRAND· RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
•
MICHIGAN ARTlSA;\J
These Specialties are used all
Over the World
Veneer Prene8, different kinds and sizes. (Patented)
1
Hand Feed Clueing Machine (Patent
pendin(J.) Many stylel and .izes.
Veneer Presses
Glu~ Spreaders
Glue Healers
Trucks, Etc" Etc. Power Feed Glue Spreading Machine, Single,
I
Double and Combination. (Patented)
(Sizes 12 in. to 84 in wide,)
CHAS. E. FRANCIS & BRO" Main Office and Works, Rushville, Ind, No. 6 G1u.H •• t••. ...._--_._----
• -------_._---------....,
Wood·Working
Machinery
and Supplies
LET US KNOW
YOUR WANTS
,
SPEAKING OF WOOD FINISHING
MARIETTA
STAINS
Marietta Stains not only in-clude
the famous Oil Stains,
first perfected by this com-pany,
but the beautiful Mis-sion
Group and the Acid
Stains. as well as man y
special Stains. Here are the
big sellers:
Golden Oak Oil Stain
MahoQsny Spartan Stain
Old Bnlillish Spartan Stain
Fumed Oak Acid Stain
Cathedral Oak
Early BnQlJsh
Weathered Oak
Anlwcl"p Oak
Flemish Oak
MATERIALS
Has it ever occurred to you to stop and
ask why the Marietta Paint and Color Com-pany
sell more Stains and Fillers than all
other manufacturers of Stains and Fillers
in the United States?
The fame of Marietta Stains and Fillers
has circled the globe.
There must be a reason for this-and
there is.
Marietta Wood Fillers have no equal.
Marietta Stains are used wherever a high
grade and perfect effect is dosired.
THE MARIETTA
PAINT & COLOR CO.
MARIETTA - OHIO
•
,
!..._--------------
MARIETTA
FILLERS
MARIETTA PASTE
\VOOD FILLERS are being
used by thousands of furni-ture
manufacturers with per-fect
results. They are made
from pure silex, thoroughly
ground and treated by a
~pecial process with pure
kettle boiled linseed oil, and
pure linseed oil Japan as a
binder. The ingredients are
treated after a method of
our own invention, which
produces most satisfactory
working qualities. These fil-lers
are made in two grades,
Spartan and Standard.
WHITE PRINTING CO,
I I GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. I I
HIGH GRADE CATALOGS COMPLETE
2 MICHIGAN ARTISAN
Qran~Da~i~sDlow Pi~e
an~Dust Arrester (om~anJ
TUE LATEST device for handling
shavings and dust from all wood-working
machines. Our nIneteen years
experience in this class of worl, has
brought it nearer perfection than any
other system on the market today. 1t
is no eXperi1tlent) but a demonstrated
scientific fact, as we have se'veral hun-dred
of these systems in use, and not a
poor one among tll-ent. OLtr Autmnatic
Furnace Feed System.! as shown i'll, this
cut, is the tJ1..ost perfect toorking device
of anything in this line. Write for our
prices for equipments.
WE MAKE PLANS AND DO ALL
DETAIL WORK WITI-lOUT EX-PENSE
TO OUR CUSTOMERS.
i-.~ ~_O~UR AUTOM_A_TIC FURNACE FEED SYSTEM
,
l
EXHAUST FANS AND PRES-SURE
BLOWERS ALWAYS IN
STOCK.
Office and Factory:
208-210 Canal Street
GRAND RAPIDS. MICll.
Cltlzea. PhODe U.a .- ••
llANO RA
PUBLIC UDlURY
28th Year-No. 23. GRAND RAPIDS, MICH., JUNE 10, 1908. $1.00 per Year.
{
i
Fakes and Real Antique Furniture.
The test of antique furniture, as a dealer remarked, is 110t
the look of it, but the difficulty of hreaking it up. The most
cOllscicntious imitator would hardly have the patience to put
furniture together so permanently as our ancestors did.
Even the current high prices wonld hardly suffice to pay him
for his trouble. Nevertheless, since the test of breaking up
cannot readily be applied, much faked old furniture exists in
this conn try and ahro<1d.
Sir Pllrdon Clarke, director of the lvIetropolitan 1-fnscl1l11of
:Kew York, explains the matter in so far as Elizabethan oak
is concerned, and he speaks here partly in his proper profes-sional
character as architect. According to him gossipy
Horac:;:'. 'Valpole, nearly 150 years ago, \vas responsible for the
first revival of Elizabethan furniture. Harry set l1p imita-tion
gothic fnshions at Strawberry Hill, and all England went
hunting for Elizabethan furniture. As it ''';as discovered that
the village cabinet makers still kne\'" how to build furniture
after the fashion they had iollO\ved in good Queen Bess's
timc, much new Elizabethan furniture was made during' that
revival to supply the deficiency in the original stock.
Then came Sir 'Valter Scott, threescore years ago, and
Iva11hoe started 'l1lOther gotbic fashion-a fashion, says Sir
Purdon, which led in religion to Ritualism, in painting to
Rossetti and Burnc-JollcS, and in furniture to "restorations."
Liknvise all England went
bunting for Elizabethan
furniture again, and the
process of time :having
impaired the supplement-ed
stock left over from the
earlier reviVed, and the
village cabinet makers be-ing
still hand workers and
some of them still quite
Elizabetban in their meth-ods,
a deal more Eliza-betha11
furniture was
made then, S0111e years
ago Sir Purdon went
through England for the
government upon this
matter and paid domicil-
Iary visits in the shires
north, west and south. In
any number of cases it
Sketch by Otto Jiranek. was ql1it(~ impossible to
tell Elizabethan furniture
of the [lrst and second revival from Elizabethan furnitttre
of Elizabeth's own reign. Often IJttt for the latter date
marked on it yOU 'would have sworn that a given piece was
of the original \;intage.
The supply of Elizabethan furniture seemed amply pro-vided
for. But this is not the end. Unscrupulous persons
bribed underlings and attendants, and got photographs of
characteristic pieces. Then these unscrupulous persons set
v.. , ,j
up a factory across the seas in Holland for the making of
more Elizabethan furniture. They are still making it there.
It is shipped to dealers in London who ply a discreet but tidy
trade, They plant the stuff bit by bit in rustic rural places
in the north a11(1\vest of England. The respectable people
who take lodgers in summer give house room also for the
season to a piece of Elizabethan furniture made in Holland.
It poses as a family piece, and is duly provided with a pedi-gree
dating back one knmvs not hO\",' many grandfathers. At
the end of the season, if the piece is unsold, it is retu'rned.
If it is sold, at deep sacrifice of homely sentiment, the dealer
and the respectable vilager divide the profits. The lodger-who
may be an American-takes the piece home, and starts
it all a career as an heirloom.
So, according to a co1-1ector who is a sort of Ulysses
among his kind, the ingenuous Italians prepare Florentine
chests. They plant their modern chests in the sea sand by
the Adriatic, where in a short period they take on the most
admirable look of age and are plentifully rusted as to the
metalwork. Then they are sold to Americans or others as
relics of days mediaeval.
In spite of which sllceessful tricks, according to a Fifth
avenue picture dealer, the American buyer of art objects-as
of other things-is, as a rule, the most intelligent, the least
likely not to know what he is getting when he gets it.-N e\v
York Times,
"Hints on Household Taste" published in 1868 by C.
Eastlake exercised a great influence in America and England.
Eastlake advocated a return to Gothic styles of construction
though greatly improved compared to the earlier examples.
Other styles were gradually discarded and a movement was
made to simplify the Gothic, straight lines exclusively being
used. The c011struction became more perfect and machinery
was largely used for spindles and turnings, After the war of
the rebellion furniture making received a great boom. From
1860 to 1868 the increase was' $68,000,000 or 20 times the
value of 1860. In 1876, at the Centennial Exposition, the
Eastlake or early English style was exploited. The western
factories got their llrst foothold in the east at that time.
I-I. H. Richardson of Boston, this COUlltry's most famous
architect, ,",,"asresponsible for the popularity of the Romanes-esque
style in furniture and in a few years it was generally
adopted. The style lost its beauty in the hands of the men-ufacturers
of the cheaper grades of furniture.
The colonial style is the only one truly American. It is
very beautiful with its combinatioll of strength and simplicity.
The Americans can be proud of the rocking chair, bureau and
chiffonier which are their own invention-then unheard of in
Europe,
Veneering came into general use in the eighteenth century.
4 yIICHIGAK
A Rapid Mortiser.
The \Vysong & Miles Co. having met with stich remarkable
demand for their Automatic MUltiple Mortiser from manufac-turers
of 11 ases on an extensive scale, have l1owproduced the
machine hown in the accom-panying
itlustration to meet the
demand df those who wish to
obtain tble same high resulU,
but whose work does not call
for a machine of so large capa--
city and so expensive a machine
as the automatic 'multiple ma-chine.
This :.ro. 168 machine is
an e,xtrcmely rapid automatic .I
machine and retains all the ad-vantages
of their multiple ma-,-
chine aside from the fact that'it
makes but one mortise at a
stroke. In other words, the
action of the cylinder is auto-matic
and as no clamping of the
material is necessary there is no
loss of time clamping. The in-,.
stantan'eous action of the guage
due to the automatically appear-ing
and disappearing stops e,n-abies
the operator to move the
material to the desired pla~e for
the next mortise the instant the
chisel is withdra .v..n from one, 56
that these square mortises are
made one after the 'lther with
the greatest speed. Special at-tention
is called to five points of
merit:
1. Its speed is only' lirhited
by the speed of the operator.
2. There is no neces.sity ,of
marking off the places for the
mortises.
3. There is no clamping of;"
the material neces3ary. This
alone saves two-thirds of the-operator's
time.
4. The chisdbeing in a verti-cal
position, the operator can
more closely observe the .work
and see the chisel as it enters
the work.
5. The movement is automa-tic
by power, Hlus working with
the greatest rapidity with which
the chisel can be. passed into th~
wood. '
The chisels are threaded at
the shank so that the chiscl may be instantly awl, accurately
set in or out to suit the bit and this is far sUpe'r1()r to plain
shank fastened by the set '"5crev.r.
Without the chisel, which is quickly. removed',- i,t ~js'all
excellent Automatic Boring Machine,accomplish\ng, its work
with extreme rapidity and automatically spacing' d:(' holes.
A more complete description of· tbis jm.1-c,-"lin~:l11ay1?e.,had
from the manufacturers,' T-h~ \Vysong ~&-Mile's.Co.,. Cuiar St;
and Southern Railroad', Greensboro, N. ·C. ' ~ .. , '. ,- .
ARTISAN
The Henry s~Holden Veneer Co.
No. 23 Scribner street, Grand Rapids, make a speciality of
binI's eye maple. This company carries a large stock of
beautifully figured bird's eye, besides a large stock of fine
Th~S~jeofMoh~ir ...
The production of mohair is ':b~c.om-ing~:n,.irol}Orta:qtindus..:.
tryon the P~ci~~. c:~ast. Tile gqa,t YV{.~~:t:S,;U~ll~ll'..pYo. .at:their' ~
clips and derive a decided advantage therefrom ·in the, IT)-?king,:
of sales. The Lebanon (Qrego.n).po,ol, disposed of the clip of
3,000 goats, rceen,tly fOf 180 C(~ntsper pOjlnd.
___ ." •. ' ,._. c;,_. ~.,':;''j •• ), ~,
•
figures in mahogany, walr~ut; quartered oak and birch. In
quartered oak they have about a half million feet of fine
veneers cut, 1-20 inch, which is much heavier stock than
many othe:rs make. They ask all furniture manufacturers
visiting Grand Rapids to call and inspect their stock. They
also carry in' stock birch and popular crossbanding and rotary
c~-t qak; also birch, maple, basswood, popular and gum
dra~~r bottoms. , Scdbncr ,'or \Vcst Leonard cars pass all the
le:a'dil~ghotels and take you: right to the door of this company,
not more', than five or six'minutes ride. Henry S. Holden
ha~ been in 'the've·neer.business many years, and knows what
is; best in· e,;erythill:g .in· v~l1e'ers, and has the stock.
. "The Spartiv,'tds w~rc partial to silver furniture in the four-t~
elltli. cen'tury. KGlgEdward the first's coronation chair is
c1~~~acteristic of 'tJle period with its rich gilt.
'-J
MICITIC;\I\
SPIEGEL A PHILANTHROPIST.
Proposes that Food be furnished Children of Podr Attending
Schools.
I
11,'1. ]. Spiegel, the chief of the big furniture establishment
bearing his name, located at 182 \Vabash Avenlle, Chicago,
has a heart filled with human kindness, and his ~lOvelllellt in
the board of education for furnishing food to poor children
attending the schools, is characteristic of the man. His plan
is to obtain an a11llUal appropriation which win' enable the
hoard to properly feed school children who do not receive the
right nourishment at home. I
It has the approbation of almost every chari~abk society
in the city and is now being ·worked out in a schobl by one ot
these organizations at its own expense. ~dr. Speitel advances
the belief that if the board could afford to furnish Isome of the
children with nourishment they do not get at horq.e the entire
educational plane of this class of pupil would be liaised.
A resolution setting out these ideas, presented ro the board
members, was referred to the school management committee
for consideration.
"I believe if these children 'were given good; substantial
food such as milk, bread and butter and \vholesqme meats a
great deal of good could be accomplished," said Il'vIr. Spiegel
to-day. "It is among the poorer classes \vhere i low menta!
conditions are found. It is the lack of .nourishrnent of the
proper kind that causes this. T~lis plan' is now :being prac-ticed
in other large citieo;-and 1 believe it should'be installed
]1 ere. The backward children are nDt oply harmfll] to their
own advancement but to the advancem~nt of children \\lho
have to asssociate in the class, rooms vVlth them.~'
The preamble and resolution offered by 1Jr. Spiegel
follows:
Vv'hereas. In certain sections of our ,city the: educational
work in the public schools is very greatly hampered ,:llld the
progress of all the pupils is seriously retarded, b(~cause of the
impoverished condition, mental and phys.ieal, of ~ome of the
pupils (entitled to public school advantages), d~le to want,
lack of nourishment, and the absence of proper care; and
\Vhereas, It is the opinion of th.ose expert inlthe conduct
of public educational systems that to alleviate suell conditions
is to promote the efficjency of the schools jn a most far-reaching
a11(l beneficial manner; therefor<=:. be it~
Resolved, It is the sense of. this board· that i~ cause to be
made a thorough and exhaustive investigation into such C011-
ditions, together with the best remedie·s to bei adopted to
!\RTISAN 5
remove Or relieve them, including what has been done in
other large publie sehool educational centers, -and also ,'v hat
legal restrictions and powers apply to this board and con-cern
this subject matter.
The American Blower Co.
The steady growth of the business of the American
Blmver Company, of Detroit, has made it necessary to
inerease their foundry facilities, and they have recently pur-chased
the foundry operated by the Northwestern Foundry
and Supply Company, manufacturers of cast iron soil pipe
and fittings and plumbers' specialties. This foundry will be
operated in the manufacture of castings, blowers, exhaust fans
r WOOD FINISHI~G
•
MATERIALS
FILLERS. STAINS. POLISHES. ETC.
t]I If in trouble with finishing materials, now is the
time to let us put you right.
f:[ We match all sample~ submitted and fill all
orders promptly.
GRAND RAPIDS WOOD FINISHINGCO.
55-59 Ellsworth Ave .• GRAND RAPIDS. MICH.
engines and heaters, and will dispose of all the soil pipe and,
fitting patterns and foundry equipment complete, also a large
stock of finished pipe, fittings, belltraps, etc" to the right
party at a genuine bargain. Here is a chance to make some
money.
Royal White Maple Polishing Varnish.
The Royal Varnish Compal1Y, of Toledo, have recently
brought out a white maple polishing varnish which several
of the leading Grand Rapids furniture manufacturers, after a
thorough test, have prOlLoutlced the whitest and finest polish-ing
varnish on the market. There is 110t a particle of resin
in this varnish and it dries to recoat every other day, and can
be rubbed and polished in four or five days, For plain white
and birdseye maple it is very useful. Samples for testing will
be furnished. , -----+------------------------.
The Universal Automatic
CARVINO MACHINE
=== PRRFORMS T·HR WORK OF ===
25 HAND
CARVERS
And does the Work Belter than it can be Done bl' Hand
------- MADEBY-~-----
UnIOn [MBOSSlno MACUlnr Co.
Indianapolia. Indiana
Write lor Information, Prices Elc. • ---.-------------.---_. __ -..i•
6
FURNISHING THE BUNGALOW.
MICHIGAN
The Plainest of the Plain the Rule to Follow.
"As plain as poverty" is a simile quite out of date. As a
matter of fact, persons with full pocket books are now among
the most eager purchasers of house draperies, furniture and
wall coverings of the plaine,st description.
For the moment the plainest of the plain is the fashion in
the country houses morc or less removed from the bcatca
Toutes of travel. Also cottages, camps and bungalows more
or less secluded are tremendously in favor.
So far as appearance goes a man of fortune and a book-keeper
earning $2,000 or less a 'year are now housed alike in
some, parts of the north woods and in nearer districts of
New England. The former uses his primitive-apparently
primitive-habitation for perhaps two weeks. in the year; the
latter sends his family up for a three, months' stop. That's
one difference between the two cottages.
Another difference is in the, cost of furnishing-the two
with apparently the same results. In one instance a force of
men from a New York establishment
noted for fitting out caUl/try places in
suitable and picturesque fashion arrived
on the scene and did up the job; did it
well, too. There was no glitter, no silk-cn
tapestry, no gilded furniture" no pink
and blue French effect in drawing room
or elsewhere in this two story bungalow
situated six miles from a railroad station,
near a mountain lake and surrounded
with first growth trees.
The furnishings of the house matched
the surroundings as perfectly as though
the turf, the water of the lake, the
leaves and bark of the trecs, the mould
of the wagon road had been carried to
New York and matche,din the shops.
The latest fad, the decorator told the
owner, is to furnish mountain cottages
so as to give the, effect of severe simplic-ity.
"Rough finish, brown tones, materials
of coarse fibre, woods showing the nat-ural
grain and all absence of paint are
considered more stylish than convention-al
fabrics, polished woods, satin papers
and the like," the decorator said-said it
doubtfully, knowing his customer, when
he took the job.
('Go ahead," was the answer he got.
He went ahead, with the results de-scribed,
Which were obtained at a cost of
several thousand dollars. Visitors to
that' bungalow last summer raved about its artistic furnish-ings-
when told who the decorator was.
The same effects, fortunately for the man who sends his
family to the wilds for economy's sake and is in the habit of
giving high priced decorators a wide berth, can be had. at
comparatively small expense if one knows what to buy. Ma-terials
heavy, durable, quiet toned may be had in the shops for
half a dollar a yard which challenge in style goods costing
half a dozen dollars a yard. The effect of the one is mostly
stylish as the effect of the other, although the one is nlostly
flax, the other mostly raw silk. Here is the story of the
furnishing of a bungalow set up by a young married couple
handicapped by having an income which would scarcely be
enough to keep the wife of the wealthy bungalow owner in
hats!
The bungalow, in the first place, was not built by them or
for them. They lighted on it one day in taking a trip across
lakes in the Adirondacks. At one time, they were told, it
.
ARTISAN
was the headquarters of the foreman of a lumber camp.
By building an extension kitchen and servants' rooms the
house would have enough space to accommodate half a
dozen persons, they decided, and for a nominal sum the young
husband got a lease of the house, for three years. Early the
next spring he and his wife appeared in the vicinity and pro-ceeded
to make the house one of the most admired in a
neighborhood of rich men's camps. \-Vhat the>.' did anyone
ean do.
An astonished workman was engaged to rough plaster the
walls. He was hurt whcn his sugg.e.stiOl1of smoothly plas-tered
white. walls was "'iaived aside.
"The roughest plaster you can mix, and only a trifle light-er
in tint than common mortar." was the order.
"Vhen finished the color was a cross between a brown and
a gray, and the rough uneven effect was attractive. Common
'''iood stained in a dark oak color was used in all the rooms
in crossed four inch wide strips in the ceilings to give a lat-tice
effect, through which cottld bc seen a smooth white plas-tered
ceiling. There was not one inch of wall paper in the
house.
Floors and doors were stained in an
oak color. In the rich man's bungalow
much of the furniture was full of angles
and had an unpolished surface. Dull
finished, angular furniture predominated
in the bungalow of the young couplc,
much of it made on the spot. Thus in
the living room there was a three and a
half foot wide and six foot long settee
finished with a high back and arms,
which the owner knocked together with
the aid of a workman, and which is a
joy to the eye.
It harmonizes perfectly with three or
four massive, well made pieces of mis-sion
furniture sent up from New York,
and is more pieturdque than any settee
shown in the ).Jew York shops. The
seat cushions are of dull green arras
cloth, rough and stylish, which ean be
purchased for $1.25 a yard. It is fifty
inches wide.
So judicious is the mixture of hea\'y
well made pieces of furniture from good
shops with heavy roughly made pieces
made on the premises that the average
visitor puts the entire, outfit down ::is
having come from a city establishment.
"Where one can go out and cut down
saplings without saying 'by your leave,'
the possibilities for putting together ar-tistic
bits of furniture are immense," the
tenant explained. "I was lucky enough
good carpenter in this neighborhood who
give mc a couple of hours work now and
Sketch by Otto Jiranek.
to find a pretty
would and could
then."
The underpinning of his table is made of young trees strip-ped
of their bark and' stained walnut color. The top is
made of smooth board fitted by a carpenter and then stained.
The table was built in the r00111and can't ever be taken out.
The dining chairs came from a city shop find are of dull fin-ish,
walnut tint.
Window seats, small settees, odd benches and stools made
on the premises are in most cases an improvement on the best
grade mission designs from the best shops. In all the sleep-ing
rooms woven wire metal cots sent from New York were
chosen by the young couple instead of iron bedsteads. When
these arrived they were reinforced with a headboard and a
footboard made of lattice work of small branches stripped of
bark and treated with a white varnish. Even after paying a
carpenter to do most of the work the m01!cy saving was con-
MICHIGAN ARTISAN 7
,
i ROYAL WHITE MAPLE POLISHING VARNISH
White-the Emblem of Purity--our White Maple Polishing Varnish is Pure-and the
WHITEST GOODS on the market. It dries to recoat every other day; can be rUbbed
and polished in four to five days. Ask for testing samjle.
ROYAL VARNISH COMPANY
---_._---T-O-L-E-D-O, OHIO •
siderable and the results ·were far and away beyond what the
best iron bedsteads could give.
Chairs and settees and divans l]ad plenty of cushions, hut
then~ were 110 upholstered pieces of furniture in the home.
The cushion materials, cO\1ch draperies, portieres and rugs
were selected \,,1ith an eye to the strictest economy compati-ble
,~-ithstyle.
Shaiki rugs with two~toncd color effects in plain designs
are not expensive although the suggest oriental rugs of ten
times the value. These and other makes devoid of decided
patterns, presenting rather mottled effects in greens or in
golden browns, or dark browns, or dull reds, or any other
subdued tint, were chosen simply because such designs are
among the latest styles for country retreats of persons of
means and artistic leanings.
Then as to draperies. ~Ionk cloth-a heavy, rather rough,
loosely woven material, fifty inches wide, in all sorts of fol-iage
greens and brow11s, is among the best of the fabricR
whith combillc hemp and wool in the weave and are popular
for portieres and couch covers, and it costs only $1.50 a yard.
Then there is heavy burlap in eents and browns and greens,
which costs $1 and less a yard. There is Mocha canvas at
50 cents a yard and Guildhall tapestry at 75 cents, both of
which are fifty inches wide. and can be had in all sorts of art
colors.
Caracas cloth, a variety of whlch lS a soft ecru drab color,
is among the best and most stylish of the 50 cent, fifty inch
"vide materials for either couches or doors, and among the
window and door draperies of newest design is 1\Jaracaibo
lattice in green, brown, old bille, red and other shades at
$1.75 a yard. Similar to this is Castlebon lattice, fifty inches
wiele and costing 75 cents a yard.
In the cottage referred to the 1vlaracaibo lattice was used
almost entirely for sofa pitlow covering, the mesh of the
weave, not unlike the old fashioned sampler canvas, offering
a chance to introduce coarse fancy stitches of contrasting
color.-New York Sun.
Expanding the Exposition Idea.
A jobber of Iowa suggests that manufacturers and jobbers
be invited to exhibit their lines to attendants upon the next
convention of the retailers of furniture held in that state. Any
little old town in Iowa could furnish several hundred acres
of floor space for the accommodation of the exhibitors. The
scheme is better than a three ring circus, where the spectators
see many acts, but fail to remember or enjoy any feature of
the performances.
Engaging in Market Gardening.
Quite a number of former employes of manufacturers of
furniture in Grand Rapids llavc[)urchased small tracts of
land in the suburbs and engaged in market gardening. An
independent livelihood is assured and yet considerable time
will be afforded for work in the factories when needed,
Will Represent the Bavarian.
H. F. Huntly, an old-time furniture supply salesman, haS'
engaged with the United Bavarian Looking Glass Company
Sketched by Otto Jlranek, Grand Rapids, Mich.
as their representative in Michigan. Mr. Huntly is widely
a.nd favorably knmvn in the trade.
Forty-five Hours.
One of the largest furniture manufacturing corporations
in Grand Rapids increased .the working time of their men
from thirty-six. to forty-five hours per week on Junc 1.
Nearly a full force is employed.
Vve think fine modern furniture is expensive, but what
·would we tlljl)k of paying a sum of $45,000 for a table of
thyme wood as Cicero is said to have done?
8 MICHIGAN
p-EL-
(TRACE: MARK REGISTERED)
ARTISAl\
PAINT AND VARNISH REMOVER Things don't grow without nourishment. Manufacturers do not increase their
facilities unless there is a growing demand to supply. In point of sales, Ad·el·ite Paint
and Varnish Remover is tar ahead of any similar preparation on the market and
our new, thoroughly eq1.lipped plant enables us to give better service than ever before.
You will find that Ad·el·ite contains more energy to the gallon, has fewer dis-agreeable
features and brings better results than anything you can get. Eats down
through any number of old coats of hard paint, varnish, wax, shellac or enamel
leaving the surface in perfect condition for refinishing.
Send for Free Sample.
STA.E CHICAGO
.. •
Jor.es in Politics.
Cyrus E. Jones of the 'Jamestown Table Company was
elected a delegate to the Chicago convention to nominate a
candidate for president. In mentioning his election the
Jamestown Post said:
"1fr. Jones has for years been a prominent figure in the
politics of this community and has aided many men in their
own political ambitions without ever seeking any public
honors for himself. He has not only been devoted to Rept1b~
lican success but he has given generous assistance in many
a civic movement and in many an industrial enterprise for the
good of the city 'of Jamestown. It is not surprising that so
loyal a friend should have had the support at Olean of a large
and energetic delegation from this city. The selection of Me
Jones is a fitting recognition of the merits of a worthy man
of business whose ideals arc lofty and whose purposes arc
commendable."
The Muskegon Carving Co.
The 11uskegon CarvingCo.mpany have recently removed
to Lowell, ~lich where with increased facilities they are pre-pared
to turn out aU kinds of furilit-ilre wood carvings. Their
catalogue shows a great varietyoLdesigns, suitable for all
kinds of furnitme, wood mantels, interior wood finishing, etc.
They', are prepared to fill orders promptly, from original
designs of their own, or from sketches furnished irom the
pencils of other designers. Manufacturers will do well to
correspond 'with this company.
A Valuable Table.
At a sale of the art collection of the late l\rlarchioness of
Conyngham in London many valuable artides' were disposed
of. Among them was a French table in Louis XVI style.
The table was oblong i~ shape of tulip wood with a reversible
top inlaid with sprays of flowers in marqueterie and an ebony
and ivory chess board in the ceutre and decorated with twen-ty-
two square plaques of old Sevres porcelain, which sold for
2,205 pounds.
Damaged by an Explosion.
Colby & Sons furniture store in Chicago was badly dam-aged
recently by an explosion. while workmen ,were repairing
the gas meter. Several employes of the firm were injured
by flying bits of glass. The damage amounted to $45,000.
The use of chairs extends so far back into antiquity that
110 definite elate can be named. Egyptian wall paintings of
1400 B. C. show chairs not much different in style to those of
OUf own day.
Every
Purchaser
Satlsfied
There's a
Reason
HARD-WOOD
FRAMES
MAlLE-ABLE
IRON
CA.UINGS
Duplicate
and
Triplicate
Orders
THE One-half
Our Trade MICHIGAN
TRUCK
M.M.&
L.Co.
HOLLY,
MICH.
.ow
MICHIGAN AH.TIS!\.N ._~_._----_._-------------_._---
WOOD-WORKING MACHINERY AT BARGAIN PRICES.
Hav!n~ purchased the entire Elkhart, Ind., plant of the HI1D1phreyBookcase Co., we are offering al bargain prices the following A~l woodworking tools:
Band taw, 32 in. Crescent.
Band IIlW, 36 in. CI"el!~Rt.
Ba.nd saw, 26 in. Silver, iron lilting table.
Back~kDife]al~, Wbitney.
Borioll' machine. 72" a-spindle Andrews.
Bonnllmachine, 3_spLndle horizontal.
Borel', No. 2\ bench, Slaler & M,u.deD.
Boring'machine. No. Z}\i Gement hon-umIat.
Carver, 3-spindle. with coulIlershaft.
Cabinetmakers' 8i\W, double cut-off.
Chair \>ending press, Swartz,
Chamfet aliter with iron frame, taYe 48
:dOLati~n.
EdHin~ saw, 36~ll:18! with aaw arbor.
Cut-off /laW machine, Clement double
Glue jointer, Ml'en. with COunle(Bhaf!. jilt saw, complele with regularequLpmenL
moter, MyeN glue.
Jointer, 20 in. Porter hand_
Cwr.espondence solicited, Price
and de~ccipbQn on application.
Jointer, 8 in. hand with 4-~ided head.
Knife grinder. 32 in. Buffalo automatic.
Lathe. Whitney bacl.:_knife with counter-shah.
Lalhe, Trevor automatic 41 2\1 between
centers.
Lathe, 14 in. cabinetmaker's EIl~n.
Moulder, 14 in. Hermance, 4-sid"J.
Molder. sinlil'.hd. Smith. F-6 with 4 in.
4-s1'ld hd.
Moulder, styleF-6 Smith, one side 'With
cap sash.head.
Mortisei' and baret, double-end automatic.
Morbset and borer, Co.burn imp. blind
.tyle.
Planer. 30 in. Clement sinllle cylinder.
Planer and matcher, 24" ~inllle cylinder
4_roU, matches 141 J. A. Fay,
Planer, gnll. cyL surface 20xO to 6 in.
Con'l &. D.
Rip saw tab~. with counte:n.haft and saw.
Rounder, two_spindle with. countersh~ft.
Rod, pin and dowel machine No.2.
Smith, with heads
Rod a.nd dowel machine No.2, Elil'aIl
power feed.
Shapero sinllie spind. Co1laday with fric-tion
C. s.
Swinll saw. eomplete with saw and r~.
equip.
Sander. two_spindle with counter.lhaft.
Sander, 36 in. Columbia triple-drum_
Sander, 42 in. Columhia triple-drum.
Sti.::lcer,14! Hermance with rellular equip.
Sander, 30 in three_drum £\ilan.
Saw table, 38x63 in. woOO.top.
SawfIlble, 29x30ill. cul-olf, rip and 8 in
laW.
Scroll saw, iron h. wood top, Cord'sm'n
& Ellan.
Saw table, 3Ox48 in. with. s1idinlil'\liUlli!""
ShaPero .illile-SPindle. table 37x42 in ,
£¥an.
Sander, Young's new edlle. iron frame
and lop.
Stave bolt equalizer wilh two }O'I saws·
T ru~k~. 38 miscellaneous fa~!()ry trucks_
Tenoner, AmeriCllon double end.
Tenoner, stnare ~ C<mJesman & Ea-an
with cut-off attachment.
Tel1Ouer, &eU-feed blind :e\at. J. A. Fay.
T efl9ner, 6" double head, H. B. Smith.
Tenoner. hand-feed blind slal.J A. Fay.
T enoner, self-feed adiufta.be blind slat.
Twi€t machine. SbawYer.1 28 in. tent .•
10 in. SWIil'.
Woodworker. Pa.rks combined lathe, rip
and cut-off saw. s!lape,r. ele.
-C-. -C.-W-O_RM.._ER-M-A-CH-INERY CO., 98West Woodbridge SI" Detroit, Mloh.
A Handsome Chamber Chair.
Harry Jordan, president of the, IvIichigan Chair Company,
is a chair maker by .inst.inct and indination. He has been
engaged in the business of making and marketing chairs so
many years that their making is the easie.st proposition imag-inable.
It is said that he would rather l11"ke a wood scat
chair with a pocket knife than to dig ten acres of potatoes
on his very productivl:'· farm on \Val1oon lake. Some \veeks
ago a husiness engagement brought him to the plant of the
\l\rbite Printing Company. The fast Hll1Jling machilJ(;,ry used
for many purposes i·n tbe printing art attracted incidental at-te.
nticn, but when his eye rested UpOll a Colonial wood seat
chair, worked out by hand by a mechanic of 1830, other thing's
in the factory interested him no more. He read the history
of the chair and its maker at a glance. Its impexfect con-struction
did not conceal a beautiful idea in its dC3ign, amI
MT. Jordan developed a longing for the chair that nothing
but its possession would satisfy. The chair was seen in his
carriage one morning and the roadster Ivlr. Jordan drove \'\'as
headed hWl<Lrdthe factory of tbe 1\licbjgan Chair Company.
Designer ;,rash joined President Jordan, Treasurer Garrett
and the selling force of the company then in the city in a
discussion of the qualities of the chair, and then it \vas placed
in the room of the desig·ner. A new chair W;tS brought out
in which the best features of the old were incorporated. Tbe
sample is a beautiful specimen of the, chair makers' art and
when the fall season opens in the latter part of the current
month it would be safe to ,vagtr the. company's factory
against a dilapidated; box car that it will he ;l hot scHer.
Mechanics of ~he Future.
111 an addres:;. deliver'ed at :l111Cdil;g of the 1Ianttfaetur-crs'
Association of Grand Rapids, held rec(:ntly, R \V. BUt[(:i--
field, president of the Grand RaJlids Chair Company, re-called
the years wben 'furniture was made at horne, when the
track' of the fatll~.r was taught to the sons from generation to
generation. \'lith the advent of ","ood '''iorking machilH~ry
the village cabinet shop of years gone by disappearc.<l, like-
\vise the apprenlice system. In the main the IT'tanagers of
the great plal;t3 of tile preflent learned the trade of their
fatbers or umlcl' the apprenticeship system. Speciali;tatioil
prevails in the factories and the managers of tbe future will
be, products of foreign lands unless a general :movemcnt
shall be 'inaugurated at once having for its purpose' the train-ing
and preparation of. young n~ell for positions of responsi-bility
and trust. !!.lr. Butterfield ~HJvocated the adoption
of manual training and trade schools 8S a part of the educa-tional
system of this country in order to provide the mecban-ics
and managers of the factories of the future.
Furniture is first mentior:ed in the hook of Genesis.
;.Joah's ark was mack of gopher wood.
•
Irwin ~n ..he Chair.
At the annual meedng of the ~Janufacturers' Association
of Grand Rapids, held on the night of May 27, R. \V. Irwin
of the Royal Furniture Company, "fitled" the toastmaster's
chair mentally and physically, greatly to the pleasure of tho..,·~
present. The prindpal address .vas deliveredby R. W. But-terilcld,
president of the Grand Rapids Chair Company. D.
VV. Tower of the Grand Rapids Brass Company was re-elect-ed
president, and D. H. Brown of the Century Furniture
Company vice president. In Grand Rapids the makers of
furniture arc eyer found fLrst and foremost in every move
ment in3ugurated for the c.ommou goocL
Annual Outing.
The Cincinnati Furniture Exchange will eat, drink and be
merry at Carthage, 0., on Jl1l~e 27. .--------------_.-..
MORRIS WOOD·& SONS
20th G6nturu Gutt6r Grind6r
For grinding solid steel cutters or cutter heads.
Grinds every tooth alike so that all teeth cut and cutters
are in perfect balance. Does not require a skilled hand
to keep your cutters in perfect order. We make the
cutters also Write today for full particulars and
price to the mattufactur~rs.
MORRIS WOOD & SONS,
2714-2716 W. Lake St., Chicago, 111.
h- . . ._~ __i
10 MICHIGAN
Boss Pays for Broken Bones.
\~lhell is an employer responsible in damages for accidents
to his employes? is a question which has been filling the
dockets of state and national courts above almost any other
one cause of litigation.
Chicago aiolie averages 20,000 accidents a year which are
grave enough to call for police I"c])orb.. As the chief indus-trial
city of the nation, the proportion of these accidents du~
to the operation of its industries and its lines of transporta-tion
is enormous. These 20,000 ac'cidents a year, too, are by
no means the fuHlist out of which action for damages against
employers may come. Hundreds of them are not reported
to the police.
The English common law lies at the bottom of the doc-trine
of liability of the employer, though decisions of the
courts and statutes framed more definitely in determining
the employes' rights have served to modify this common law
acceptance in many respects. Some states here and there
have overturned the principles of the common law by express
statute, but in a general way this ,bearing of the common law
rights of the e.mployc is observed.
Of the general situation Dr. Lindley D. Clark has said in
a recent bulletin of the bureau of labor: "The great volume
of litigation on
the subject has
not affected re-sults
of a corlclu-sive
character-mainly,
perhaps,
because of the
fact that it is
largely an effort
to de,termine the
boundaries be-tween
the risks
assumed untler
the law by an in-jured
employe
and the unlo.wful
negligence of the
employer in cau-sing
or permit-ting
dangerous
conditions to ex-ist.
The defini-tions
of these
factors 0 f ten
have not been ac-curately
drawn, nor have those formed been so generally ac-cepted
as to secure uniformity.
"Again, the view forme.rly prevalent favored the entire
assumption of risk by the employe, while the gradual growtb.
of the doctrine of thc duty of his protection by the employer
has given rise to a variety of decisions and statutory enact-ments,
with the result that we now have in the United States
a body of law and practice that is in effect largely of the
nature of a compromise."
This question of the liability of the employer largely rises
out of circumstances which point to the employer's indiffer-ence
to preventive measures which would protect the em-ploye.
That measure of prevention generally is determined
as sufficient if it may he shown that the preventive is such as
the employer himself might use if he were working in the
place of thc employe. In the case of corporations the su-preme
Court at Washington has held that such caution and
foresight as careful, prudent officers ought to exercise for pro-tection
of employes should read the corporation clear of neg-ligence.
But while courts of review have discountenanced instruc-tions
of the lower court which have seemed to impose great-e.
r than ordinary precaution upon the employer, the determi-nation
of this (rordinary" precaution depends almost entirely
Sketch by Otto Jiranek.
ARTISAN
upon the nature of the employment. The switchmen in the
great railroad yards of Chicago are e.ntitled to more measures
of protection than are necessary in the same road's yards in
a country tow11; miners in a gaseuos coal mine are entitled
Sketch by Otto Jiranek.
to more pre.ventive measures against accident than arc miners
in the pit where no gas arises.
In a line of work where ordinarily the risk is slight, the
duty of precautions on the part of the employer be.comes un-usually
emphatic if suddenly a temporarily dangerous condi-tion
arises. Some of the specific findings as to liability
under certain circumstance.s are cited by the bureau of labor
as interesting in their bearings.
Where a dangerous occupation has been reasonably modi-fied
by precautionary measures, the employer still must bear
in mind that youth and inexperience in the work may make it
peculiarly dangerous for the young person.
If a scaffolding be the place of working for the employe,
the employer is responsible for its materials, construction,
maintenance, and the ~afeguards which shall be ordinarily
reasonable. But Han occasion require that thee employe
construct a scaffold -as an appliance not in general use, an
injury res.ulting may leave the employer blameless.
New devices that tend to better work and greater safety
constantly are disarranging the perspectives as to the em-ploye,
rs' liability. A new tool or new machine which comes
out effecting these things naturally cannot be forced into
superseding old tools and machines that are reasonably safe.
But their existence may tend to exaggerate an employer's
liability in the eyes of a jury.
The cost of such innovations enter into account, however.
If it is shown that to adopt these devices entails a prohibi-tory
cost, the old devices necessarily are reasonable. As in
the Alabama case of accident caused by a low bridge, it was
shown by the defendant railroad that a new and modern
structure not only would have entailed great expense. to the
company but to have built a birdge sufficiently high would
have caused lasting
inconvenience to the
general public.
One of the first re-quirements
of the
employer is that he
shall provide reason-ably
safe tools. If
through time and
long use these tools
become unsafe with-out
impressing the
fact upon thE:, worker
the- employer's liabil-ity
inc-reases. The
-employe may notify
the employer of the
situati.on and the em-ploye,
r may hire a
third party to put the
machines and tools in
Sketch by Otto Jiranek. condition. But if a
MICIJIGAN
--------_._------------------.,
ARTISAN 11
•I
Any Practical Mechanic
appreciates the importance of simplicity in machinery.
Our No.5 Table Leg Machine
is far sl:IperiOl \.n siml)\idt)' 0\ cOlistnu:tlol1 over any other make of
machine, )'et emhodies all the latest improvements, special attention being-called
(0 the Cutter-head, the Variable Friction Feed and the OacillatiltK
Cauiage.
COll~ic1erthe above, and thell bear in mine] that this machine tl.1nlS
round, actng-nn, hexagon, square Of any other shape, all with the same
cutterhead. Also, that one man ,..ith it can (10 the work of six or eight
hand turners-and we guarantee the work to be satisfactory.
Don't you need sllch a machine? Then write
c. Mattison Machine Works
~. 863 Fmb Street. BELO.IT, WISCONSIN. , • _.J
preventable accident occurs, foHowing this worK the employ-er
may not shieH himself behind his agent.
But liability follows only when the employe is llsing tools
and machinery or working in a position to "vhich his duties
as an employe sent him. If of his o\vn volition he leaves a
machi.ne at which he has been working and undertakes to
run another machine aod is injured, he has no recourse.-
Jonas Howard.
HAWAIIAN MAHOGANY.
O. J. Barker Approves of Its Quality for the Making of Fur-niture.
"The Hawaiian :"lahogany Company has ·the goods," was
the, terse remark made by O. J. Barker of the firrn of Barke~..
Brothers of Los Angeles, the biggest futlliture firm of the
west. when asked what be thought of the Ha"vaiian wood for
the furniture trade, and "...hat prospects the company had.
"The Hawaiian Mahogany Company has the goods, all
right ..but they 'want to get busy. There are furniture makers
in Chicago and Grand Rapids waiting for that material. There
are piano makers all over the L~nion who will "vant lots of it.
Quarter-cut oak is bringing $92 a thousand, and the experts
figure that there are only thirty years' supply in ~ight. Af-rican
mahogany brings $96, and the dealers are glad to pay
that for it to get it. A Seattle firm has just made a contract
with mahogany men in the Philigpines at $96, and glad to do
it. The Hawaiian company has the goods to sell, just the
kind the cabinetmakers are scouring the earth after.
"Now, they waut to get in modern machinery and put their
wood on the market. They ought to get some experts to
point out \-vhere they arc wa~til1g valuabie material, too. I
saw material that they at(~ going to sell by the foot that is
generally sold by the pound, the finest kind of wood for ve-neers.
I don't want to talk too much, but yOU can say that
that company certainly bas the goods."
:"'1r. Barker is enthusi.astic in his praise of the quality of
the cabinet material being taken out by the koa lumberers of
Hawaii. He is an expert in woods and from what he has to
say regarding his trip to Hav,,'aii it is probable that he has
closed a contract for a supply of koa. He. would not con-flnn
this, however, rekrri.ng the i.ntervi.ewer to the company's
managers.-PacificAdvertiser, Honolulu.
All About It,
Having spent ten days in England, Editor Nind of the
Journal will spend the next ten years in relating his obser-vations
and experiences "in the old ,vorld."
ART ON THE SAFE DOOR.
Should There Be a Rural Scene Painted on the Strong Box?
"1 wonder if anyone can tell me why it is customary to
paint on the Iront cloor of a safe some sort of a rural scene?"
he asked as he left the business office. "Almost all safes
ha\'e a lake with a couple of trees in the background or else
Sketched by Otto Jiranek, Grand Rapids, Mich.
a field with a stake and rider fence emblazoned on the door.
"Perhaps it is to give the idea that peace and quiet of the
country type are to be found within the safe. There may
be some idea of soothing the mind of the beholder doubly.
Just ,,,,here the custom started I do not know and what the
significance is also is unknown to me."
A furniture store has beell started in 1·farshfield, Oregon ..
by Perry, Montgomery & Co.
12 MICHIGAN
VENEER IN THE PLANING MILL
There is today mort interest manifestt:d by not only arch-
{tecL~,but the general building.public as well, as to ho".·..wood
work in a job of milt \-york or anything -of the ki11{l-matches
tip and harmonizes, It doesn't do now to .ma'ke part of a .iob
out of one kind of oak, for exan:ple, and part out of another so
~hat, instead of being in harmony, there -are ghriug eontrasts.
People want practically the same kind of oak, al~d the same
kind of grain or figure that wil1 harmonize all through the job.
~11 this work, in carrying out the idea of harmony and hlend-'
ipg wood together in a job, veneering is' of great a:)sistance.
The reason for this is that usually the veneer from an oak
Hitch or, if it is rotary cut, the veneer horn any different
blocks, is piled together. It comes in wider sheets than the
general width of oak 1umb!;r, consequently one cannot only
SOME SAMPLES OF VENEER CONSTRUCTION.
L•
~
.....---:.::
--::;.-- ~ ~ ""
A Poor Way. Unevenly.B..Janced. A CDmllWn
M.islake,
Good -'.ply The Bert Method.
Con~uaion
secure hetter ~'idth, hut can sect,re successive pieces that will
go well together much easier from well-handled and well-cared
for veneer: stock than from a lumber pile where the product
of many different logs enter. Of course, if a man is careless
about his veneer stock and piles it up indiscriminately with-out
regard'to mixing texture or color it will be just as bad
as piling lumber which contains all kinds of grain and figure.
But where 'any reasonable pains are taken in handling veneer
it is comparatively easy to get stock that will harmonize
nicely to make any, given job, no matter whether the job is
mill work, ,mantel work, or cabinet work. Of course, these
points should'be kept in mind all the time, and the man who
selects and puts up the veneer should go to a little extra
trouble, if ,necessary, to have all the work harmonize. In
fact, this is:one of the firstessentials to a good job and is just
as important as selecting good veneer of nice fisure to begin
,..i..th.
The Jobs That Are Different.
The planing mill man every now 'and then gOes up against
some new problem in connec:::ti()11 with veneer. This is merely
because the average plailing mill man is not an experienced
veneer man and veneer isn't old enough in the planing mill
bus-iness for the average man to have become thoroughly
familiar with all prases of it. As a result, doing vencer work
in a planing mill is more or less experimental all the time.
There are new things to be dOlce which call for experiments
to be tricdor rather for the doing of work that has not been
done heretofore, and consequently- it all partakes something
of the nature- of an experiment. There is a certain amount
of risk, too, of course, and at times there is failure and dis-appointment,
but the man who keeps his eyes open and
studies his btlsiness carefully need not make so many failures
even when attempting work he has not done before.
Veneer Work :Ind Moisture.
One of the puzzling things to every veneer man handling
veneer is just how mueh moisture a door or piece of mill
ARTISAN
work will stand and how to do the veneering so as to be
damaged the lea.'it from -incidental exposure to moisture-.
Sometimes an outside door is made and after being put into
use awhile the velIeer comes off and then there arises doubts
about the use of vene,ering wherever it is exposed to moisture,
Really a trouhle of this kind is not so much -in the vctl{.'CT-ing
as it is fault in finishing and caring for the datIl' after-
V\:ard. /tn outside door, one that 1S exposed somewha.: to
the weather, should have both the face and the edges well
protect:ed with -either paint or .special outside varnish and it
should be more heavily coated than if used on the inside.
There is probably 110 vcceer door that will stand direct ex-posure
to rain and sunshine without some shelter and 6laud
it very long~ The a. verage outside door, however, in a. bUl1C=.-
ing that is good enough to call for a veneered door and mill
work has a porch or some shelter and protection to the door
and while it may be sprinkled with rain now and then it
doesn't get beat up against as hard as if it were simply a part
of all unprotected wall in a building.
Occasionally on inside, work where apparently there j,:;
no special exposure to moisture there is a trouble develops
in veneered panels which suggests moisture. Sometimes, too,
there is an absorbing of moisture in the body or core and this
causes trOUble, btlt ;It other times, and probably morc fre-quently,
the trouble comes from the presence of moisture in
the core when the vellccring is done. Ji the core or body on
which veneering is done is not thoroughly dry it will in the
course of tirr.e, wIlen it dries out shrink in width and the
veneer face which is generally dry .\',,:illbe too large and wilt
buckle or bbster up making it Jook like it had been exposed to
moisture when in reality the trouble is due to shrinking of
the_ body or core supporting it.
The Best Me~hod of Construction.
One of the puzzling things to the average planing mill
man llsing veneer is what constitlltes the.bestmcthod of con-structing
panels, or rather constructing the body of veneered
work. There has been f.very kind of effort imaginable made;
some have glued veneer right on to the, face of an ordinary
board, the grain of the board and the veneer both funning
the same way, and at times both the veneer and the 'board
being made of the same kind of wood. At other times the
board, or the core body on which the veneer is laid, is made
of lumber and th~ lumber turned crosswise of the way the
veneer runs. Another method is to make panels out of three
thicknesses of veneer, the center one turned crosswise, and the
face and back lengthwise, Then there have been variations
on these methods. SOhle use just the face, veneer On a
thick core; some use it:'ou'boththe face and the back; some
use the face and groove· the back of the core so as to take
eare of whatever swelling 'or shrinking tp~t might develop;
some make up the core body outo£ narrow strips· glued to-gether
to make up whatever size is wanted, and some 'tvork
one variatio'o and some another so that among them all it j"
difficult at times to decide on just what is the best metho(i of
construction for any given panel or piece of mill work.
Five-Ply Work.
Probably the best general method of construction is what
might be termed doing five-ply work. Ordinary veneer
panel men figure that any odd number of plies works all
right, that is, three-ply, five-ply, scven-ply., etc._, because it
gives an even balance on each side of the center piece or core.
This theory is good, too, but in practice it must be trimmed
and fitted to the \vork being doue. For example, theoreti-eally,
three-ply work should be practically as good as five-ply,
especially on this work; and 'yet When one does three-p1)~
work and the face wood is exceedingly thil11 it is equivalent to
two-ply, provided the back is thi~k, but if the back is. thin it
really isn't three-ply'at all, but it is simply facing up the cen-ter
eore with thin stock. This occurs especially in the use of
mahogany veneer cut unusually thin, but also happens in the
MICHIGAN
.......-------'------
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING BETTER THAN OUR
ARTISAN 13
Gum and Cottonwood Drawer Boftoms
Dried by the "Proctor System" Machine. (We will describe it to yon.)
Prompt deliveries of DRY STOCK rain or shine.
WALTER CLARK VENEER CO.
(Something nnheard of before.)
•
535 Michigan Trnst Bnilding, GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
•
use of oak vceeer, becat:sc a sheet of oak veneer cut one-sixteenth
of one-twentieth after it is g1tled down and finished
off is not much thicker than a piece of paper. There are
several cases in mind right now where people put nIl doors
with big panels and made them \"..h. at \vas termed three-ply,
just made a corc or center with thin strips matched and glued
together, run ('.ross,vise of the door and then faced on each
side with thin veneer. Frequently these palH'.ls went bad,
and after considerable experirnentil1g it '1ivas found that the
only way to be sure of them holding was to make them (i\,('-
ply instead of three. The logic for this is found in the fact
that face veneer, where it is thin, really doesn't atls\ver as a
ply in forming a body, because there is practically no body to
it. Consequently, one must make up a three-ply body out of
some common veneer or out of a core of lumber faced on each
side with veneer. Veneer cross banding this is called, and
then on to this can be glued the face stock. This is easy to
unden;tandif you will just consider the real work first with-out
the fact and fig"ure that the face is nothing more than
painting or a thin coating, because it really doesn't add
materially to the strength. Then yOt1 build up a three-ply
body finish it off nic.ely, and if you put on your face in good
shape it \vill stay there.
This point should be taken particular note of by all plan-ing
people who do veneering, bec;,1.useit is a POillt that is
stumbled over oftener than any other one point. It applies
not only in door making, but in all kinds of veneer work
where the facing is done in thin velleer. It costs a little
more primarily to do work in this way, but it is the ollly way
to get a good job and it is cheaper than having "\york C01l-demned
and having to do it over.
Thick Veneer a Mistake.
Speaking of thin veneer, it is quite a common mistake with
some planing mill men to think that the thicker they can use
their veneer thc better will be the job. This ,,,'-ould be all
right if there was llothinl{ elsc to consider but the possibility
of rubbing through the face in the process of finishing. Also
it does all right if one is n.sing sawed venC"'f except that it is
more expensive. But when it corns to using cut veneer,
generally the thielen'er the stock the more the grain is split
in the process of cutting and the more likelihood there is of
its showing np cracks and bad grain after it has been finished
and stood for quite a while. Even' if it is turned right side
out and is smooth on the outside, by the time it is sized
down and finished off this outside face is cut a"way and if one
would work down the hody of the vencer to where the grain
has been disturbed or ruptured more or less in the process of
cutting, when this grain dries Ollt fairly it is likely to show a
lot of fine cracks and if it is a very particular job, neatly pol-ished,
these will be very lloticeable. Cenerally speaking, the
thinner you can work the veneer so as not to be in any dan-ger
of sanding it 'through" in"finishing the "l.;etter "thej"6h: If
not 0111yccists less to make this 'thin veneer, hut it has less
cracking and disturbing the grain In cutting it, it glues down
closer and the glue penetrating the entire body holds it better
than jf it was a thick body given to warping and setting up
strains in the course of time. So instead of fighting shy of
thin veneer Olle should really court its use by experimenting
with and c1eaninl{ off and fitting up cores so that it can be
used nicely ",'ithout danger of sanding through, then you will
be getting c1cHvnto veneer work you are proud of anu you
will have fewer failures and more good jobs to show.-St.
Louis Lumberman.
THE WINDOW SILL MIRROR.
Rarely Seen in New York, but Plentiful in Philadelphia.
Every once in a while you see one of them in New York,
but not often. They are commoner in Brooklyn, but are no-where
to be seen in the profusion that you find them in Phil-adelphia.
J\Jeaning, of course, those mirror devices people
have on the sills of the second floor windows to give a tip
011 who is coming up the street or down the street, or more
important, who is at the front door. They strike the average
observer as rather provillcial idea because he thinks in-stinctively
of the shut-in person whose only p1c:asure is in
seeing \vho's on the street. But they're very helpful in tell-ing
when a caller is getting neM, so that the woman of the
house has time to make a hurried toilet and be calmly waiting
in her very best when the visitor comes in. Also, they give
a chance to sound the not at home warning to the servants.
The furniture industry in this country was formerly con-fined
to the east, Massachusetts being the principal manu-facturing
center.
ROLLS
The "RELIABLE" Kind.
THE FELLWOCK AUTO & MFG. COi
EVANSVILLE, IND. ~
•
14 MICHIGAN ARTISAN
MICHIGAN
A QUEEN THROWN IN THE DISCARD
OWNER OF DEPARTMENT STORE WEAKENS HIS
HAND.
Beauty a Valuable As£et in Trade.
Millions of dollars are spent by merchants annually in the
effort to draw people into their stores, and yet it is stated in
the newspapers of New York that the managers of the depart-ment
stores of that city have entered into a combine to keep
Sketched by Otto Jlranek, Grand Rapids, Mich.
people out of their establishments. It is hardly necessary to
state that a woman is the cause of the commotion, and the
incident is related as' follows:
"Rosa Timble, seventeen years old, 84 Lenox avenue, is
so beautiful that her attractive face threatens to deprive her
of a chance to earn her own l.iving. Discharged from one
of the largest department stores in New York after working
only a few hours, today she sought in vain for employment
as a salesgirl, but the story of her disastrous beauty seemed
to have bla<::ed her way to disappointment. Furore among
employes and turmoil among customers crushing to the lace
counter to view the beautiful face of the girl drove the su-perintendent
of the department store to discharge her because
the pushing and surging of the curious cfCl\vds delayed the
transaction of business. The story of the experience of this
dazzling beauty reached the ears of superintendents in other
department stores and with a regretful but admiriug glance
and tone she was bowed from each store where she sought
employment."
lvliss Timble should not worry over her future. \Vith
the right kind of management fame, wealth and position are
within her grasp. Any live merchant of the west l.vould en-gage
her services to draw people to his store. Her em-ployment
would depend upon her ability to preserve the
beauty nature has endowed her with. To the merchants of
the west and south the attitude of the merchants of ~ew
York toward Miss Timble is amazing. Such stupidity should
be rewarded by the attainment of the end sought-empty
stores.
Government Contract Progressing.
The Luce Furniture Company is making good progress in
filling the contract recently entered into \",ith the general
government for tables., desks and sideboards for the use of
officers at army posts. Early in Maya considerable quantity
of white work was delivered to the finishers, and shipping
may be undertaken whenever the war department shall so
order.
ARTISAN 15
Good Use of Envelopes.
S. G. and P. Stein of Muscatine, Iowa, make better use
of their envelopes than is usual with the average dealer in
furniture, On the left side there is printed a fine cut of their
large four-story building, with the location beneath. To the
right of the cut the card of the firm, neatly displayed, in red
ink, reads as follows:
******** * * ******
* This is From the
* OLD RELIABLE FURl\ITURE STORE *
\\There Quality and Prices
are Right.
S. G. and P. STEIN.
******** * * ******
*
* *
* *
* *
The business was established by tbe present owners in
the year 1854, and is famous for the enterprise and integrity
that has ever prevailed in its management. That a business
may be advertised effectively by the proper use of the address
side of an envelope the sample at hand proves beyond ques-tion,
Employment for Three Hundred Men.
The Luce Furniture, Company of Grand Rapids employs
300 men in the operation of their factory, or twenty less than
one year ago, when the company's business was very good.
The shops are ope,rated fifty-five hours a week.
Not So Bad.
The business of the Sligh Furniture Company of Grand
Rapids during the past six months might have been worse
but for the seventeen orders for furniture used in new hotels,
all of which have been filled.
A Power Veneer Press
of Pra&ically Unlimited Capacity
Material lowered on truck. top beam. raised,
leaving the prec;:sready for another set of plates.
QUICK. POWERFUL. STRONG.
Clamps for Every Line of
Wood· Working.
We are atwaY8 glad to mml iUt/6lrated
printed matter giving full paJ'ticlIla1'il,
Black Bros. Machinery Co.
MENDOTA, ILL.
16 i\UCHIGAN
y--------------- •
ARTISAN
TUIS .MACUINE MAKES TUE MONEY It makes a perfect imitation of any open grain because it uses the wood itself to print from, and one operator and a couple of
boys can do more work with it than a dozen men with any other so-called machine or pad~ on the market.
Tba(s why it's a money maker. It imitates JJ:erfectly.
50 50
Machines More
Sold Satisfied
Last Year ManufactulBls
PLAIN or QUARTERED OAK. MAHOGANY.WALNUT, ELM. ASH or any other wood with open grain.
"----- WRITE THE
Posselius Bros. Furniture Manufacturing Co., Detroit, Mich.
FOR PRICES AND FULL FAFtTICUL-ARS. ME:NTION THE: MICHIGAN ARTISAN •
Government Testing Shops.
In several countries of Europe, public testing shops, estab-lished
by the government, serve a good purpose to invention,
science and the arts. \\Then the builder of a machine COlT.-
pletes his task he ser:ds it to the testing shop, where it is
put into operation under the observation of skilled mechanics.
After it has been perfected in construction it is returned to
the builder to be marketed. Vv'hen it shall be installed in a,
factory the purchaser knows he can d-::pend upon it. In lik~
manner articles compounded of various materials (wood fill:
ishing goods, for illstance) are tested by the government and
sales are easily made thereafter.
Will Re-engage in Manufacture.
The Johnson brothers and Charles A. Hauser, who retired
from the Cabinet Makers Company recently after disposing
•
A Well Established Manufacturing
Business for Sale
A modernly equipped factory, especially
adapted for the manufacture of office desks
and furniture, is for sale.
The business is in active operation, and
an unusually good operation is offered to any
one desiring to engage in the line of business
mentioned.
Address P. O. Box 50.
RICHMOND. IND.
•
of their shares of the capital stock of the company, purpOSe
re-engaging in the furniture manufacturing business later in
the current year. Carl Johnson is spending a few weeks
in Sweden. On returning he will study the markets of the
metropolitan district carefully for the purpose of ascertaining
the needs of the furniture trade. The, business will be lo-cated
in Grand Rapids.
Will be Missed.
When the furniture salesmen gather in Grand Rapids on
June 20 to attend the. opening of the se'ason, quitea·'number
of good fellows will be missed on account of the activity of
the grim reaper of human life. W. M. Lyons, Harry L. D.yer,
Frank C. Shelly and George B. Barstow will Tiot be present
to meet and greet the trade. Gthes equally prominent in the
seaSOIlSof the past will be missed. ,
Death of Philip Stein.
Philip Stein of the veteran firm of S. G. & P. Stein of
Muscatine, Iowa, died at his home in that city recently. Mr.
Stein was an honorable business man and !:tis demise is -great-ly
regretted hythe people of eastern Iowa to thousands of
whom he was known intimately. In the funi.iturc trade none
commanded morc rcspect and _affection.
Excellent Sales of Upholstered Work.
The upholsterers of Grand Rapids are well provided with
orders, thcir sales during April and May exceeding their .ex,-
pectations. Qu-ite a number of special orders of goods for
hotels, lo"dgcs and soeieti~s h,elped to swell the _volume or
sales .
•
~'----
:\ell CHI G A X ARTISAK --------_._-----------_._--.
Saw and Knife Fitting Machinery and Tools [P,;e·r1:n~1a~~~'~:t
Baldwin. Tuthill eEl. Bolton
Grand R.aplds, Mich.
FLiers, Setters,
Sharlteners,
Grinders,
Swages,
stretchers,
Bralin" and
Filing Clamps.
Knife Balances,
Hammering
Tools,
Investi~ate our
Lme.
New 200 page
Catalogue for
1907 Free. ,•
Bolton Band Saw Filer lor Saws !4 inch up.
.--------_. ----~._---,-~
B. T. & B. Style D, KnifeGrinder. Full Automatic. Wet or dry. .-----------------------~ I
,
These saws are "
made from No. 1 I'
Steel and we war-rant
every blade.
We also carry a
full stock of Bev·
eled Back Scroll
Saws, any length
and gauge.
BOYNTON ex. CO.
Manufadurertof
Emboaled and
Turned Mould
ingll. EmboH-ed
and Spindle
Carvin .. , a Jl d
Automatie
Turnil12l.
We also manu'
fal!tule a JUlIe line
of Emb.oued
Ornaments for
Couch Work.
SEND FOR
419·421 W.l'lft .... th St., C"ICAGO. ILL
CATALOGUE
Write Oil for
PrIce Llat
and dilleoont
31-33 S. FRONT ST•• GRAND RAPIDS
Collection Service Unsurpassed-Send for Book of Red Drafts.
H. J. DANHOF. Michigan Manalier.
341-348 Houseman SuUdln •• Grand Rapide-. Mich.
l-t
~ .- I, ~te~~en50MnI~(.0. j Wood
I South Bend. Ind. ,, Forming f I
,,
, Cutters
Wood Turnings, I I We offer exceptional value in Reversible and
T umed Moulding, I One·Way Cutters for Single and Double Spin-
Dowels and Dowel , dIe Shapers. Largest lists with lowest prices.
Pins. , I Greatest variety to select from. Book free. ,,
Address
I
Catalogue to Manufac- ! SAMUEL J. SHIMER & SONS
turers on Application . MILTON, PENNSYLVANIA, U. S. A. • • • •
OFFICES:
CINCINNATI--Plckering Building. NEW YORK--346 8roadway.
ROSTON--18 Tremont St. CHICACO--134 Van Buren St.
GRAND RAPIDS--Houseman Bldg. JAMESTOWN. N. Y.--Chadakoln Bldg.
HIGH POINT. N. C.--Slanton-Welch Block.
The most satisfactory and up-to-date Credit Service covering the
FURNITURE, CARPET, COFFIN and ALLIED LINES.
The most accurate and reliable Reference Book Published.
OrJginators of the "Tracer and Clearing House System:-
17
•
18 MICHIGAN
ESTABL.ISHED 1880
,"UBL.ISHII:D .v
MICHIGAN ARTISAN CO.
ON THe: 10TH AND 25TH Of" EACH MONTH
OFFICE-lOB, 110. 112 NORTH DIVISION ST •• GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
ENTERED "'8 MATTER OF THE BECOIilD e~AIS
Manufacturers should not "view with apprehension" in
this year of politics, the opening of furniture expositions in
Evansville and -Philadelphia. The great furniture expositions
will continue in Grand Rapids, Chicago and New York as in
the past. The expositions opened in recent years in St.
Louis, Atlanta and High Point, have not ,affected the attend-ance
of buyers upon the sales in the big furniture centers,
and the interests of manufacturers in general will be 5ub-served
by the exhibitions to be established in Philadelphia
and Evansville. There is room for all. Of the forty thousand
dealers in furniture and kindred goods in the United States
not more than five thousand visit the expositions. The
number of such buyers is steadily growing, however, on ac-count
of the educational influences of the expositions and the
advantages of market buying becoming more generally
known. In the not far distant future the office buyer will
be rarely met with.
There is much room for improvement in the manufacture
of billiard tables. Attention is given mainly to the beds and
cushions. Any old style, provided the construction is strong,
seems sufficient for all requirements by the builders of tables
for billiard players. The impression prevailed for a long time
that the construction of a: case for a grand piano upon artistic
lines was an impossibility, but within the past year or two
the fact has been demonstrated that graceful, beautiful lines
are as susc~ptible of application to the piano case as to furni-ture
for the parlor, the library and the dining room. The
billiard table makers would find a larger market for their
goods, if they were to employ designers and substitute grace
and beauty for the heavy, ugly loo.king lines that everywhere
characterize their products. Especially would there be a
larger demand for tables for the homes of the rieh and the
well-to-do.
It is within the power of every producer of articles which
excel in useful qualities to fix more or less stable prices for
his own product. His effort is naturally to fix prices at "-
level which will bring him the largestvohune of business and
therefore the largest aggregate ·profit. He must have due
regard for the effect of existing competition and for the
possibility of developing new competition. He must con-sider
the cost of distribution, and the cost of maintaining a
selling organization, with necessary advertising.
°to °ta
Not having been burdened with business during the past
six months, manufacturers have been able to devote consider-able
time to politics. It is presumed that many of their num-ber,
imbued with patriotism, will continue their efforts to
"save the country from ruin," whether trade revives or not.
After the spasm of November 3 next, manufacturers will have
much time to prosecute their business and a lasting revival
may be looked for,
ata ato
There should be no conflict between the manufacturer and
the retailer. Natura-lly the former seeks high prices and the
ARTISAN
latter low prices. The aim of both should be to prevent an
excess of supply and demand. Overbuying is injurious to
the manufacturer as well as the retailer. Overproduction
demoralizes markets and eliminates profit.
°to °to
Good salesmen are necessary for the manufacturer of high
grade goods. Their intelligence furnishes an important part
of the service which the high class manufacturer renders to
customers in return for the net profit he receives, which is
usually less, year in and year out, than seven per cent.
atO eta
During the year 1907 the manufacturers of Grand Rapids
operating 450 factories, produced goods valued at $48,000,-
000, distributed $13,000,000 in wages and purchased materials
for use in the construction of goods valued at $25,000,000.The
showing is a creditable one for such a year.
Manufacturers find it to their advantage to send high
grade salesmen to the exposition towns to meet the buyers.
"Dubs" are worse than useless when brought into contact
with the great merchants that attend the expositions.
It is said that Burbank, the wizard of nature, has grown
a new vegetable that contains a wood staining compound
that will match any color by one application. Wonderful
Burbank!
One word of eleven letters indicates the tendency of the
furniture industry. It spells "improvement.'J
When the manufacturers of wood working machinery find
it necessary to increase working hours in their shops, as is
the rule at present, business conditions grow better.
°ta °to
The John M. Smyth Company of Chicago disposes of re-turned
goods sold on the installment plan by auction.
John Widdicomb a Public Benefactor.
The city of Grand Rapids is indebted to John \Viddicomb
for _valuable grounds donated for a public park. The tract
is located on the river front, adjoining the Kent works of the
John Widdicomb Company, and its value is not less than
$25,000. It contains twelve acres and when the plans tenta-tively
adopted for its inllprovement shall be carried out, the
pa'!'k will be one of the most beautiful of the many public
parks in Grand Rapids. Mr. \Viddicomb is a public-spirited
citizen and his generous contribution to the welfare of the
city in which he has spent practically his whole life is char-acteristic
of the man. He has never closed his purse to the
worthy when in need, and his public benefactions are many.
Mr, Widdic:omh, within rec.ent years, has taken an interest
in public affairs, and the city has benefitted by his services
on the boards of pubic works and estimates. Without doubt
the new pleasure ground will be named in honor of the donor,
although he would be the last man in the world to suggest
that it be designated as the John \Viddicomb park.
No Reduction in Output.
The Valley City Desk Company of Grand Rapids is clos-ing
the sixth month of active business of the current year.
There has been no redul;tiQn of the Qutput.
! OUR SPECIALTV
I BIRD'S EYE MAPLE ( Made and dried right, and white. Samples furnished on aPPlication.)
500,000 ft. 1-20 inch Qnarter Sawed Oak carried in stock. Come in and see it. Birch and Poplar
erossbanding and rotary cut. Oak. Birch, Maple, Basswood, Poplar and Gum Drawer Bottoms.
PROMPT DELIVERY. ALL PRIME STOCK.
FIGURED WOODS. MAHOGANY. WALNUT. QTR. SAWED OAK. BIRCH.
MICHIGAN
HENRY S. 23 SCRIBNER ST., HOLDEN VENEER CO. GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
ARTISAN 19
AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRY.
Plant and Product of the Oliver Machinery Company.
A very important industry, created in Grand Rapids within
comparatively recent years, is that of the Oliver lhchillcry
Company. Its inception is due to 1. \V. Oliver, "..·ho Com-menced
his career as a manufacturer with the production of
a few special tools for
·wood workers. From
time to time he made
additions to his line
and gradually devel-oped
a large and im-
!portant business, its
ramifications extending
to all parts of the
world. The business
was in due time incor-porated
under the name
of the American 1v1a-chillery
Company, but
later, on account of an-other
corporation as-suming
that name, it
was changed to the Ol-iver
lbchinery Com-
Sketched by Otto Jiranek. pany. Two years ago
the company purchased
a spaciom; tract of land in the northern division of Grand
Rapids and erected large, modern factory buildings contain-ing
75,000 feet of floor space. The main building covers an
area of 120x 300 feet, three stories high, with a >vide gal1~ry
800 feet long. It is very strongly constructed, heated by the
Sturtevant· system, e1ectr-ically lighted (when necessary) and
so planned as to provide for rapid and ecollomleal operation.
The Grand Rapids-Muskegon PO\ver Company supplies the
electrical current used in operating the machinery, elevators,
sa\\' mill and other equipment of dIe plant requiring power.
Other buildings used are the pattern shops, the saw mill and
the hand Sicrew factory, in which seven kinds of hand screws
are made.
The first floor of the main building is on a level with Cold·
brook street,. the second v,,,ith the tracks of the Grand Trunk
railway, which afford great conveniences in receiving material
and sh~pping the products. Opposite the factory the Mary
'Vaters field is located, 'Vhen improved, as it \-vill be in
the near future, visitors to the plant and the operatives em-ployed,
will have opportunities for enjoying a beautiful park.
The Oliver Mach-in~ry Comipany manufactures a line of
wood working machinery noted for the excellence of its con-struction
and design. Not only are mal'y special conven-iences
provided, but the mechanic arts are so employed that
the various machines please the eye as well as satisfy the, re-quirements
of the operator. J ointers, ~)laners, sanders,
lathes, trimmers, saw benches, swing cut--off saws, variety
sa",...tables and baud saws are the main features of the tools
produced. Quality is placed before price. A wcll con-structed,
reliable tool is more economical to operate, there-fore
more profitable than a cheap, faultily built, unreliable one.
Quality is the only competition in which the company enters.
A heavy foreign and domcSitic trade caBs for the operation of
the plant on full time. ]. \V. Oliver, the founder of the
company, is the president of the company, and A. N. Spencer,
a gentleman of large experience in his occupation, is the: vice
president. Both are practical mechanics, who devote their
whole time to the business of the corporation. Branches
are m<:lintained in Manchester, England, and New York.
Urges a Differential Tariff.
A. H. Revell. who sells furniture extensively in Chicago,
has spent several months in Europe. \Vhen interviewed by
Made by Clarence R. Hills, Grand Rapid$. Mich.
the representative of a newspaper published in London re-cently
he stated that he had come to the conclusion, after a
study of the tariffs of several continental nations that the
United States must have recourse to differential tariffs if
American trade is to hold its own in the great commercial
war among the nations, the signs of which are beginning to
show, according to Mr. Revell, on every hand. Mr. Revell
will present 11is views to the. commercial organizations of
)Jew York and Chicago before the re-assembling of cOngress
in the hope that favorable action on the iProposition outlined
may follow.
Couches, tables and thrones of gold! silver or bronze were
made in the early times.
20 MICHIGAK ARTISAN
•,
Drawer Knobs
In Maple, Birch, Oak or Mahogany.
High grade. Nicely sanded.
Choit:e of faftemngs. Write for catalogue and samples. I
t
"enry Rowe Mfg. Co., I NEWAYGO, MICH. I NO. 20. COMMODE. BUTTON. No.21. DAAWEA KNOES.
• I
Mrs. Simpkins' Grand Rapids Empire Furr.i:ure.
"De odder afternoon," says Mirandy, "de Daughters of
Zion met at my h~use, an' after we had done settled de world
an' de flesh an' de devil, as Bt'er Jenkins says, we sort of got
to prognosticatin' 'bout ourselves, as women will when dey
wants to discourse 'bout somcthin' dat has got Teal heart
throbs in hit.
"Pretty soon somebody threw a bombshell into de camp
by axin', 'Whut does a woman need mos' to make her happy?'
"Humph,' says Sally Sue, "hit don't take nobody dat was
bawn in a caul an' has got de gift of prophecy to answer dat
question. Hit's money. Jest gimme a money puss dat ain't
got no bottom to hit, an! head me toward de department
sto's, an' you'll heah me singin' hallelujah all de way.
'Vas, Lawd, an' I'd eat chiken salad an' ice cream tor
breakfast, an' I'd wear flower bamlets an' yatler shoes, an'
bead challls, an' a longery shut waist wid seemo' effects in
hit an' dat's all dat I'd ask to make me puffectly happy. For
wh'ut does de hymn book say, "Dth hath no sorrers dat green-backs
cannot heal."
, 'Hit sho'ly would be grand,' 'spons T, 'not to have to wor-ry
'b0\.1t de rent, an' to be able to. git a who1c outfit at one
time so dat yo' hat wouldn't be shabby by de time yOU wuk
round to gittin' a new pair of shoes, an' yo' shoes wouldn't
be wo' out so oat you'd have to set sort 0' bench legged to
hide yo' feet under yo' skirts befo' you got enough to git a
new hat; but still, for all dat, hit's kind of proned in on me
dat dere is jest one thing in de world dat money won't buy
for a woman, an' dat's happiness.
" 'De mo' you gits, demo' you wants, an' when you quits
worrying' 'bout de rent youse got to start to worryin' 'bout
yo' husband spendin' money on some lady dat ain't edzactly
of the hefty build dat you is; so whilst I wouldn't decline a
fortune if ole man Luck was passin' 'em around, still I'se got
my suspicions dat maybe I wouldn't be no mo' care free dan
I is now, when I ain't got nothin' mo' dan de price of pork
chops on my mind.'
" 'Dat's de. true. "vod,' spoke up Sis Hannah Jane. 'Dere's
Sis Minery, whut was a moughty light hearted gal whut
could shake her foot' wid de bes' of 'em when she didn't have
but one muslin to her name, an' she had to wash dat out ev'ry
time befo' she could go to de Saturday night ball, but dat is de
mos' mournful est lady dat you can meet up wid now dat's
she's married to Bill Hoskins, whut is de foreman at de plan-in'
miHs an' is got money in de bank.
". "You sho' is a happy woman, Sis l\linervy," says I de
ader day when I drapped in to see her, liwid a husband dat is
so before handed."
"'Far from it, Sis Hannah Jane," says she, "for IV!r.
Tomlinson is twict as well off as my husband is, an' de drives
two horses, whilst we can't have butane."
" '''But,'' says I, "look at all yo' fine furniture an' chainy."
'" "Mrs. Simpkins has got genuine Grand Rapids Empire
furniture," 'spans she wid a sigh, "an' hand-painted ehainy."
". "But yo' sho'ly is got grand clothes," says I.
'" "11rs. Jones gets hers from Sixth avenue," 'spans she,
"while de bes' I can .do is Eighth."
"'An' dat was de way hit went, an' I couldn't find nothing
dat Sis Minervy took any real pleasure in except dat she had
dc money to always be a doctorin'; an' she warn't even satis-fied
wid dat becauze she knowed a woman dat had a cancer,
while the mas' she could git up was de rheumaticks-'
"'Nawm, I ain't a~disputin' 'bout money makin' a woman
happy, for God knows 1 done see so little of hit I don't know
whut its effect on my system would be; but I jes states dat 1
ain't never seed a rich woman yit dat ain't forgot how to
laugh.'
"'As for me,' says Gladys Geraldine, whut is young an'
romantic an' has got whut some folks call soulful eyes, dough
dey looks to me lak de eyes of a dyin' calf when she rolts
them up, 'dey ain't nothin' necessary for my happiness but
jest love. Jest gimme de devotion of one who loves me for
myself alone an' I'll be puffectly happy. Oh,' says she, 'whut
can ally woman want mo' dan to see de love light burnin' in
her husband's eyes, to listen to his words of affection, an' to
feel his kisses on her lips?'
"'Humph,' 'spans Sis Elviry, (I specks dat is moughty nice,
an' fer a husband to act' dat way sho' is rare enough to mak,_'
it lY',OUgl1tyI.'.ntertain1n' fer de woman dat has drawed dat kind
of a curiosity in de marriage lottery, but I'se done took notice
dat you cau't run a house on love, an' hit ain't long befo'
you'd lak to pass up de kisses for some fried steak and on-ions
"'Dat's so,' says Sis Marthy, 'clere's Sis Rebecca, whut
sho'ly is got de Jovingest husband dat ever was. He love
her so good dat he can't bear to go away an' leave her for a
whole day whilst he's at work, so he don't do nothin' but set
at home whar he can fea!?t his eyes on Sis Rebecca at de
washtub, ,,,,,har she's got to make de livin' for de fambly.
"'An' ev'ry now an' den he walks over an' gives Rebecca
a kiss, an' calls her his "darlin~" an' his "angel" .and his "pre··
cious dove," but hit don't look lak 51S Rebecca thrilled none
under clem caresses, for she say to me dat she sho'ly was
tired of havin' a man under foot, 31/ dat too much love talk
kind of heaved her stomach, an' dat she was thinkin' 'bout
leavin' her husband an' tyin' up wid a man dat would show his
affection by wukin' for her instid of passin' out soft talk.'
"'\-Vell, says I, 'money's moughty good, an' love's mough-ty
good, but to my mind de thing dat makes a woman happi-est
is to have somebody dat anderstands her.
''I'se moughty fond of Ike when he brings me home his
pay envelope of a Saturday night, an' I sho'ly does have ~
flutterin' of de heart when he tens me dat he thinks dat a
MICHIGAK
featl1er bed figger lak mine is a lot I1W gracefuller dan clem
straight front yaller gals is.
"'But de tin:e when I des fairly lays down an' Yvorships
him an' thanks Gord for his mercy in send in' me such a jewel
of a husband is when 1 gits mad an' spanks de baby an' kicks
de cat, an' he calls hit nerves; OT when a dressmaker sends
home my new frock an' hit hikes up in de frout an' down in
de back, an' \von't meet, an' I sets down an' cries, an' instid
of tellin' me dat a woman of my age ought to act wid a little
sense and not be a fool, lke doubles t1p his list an' he cusses
dat dressmaker up hill and down dale an' tells whut he's gain'
to say to her, tllltel he makes me so sorry ior her dat I say
maybe de dress can be altered, after all.
"'Yes, Lawd, dat kind of sympathy is whut makes a
woman happy, an' ef she gits dat hit don't make no difference
whedder she gits anything else or not.'
;; 'Bless Gord for de true word,' says Sis Sairy. 'As long"
as my husband pities me for havin' to wear an ate dress, I
don't care whedder hit's ole or not. Hit is his not carin' an'
his not seein' dat a lady of my pussonableness ought to have
fine clothes dat makes me sore.'
"'Dat's so,' says Sis Elviry. 'An' dat we women need to
make 11S happy is to have de right word said to us, an' carl-siderin'
how cheap words is, an' how much money hit would
save men, hit's a \vonder dat husbands is so economical wid
'em.'
"'1'1en is fools,' says Sis 1Iinervy.
"'\Vhut would we do ef dey wanr't;' axes r."-Dorothy
Dix in Chicago American.
A Florentine Mosaic Table.
1'Iark Twain in his book ;;The Innocents Abroad," de-scribes
the beautiful \'vork done by the Florentine artists in
mosaics:
"Florentine mosaics are the choicest in all the world. 1'101'-
cnce loves to have that said. Florence is proud of it. Flor-ence
would foster this specialty of hers. She is grateful to
the artists that bring to her this high credit and fill her coffers
with foreign money, and so she encourages them with pen-sions.
She knows that people "who piece together the beau-tiful
trifles dic early, because the \',lark is so confining and so
exhausting to Jlalld and brain, and so has Jecreed that aU
these people who reach the age of sixty shall have a pension
after that! T have JlOt J1eard that any of them have called
for their dividends yet. One man did fig·ht along till he was
sixty, and started after his pension, but it appeared that there
had been a mistake of a year in his family record, and so
he gave up and died. These artists will take particles of
stone or glass nO larger than a mustard seed. and piece them
together on a sleevc button or a shirt stud so smoothly and
with such nice adjllstment of the delicate shades of color the
pieces bear, as to form a pigmy rose with stern, thorn, leaves,
petals complete, and £lit softly and 85 truthfu!ty tinted as
though nature had builded it herself. They will counterfeit
a fly, or a high·-toncd bug, \\,·jthin tlw cramped circle of .,
breast pin, and do it so neatly that any man might think a
master painted it.
;'It saw a little table in··the great mosaic school in :rIorence
----ealittle trifle of a center table-whose top was made of some
sort of prccious stonc, and in the stone was inlaid the figure
of a flutc, with bell-mouth and a ma:.-:y complication of keys.
No painting in the "world could have been softer or richer; nO
shading out of one tint into another could have been more
perfect. 1 do not think one could have seen "where two par-ticles
joined each other with eyes of ordinary shrewdness.
This table top cost the labor of one man for ten long years,
and it was £or sale for $35,000."
ARTISAN 21
• , WABASH
B. WALTER & CO. INDIANA
M.nuf",""" nf TABLE SLIDES Exclusively
WRITE FOR PRrCES AND DISCOUNT
•
,,..--- ""
If your DESIGNS are right, people want the Goods.
That makes PRICES right.
(tlarence lR. bills
DOES IT
t 163Madison Avenue-CitiZens Phone 1983. GRAND RAPIDS, lUCH. ,•
,
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Belt, Electric and Hand POWet'.
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Send for Catalogue and Prict;s.
KIMBALL BROS.CO., 1067 NInth St .. Council Bluffs, la,
Kimball Elevator Co., 323Prospect St., Cleveland,O.;
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Manufacturers of HIGH GRADE
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for HIGH GRADE PUNCHES and DIES. ~--- •,
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22 MICHIGAN
COSTLY FURNISHINGS OF AN AMERICAN PALACE.
Former Senator Clark Spends Millions in New York.
The French palace that Senator W. A. Clark of Montana
and New York has erected at the corner of Seventy-seventh
street and Fifth avenue has so far been a house of mystery_
The portals have been assiduously guarded from the outside
world.
"\Vait until it is finished," the senator has always said
·when appealed to for permission to inspect it. Recently,
however, the writer was permitted to spend a half day in the
most costly private mansion in America.
The house has been called "An old man's fad," and so it is.
Every piece of marble, every piece of granite, every piece of
wood, every piece of bronze, the work of every laborer, every
art object, and every purchase and contract has had the per-sonal
attention of the owner. The house represents the man,
carries out his ideas, reveals his tastes. \-Vhen in New York
Senator Clark spends days within its walls, watching its pro-gress,
giving his ,opinions, passing Upon or rejecting pieces of
work or bids for work.
In conception and interior the Clark house reflects the
best examples of French architecture of the period of Louis
XV!., and in construction and appointments it combines the
comforts of home and the conveniences of the most luxurious
hostelry in the world. Viewed from the street the building
strikes the observer as too big, too massive, for its ground
space and its residential surroundings, but when one's point
of view is from within, the street and the immediate neigh~
borhood are forgotten. The vista that opens to the vision
is over a woodland of trees and a chain of miniature lakes.
Central Park lends itself admirably to the occupants of the
Clark mansion and supplies a foreground not excelled by any
palace in Europe.
The architects must have taken this into consideration,
as did Senator Clark when he conceived the idea of expressing
his ambition by the erection of the finest private residence in
America; It is nine stories, each story ranging from 'heights
of nine to seventeen feet, from the Turkish baths beneath the
ground to the laundry under the eaves. Nine stories, massed
with every conceivable adjunct of convenience, comfort, lux-ury,
and possession dear to the heart of man; nine stories of
storied wealth and mcchanical device unsurpassed in the mod-ern
construction of house building.
"\Vhen Senator Clark throws open this house to his friends
it will take all his time to show them through it," the writer
remarked, after half a day's pilgrimage.
HIt will not be necessary," replied the escort. "He may
touch one of a hundred buttons and call a servant to do his
bidding,"
The mass of wires that assemble in the headquarters of
the service room is so .large that one can scarcely touch hands
around it. Five millions of dollars is the estimated cost of
the house, irrespective of its furnishings. Some of the items
may be roughly set down as follows:
$400,000 for bronze work on the roof.
$140.000 for plumb;ng.
$140,000 for the heating plant,
$1,000 each for Greek marble columns, of which there are
scores.
$2,000 for a single ornamental design on a mantelpiece.
$15,000 to $40,000 for the woodwork and gildings of many
of the rooms.
$12,000 for the entrance gates.
$10,000 for a freize.
$20,000 each for the furnishings of the bathrooms, of which
there are fifteen.
$50,000 for uncut and unmined marble of a single quarry.
But cold- figures give only a relative conception of the Iav-
ARTISAN
ish structure and its appointments. The mere expenditure of
money was far from the thoughts of Senator Clark when
eight years ago he dreamed
of the palace now a reality.
His conception was of a
home that would be a
treasure house of his art
works and a fitting expres-sion
of his love of the ar-tistic
and architecturally
beautiful. He planned elab-oratety,
turned his ideas
over to practical men, and
scoured the world for in-terior
decorations, whole
rooms, ceilings, tapestries,
statuary, porcelains, paint-ings
and bronzes that would
be a delight to his eye and
a joy to his senses the rest
of his life.
Step through the bronze
gates and enter this stupendous residence. It is well worth
the trip, even though the courtly halls are not completed, nor
the great galleries hung with paintings, nor the white marble
statues in place in the rotunda. The. porte-cochere that over-hangs
the entrance has been compared to the upper set of :a
pair of false teeth, and the simile is not ill chosen, though
the resemblance is lost in the immensity of the sheer walls
that rear themselves 100 feet from the ground to the top
of the granite tower. An iron stairway leads down to the
kitchen floor, the basement, and the sub-basement. To the
right, set below the flOOf, are three 250 horsepower boilers,
drawing from an eighty-ton storage vault, five to seven tons
Sketch by Otto Jiranek.
Sketched by Ott.o Jira.nek, Grand Rapids, Mich,
of coal a day, to light and heat the entire house, run its ele-vators,
its eighty-ton cold storage plant, its dumb-waiters, its
vcntilating fans, its pumps, its laundry, and propel three sev-enty-
five-kilowatt dynamos, furnishing 4,200 lights. Eight
men on night and day shift is the crew of this department.
The pasenger elevator is as large as you will find in a big
hoteL It will carry twenty pcople, and is of the plunger type
its shaft sinking into the ground ninety~eight feet. In the
MICHIGAN
dynamo room is a marble switchboard fifteen by eighteen feel
in size. .
In this sub-cellar, facing Fifth avenue, along the entLre
front of the house, is a Turkish bath, steam rooms, shampoo
baths, sprays, showers and dressing rooms, lined with Carrara
glass, with tiled ceilings and glass mosaic borders, and orna-mentations
of artistic design. Just outside these spacious
rooms is a filtration plant, the air from the street percolating
a screen of cheese cloth filtered through iron tubes to every
part of the house to be finally drawn off by a huge fan ill the
roof.
Senator Clark
could give a
house party of
half a hundred
people, entertain
them in his four
completely equip-ped
dining rooms,
and extend to
tIt e 111 adequate
facilities for en-joying
the great
swimming pool
and Turkish bath.
Th<: great ban-quet
hall is on the
second noor and
completely occu-pies
the w est
wing of the house.
seventeen feet high. Its atmosphere is one of massive ele-gance.
It is a "woody···· room, a characterization peculiar ,to
many of the rooms of the house. The .valls are paneled wlth
English oak and heavily carved in the style of the Henr~ .IV.
period. The cellIng
js a solid mass of
carving, and the huge
mantelpiece, set off by
life-size figures of
Diana and Neptune in
Numidian marble, is an
art work in ltseH. A
frelze of Normandy
stone, ten feet wide,
encircles the room,
close to the ceiling.
The stone lends itself
beautifully to carving,
representing scenes in
hunting and fishing,
,..i..th an underlying net-
.vork beneath fIgures
of fi s h, gameco('.ks,
birds, guns, oxen,
horns, bows and ar-r.
ows, roebucks and
deer, ds,ftly worked
into the design so that
no particular figure assumes protrusive importance. There
are eleven disks of plain Sienna marble set in the frieze.
which are severely beautiful in contrast. Over the door is a
panel that may be utilized as a coat of arms of the owner or
perhaps of King Henry YI., from whose reign the room takes
its character.
The breakfast room is on the third floor, opening west-
·ward and is a solid mass of English oak carved heavily of
the .b:rancis 1. period. It is a veritable cabinet of 170 panels,
no two alike in design, but all harmonizing. Directly <'lbove
the breakfast room upon the third and fourth floors are pri-vate
dining rooms, belonging to the complete apartment
Sketch by Otto Jiranek.
The room is fifty by thirty-five feet and
Sketch by Otto Jiranek.
ARTISAN
Sl11tes that occupy the ",vcst wing of these floors All of
these d1l11l1grooms have mdtvidllal pantries and chIna closets,
and are connected directly with the serving rQOI11,off the
kitchen on tbe ground floor by individual electrically propelled
dumb-waiters, speaking .tubes, telephones, and a service ele-vator.
The two apartments were originally intended for the
use of Senator Clark's married sons and daughters.
These apartrnents contain every convenience and luxury
known of the model, up-to-date New York apartment house.
The reception rooms are octagonal and of solid mahogany
heavily paneled. The salons are of satinwood, paneled and
exquisitely carved. The entire suites are fl1lished in wood,
walls and ceilings, each room of different design and charac-ter.
Opening off the main dining room on the second floor is
a rotunda, ',Nhich Senator Clark has called a sculpture room.
This circular vestibule, which is somc thirty-six feet from
floor to vaulted ceiling, is set with eight llresche violet col-umns,
unpolished. The walls arc of creamy white Mary-land
marble. A balcony cove, at the toP. is accessible from
the third floor and the organ 10ft. The statuary room is
paneled in IVlaryland marble and set with Chippolano pedes-tals.
The room opens to the south into a COn5ef\,'atory of
solid bronze and glass, thirty feet high and twenty-two feet
'~ljde.
Opening to the north from the statuary rotunda is the
main picture gallery, ninety-five by twenty feet, two stories
high. The walls are of plain Istrian marble and :Norman-deaux
cornices. A western wing of this gallery is sixteen by
forty feet, and is the second floor of still another art treasure
house, which will be devoted exclusively to Senator Clark's
collection of Faience pottery. In the loft, at the south end
of the main gallery, will be placed the largest chamber organ
in the country, the instrument having sixty-two speaking
stops. Out from the east side of the main gallery extends
a superb promenade, ninety-five feet long and twen~y feet
wide, a classic hall ornamented by twelve Chippolano columns
unpolished. The ceiling of this splendid room is of carved
American oak, a large space being ldt for a canvas which is
yet to be put in place.. It is said that this canvas will be the
work of an American artist, not yet selected. Broad panels
along the walls w1l! be set wjth six priceless tapestries that
Senator Clark bought abroad. \iVhen completed this central
promenade will equal the ~tatcly hall of any palace in Europe.
The colonnaded hall makes a direct communicating prome-ml.
de between the main gallery and the grand salon facing
Fifth avenue.
It is impossible to enter this lovely room without feeling
the masterful impulse of the old world artists. The eye ir-resistibly
rests upon the immense canvas of Fragonard that
forms the entire ceiling-the largest canvas, it is said, in
America. Cupids. blue sky, and garlands embellish the
Greek figures at the sides and ends of the ceiling. The tex-ture
is soft and the coloring old and rich in tone. Age is
imprinted upon the work of art, and beauty of color and del-icacy
of expression stamp the canvas a masterpiece. \iVhat it
cost the senator to pluck this old world piece of art from
some grand salon of France is merely conjectural, but if he
were to divulge the price it would startle the imagjnation of
even this money-mad town. The ceiling has an appropriate
setting, fot' the entire room is "lifted" from a French palace.
It is a salon of the type of Versailles, of the Louis XVI.
period. Chaste in design, the pilasters, moldings, and cor-nices
are embellished in gold leaf, and the curtain brackets
are exquisite molding of gold bronze. The heavy white
enameled doors fairly breathe their old world art, though in
state of perfect preservation. The gold bronzed furnishings
arc art v..'orks in themselves, conceptions of Bircard of Paris.
The mantel alone is the product of Senator Clark's Maryland
quarry, but to the uninformed has the appearance of pure
Carrara marble 500 years old, so soft and satiny is its 'texture
(Concluded on page 26. )
23
24 MICHIGAN ARTISAN
I
lOG. 110.112
I nort~DiVision ~t.~;;~.~
I Orand Ra~ids
I
10ft. 110, 112
nort~Division ~t.j
Orand «a~ids I
OUR BUILDING
,
•
P
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Michigan Engraving Company :: White Printing Company I
Michigan Artisan Company
•
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Erected by White Printing Company, Grand Rapids, 1907.
::VIICHTGA:-J ARTISi,C\ r_0 r -- . . ----r
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Plate Glass. Mirrors. Window Glass. Ornamental Figured Glass.
WIRE GLASS, tbe Great Fire Retardant.
CARRARA GLASS. a New Product Like Polished White Marble.
For anything in Builders' Glass, or anything in Paints, Brushes, or Painters' Sundries, address any
of our branch warehouses, a list of which is given below:
NEW YORK-Hudson and Vandam 8t9. CLEVELAND-1430.1434 West Tblrd St.
BoQSTON-41-49Sudbury 5t •• l.9 Bowker St. OM'AHA-1608·10.12 HarfteySt.
CHICAGO-442.4S2 Wabaeh Ave. ST· PAUL-459·461 Ja.ckson St.
CINCINNATI-Broadway a.nd Court Bts. ATLANTA. GA.-30-32-34 S. Pr)'or St.
ST. LOUIS-Cor. Tenth and Spruce Sts. SAVANNAH, GA·-74S-749 Wheaton 8t.
MINNEAPOLIS-SOQ-516 S. Third St. KANSAS CITY-FlUb and W.,..ndoue St.·
DETROIT-53-59 Larned St., E. BIRMINGHAM,ALA.-2nd Ave. and 29th St.
GRANDRAPIDS. MICH.-39-41 N. Dh'islon St. BUFFALO. N. Y.-372-74-76-78 Pearl St.
PITTSBURGH-I01_I03 Wood St. BROOKLYN-635-637 Fulton St.
MILWAUKEE. WIS.-492_494 Market St. PHILADELPHIA-Pltcalm Bldg••Arch and 11th St ••
ROCHESTER., N. Y.-WUder a.ldg .• Ma.ln& Exchanll.eSts. DAVENPQRT-410-416 Scott St.
HALTIMOIl£:-3JQ_IZ_14 W.Pratt St.
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Price $2.80 to $4.00
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2;) doz. Clamp Fixtures bought
by OIJemj]] last yelLT. We$hip
on approval to rated ftrm~, and
guaratlt~e our g"oods uncondi-tion~
lk. Wrile for list of
Steet Bar Clamps. ViseB,Bend&
Stops, etc.
E. H. SHELDON S. to. '
283 Madison St .• ChIC~~=~TING WOODwoBua'i"VIs£ No,~ I
-----------------------------
Would it not interest you to know more
about this machine? Then drop us a line. c. Mattison Machine Works
863 Fifth Street, Beloit, Wisconsin
-------------.
THE CREDIT BUREAU OF THE FURNITURE TRADE •
i Bldg. I
LYON
Furniture Agency
The
ROBERT P. LYON, General Manater
CREDITS and
COLLECTIONS
I!I,
New Styles in Table Legs
Is it not a big advantage, not only in the selling of your product, but
in the prices you command, if you are able to keep changing the style
and getting out something new righ.t along and without any extra
expense in the cost?
Our No.5 Table Leg Machine
,!
I~---_._---------_._----------
will turn not only round, but square, octagon, hexagon, oval or any poly~
gon<l!shape, and all with the same cutter~head. Its capacity is equal to
eight or ten hand turners, and it is guaranteed to do the work success!ully.
No. ;'j Table Leg l\l:lchi1le. --------~
Grand Rapids Office, 41 2-41 3 Houseman
GEO. E. GRAVES. Manager
CLAPPERTON &; OWEN, Counu!
THE STANDARD REFERENCE BOOK
CAPITAL. CREDIT AND PAY RATINGS
CLEARING HOUSE OF TRADE EXPERIENCE
THE MOST RELIABLE CREDIT REPORTS
COLLECTIONS MADE EVERYWHERE
PROMPTLY-REUABLY
h-o_. . • .
26 MICHIGAN
and 50 exqUistte and chaste is its sculpture work.
whole room is a dream in creamy white and gold.
The petty salon be-yond
is an elliptical
room of white enamel
and gold of the period
of Louis XV. There
is still another room in
the suite, styled the
morning room, which
has a heavily carved
ceiling of American
oak and will be set
with fOUf immense tap-estries.
Paralleling the
great corridor and di-rectly
connectiong tho::
statuary room with lhe
petty salon is the main
hall, sixty feet long and
ten feet wide, set with
pilasters of Maryland
marble and Norman-deaux
vaulted ceiling.
Opening into this haB
is the grand stairway, which comes up from the ground floor.
A sweeping staircase of Istrian marble, apparently unsup-ported,
makes the ascent a leisurely climb, In this spacious
stairway are blended almost every known marble from the
world's quarries. The balustrade is of bronze and gold and
is rich ill character. The main elevator is at the side of the
stairway, and it is highly probable that the stairway corridor
will be hardly more than an abode of statuary-a thing of
beauty in itself.
The third floor is devoted to Senator and Mrs. Clark's
suite, the large library and one of the complete housekeeping
apartments mentioned, besides two guest rooms.
The private suite, of the senator and his wife are not os-tentatious
rooms, although large, light and beautiful. Sena-tor
Clark's bedroom is finished in English oak with delicate-ly
carved wainscot and cornices. The walls are satin lined.
Mrs. Clark's room is similarly finished, with a conne.cting
boudoir and spacious bathroom and wardrobe closets. The
bathrooms, both of the senator and his wife, and of all the
guests, are exceptionally large, entirely tiled in Carrara glass
and the ceilings, and the showers are incased by plate glass
inclosures. The library on this floor is a spadous room
some forty feet long. An antique fireplace, taken from an
old Normandy castle, is a distinctive feature, as is the antique
ceiling, transported from an old castle in France. It is
dark and rich in design, though severe and classical in line.
It is the senator's idea -to make this one of the most at-tractive
rooms in his house. The walls will be lined with
bookcases and filled with the choice volumes he has collect-ed,
which are at present stored in his spacious apartments in
the Navarre flats.
Directly above the library on the fourth floor is a room of
almost equal size, which the senator has set aside for an
"Oriental Room." This room is yet in an embryonic state,
but in it the senator will gather his choicest specimens of
Oriental art, Thc nursery on the next floor is a most com-plete
establishment. It consists of two departments, a
"night" and a "day" nursery. The rooms are spacious and
will be lighted by large windows, and contain every modern
and hygenic appliance known to modern equipment. As the
senator and Mrs. Clark have but two small children, the fa-cilities
of these spacious rocims will not be overtaxed. There
is an adjunct to the nursery department in the tower, where
there has been set aside a room which can be used in the
event of a quarantine.
The rest of the fourth floor is devoted to guests' rooms,
Sketch by Otto Jiranek.
ARTISAN
The of which there arc twenty-five. in the house. Nearly all of
these rooms have spacious baths connected and are -finished
in either American or English oak, heavily carved and pan-eled,
There is also a complete housekeeping suite, before
mentioned, on the fourth floor.
The fifth and sixth floors contain the rooms and accomo-dations
for thirty-five servants. The eastern wing of the
house is devoted to the men's quarters, and the western wing
to the quarters of the women servants. The laundry is on
the sixth floor, and is as large as many public laundries. The
freight elevator makes all of these rooms accessible to the
basement.
But perhaps the pride of the senator is his own suite on
the ground floor. This princely group of rooms includes
the senator's office, a reception room, and a library and a
magnificent lounging room, the latter of which is a veritable
old style English hall. It is ninety feet long and twenty
feet wide, and is done in the domestic Gothic style, as dis-tinguished
from the ecclesiastical Gothic. The room is sev-enteen
feet high, and the most notable fature in it is an im-mense
fireplace in thc Gothic style of French Normandeaux
stone. The ceiling is heavily beamed, and the wainscoting. is
carved oak. One-half of this room is devoted to a billiard
room, Opening from the lounging room is _asmall hall lined
with mirrors, which connects it with Senator Clark's private
suite. This suite is done in heavy St. Domingo mahogany,
embellished with a gold bronze frieze and fixtures of the Em-pire
style.
It would be, hard to imagine anything more impressive
than the conception of design in this ground floor suite and
its approaches through the corridor of solid marble from the
massive vestibule of bronze, facing the colossal vaulted stair-way
at the entrance. This corridor on the first floor leads
straight across the house to the entrance by the porte-cochere.
Beyond the driving entrance is a vestibule large enough to
accommodate several teams while their occupants are de-scending
prior to their entrance to the house. There is
also room in this vaulted vestibule for several automobiles.
To a man with $12,000,OQO a year income the construction,
furnishing and maintaining of such an establishment is not
such a very large item after all. As a. matter of fact, Sena-tor
Clark maintains at present four complete establishments-one
in Los Angeles, Cal.; one in Butte, Mont.; one in Wash-ington,
D. c., and his present home in New York. Stored
in these houses and in various art galleries are his collections
of paintings, porcelains and tapestries, which he has assid-uously
gathered for the last ten years.
In order to carry out his plans and reduce the building of
this house to a businesslike proposition, Senator Clark eight
years ago organized a realty company, and made his house
an incorporated concern. On Long Island he built a com~
plete woodworking and marble cutting establishment at a cost
of $150,000. This establishmeflt has been in operation con-tinually
for eight years, and it is probable that it will require
two more years before the work is completed in all its de·
ta.ils. Senator Clark's expellditures have run as high as $2,-
000 a day for months at a time, and there. has seldom been a
week when there have been less tha.n 200 skilled laborers at
work upon the various details of the structure. In order to
continue the work unhampered, Senator Clark purchased out-right
a large granite quarry in .Maine and another in Mary-land.
The vast quantities of copper used in the construc-tion
of the house were taken from Senator Clark!s mines in
:Montana and brought on to bis plant on Long Island, where
it was cast.
So the house itself is practically the product of American
material and American workmen, an achievement that in it-self
is creditable to Senator Clark, and adds materially to
the public's interest in this all-American palace-the highest
expression of Ame.rican artisanship in the building of a pri-vate
residence in New York.-Times.
:YIICJTIGAN ARTISAN 27
ig~piQs,f\ic~
Strictly Business.
The presidcllt of a prominent and successful furniture man~
l1factnflng corporation is notci.l for his loyalty to the interests
confided to his keeping and the energy displayed in develop-ing
and strengthening the business. On the occasion of the
annual meeting of stockholders 18st year (Ill amusing incident
occurred. Seated in one corner of the assembly room a
salesman was writing a letter to his girl. 10";hen the
stockholders entered the president noted the presence of the
salesman, and pointing toward him, remarked: ;;Yol1ng
Brown is so infatuated with a beer maker's daughter who lives
in Milwaukee that he probably \',1ould not cease his love letter
writing if a charge of dynamite were exptoded under his teet,
He would take his '\vriting materials \vith him while the up-lift
was in progress.!'
\Vhen the stockholders \vere seated, Sniffie.pcffer, the ora-tor
of the company,
fearing that no o-ppor-tl1nity
would be pre-sented
for unloading a
deliberately can n e cl
speech, sprang to his
feet, set his oratorical
motor in ni.otion and
for a half hour monop-olized
the time 01' the
stockholders. \¥hen
Sniftiepeffer had con-cluded
his remarks the
president arose and
cohn)' TCnl'-l.Tked: "A:~
1'11. Snifflepeffer has
~
1~/emptied his gas bag,
If yOU wiH now come to
, order and proceed to
tral1sa<.:t the busi.n<.',ss
Designed by Clarence R .Hills.
fOI' which we have
met." A snicker from the corner recalled to the memory of
the president the nearness of young Browll, and a glance con-finned
the suspicion tbat he was unduly amused.
"Say, Browll," the Ipresident remarked, "you get out.
The seriousness of tbis business you do not appreciate. You
are a good lover and a fair salesman, but you have not learned
the alphabet of finance nor the proper Inonotone for oratory.
Come back in an hour and learn finance and oratory from
Snifflepeffer.'!
Brown accepted the suggestion of the president and "got
out."
,GF====~
~
o
(,
Another for Boyd.
Query: \¥jll the Colonia) club house, Grand Rapids, be
fitted up for hotel purposes and placed under the manage-ment
of J. Boyd Pantlind for the summer season of 1910?
Mr. Foote Predicts a Good Season.
E. H. Foote, treasurer of the Grand Rapids Chair Com-p;
l11y aml pr",sident o[ the Imperial Furniture Company, pre~
diets an active season of trade after the opening of the Grand
Rapids market on June 25. upon the general improvement
in business, the crop prospects and to the fact that seventy-five
per cellt of the dealers sold cOllsiderably more than they
bought during the past six months, he bases his opinion. Mr.
Foote docs not think the presidential campaign will disturb
SketehlXi by Clarence R. Hills, Grand Rapids, Mich.
business to such an extent as occurred in 1896, when many
orders ,,,,ere placed to be filled only in the event of the ele.c-tion
at Major McKinley.
Buss Furniture Planers.
Thc Buss 1vfachine Vv'orks of Holland, Mich., manufacture
a general line of wood working machinery, including furniture
,planers that hav~ sold largely. These may be seen in suc-cessful
operation in prominent factories of Grand Rapids, Chi-cago,
Evansville, Indianapolis <l11cl other furniture centers.
Manager Buss guarantees the quality of machines built in the
Buss works.
28 MICHIGAN ARTISAN
i, .IN~WI II
I list. of Buyers
PRICE 25 CENTS
READYJUNE 15, 1908
LIST OF BUYERS, 25 CENTS
LIST OF BUYERS, 25 CENTS
LIST OF BUYERS, 25 CENTS
LIST OF BUYERS, 25 CENTS
LIST OF BUYERS, 25 CENTS
LIST OF BUYERS, 25 CENTS
LIST OF BUYERS, 25 CENTS
LIST OF BUYERS, 25 CENTS
LIST OF BUYERS, 25 CENTS
LIST OF BUYERS, 25 CENTS
NEW LIST READY JUNE 15
LIST OF BUYERS, 25 CENTS
LIST OF BUYERS, 25 CENTS
LIST OF BUYERS, 25 CENTS
LIST OF BUYERS, 25 CENTS
LIST OF BUYERS, 25 CENTS
LIST OF BUYERS, 25 CENTS
LIST OF BUYERS, 25 CENTS
LIST OF BUYERS, 25 CENTS
LIST OF BUYERS, 25 CENTS
LIST OF BUYERS, 25 CENTS
NEW LIST READY JUNE 15
Wrile for it. Remit Amount.
MmHIGAN ARTISAN CO. GRAND RAPIDS. MICH.
NEW LIST READY JUNE 15 ~--_._-------------"•
r
WOOD'S PATENT LOOSE CENTER COUNTERSINKS
--·-----AND BORINOBITS
NO. 5 COUNTERSI/.jP; STYU 7 BORIHe BIT
STYLE B TAPER
COUt/TERSINK
Carried in $tock in a\l sizes. Cenlen
"re adjusta.ble. and can be fet>laced
"'I very llI:lall cost when bwken or
worn out. Write today for com-plete
Catalo2'ue.
MORRIS WOOD & SONS, 2714 LAKE ST" CHICAQO. ILL' 1
ralm6r'S rat6nt 61uino GlamDS
Mr. Manufacturer: D... you ever c:onsider what joint IdwnQ: OOllts} The
iIe]».TaroTs and wooden wedges, if YOU use them Md many do, are a large item of
eJlpense accounts; bUllhis i~mlsU «unpaJ"ed to walle aCJ:Ounls of wcdmea who weill"
them oulwilh a hammer, aDd then a large Der cenl of the joints are failUles hy the
iOlecu,ity of lIu~melDS. RE.SUL T. it hll8 !o be done <wet again, if poemble. If yolt
Ule indeIJendentscrew ciampa the result is better, but slower, altogetber too slow. Let
ulitdl you of 6QIDethingbelter, PALMER'S CLAMPS. \II steel and iron. No
wedaes. no separalon. adjust to any width. damp instantly yet securely, releases eveQ
laster. Positi~y one-third more work with <me.third less help. In !leVenUzes up to
60 inches, any thickneSli up to 2 inches. 200 lact"orieJlin 1906. Why not you in
1908 ~ Althou~ wid by dealers everywhere let us $eIld you particulart.
It E. Palmer IiSons. Owosso. MiGh.
FOREIGN AGENTS: Proiedile Co., London, EruOOnQ.
Schuchardt & Scbutte, BetJl.II, Germany •
~ .
•
:vrrCHIGAK
"Rotary Style" for Dl'op Cnr\'lngs, Embossed :\(ou1dingl'l, Panels.
l\lachioes for all purposes, and at prices within the reach ot
all. Every machine has OUl'guarantee against brenkuglP for ODe
yopnr.
"Lateral Style" for large capacity heavy Con'logs aDd Del'll'
Emb08slngs.
We have the Machine you want nt a l!iati81actory "price. Wnte
for descriptive clreulars. Also make dies for all makes of Mp,~
chine8.
VNION fMBOSSINO M4C"INf CO., Indianapoll., Ind.
..II
SPECIAL TIES:
~f'YEfl'~QUARO.AK VENEERS
MAHOGANY VENEERS
HOFFMAN
BROTHERS COMPANY
804 W, Main St" FORT WAYNE, INDIANA
III, __________ . ..:i
ARTISAN 29
.,---_._----_. -----------.
THE
WEATHERLY
INDIVIDUAL
GLUE HEATER
Send your address and
receive descriptive cir-cular
of Glue Heaters,
Glue Cookers and Hot
Boxes and prices.
WEATHERLY CO.
>----_.---- __ GRAND RAPIOS, MICH. 1
..--- .. FOX SAW DADO HEADS
SMOOTHEST
GROOVES
FASTEST
CUT
LEAST
POWER
LONGEST
LIFE
GREATEST
RANGE
QUICKEST
ADJUSTMENT
LEAST
TROUBLE
PERFECT
SAFETY
Also Machine
Knlve." Miter
Machines. Etc:.
We'll gladly tell
you all about
It.
PERMANENT ECONOMY
FOX MACHINE. CO. 185 N. F.oot St.eet.
Grand Rapids. Mic:h
"-- ..
._-------..
I
10uf5 babn !I
DESIGNS AND DETAILS
OF FURNITURE
15. Livingston St.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
II
II
I'-----_._---
Citizens'Telephone 1702.
PETER COOPER'S. GLUE
is the best in all kinds of weather. When other manufactureu or agents
teU you their glue is as good as COOPER'S, they admit Cooper's is
the BEST. No one extols his product by comparing it with an inferior
article. Cooper's Glue is the world's standard of excellence. With it
all experiment begins, all comparison continues, and all lest ends. Sold
continuously since 1820. Its reputation, like itself, STICKS.
Peter Cooper's glue is made from selected hide stock, carefully pre.
pared. No bones or pig stock enter into its composition.
In strength it is uniform, ,each barrel containing the same kind of t glue that is in every other banel of the same grade.
I ORIN A, WARD GRAND RAP' OS AGENT 403 Ashton Bldg,
• CITIZENS PHONE 9333
I~--_._------------_.•..
_____ .....;.,J
30 MICHIGAN
Lectures Before Engineering Classes.
J. R. McColl, formerly associate professor of steam en-gineering
at Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind., and now con-
J~t~
{~
Designed by ClarenceR. Hills. Grand Rapids.
nected with the engineering department of the American
Blower Company, Detroit, has been delivering a series of
lectures before engineering classes of the technical schools in
the middle -west. The subjects dealt with arc the move-merit
and heating of air for heating, ventilating and drying
systems; the theory and practice. of blower design and instal-lation,
and kindred topics. The lectures are illustrated by
means of stereopticon views and arc followed by animated
discussions on the part of the students, who invariably evince
great interest in the subjects presented.
Dry Goods Houses Under Fire.
Complaint is made by rctailers of house furnishing goods
against the dry goods houses of S1. Louis and Chicago for
offering articles of furniture or sale in the general catalogues
which it is their custom to des tribute to the trade. As Mar-shall
Field & Co., Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co., Scrugs, Van-dervoort
& Barney, Fanvcll, Butler and others maintain fur-niture
departments as parts of their establishments, buying
large quanties of .furniture legitimately, it seems somewhat
strange that their efforts to make sales should be condemned
by modest, unpretentious competitors doing business in many
sections of the west.
A Monster Dining Table.
An agreeable surprise-awaits the buyers arriving in Grand
Rapids during the coming month. One of the prominent
furniture manufacturing corporations, noted for the elaborate
luncheons s:!lread before· their" guests, as well as the excellence
of their products, have installcd in their dining hall a mam-moth
round top center table, with a sideboard, buffet and
chairs to match. The table measures eight feet eigbt inches
from side to side and the center contains a large round mir-ror.
The style is Mission, the finish weathered, in keeping
with the decorations of the room.
Few Spaces Open.
During the past month applications for space in the furni-ture
eXDosition buildings of Grand Rapids have been received
in such numbers as to assure a full and complete exhibition
of the products of the factories. A few desirable spaces re-main
in the great furniture exhibition building managed by
p, ]. Klingman. Applicants for the same should communi-cate
with the management at once.
The earliest chair in Nineveh wa.s made without a back
and with legs terminating in lion's feet or bull's hoofs.
ARTISAN
Power Supply in Future.
One of the questions which vitally concerns every man is
tha.t of the future sources of power supply. It is stated that
our anthracite coal fields will hold out but fifty years
longer, and that in a hundred years the bituminous coal
will he gone~ Natural gas and petroleum fields are be-exhausted
rapidly. But there remains one source of
power which should never be exhausted-the cheapest
and the one without waste. "Vater is a magnificent
source of power. In the arid sections of the country
water conservation for irrigation purposes is being
studied arid applied. ·Vole think the canals may be uti-lized
for power purposes without loss to the men de-pendent
on the water for irrigation purposes. It is
claimed that it may interfere with navigation, but this
is not an unsurmountable obstacle. The establishment
of power plants does not necessarily bar navigation, but
methods may have to be altered. 'Vater power applied
in the form of electricity will, we think, supply the
needs of the future adequately.
Will Manufacture Pianos.
A. n. B
- Date Created:
- 1908-06-10T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Rapids Public Library (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
- Collection:
- 28:23
- Subject Topic:
- Periodicals and Furniture Industry
- Language:
- English
- Rights:
- © Grand Rapids Public Library. All Rights Reserved.
- URL:
- http://cdm16055.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16055coll20/id/166