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- Michigan Artisan; 1907-11-10
Michigan Artisan; 1907-11-10
- 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.9 NOVEMBER 10, 1907
I? f. l)Tr\<
"- "'< .:..... .:;_.,,'_J
Semi-Monthly
RIGHT IN FRONT AS USUAL
Here is a SANDER that will finish your worK PERFECTLY
No. 163 Universal Sand Belt Ma.chlne.
This machine has a variety of
adjustments and wiJ1 sand WITH
THE GRAIN and require no re~
touching by hand, the following:
Mirror frames, round, oval, any
shape; drawer rails, base rails;
drawer fronts, serpentine, agee,
round or swell, either straight or
cross veneered; agee, round; bevel
or straight edges of dresser or table
tops, of round, square or scrolled
patterns; tablt:: rims. dresser posts;
veneered rolls or columns; straight
ogee or rounded mouJdingsj raised
surfaces of panels; spirals of table
legs; curtain slats for roll top desks;
spindle carvings; French table legs;
plumbers' wood work; table tops;
etc.
Ask for Catalog E
W...·SONO « MILES CO., Cedar St. and Mu R. R., OREENSBORO, N. C.
The Best Truck-- The Strongest Truck
Thisisthe famousGilletteRollerBearing-Factory
Truck-the truck on wbich it is said, "One man
can move a load of 3000 pounds whUe 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 " the truckYOU are lookingforif youwish
to invest in rather than waste money on factory
trucks.
Gillette Roller Bearing CO.
<JRAND RAPIDS, M'CHlUAN
--------- __. _E The Lightest Running.
Longest Lasting Truck
Just a Little Faster
Than any other clamp for
handling small work easily and
economically.
Operating with a treadle,
the workman's hands are always
free to handle and nail stock.
Let us tell you more about
it. Send for Catalog.
Grand Rapids .Hand Screw Company
HaDd Sorews. Benebe., True"s. Furniture Cl.,1Dpe.
918 Jefferson Ave., Grand Rapids. Mieh.
Callinet Makers
In these days of close competition,
need the best posaible equipment,
and this they can have in . • • •
BARNES'
Hand and Foot
POWER
Machinery
Our New "and Hnd FDOtPower Circular Saw No.4
The strongest, most powerfUl, and ill every way tbe best
machine of its kind ever made, for ripping,
crosll·cuuing, boring and grooving.
Send for our New Catalogue.
"W. F. ®. JOHN BARNES CO.
654 Ruby Street, Rockford, Ill.
1
GREEN
STAINS
Green; the mere word itself never could convey to you the heautiful effects pro-duced
on wood-either oak or pine-by our Green Spartan Stains.
These stains are made in a variety of shades of green, bring-ing
out all the delicate tints from the yellow to the
blue. No other Green Stains made have
such richness of color, and, what is of the
utmost importance, these greens of ours are
permanent.
WRITE
fOR
SAMPLES Of
OUR
ONE-COAT
MISSION
FINIS"ES
v t;melllr Presses, all klndl5 and sizes.
Veneer Presses
Glue Spreaders
Glue Heaters
. Trucks, Elc.. Etc.
THE MARIETTA
PAl NT & COLOR CO.
MARIETTA - OHIO
These Specialties are used all
Over the World
.:=.------
Power .Feed Glue Spreading Machine,
(Patent applied for.) Single, Double and
Combination.
No. 20 Glue Jleater. C"AS. E. FRANCIS &. BRO.8
Do You Want The Originality of our work is one of its chief characteristics.
Something
Original?
"AVE
YOU TRIED
OUR
SPARTAN TURPS
Spartan Turps is one of our own
products and has no' equal for
reducing Vamishcs,Stains, Paillts,
etc. It is cheaper than Turpentine,
costing about a third lells. Made
in two grades. Send us a trial
order.
Hand Feed 4]luelog Mach1ne (Pat.
pending.) EIght styles and slzelJ.
Wood·Worklng
Macbinery
and Supplies
LItT us KNOW
YOUR. WANTS
4/9-421 10.IOlgbth St.
CINCINNATI,O.
No. 6 Glue Heater.
WE BUILD HIGH GRADE
CATALOGS COMPLETE
ENGRAVING
PRINTING
BINDING
White Printing Co.
2 to 20 Lyon Street GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
2
Do You
Want Our
Furniture Mfgr's
Catalogue? Free.
Fay 8 Egan the Standard.
\,
No. 186 BAND RESAW.
THIS IS THE ONLY RE=SAW
That is equipped with a device for quickly reduciug thick
lumber into picture backing, panels, etc.
The inside rolls can be locked in position, while the out-side
rolls can be moved to or from the saw by lever guaged by
a quadrant spaced in the most accurate manner by eighths of
an inch.
The feed rolls are se,lf·centeriug and will receive any
thickness of material up to 8" and up to 24" wide.
Write us and learn about its &ensitive atraining device) ita
variable friction feed, its solid lower wheel and its im-pl'Oved
guides.
J. A. Fay & Egan CoQ.
505-525 W. Front St., Cincinnati, Ohio.
28th Year- No.9. GRAND RAPIDS. MICH.. NOVEMBER 10. 1907. $1.00 per Year.
The Drummer and the Imps.
In a reccllt issue of Salesmanship there appeareu a cartoon
entitled "Arc the Dwarfs Holding- You?" It represents a
snoozling- salesman reclining at the foot of the hill on whose
summit stands the Temple of Success, wbile a lot of dwarfs
or imps variously labeled as Low-Aim, Down-Cast, 1 Can't,
and so 011, have him entangled with their cord::;, on which
they are all lugging with full strength. It is a picture-ser-mon
to salesmen who are dubbed as "just-gct-alongs," to men
who ate losillg the money-making opport1111ities of the best
years of their lives, to men who arc barely covering their
sOllarics and expenses and possibly not that.
All of the leading dwarfs in this picture represcllt mental
failing, not superinduced hy lack of intelligence or brains.
but rather naming themselves as dwarfed intelligence, mad~
so by habit. Let us analyze them in detail.
The "microbe" 11carest the temple of success is Tomorrow,
and Tomorrow is the last resort and the temple of refuge
for all of the other business-destroying imps. r-fe is the
curse of golden moments and the prophet of ultimate failure,
and all told he is the most expensive barnacle on the house
and the best guide to ultimate failure for the salesman,
Laziness, his companion in arms, shifts the burden of re-sponsibility
to Tomorrow. He is a little "under the weath-er
today," but he will feel better tomorrow and double his
work.
Down-Cast is born of wasted todays, but D(J"\vn-Cast us-ually
decides to cheer up and do it tomorrow.
Low-Aim is a very distant relative of Tomorrow. He is
rather a blood relation of Today, and as long as the dra\"'ing
salary comes, Low-Aim is fairly well satisfied and trusts to
luck to carry him through. Sometimes LO\.,r-Aim forget!'!
the very existence of the watchful manager through \'",hom
('DmeS his final hiatus.
\Vasted-Tin~e is fond of Tomorrow. Today represcllts
the time for gamboling and reveling in pleasures. V\Tastcc1-
Time plays billiards alld pooL He puts in an extra night
and perhaps a day in the tov,.·n he has already worked because
he has some good friends \vho wis,h to entertain him. I-Tis
expense account is a matter of little moment. because he, too,
<llways says "1 will do it Tomorrow," and, behold, TOm01TO\."
is always Today.
I Can't is the worst imp of all. I Can't presupposes in-ability.
His character is minus the strong "I will" that helps
the salesman over supposedly insurmountable difficulties.
HI can't," says he; "not today-tomorrov,,- I can, because I
will have more \",ill power and more inclillation." Tomor~
row brings him 0111yadded weakness.
Blue-Days is optimistic. He always depends on Tomor-row.
Blite-Days is wont to say. "I am off my feed and call't
work; it must be in the air; tomorrow, after a good night's
sleep, I will feel hul1y." lllue-Days is an intermittent
worke'. Sometimes he has a reaction and .hustles but that
reaction brings more frequellt "'off color" and he :epeatec1ly
lays down in the harness.
Before all of the little business-killing imps dances the
ignus fatuus, Tomorrow.
Back on the hill stands the Temple of Success. The res-cuers
have not yet appeared. Perhaps they will not come.
Judging from the expression of the victim's face in the Sales-manship
cartoon, they will never come. He is too self-sat-isfied
and comfortable and presently the cords that already
hold him will be reinforced by the cobwebs of absolute in-action.
Then the salesman may be counted as one dead.
Vle will suppose that this modern Gulliver is struggling-.
what then? In an instant the doors of the Temple of Suc-cess
will burst open fairies led by Today will rush down the
slope, sever the cords and release the impotent one. "Who
are these fairies?" you inquire.
Tn the lead Today, and following as fast as their tiny legs
will carry them will comc in the order given, Activity,
Cheer-Up, High-Aim, Every Minute Counts, I Will, and
Bright Days.
W. S. Findlater Will Continue.
W. S. Findlater, who has represented the Adams & Elting
Company in the states of Michigan and Wisconsin during
the past decade, will continue his connection with the com~
pany during the coming year. He is an able salesman, re-spected
and popular.
OUD ~prOAlIMPrRIAl
wrA InrDrO OAK Oil ~lAln
is the standard all over I\merica.
I\re YOUusing it?
Write us for Samples and Quotations of the
BEST SHELLAC VARNISHES
IIIANU'-ACTlJfrCD QNI. t u ...
CHICAGO WOOD FINISHING CD.
259·63 ELSTONAVE'"" 2-16 SLOAN ST.
CH I CAcao
4
THE POWER PROBLEM.
An Inter.:sting Article on the Important Developments That
Have·r.r~ Place in the Matter of Furnishing Power
tp ..Operate Machinery--:-Successive Steps
Described.
:~:,~:~
When the United 'States Steel Corporation scnt a repre-sentative
to Europe not long ago in search of information re-garding
gas engines he was shown over a number of power
plants. At last he said he was satisfied as far <IS he tad
gone; that what he had illspected would do very nicely for
small plants, but ,vhat he wanted to see was something big-the
biggest g8S engine -in existence. Then the suggestion
was delicately conveyed to him that if he would return home
and hunt up a 4500 horse-power gas engine he would find in
operation there his desire would be gratified. Since then the
builders of this engine, the Snow Pump Works, have filled
an order far four gas c::ngines af 5,400 horse-power for the
California Gas & Electric Corporatiap. These are the larg-est
gas engines yet built, though anyone who has money to
foot the bill can find plenty of manufacturers r~ady to u:~der-take
larger ones.
T'he up-to-date gas engine power plant has gas producers
instead of the hailers of the steam plant. A .WIS producer
costs about as much as a boiler of equal power with its acces-sories;
but it te-kes up less space. requires less work to keep
it going. I-et'c!:;; no skilled labor and the expensc of operation
stops at the sarre instant the work does. But the princ"pal
saving is in the fuel bills. It has been clairred by one el'-
thusiast th<1tby using bituminous coal and selling the by-pro-ducts
power could be gererat(d in a gas p:-cducers plant 14
per cent che<lper than water-power.
It is not necessary to substantiate this roseate allegation
to make out a good case for the g1S producer p')wer plant.
An engine which can make one pound of coal do the work of
one horse for one hou:- has a pretty strong claim t1pon t11C
attention of power consmrers \vho have been taught to be-lieve
they were doing fire when they obtained the same re-sult
at four times the cost. In a test conducted at Algona,
la., by the state university, a gas producer engine cf 150 nom-inal
horse-po.ver developed 156 brake horse-power on a coal
consumption of .999 pounds peT hor~:e-power. Even with
such expensive fuel as anthracite pea coal at $6 a ton the
cost of the pm'ver developed was 2.99 mills per brake horse-power
per hour. In another test near the mitres in which
the fuel used was anthracite culm the cost W3S 1.5 mills per
horse-power per hour.
At the coal testing plant of the geological survey at St.
Louis in 1905, fourteen samples of coal from nine statt'S werc
tested simultaneously in steam and gas producer plants. The
gas producer aJ1d engine were found to be two and Olle-half
times as efficient as the steam engine. In other v\lords. a
given amount of power could be developed in a gas p¥oducf'r
for 40 per cent of the cost to pcner2te the :5arr.e f\n1Cluntif
the coal were burned under a boiler.
Two motor boats were tested in a ten-hour run from
Hamburg to Kiel and return one stormy day in Jur~e, 1905.
One, the Gasschlepper, forty-four feet three incl'es lcng by
ten feet six inches beam, was equipped with a bur-cylinder,
seventy horse-power gas engine, with suction gas producer.
The other, the Elfreide, was 47 feet long and 12 feet beam,
and had ~ triple expansion engine of seventy-five horse-power,
The Gasschlepper exerted a pull of 2,140 pounds on the tow-ing
meter, the Elfreide 2.020 pounds. The former used only
530 pounds of anthracite on the run, the Elfreide 1,820 pounds
of steam coal.' .
W. H. Lauric, a Canadjan engineer,' gives the cost of one
])r;.!.lq~):lorse-power for one year from gasoline at $78; from
illuminating, gas, $46.80; from steam, $37.44; from producer
gas from bituminous coal, $5.
As for care, the gas engine only asks to be let alone.
Many large engines run 97 per cent of the time, the three per
cent of stoppages inclu·ding those on account of the electric
generators to which they are attached, One 400 horse-power
enginc ran seven months without stopping. The producers
do even better. The Eric railroad has awo producers of
200 horse-power each at Jersey City, one of which was in
continuous operation for seven years. With the exception
of the engineer in charge, the work around a gas producer
plant can be done by unskilled men. If a gas receiver is
used, aJ"!dall large plants have them, the engine is always
ready to sta,rt. It can be brought into full service in haLf
a minute to a minute, for the cylinder requires no warming
up and no draining as a steam engine does. Even the p,o-ducer
can be put in operation in fifteen Qr twenty minutes
instead of the hour or hour and a half needed to raise steam
under a boiler. Finally, the gas producer plant is quiet and
law-abiding. It is not forever lying in wait to blaw the
plant and everyone around it into smithereens. Explosions
of cylinders or accidental gas explosions doing damage of
any consequence are almost unknown.
The instrumentality through which such economic mira-cles
are wrought possesses a lively interest for all. Radical
reductions in. the expense of pOVier means a cheapening in the
cost of production of mallllfactured articles. Of course,
the ordinary citizen does not directly profit by these eCCmo-mies,
nor should he expect to do so; but he is freely welcome
to the pleasure of reading about the increases in capital stock
made possible by them.
Producer gas, then, is made with apparatus which (:on·
sists of a generator, a vaporizcr.and a scrubber Tb.. j{'=l1er-atm
is a steel cylinder lined with fire brick, and haying a re-volving
grate at the bottom. The bottom is c1ose(l by a
water seal which permits cleaning and removal of asae;:; ,vich-out
interrupting the operation of the plant. At the top is
an automatic charger, with double shutters, thmugh ·,Nhich
coal can be introduced without interfering with the working
of the generator.
To start up, the generator is filled with fuel and lightect
and the blower turned on. Small plants have hand bJower~
the larger ones have blowers operated by compressed air,
which is stored while the plant is in operation. When the
coal is incandescent, the air valve at the bottom is clos,.J
and the valves are opened which peTlTit the gas to flow into
the vaporizer. This is a water-jacketed jipe or vessel in
which water is maintair:ed at a constant level. In passing
through the vaporizer the g:os gives up its heat and in doin,'5
so generates a 1i~~lesteam in the surrounding water, which,
mixed with air is··fed to the gc.nerator. The gas then flows
into the scrubber where impurities ace washed out in a cyEn-deT
of coke upon which water is sprayed, through a water
seal and then over t~ays filled with sawdust, when it is ready
to go into the engine cylinder or into the receiver to wait
until wanted. The process is automatic and the apparatlls
requircs no attention, except to put in charges of coal about
three times in ten hours, to clean out the scrubbers every two
or three weeks and to remove the ashes when you happen to
think of it.
If bituminous coal, which produces a good deal of tar,
is used, the scrubbing apparatus requires to be more elaborate
than if anthracite or coke is used. In large plants the gas
is stored in a receiver as it is made. In small plants a suc-tion
producer is used. In this case the suction of the en-gine
draws off the gas just as it is required, thus doing away
with the necessity for a receiver. The same operation which
draws off the gas sucks sufficient air and s1-earninto the gen-erator
to combine with the carbon and keep up the supply
of gas. Only anthrac.ite and coke can be used in the suc-tion
producer. Bituminous coal contains too much tar.
Suction gas producers arc particularly adapted to any work
where small power is required, including automobiles and
motor boats; but plants as large as 500 horse-power are 1\1
successful operation and the field for their operation is un-limited.
ThE gas producer is not as clumsy nor as bulky ns ·would
F ppear from a written description. Just to give an idea of
its sirr:plicity and compactness, it may be said that a 40
horse-pmver producer recently attached to an automobile
weighed but 250 pounds, The space occupied was a neg-ligible
factor, as may be inferred by the fact that the appear-ance
of the automobile was not materially changed. In a test
run the producer consumed nineteen and one-eigh.th pounds
of cokc and two gallons of water per hour, making the cost
6 cents an hour as compared with 40 cents for gasoline.
A German manufacturer has turned out a portable gas
producer and engine on wheels to take the place of the port-able
steam engine. The hopper carries coal enough to keep
the generator going for forty-eight hours. Narrow gauge
locomotives using preducer gas arc built by the same· manu-facturer.
The gas engine itself ha:~ been radically improved. It is
no longer the sin;ple acting single cylinder affair of its cal-low
days. Ten years ago a Scotchman found out how to make
double acting gas cngillcs. Then others discovered that by
driving two single acting cylinders tandem the, could get as
many impulses on a single crank as with a simple steam en-gine,
and with twin tandems, as many impulses as from a
cross-compound steam engine, and at the same time have a
motor that was just as steady running as the best regulated
steam engine. This was all that was required to adapt the
gas engine perfectly to driving electric generators or doing
other work requiring smooth, steady running. Large en-gines
are started hy compressed air, which is stored for the
purpose while the engine is at \vork.
No large vessels have yet been equipped ·with gas produc-ers
and engines; but it has been demonstrated on paper at
least, that such installation is entirely practicable. Vertical
gas cllgines of 3000 to 5000 horse-power have been built.
Reversing, which is essential in a marine engine, may be
effected by the use of compressed air. It is estimated that
the. saving on the initial cost of 10,000 horse-power producer
gas' engine on shipboard would be in the neighborhood of
$45,COO, that the annual saving in operating expenses would
be somewhere near $60,000, and that the additional space
saved if occupied by cargo would pay ten per cent on the
investment.
While the producer gas engine is able to show a record of
results so far superior .to the best performances of the steam
engine, there is still abundant scope for the exercise of in-ventive
talent. Of the heat generated in the gas engine
cylinder only 25 per cent is utilized in work.
per cent goes into the water jacket and 35
in the exhaust and in radiation.
There are many who feel sure that the next step in ad-vance
in power production will be the gas turbine. A num-ber
have been tried, but none have proved successful. The
most recent was built in France. In a trial last September it
contrived to turn into effective work 18 per cent of the heat
value of the fuel supplied to it. 011C of the great problems
confronting the inventor who would produce a gas turbine
is how to keep his machine from melting. The temperature
in an internal combustion engine sometimes reac'hes 2,000
Of the rest 40
per cent is lost
CHALLENGE REDUCER
5
(ESTABLISHED tS5S)
A solvent equal to turpentine in every respect for re-ducing
varnish. stains, or anything requiring a solvent of
turpentine strength or quality.
This solvent is fully fifty per cent cheaper than turpen-tine,
as it costs less and requires less to obtain the same re-sults;
and as a reducer for oil stains it has no equal.
Manufactured and sold only by
GRAND RAPIDS WOOD fINIS"ING CO.
55-57 Ellsworth Ave, Grand Rapids, Mich.
degrees Centigrade, which is above the melting point of plati-num,
to say nothing of cast iron. The ordinary gas engine
can be kept cool with a water jacket; but the swiftly revolving
blades of a turbine are a different matter. The Frenchman
referred to kept the temperature of his blades down by in-troducing
low pressiire steam. From this it may be seen
that the gas turhine has a long way to go to get out of the
woods. Indeed, The-Man-\Vho-Knows-It-Isu't-So ·has de-mOllstrated
the utter impossibility of ever introducing a prac-ticfial
gas turbine, just as conclusively as he proved that
steamboats wouldn't go, that the first transcolltinental rail-road
could never be built, or that the automobile was impos-sible
and dangerous and ought not to be allowed, any way.
Edison says we knO\v nothing now, but that 500 years
hence we may begin to suspect. Perhaps the final solution
of the power problem may fall under suspicion in even less
time.
More Factory Room Required.
The I-laney School Furniture Company have commenced
the hectio·n of a large addition to their plant on Front street,
Grand Rapids. The company manufactures desks for
schools.
II BERRY BROTHERS'
Rubbing and Polishing Varnishes MUST BE USED IN FURNITURE WORK TO BE APPRECIATED
THEY SETTLE THE VLl.RNISH QUESTION WHEREVER TRIED
WRITE: FOR INFORMATION,
FINISHED WOOD SAMPLti.S. AND LITERATURE.
New York
262 Peatl St.
Bo..ton
520 Atlanlk Ave.
Philadelphia
26-26 No. 4th St.
Baltimore
29S. Hanover St.
BERRY BROTHERS, LIMITED
VARNISH MANUFACTURERS
DETROIT
C~~.~rLa1eSt.
Cincinnati
420 MaiD St.
St. Loui.
112 So. 4th St.
San Fn.neiseo
668 Howard St.
THIS IS THE CAN
AND LABEL
CANAtll ...N FACTORY, WALKERVILLE ONTARIO
6
FOREST MADE FURNITURE.
Adirondack Guides Who Are Also Wood Workers.
When an Adirondack guide is really master of his craft
he is also a great deal morc. In particular he is a skilled,
quick and ingenious carpenter and joiner, with an expert
knowledge of local woods and a deftness in making articles
of furniture from cedar and pine in the round that few
urban craftsmen can equal.
Such men can furnish a camp throughout with articles
of these materials made to the rustic fashion, and there is 110
more appropriate furnishing for a camp that is really such
and not a mere palace in the wilderness.
For the bedrooms they make bedsteads, usually of pine in
the round with the bark removed for the sake of greater
cleanliness, sometimes of planed planks. The washstand is
made of tongued a11dgrooved wood and shaped to go into a
corner of a room or tent. It is usually provided with ample
shelves for storage.
Every -bedroom or tent has its two wood boxes, one of
large size to hold the billets of hardwood which are to keep
the hearth fire or the tent stove going, another of small size
to hold the light, dry pine used for kindling. These boxes
are made in several forms and are always charming and ap-propriate.
Sometimes the larger box is a crib of carefully chosen
cedar sticks in the round firmly joined and provided with a
tight bottom. The smaller box is often of pine boards cov-ered
with birch bark carefully chosen for color and marking,
and bound with narrow strips of birch or some other native
wood with the bark on.
Sometimes the kindling box is completely covered with
small strips of some wood that tenaciously retains its hark.
[n such casc the coloring of the bark is carefully considered,
and the box ,.,.-ith its hinged lid is beautiful. Structurally
alw, it is excellent, for it is nicely joined in every part.
It is the V·ide of the carpenter-guide to make use of simple
materials ready to hand, and accordingly tl:·e hinges of such
a box arc often contrived of wrought nails cleverly twisted
and turned so that they serve their purpose to perfection, and
give a permanent and easy ,.,'orking hinge.
Chairs for the bedroom, porch and living room are made
in a great variety of shapes from cedar with the bark Otl.
All the parts are fitted together so that the chair is at once
strong, comfortable, neat in appearance and stable on its
legs. Great arm chairs are made thus with seats of cedar in
the round like a miniature corduroy road. The braces of the
back are made with decorative intent, but structural qualities
are rarely sacrificed for decoration.
In some parts of these big chairs the cedar is bent, with
the result of decoration and structural excellence. Smaller
chairs are made on the same plan, and some are of simpler
design.
Tables are made of all sizes and for many purposes, A
dining table seating a dozei1 perSOnSand made of cedar in the
round, with planed pine top, has been used in one Adirondack
camp for fifteen years. It is in every way admirably suited
to its purpose, and the bark remaills on the cedar just as
,,,,hen the table was made.
Smaller tables on the same plan are used for many pur-poses.
More decorative tables are made of cedar, some in
hexagonal form, others round, with three legs, very tippy,
but not impracticable.
Still others are made of wood in the round with the bark
on. The face of the table in such case is made of small
pieces wrought into a pattern or rayed from the centre.
It is in ambitious efforts like these that the carpenter
guide is apt· to be betrayed into bad taste. As often as not,
Grand Rapids School
of Designing
544-545 HousemanBldg., GrandRapids, Mich.
ARTHUR KIRKPATRICK, Instructor.
WE TEACH A COMPLETE COURSE IN
FURNITURE DESIGNING
IN TWO BRANCHES:
DETAILING and SKETCHING
WE ALSO TEACH A COURSE IN
ADVANCED ORNAMENT
WATER COLORING, WASH DRAWING
and CARTOONING
THE LARGEST AND BEST COURSES
WRITE US TODAY FOR PARTICULARS
though ,his aesthetic mistakes come from his efforts to com~
ply with the tastes of his employers.
Benches, settees, sewing tables, sofas and even sideboards
are made of sueh rustic materials and upon simple Jines.
Plant baskets are covered with birch bark, and serviceable
cups and pitchers are made ·of that material.
Excellent linen chests are made entirely of cedar in the
round save for an interior lining of pine. Indeed it would
be hard to name any article of household furniture which can
be made of 'wood that the guide will not undertake to make
from the native material.
Cedar is the favorite wood with the carpenter guides be-cause
it is Qllraole and easily worked. Every camp should
have some seasoned cedar in the round stored against need.
\;Vild cherry with the bark on is used for small decoratjv~
articles, and \",-ith good effect. \Vhite and yello,v birch are
also used, and less often beech. Alder is also used for small
articles.
The beautifully cylindrical form of the cedar recommends
it for large articles.
l\~ajjs are commonly llsed rather than wooden pegs for se-curing
joints. For the 1110redelicate work long slellder brads
are used. The carpenter guides would rather use copper
fastenings, but these make articles of furniture rather expen-sive.
For articles not to be exposed to \'v"eather iron nails
serve very well.
Such furniture, when not too decorative in design, is re-markably
durable. The chair seats of cedar in the round arc
apt to break down before any other part of the chair, but
these are easily replaced.
llany articles will last with ordinary usag~ for twenty sea-sons
or more. The bedsteads and the heavy chairs and
tables indeed will last indeflllitely. Some of these articles
.after marc than fifteen years' service 5'how beautifully tight
joints and betray not the slightest weakness.
The makers of this rustic camp furniture take an artist's
pride in their work and the best of them are never content
without the finest result of their skilL They ,have a quick
eye for a piece of wood with the right turn or curve for a
}Jarticular place, and they match parts in shape, color and
texture with unerring certainty.
Rustic furnitme sold in the shops is clumsy, tasteless and
flimsy compared with the best work of the guide carpenters.
They do their work commonly in camp with their own kit of
tools ;\lld with few of the appliances required by the car-penter
and joiner who works in a shop.
The handiwork of the carpenter guides is not cheap, at
least in first cost. Factory made chairs, tables and bed-steads
can be had for less money, and few camps arc without
a good deal of rather disfiguring ftlrniture that pretends to
he rustic.
The work of the guides, made by ,hand in every part of
carefuly selected timber by a high priced mechanic, who re-fuses
to be hurried into slighting even the smallest detail, can
never be as cheap as furniture produced wholesale by ma-chinery_
Its virtue lies in its durability and its fitness for
the place it is to fill.
New Furniture Dealers.
Wilson Desk Company, 242 Canal street, l\ew York city.
M. Levenson, 776 vVestchester avenue, New York city.
Economy House Furnishing Company, Portland, !i'fe.
Penn Store Furnishing Company, Allegheny, Pa.
T. J. )"loriarty, Easthampton, rVlass.
A. S. Davis Company, Clarion, Pa.
Charles E. Blood, Brockton, Mass.
A. IT. Stanton, Huntingtc)11, Mass.
Samuel Schwartz, 1\ewark, Y J.
D. A. Taylor, Waco, Tex.
C. H. Small, Ashville, Me.
:ARTl.s/LN "\~.
t 2F·. ~ 7
Dr. Osler, Say!
You can lead an old man to the drug
store but you cannot make him take a
dose of chloroform.
We do want to take
Your Business!
OUR QUESTION has been and is
now-Are you making money?
If not, why not get DODDS, machines~
They are a success, and make the parties
that use them a success. Write us. Address
our new Office at
181.183 Canal Street,
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
50 PER CENT
of the Circulation of Trade Papers
(Excepting the Michigan Artisan)
IS mailed to manufacturers,
designers, shop hands, com=
mission men, jobbers of fac-tory
supplies and others who
do not sell furniture and kin~
dred goods. To reach the
largest number of retailers use
The Michigan Artisan's Mercantile
Editions Mailed to Dealers Only.
8 71R. T 1.5"'.A..l"I
~HE Schumann Piano Company of Rockford, Ill.,
has just doubled its lumber drying capacity.
Didn't have to build new kilns to do it---just added
the Grand Rapids Veneer Works process and im-mediately
began taking out 4-4 oak m seven days,
straight, soft and entirely free from checking, harden-mg
or honeycombing. That kind of work will pay
dividends. Better write the V eneer Works, Grand
Rapids, Mich., for a description of this process.
The Problem of Fuel Economy.
Among the m:l11Yproblems that confront the manufacturer
none is more important, broader or more elastic than that of
fuel economy. No matter what measures the factory super-intendent
resorts to in his effort t6 comply with the order to
"cut down expe-nses," he cannot curtail the supply of fuel, for
the boiler room is necessarily the power center of the entire
works. He must economize, and how to economize in fuel
is a much mooted question.
Fuel economy primarily begins with the construction of
the boiler room and the machinery. It is no uncommon
thing to find boiler rooms and boilers improperly built for
the advanta"geous handling of fuel. Probably the two most
common reasons for this are: The plant is a growth or
scrjes of additions to a small building, or the boiler room was
·designed by an architect and not by an engineer. To be
consistent with modern economical systems, the planning of
the boilers and boiler rooms should be left to a competent
engineer. He can arrange and provide for the first factor
in fuel economy-the unloading, storing and handling of fuel.
The arrangement of the boiler room and fuel bins plays a
large part in the economical handling of fuel. In a large
plant, where the consumption of fuel annually involves an
item of th.ousands of dollars, the saving of a small per cent
on the dollar means a great deal in a short time.
The boiler rooms and fuel bins should always be arranged
to have the advantage of a gravity descent. This means the
saving of from twenty-five to forty per cent in handling the
fuel.
Auxiliary appliances, such as feed water purifiers, heaters,
draft devices, etc., are important factors in the solution of the
fuel economy problem. Purify your feed water and' then
heat it before it enters the boiler and a large percentage of
waste is done away with. Devices for the acceleration of
draft play an important part in economlzmg in fuel. One
of the most common and efficient devices is a blower arranged
in the smoke stack to produce draft as required.
Another important 'point in fuel economy is in firing. How
to properly fire a boiler is a problem that has worried many
manufacturers. The automatic stoker has been used to great
advantage and is being constantly improved. The trouble
with firemen usually lies in the fact that the ordinary employe
has had no training. He may have had little" or no training,
"hoemay have been trained to fire a boiler entirely different
from the one at which he is now at work. The fireman, who,
it is true, receives low wages, handles fuel enough, and may
throwaway enough in a year to knock a handsome percent-age
off the profits of the fJlant.
The second factor bearing upon fuel economy is the physi-cal
.condition of the boiler and its auxiliary appliarices. Th.e
furnace is a subject of primary importance Of courSe, ev-ery
manufacturer 'knows that he needs a certain kind of fur-nace,
another for shavings or sawdust, etc., but how many
realize that to do the work required of it at a minimum ex-pense,
the furnace must be specially constructed for the work
cut out for it?
To make a long story short, the best results are only ob-tainable
when the physical condition of the boiler room is
right; when the boiler and its auxiliary appliances are right,
and when the highest grade of fuel is use d.-American Indus-tries.
The fire hazard placed upon denatured" alcohol by the in-surance
companies is the cause of complaint on the part of
both users and manufacturers of that liquid. It is the
same as for gasoline, and the manufacturers claim that it
should be less, because denatured alcOhol is not as danger-ous
to handle as gasoline.
~MIFpIG7JN, 7I~TI'{~ ~.
The live
Manufacturer
SHOWS HIS LINE
IN THE MARKET
THAT IS FITTED
FOR HIS LINE
If YOU MAKE A GOOD
lII11E-O IIIE T 11A TIS
WORTI1 YOUR PRICE
-TI1EIII
Show in Grand Rapids
WHERE THE COUN-TRY'S
BEST BUYERS
MAKE THE BULK OF
THEIR PURCHASES.
FOR INFOR MA'TION
AS TO SPACE, ETC.,
APPLY TO
furniture Exhibition
Building Co.
Grand Rapids, MiChigan
9
NO! NO TROUBLE HERE!
Simply wanted fo gel you to give dug something hetk:( than a passing
glance and since we have cau~hl your eye let's catch your orders for
Veneered Rolls. We build the famous "RELIABLE" ROu..s.
WRITE FOR PRICES.
The Fellwock Auto. & Mfg. Co.
EVANSVILLE. lNOIANA
Ours is the largest RQll Plant in, the United Slates.
The. White Directory
CONTAINS A CAREFULLY COMPILED LIST
OF MANUFACTURERS OF
FURNITURE, PIANOS, ORGANS,
INTERIOR FINISHES
AND KINDRED INDUSTRIES
Classified by towns and
states, alphabetically arranged.
Now Ready. Send in your order.
WHITE PRINTING COMPANY
PRINTERS. ENGRAVERS, PUBLISHERS, BINDERS
2-20 LYONST., GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
10 ~MlffIIG7J-N 7iRTI.s~ \~. a gee ~
Whenever you see a catalogue produced
by Cargill you see one that is being talked
about. Do you want to be talked about?
1908---CA TALOGUES---1908
III the largest, best equipped and most up-to-date
establishment in the country. That's why,
every order is under the personal supervision if artists who know how.
If you want it done PROMPTLY, PERFECTLY and at the RIGHT PRICE,
get into communication with us at once.
THE CARGILL COMPANY
[ GRAND RAPIDS ENGRAVING COMPANY I
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
Interesting Sights and Scenes in China and Japan-F. S.
Doernbecher Figured in a Shipwreck.
In an interview with Otto A. Jiranek, furniture designer of
Grand Rapids, who recently returned from Pcirtland, Orc.,
where he designed the new line for the Doernbecher Manu-facturing
Company, the Artisan was informed that F. S.
Doernbechcr, who recently made a trip through Japan and
northern China, returned with a fund of information concern-ing
the hardwood of the Orient.
1Ir. Doernbecher and his family left Seattle on the last
trip of the ill-fated steamer "Dakota," and was among tl,osl"'.
shipwrecked when almost within sight of their destinaCc.t,.
After waiting a few days until the Great Northern Steamship
Company could arrange for the continuance of their trip, the
journey was resumed. They went by rail to Kobe, and from
there to Hongkong, touching en route at ~agasaki. Canton
was visited next and then Shanghai, from the latter place the
return voyage was begun. Another stop was made at Nagas-aki
and one at .Moji. From Moji the party again went to
Kobe, and from there in succession Osaka, Kyoto and Na'-
goya were visited. The next places were Yokohama and
Tokyo and then home.
One of the 1110st interesting things recountcd is Mr.
Doernbecher's description of the execution place at Canton.
The enterprising executioner displayed his two-handled
sword as an enticement, and then entered into negotiations to
show df some choice head he had in stock. Mr. Doern-becher
says that for a few cents, he understands, the privilege
of witnessing some executions could be secured. The party
was not in the market for executions that day.
At Osaka they saw a Japanese band, whose leader had
been trained in Europe, and wh-ich had good suceess in play-ing
Europeall music. .The city which is the second largest
city in Japan, and the manufacturing center of the country,
We Design -:
We Engrave L Catalogues
We Print i
We Bind J
presented all unusual llumber of attractions for the visitors,
as did Kyoto, the former capital of Japan, and a center for
the manufacture of [Ille porcelains. The party was in that
city during the cherry blossom season and witnessed the
famous cherry blossom dance hy attractive girls in bright
colored kimonos.
Men With Force of Character Scarce ..
A. 10,Karges, president of the Karges Furniture Company,
and a member of many boards of management of banks,
manufacturing eorporatiol1s and other bus.iness interests of
Evansville, Ind., takes a lively, almost paternal, interest in
young men and a considerable number occupying important
positions are indebted to 3.h. Karges for their advance. Mr.
Karges is a very modest man, and when he was requested to
relate his experiences in his seareh for young men to OCCUpy
positions,of responsibility he declared that well. balanced men,
mentally, with force of character, are very scarce. The
world laeks men who are ready to do the right thing for its
own sake; men who clearly and quickly perceive the. duty
they owe to themsetv'es and to their fellow men and with
strength of eharaeter to act unreservedly and forcibly in the
performance of duty. Mr. Karges is highly esteemed by
those whom he has aidcd in the. manner stated ahOlre, as the
faithful, efficient service they have rendercd and are still rcn-dering
proves beyond question.
-- --------
11
C. C. WORMER MACHINERY CO"
I MACHINERY MERCHANTS I
97 TO 110 WOODBRIDGE ST., DETROIT, MICHIGAN
Michigan Agents for J. A. FAr i!! EGAN CO.
A large stock of alf kinds of MACHfNERY always in stock for prompt delivery.
Also SHAFTING, PULLEYS, HANGERS, Ete. We self, trade and buy machinery.
Quality of Workmanship Indicates the Ability of Shop Hands.
"The men in OUT factory have been trained for high grade
work. They 'would not kno, .....how to turn out a poor job if
they try," remarked a manufacturer of Grand Rapids. "A
very good cabinet maker, learning of the large earnings of
the men of his trade doing piece work in another shop, left
our employ and took a bench in the shop under cOllsideration.
After an absence of two days he returned and took his old
place in OUT cabinet room. 'I could not put up jobs in the
slip-shod, ullworkmanlike way as it is done over there, and
my earnings were much Ies" than those of my shopmates, so
I concluded to apply for re-employment in your shop;' thc
man explained. )Jen who have been trained in the produc-tion
of len-v gorade furniture arc seldom, if ever, capable of
learning how to turn out high gradc or furniture of fine qual-ity.
'As the hvig is bellt so is the tree inclined.' 1 can tell
any manufacturer the quality of goods he is making if he
wilt grant me the privilege of spending two or three milll1t'~s
in his mill or cabinet room."
Bound to Stop Then.
Tn a suit lately tried in a l\laryland court the plaintiff had
testified that his financial counsel took him in hand for c·oss-examination
and undertook to break dl)"Wll h:s tc;timony upon
this point. '
"Have yOUever been bankrupt?" asked the counsel.
"1 have not."
"Now, be careful," admonished the lawyer, with raised
finger. "Did yoU ever stop payment~'
"Yes."
"Ah, I thought we should get at the truth," observed the
counsel, with all unpleasant smile. "\\Then did this suspen-sion
of payment oCCUr?"
"\-Vhen r had paid all I ow-cd," was the naive reply of the
plaintiff.
Morton House
(American Plan) Rates $2.50 and Up.
Hotel PantJind
(European Plan) Rates $1.00 and Up.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
The' Noon Dinner Served at th~ Pantlind for SQc IS
THE FINEST IN THE WORLD.
J. BOYD P ANTLlND, Prop.
Shifting of Superintende.i1.ts.
John Currey, until recently employed by the Grand Rapids
Desk Company of ),-1 uskegon Heights, Mich., as superinten-dent,
has taken lhe superintendency of the Michigan Desk
Company, Grand Rapids.
Ferris Rose, an experienced desk maker, :has taken the su-perintendency
of the Grand Rapids Desk Company.
Mack H. Dolphin, recently resigned the superintendency of
the Michigan Desk Company to engage in a new manufactur-ing
enterprise.
Postal Banks Would Relieve Money Stringency.
Banker Seligman of Ne\v York recently expressed the
opinion lhat a system of postal savings banks would quickly
restore money stringencies to a normal condition. If the
bank depositors "\-"hodrew out their money had permission
to deposit in the post offices, even if the money drew no in-terest
for a time, :vlr. Seligman believ;es that many millions
would be put into circulation and the stringency relieved.
1'\-vo per cent intere!;t could be paid vtry easily.
Clock and Mantel Factory Destroyed.
The factory occupied by the Grand Rapids Clock & Mantd
Company was destroyed by fire on the morning of November
3. The company's loss is $66,000, uninsured. The owners
of the building sustained a loss of $6,000. An unoccupied
factory \'Vas leased while the old plant was burning and busi-ness
will soon be resumed. The company makes high grade
hall clocks and mantels.
\iVatcr is not a cure for the financial ailment known as
"undigested securities."
12 ~ r;.IPlfHIG 7}-N
p-EI.r
TRACE MAPlK P1iEGISTEREO
FILLERS AND STAINS
Thousands of furniture manufacturers all over the country stand fairly for our goods,
preferring them to all others. You can wisely get in line; it's a safe conrse to pursue.
Years ago, we began the manufacture of these now famous Ad-el-ite Specialties in a
small way. Today, they are the biggest sellers on the market.
There's a reason for this. Give ns a trial and you will know the motive power of our
business growth. Our goods are meaning more to more people every day. We can give
you greater value for yonr money than yon can possibly secure elsewhere.
STA.E
Parcels Post to Break the Express Monopoly.
In an address delivered on November 8 in Chicago, Post-master
General ],-feyer discussed his plan for extending the
parcels post system, the only means available to break the
oppressive monopoly maintained by the expn>.s.scon1panies.
Mr. Meyer was reported as follows:
"The second matter of general interest will be the exten-sion
of Qurparccl post. I u.se the word 'extension' advisedly
Parcel post has existed in this country for nearly a century;
and up to 1862 the weight limit was three pounds, at which
time it was increased to 4 pounds. Consequently the depart-ment
can hardly be credited with endeavoring to establish a
parcel post.
"We have today parcel post conventions with thirty~two
foreign countries. The rate to each of these countries is
12 cents a pound. What I desire to call vividly to your at-tention
is the fact that if anyone in Chicago goes to the post-office
with two parcels of four pounds each, one addressed
to New Yark and the other to some friend in a foreign coun-try,
the rate on the one addressed to New York wiH be 16
cents a pound, or 64 cents, while on the one to the foreign
country the rate will be 12 cents a pound, or 48 cents. Should
each parcel weigh four pounds and two ounces, the parcel
ad4ressed to Nc\v York would not be accepted. while that
addressed to the foreigner in another country would go to
New York and on to its destination at the rate of 12 cents
a pound.
"This appears to me to be an injustice to our people-in
fact, an un-American practice. Therefore, the department
will recommend the same rate and the same limit of weight
for parcels, whether intended fat delivery in this country or
abroad, which means a reduction in the rate of four cents a
pound and an inerease in the weight of seven pounds, eleven
pounds being the weight limit to foreign countries. This is
only equitable.
CHICAGO
"The proposed reduction of four cents a pound will prob-ably
result· in a decrease in the rates of express companies to
many points, but that can hardly be called a disadvantage to
the people, nor can postage at 12 cents a pound instead of 16
cents be deemed radical in the way of a domestic .ate for
the reason that such a rate has been established already to
thirty-two' foreign countries. I might add further that a
general merchandise rate of 12 cents a pound would produce
a revenue of $240 a ton and a profit of $27.90.
"1 can disarm the criticism of the H.tall merchant or store-keeper
by the' fact that I shall recommend a special rate ·to
be charged on packages originating on a rural route for de-livery
to patrons on the same route, the rate to be 5 eents
for the first pound aJ!d two cents for each additional j.>ollnd
up to eleven pounds. This wil be a great boon to the farmer
and others on the rural routes, because without inconvenienct'
to themselves they will be able to order their household ne-cessities
by telephone or postal card. Accordingly it will facil-itate
consumption and increase the business of the country
merchant, and increased trade Jor the country merchant
means increased orders for those from whom hc purchases his
supplies-the wholesale merchants.
I<Then, again, the increased cancellations will advance the
salary of the postmaster without any further action on the
part of congress. Finally, all the income which will be re~
ceived from the parcel post on the rural routes, with. the ex-ception
of that paid to the fourth class postmast~rs for can-cellations,
will be additional revenue and will go a great way
toward making the rural routes in time self-sustaining."
Death of Designer Welter.
M. J. Welter, a desigllcr of large acquaintance itl the trade
formerly a resident of Allentown, Pa., died in Grand Rapi-d~
on November 3. Deceased had been in feeble health a num-ber
of months preceding his death.
13
14 .5l~ Mi CHIG7IN rIRT h5'.7I1"'.i.1.,.. ", a?,. ,e.
Mirrors and Mirror Glass in Russia.
According to a British consular report the largest centers
for the prodttction of mirrors in Russia are the Moscow man-ufacturing
district, St. Petersburg and the western district.
In St. Petersburg the glass is made and generally its further
treatment is carried out in ~l'loscow. There it is ground. sil-vered
and put into frames, etc. In the western district,
Where competition has seriollsly reduced prices in this class
of goods, scarcely any but medium and inferior sorts arc pro-duced,
and these are never sent to the ~ijnj-).J"ovgorod mar-ket.
Thus the only source of supply for this market must
be considered to he Moscow, which is represented here, says
the Ninji-:N"vogorod market report, this year by four firms.
During the last few years the trade in mirrors and mirror
glass has varied between $150,000 and $200,000, according to
the demand. In some lines this year the quantities on offer
are somewhat less than usual, owing to what was left over
last year. There is an improving demand for mirrors from
the Caucasus, the Volga and Transcapsian regions. There
are scarcely any buyers from Siberia. Prices are about at
last year's levels.
Stockholder-Salesmen.
A considerable number of traveling salesmen are owners
of stock in retail stores managed by corporations. Their
ownership is not an advantage to the corporations in ques-tion.
Naturally, the buyers for such establishments feel
under obligations to place their orders for goods with the
stockholder-salesmen, and such purchases are seldom made
with \visdOrh. A salesman representing an independent
manufacturer would not be able to compete with a salesman
who owned stock in a mercantile corporation, and was en-titled
to examine its books and records. \Vhat salesman
handling a line of chamber suites would call upon the buyer
for a mercantile corporation in which stock was held by his
most active competitor? It is a "bad game," to use a Pbil
Klingmanisn~.
Furniture Making in North Carolina.
The growth of the furniture manufacturing industry in the
southern states is remarkable. In Nort-h Carolina, especially,
statistics show an increase in the number of factories and the
value of the output almost beyond belief. In the year 1890
the six small factories in operation produced goods valued at
$150,000. In 1900 the factories numbered forty-four (capi-talized
at $1,000,000 with an output of $1,500,000. In 1906
factories numbered 105 (capitalized for $3,000,000) with an
output of $6,500,000. Six thousand two hundred hands ,,'ere
employed-. Skilled men were paid $2.27 per day, laborers 85
cents and children 51 cents per day.
Purchased a Factory.
Louisville, Ky., October 30, 1907.
Editor Michigan Artisan.-We write to you to say that
we have purchased the factory at Nineteenth and Walnut
streets in this city, formerly operated by the Louisville Man-ufacturing
Company. 'vVe shall manufacture a plain line of
case work; and we expect to employ about fifty men.
Yours truly,
THE DTLLER BENNETT COMPA:-IY.
Davis Located at Allegan.
"Sam" Dav'is, the veteran foreman finisher, one of the
best in his trade and an honest man, has located at Allegan,
Mich., in the employ of the Allegan Furniture Company as
foreman finisher. "Sam" has never failed to make good
with his employers.
THE FACTORV
EDITION
of the ARTISAN is mailed to manufacturers
of FURNITURE, PIANOS, ORGANS, RE-FRIGERATORS,
CHAIRS, and INTERIOR
WOOD WORK.
Our Merchants' Edition is Mailed to Dealers Only.
Lignine Carvings Unbreakable
II] Perfed reproduction of hand carvings. Full depth of grain. Will not CHIP, CHECK, CRACK nor
SHRINK. «]I Stronger than wood. fj No waste in your fador)'. .. Are applied the same as wood carv_
iOWl by nailing or '6luing. ClINo heati.ng nor ~\eaming. Finish with finer or stain. t.lI Write fol'" sample
and catalogue showing Capitals, Heads, Shields, Scrolls, Claws, etc. Consider LlGNINE
carvings in your new creations.
ORNAMENTAL PRODUCTS CO., 551 West Fort St., Detroit, Mich.
·f'~MJ9[IIG7[N :
Where Varnish Gums Come From.
There are many kinds of gums used in the making (If
varnishes, says Gordon ll,'Iontague, in the American Exporl(:".
Alth()u~h tl:·c annual consumption ol gum shellac in this
country is 110W about 5,000 tons, there are points about it not
generally knO\Vll or understood. lt is not a resin ill the
strict sense of the word-that is, i.t is not the simple juice of
a tree-but results from the action ofg certain insects on the
juice, and c()11tains several very peculiar resins.
Next to shellac, saranac ranks as the most valuable gum
for spirit varnishes. As for the regular gums, although the
list in books is a long one, practically all that varnish makers
are interested in may be counted on the fingers of the hanus,
and this can he further reduced to four, viz: Zanzibar, Kauri,
]I,.fanila and Damar. The impression prevails that gr<?,at
quantities of these gums arc shipped to the American mar-ket,
but such is not the ease. The imporb for the year 1905
were not much in excess of 13,000 tOllS, and of this about fifty
per cent was Kauri.
Zanzibar stands at the head, being the hardest of all gums,
except amber, ·."..hieh need not be considered. It derives its
name, as may be inferred, froni the point of shipment, as in-deed
most other gums do,. excepting, perhaps Manila. \Ve
speak of all these hard gums as "fossils," because they are
found in a fossilized condition in the ground, sometimes hun-dreds
of feet be.lm",- the surface. Zanzibar is dug out of the
sands of the African desert, and the curious indentatiolls
which give this gum the appearance of goose skin are simply
sand impressions. The Zanzibar gum is scarce and very
expensive.
Next in point of costliness, but far in III advance in POi11t
of usfulness to the varnish maker, are the New Zealand co-pals,
commonly called "Kauri" gums. They range in color
from a creamy white to a dark bro-wn, and are so graded.
Much of this gum is not available for use, and the assorting
requires skill and care. The lower grades c011tain pitch and
swan;p gum, the former being taKen from the forKS of trees
100 feet or more above the ground. 1t is a soft, spongy ma:.;s
and is extremely difficult to incorporate with the oils. Kine-ty
per cent of 'what is imported, however, may Q~ classed as
good hard gum, differing only in si7.e, color and clearness.
rvI;:lnilagum is a soft copal exported from the Dutch East
Tndies. It is more or less in demand, but varnisb makers
bave no great use for it. However, a small quantity some-times
.hlps to give elasticity to harder gums, and occasionally
it is used in spirit goods. For general use its greatest draw-back
is the difficulty of eliminating the pryolyneous acid, of
which it carries quite a large per cent. There are many other
varieties of gums in the same class as Manila, but they are
not used to any considerable extent; perhap3 1,000 tons
would cover thc ,111nllalimportation.
New Manufacturers.
Brooklyn Table l\Ianufacturing Company, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Lexington :Yletal Bed Compa1ly, Lexington, N. C.
7:lRTIrS'~
, $ r* 15
Hampered With Unprofitable Help.
An able and experienced superintendent recently resignecJ
his position, because he had been forced to the conclusion
that the business could not be successfully run on account of
the impractical aud sentimental ideas of the owne:-, "The
old trau is rich," explained the superintendent, "and d'sposed
to mix philanthropy with his business. The pay roll carries
the nameS of t.h.irty men who have outlived their .usefulness.
Too old to learn, illcapable, for physical reasons, of doing a
mall'S work, pampered by the owner of tbe plant, their infltl-enee
is demOi-alizing the entire working force. \\Tben these
men come strolling in, from ten to fifteen minutes after the
whistle blows, and leisurely prepare to engage in the work
they arc employed to do, when they lay down tbeir tools to
visit and gosslp "\vith fellow workmen, when they studiously
violate all rules establis.hed by tbe superintendent, failure
must result. 'The old man' will not allow his superinten-dent
to discharge one of these men simply for the reason
that they have been in his employ twenty-five years. On
account of the favoritism bestowed upon these men, it is al-most
impossible to recruit an efficient force of workmen to
operate the shop. There is nothi;,g in the plant to attract
or hold the unfavored ones, and poor goods and extravagant'
cost of production is the result. The output is never what
the plant is capable of producing if it were manned and oper-,
ated on a s.trictly business hasis."
The "Independent" Engineer.
"It is important, if the manufacturer would operate a ,fac-tory
proGtably and not for the sole purpose of Iseeing the
wheels tltrn over,' that the steam plant be placed under the
control of the superintendetlt," rewarked the owner of an
important '''load working shop. "The average engineer is an
independent fellow, not disposed to work in harmony with
the superintendent. Beyond causing his engine to run
smoothly, keeping the expense account for fuel and oil down
to the minimum, he takes little interest in the affairs of the
factory. Thc ten o'clock IUllch and the three o'clock 'bracer'
is of more importance to this individual than a warm shop
for the workmen. an even temperature in the veneer room and
the proper distribution of heat in the varnishing department.
Superi.ntendents have mallY troubles to contend with., and
when an 'independent' engineer purposely antagonizes his
efforts to win success, .his situation becomes unbearahle.
The value of a competent engineer should not be underesti-mated,
no matter how great ,his skill and experience may
be he is a hindrance and a nuisance if be fails to perform bis
duties harmonioLlsly with the superintendent."
Wardrobe Equipment.
The attention of manufacturers of wardrobes is called to
the device illustrated on another page designed for use in
the equipment of wardrobes, manufactured by the Hardware
Supply Company of Grand Rapids. It deserves attention.
i
16
Economy in Table Leg Turning
Cannot be aecompliShed when the work is done by hand; nor is it milch better t\lllDe an
old fumen";! Leg Turning Macbine IMI leaves ,he wafk in:JUcn rouah eoodition thlltit
require5 Ii_ing by hand.
The MATTISON No.5 TABLE LEG MACHINE
not only produces lhe beller Quality of work wMch it tnoft elIlle1lliaI. but it afoo hall the
Cllpacity 10 turn out Ihe quantity DeceAary 10 make it economieal.
The Heart of the Machine u the Cutter-Head. and if you will make a comparison
)'QUcannol fail to see thatit is far ahead of any competitor on thi. point. Then OO~
the Oocilla.ting Carriage which feed!; the work tteadiet and wilh leIII effort than any
other arranaemenl; next the Varillble £,idion feed which hIlSproveD without an equa
for the pUl'pOJe. There are alio qt:her good features and we would like an ol;lPOrtlJnity
of explainilli: them all in delail. Our luge circular won't coot you anythiag amd it
may prove worth a good deal.
Why not write for it today?
C. MATTISON MACHINE WORKS
863 FIFTH STREET. BELOIT, WISCONSIN. U. S. A.
The Foyer Hall Must Go.
The latest word in huilding fashions is one fraught with
the saddcst woe. The foyer hall, it appears, must go, and
for the very good and practical reason that it is not suited
to courting uses! A pretty state of affairs, forsooth, and One
that calls for instant remedying. The parlor, the old-fash~
ioned parlor, if you pleasc, seems to be an indispensable ad-junct
of the most noble art of lovc-making. And the par-
,lor has bcen on the decline, -lo, these years and days. In
many cases it has utterly disappeared from the modern house
and in others it has surYiyed as a "reception room" of th~
smallest possible dimensions. These narrow Quarters might
be supposed to be ample for such delectable proceedings,
but even they are not without their undesirable qualifications,
and the only safety, the only absolute safety, seems to be in
the immediate and complete extermination of the foyer hall
Cabinet Hardware
--AND--
Factory Supplies
New Engl.nd Flint P.pe ••
Ba.ton Garnet P.pe ••
Dou~le Faced Flint .nd
G.met Finishing P.per.
B.... Buns.
Wrolll!~t Steel Bntts.
Ca~inet Locks and Keys.
Gold PI.ted .nd Gilt Ca~-
inet Keys~
Bench Vises.
Bolts, W.shel'S, Zincs.
Wood Screws.
Coach Sc.ews.
Liquid Glue, Caste ...
Upholstere.'s T.cks.
L.rj/e He.d Burlap T.cks.
Wire B.ads.
Stand.rd Nails.
Cement Coated N.ils.
Ill~ow Catches.
Door Calcites, erc~J ere.
Our large and complete assortment of general hard
ware is at your service.
Correspondence solicited.
Inquiries for prices wiJI receive careful and immediate
attention.
FOSTER, STEVENS & CO.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
with its open stairway, its spacious hospitable dimensions, its
utter freedom, its elegance, it convenience to everyone not
engaged in the aforesaid occupation which cries aloud for its
extermination.
The truth of the matter seems to be that bashful young
men will not e\'en so much as enter such spacious and semi-public
apartments. The proud possessor of one of these new-fangled
rooms, therefore, finds his daughters on his hands in~
definitely, while the maiden who once rejoiced in the latest
th.ing in family rooms finds herself compelled to pass her eve-nings
in _solitary loneliness or surrounded by such uninter-esting
company as is provided by her immediate family.
Rural regions; it is said, feel these distressing circumstances
much more keenly than the cities, for in rural regions the
parlor has a historic place in the art of courting that the
foyer hall utterly refuses to supply. Everyone knows how
irrportant courting is, and the end of this very useful apart-n::
ent is not only in sight, but would appear to have actually
arrived. Fathers with marriageable daughters and foyer
halls-perish the combination""":'may, therefore, be expected
to place their houses in the market for immediate sale at
marked-down prices.-Homes and Gardens.
Boiler Inspection.
The act of the legislature of Massachusetts of 1907 rela-tive
to the operation and inspection of steam boilers is a rigid
one, yet it has resulted in the establishment of standard rules
for the maintenance of boilers. In May standard rules will
become operative to govern the construction of boilers for
factories in Massachusetts. Then all boilers must be in-spected
internally and externally once every year, either by
the insurance companies or by the state inspectors, the state
accepting the inspection made by licensed insurance company
inspectors. Many old boilers have been condemned during
the first month of the new law and numerous alterations have
been ordered by the hoiler inspection department of th.e state
police. .
Want Uniform Child Labor Law.
At the recommendation of Governor Patterson of Ten-nessee,
the legislature of that state, at its last session, passed
a child labor law very much in advance of anything in force
in the south. The law aroused considerable criticism on the
part of those who feared that such humanitarian legislation
would injure the industrial interests of the state. This ~as
led to a call by Governor Patterson for an interstate child
labor meeting to consider the possibility of reaching an under-standing
among the commonwealths of the south. The issue
is raised whether Tennessee shall· lower its provisions to the
grade of other states, or whether the other states shall raise
their age and educational standards.
17
A PARADOX
Furniture Manufacturers:
You can save at least one-third of the time now
required in your finishing room and still maintain or better
the quality of the work done by using our
Paradox· Rubbing Varnish
(In three shades-Pale, Light and Medium)
Work can be coated every day and last coat rubbed
the third day; it dries tough and hard, will not soften up
or print in packing.
Order a sample barrel subject to your approval and
test it.
We manufacture a full line of Cabinet Varnishes;
they are made upon Honor and sold upon Merit. Our
facilities and products are second to none.
The Largest Paint and Varnish Works
In The World
ACME WHITE LEAD
AND COLOR WORKS
DETROIT MICHIGAN U. S. A.
C. B. QUIGLEY,
MANAGER OF SALES. VARNISH DEPARTMENT
18
ItSTAElL.ISHED 1880
puet.ISHIl:D ey
MICHIGAN ARTISAN CO.
ON THE 10TH AND :leTH OP' EACH MONTH
OFP'ICE-2-ZO LYON ST., GRANO RAPIDS. MICH.
ENTERED .1,8 MATTI!R OF THE 8E~OMD CLASS
The state of Michigan owns millions of acres of land ac-quired
through the failure of the owners to pay taxes levied
thereon. Stripped of the timber with which nature covered
it, the land is not of much va:Jue. .The state has tried to en-courage
the reforestation of these tracts by offering the same
for sale at nomin'd.l prices, but the movement hers not cre"ated
much interest. Appropriations of funds by the legislature
has enabled the Forestry Commission to prove that reforesta-tion
is feasible, but as yet but few individuals. have invested
in the lands. AtloId timberman in discussing the problem
said: "Individuals and corporations hesitate to purchase
lands becau!'>e they knO'''' that as soon as they improve the
same the local taxing boards will assess the lands for their
present and prospective vahle. An investor in such lands
must wait many years before he can realize returns, but the
expense account wiU grow steadily larger from year to year.
The state should retain its ownership of the property, and
lease it to the grower of timber at a rental that would enable
him to reforest the same. In time the state would gain a
large and reliable revenue from this source and permit the
forester to continue his business without regard to local tax
gatherers and their schemes.
"'1* *1* *1* "'1*
When factory labor is scarce the owners of isolated plants
have troubles they hoped to avoid when they moved from the
manufacturing centers to the country towns. Factory hands
are not e.asily drawn away from the cities. Higher wages are
the only inducements they ever consider. Not infrequently,
the. remark is made by factory hands that they prefer to live
in the cities, where some of the pleasures of life may be en-joyed,
even when the cost of living is higher and wages low-er
than the country manufacturer pays. On the other Jland,
the shop worker who has 1e~rned his trade in the country
shop longs for the city where larger opportunities for gain-ing
knowledge .• advancement in his occupation and pleasure
are afforded. He desires to test his skill and experience
against that of the city-trained shop worker, and in time 'he
responds to the call of the city. Lower taxes and in many
instances location in proximity to raw materials are the only
advantages offered by the country to offset the superior ship-ping
facilities and the better labor markets of the cities.
*1* *1* *1* *,.
During the past month, manufacturers of furniture and
kindred goods have operated the trimming and shipping de-partn::
ents of their plants overtime in rushing forward the
orders taken earlier in the season. Expectations of cancella-tions
atld the accumulation of sfock that it might be neces-sary
to sell at 40 or 50 off, while the brief stiffening of the
money market prevailed, impelled the manufacturers to strain
every nerve to get out the goods. One company that had
never before shipped goods valued at more than $50,000 in a
month inceased their shipments during the month of Oc-tober
to $68,000.
*1* *1* *1* *1*
"Yes, I sell the mail order houses," responded a manufac-turer
of southern Indiana, when questioned in regard to the
disposal of his output. More than one-half of my trade is
with the mail order merchants. I do not furnish such mer-chants
wjth stock from my regular line .• however; I make
t,p p-ieccs especially for their use. Why should I not fill
such orders? If I did not some one would. I can see 110
harm done to anyone in this. branch of the trade by the
manufacturer."
*1* *1* "'1* *1*
Manufacturers who confine their sales to irregUlarly re-
<;ognizcd retailers of furniture" are entitled to entry in the
"roll of honor" issued by the National Retail Furniture Deal-ers'
Association. The question, "What is a regular retailer
of furniture?" remains unanswered. What is the standing
of the retailer who disposes of his stOck from time to time
by auction? What sort of retailer is the dealer who sells
furniture on the installment plan by mail?
*1* *1* *1* *1*
Cortelyou won the thanks of the president for using the
people's money in rescuing the drowning financiers of Wall
street. The undying gratitude of the manufacturers of fur-ture
would re,,,ard the secretary if he would employ the peQ-pIe's
money to enable the retailers to pay their long':'past-dl1e
bjlJs.
English Factories Adopt American Tool.
"The Cabinet :rvIaker and Complete House Furnisher,'" a
journal published in London, England, in their issue of Oc-tober
5, in describing the workings of a thoroughly up-to-date
English factory, .has this to say in regard to jointing and
clamping;
"We return. now to the pieces of board which have been
cut out to the required sizes, and must now be jointed. All
jointing is done by means of tongueing and grooving on an
automatic jointing machine. To produce a perfect tongue
and groove requires only a few seconds, and the joint is then
glued and set in a clamp. Our readers will be quite famil-iar
with the old-fashioned clamp with a screw end, which
serves its purpose well, and has been in vogue probably for
many centuries; but we have come to an age when time is
the essence of everything, So the old clamp goes, and a new
pattern, called the 'Palmer,' is adopted, Light's in fact, being
the first factory in London to adopt it, The man who oper-ates
the Palmer clamp is perpetually on his mettle, for along
side the machine hangs a card on which is the 'record' made
by that particular clamp. The record is there facing the
man who operates the clamp, and he takes pride in the speed
with which it can be worked. Our readers can gain some
idea of what speed means when we say that the clamps will
cast off fifty-six chest ends and clamp on fifty-six other chest
ends in fifty-five minutes, each chest end having two joints.
As each chest end would require three of the old clamps, our
readers might do worse than go into their workshop and ex-periment
for themselves. Time saved means money saved,
and the time saved on this damp is reflected in the price
charged for the finished article.
"The jointed boards, by the way, arrive on trucks of a
certain convenient pattern, and when damped are placed on
trucks and wheeled away. Everything isdol1e on trucks of
this uniform kind. They are the 'Pickfords' of the factory,
and you see them at every stage, so that the material makes
its progress from machine to machine, never in space-wasting
confusion, but always neatly ordered on these trucks."
The clamps above referred to are the wen known Palmer
clamps trade by Albert E. Palmer & Sons of Owosso, Mic~1.,
whose ad will be found in the columns of this issue, and who
would be glad to send their descriptive catalog to anyone
interested.
Prices of Refrigerators Advanced.
The manufacturers of refrigerators held a conference re-cently
and a~He{'d to cdvance prices ten per cent to cover
the enhanced cost of· materials.
The Royal Varnish Company.
About five years ago R. R. Robertson, one of the best
known varnish salesmen in the west, decided that Toledo,
Ohio, v,,'as a good place to organize a varnish company, and
shortly after the Royal Varnish Company was organized, a
factory built alld from the start it has been a success. At
the recent election of officers lvlr. Robertson ,vas elected
president of the company and is also general manager. They
manufacture a fil1e line of furniture varnishes, shellacs, japans
and dryers. They aH~putting out a new shellac which they
named <lEast India," a very fine article for weathered oak.
This shellac does not turn \",hite on weathered oak and will
st.and a severe water test. It works very free under the
brush; one gallon will cover about 400 square feet, and is
perfectly transparent. It can be used on Early English with
equally good results. One can lay wax or varnish on tOft of
it. It is made in a natural color, is almost white; also in
orange. It is sold in any size package desired, from a gal-lon
to barrels. They will be pleased to submit ""orking
samples to fllrnituremallufacturers.This company is also
making two grades of surfacer which they have named
"Royal" and "l\LiUmee," for which they ,hflve built up a large,
trade. This surface dries hard in ten hours, pcrfectly fl;~t,
very smooth and requires vrxy little sand, papering. They
claim it is superior in the way of a pigment first-coater.
A Money Losing Factory.
"A glance is often sufficient to enable persons familiar
with the operation of factories to determine whether the plant
is earning a profit or wasting its capital," remarked an'in-spector
representing a board of ttnderwrlters. \Vhen Te-quested
to explain his statement, he continued: "A few days
ago I presented myself at a large wood working plant short-ly
before I o'clock. T,vo hundred men lounging in th.e sun
outside the buildings were interested in a game of ball. I
watched the contest between the opposing nines with interest,
as it was evident the men had had the benfit of much practice.
Suddenly the whistle was sounded, calling the men to reSUme
work. Much to my surprise, the game 'was continued, only
a few of the workmen entering the factory. The game ~as
fll1'isbed ten minutes later, when p1ayers and spectators
strolled in leisurely, and the humming of machinery told the
FOLDING BED FIXTURES
Profitable fixtures to use are those which give the
least trOllble. They are made by Folding Bed
'Villiams in many styles and designs, suitable for
every folding bed manufactured. Furniture Cast-ings,
Panel Holders, Corner Irons, etc. New ideas
and inventions constantly being added to the line.
F. B. WILLIAMS
3812 VINOENNES AVE., CHICAQO
Manufacturer of Hardware Specialties for the FurnitureTraCIe.
Established 1~78.
.
story of the res1.tmption of operation. Upwards of one thous-and
minutes for .vhich the owners of the factory paid, were
lost. \Vho was to blame for it? .An inspection of the in~
terior of the factory revealed the lack of order and system
that one would expect in connection with the incident of the
ball game" These conditions were. IHoper subjects for con-sideration
by the underwriters. T could recite many like ex-periences,
but as you will see the point I wished to make, why
should I proceed?"
TO MANUFACTURERS OF FURNITURE:
IF YOU PLACE YOUR ANNOUNCEMENTS
IN THE SPRING TRADE EDITIONS Of THE
MICHIGAN ARTISAN THEY WILL BE
READ BY DEALERS ONLY
I
I
Il~
20
aran~Ua~i~sDlow Pi~e
an~Dust Arrester (om~anJ
THE LATEST de"ice for handling
shG7Jings and dust from all 7.vood-ziwrking
machines. 0111' l1-inefeen., }'cars
c.:cpen:ence in tit-is class of '{(/Or!l has
brought it nearer perfection thall auy
other s}'sfnn on the 1'narket today. It
is 110 e~'Vperi1tlent~ but a dCl1wllstraterl
scientific fact~ as we have sC'l.'cral hun-dred
of these s}lstenls in use~ andnat a
pour one among IhcHI. Q'ur Attfomatic
Furnace Feed Syste1Jly as shown in this
cut, is the most perfect 'Working device
of any thinK in this line. JiVrife for our
prices for equipments.
WE MAKE PLANS AND DO ALL
DETAIL WORK WITHOUT EX-PEKSE
TO OUR CUSTOMERS.
EXHAUST FANS AND PRFS-SURE
BLOWERS AUVAYS IN
STOCK.
Office and F.ctory:
208-210 Canal Street
GRAND RAPIDS. MICH.
Cttlzen. PboDe 1282 Bell, twh,ID1804
OUR AUTOMATIC FURNACE FEED SYSTEM
This Machine Makes the Money
=====BY SAVING IT=====
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 pads on the market.
That"s why it·s a money maker. It imitates perfectly
PLAIN or QUARTERED OAK, MAHOGANY, WALNUT, ELM, ASH or any other wood with open grain.
WRiTE THE
PosseJius Bros. Furniture Manufacturing Co., Detroit, Mich.
MENTION THE: MICHIGAN ARTIS ...N. FOR PRICES AND FULL PARTICULARS.
21
22
CALL ON US FOR
Quarter Sawed Oak Veneer
I WE ALWAYS HAVE CHOICE STOCK ON HAND I
WALTER CLARK VENEER CO.
535 Michigan Trust BUilding, [Citize",Phone5933] GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
NOTES ON THE VARIATIONS OF THE ACANTHUS
LEAF.
By Arthur Kirkpatrick, Instructor and Designer in the Grand
Rapids School of Designing.
The acanthus leaf leads all forms of plant life in decor-ative
ornament, and this plant grows wild in southern Europe.
There are two species, the one resembling the common thistle
or celery leaf, having deeply cleft, broken edges, and the
other resembling the parsley leaf, and having round, bulbous
formed edges. A certain plant or flower is selected as a
model in decorative ornament on account of the beauty of its
olltline and the delicacy and grace of its sprays and stems, or
as a symbol of some religious or political idea or belief.
For examples of the natural acanthus leaf, see figures Kos.
I and 2.
Early Grecian designers selected the acanthus leaf as the
basis of a greater pont of conventional ornament on account
of its beauty of outline. It was later adopted by the Romans
and since then has been devised and remodeled by European
countries in their different art revivals. Thus we find it in
Byzantine, Romanesque, early Gothic, late Gothic, Italian
Renaissance, German Renaissance, Louis XIV, Louis XV and
Louis XVI styles. The ornamental possibilities of the
acanthus leaf seem endless when one considers all the grace-ful
forms into which it ,has been drawn by the designers of
the past. Therefore a study of this leaf in its natural form
and its historical styles and variations are of great impor-tance
to the designers of today and especially to the student
of design.
The saw tooth or thistle edge leaf is one of the chief
characteristics of the Byzantine style which was used by the
Greeks. When this style of teaf is combined with scrolls and
other features, it forms a very strong and graceful carving.
Example No.3 shows the outline of a single leaf in Byzan-tine
style.
The Greeks were followed by the Romans whose design-ers
adopted a more rounding outline and also followed more
closely the outline of the parsley leaf. Mythology was
drawn upon to a great extent to elaborate this style and the
dolphin, griffin, dragon, medusa heads, and grotesque masques
are us.ed for decoration in combination with the Roman style
of the leaf.
There are two styles of Gothic, the early and late: The
lobes of the early Gothic style of leaf are rounding in effect,
almost forming a semi-circle. See figure No.5. The chief
characte.ristic of the late Gothic style is the square or thistle
shape of the leaf, developed hy the French from the early
Gothic which was in general European style. This style re-ceives
its name in a rather peculiar manner. The
Greeks and Romans named it on account of the roughness
and crudeness of the Goths, who after defeating them in bat-tle,
settled among them, bringing their style of architecture
down from northern Europe into Italy and Greece. The
people of these countries were more refined and more highly
polished than the people from the north, and therefore re-garded
this style from the north as crude as its,,-people. ~(). 6
shows a single leaf in the late Gothic style.
The Italian Renaissance is supposed to be the most grace-ful
of any of the revised styles. It forms itself into long,
. thin scrolls with ,graceful leaves, and the rendering of the
broken edge and the surface of this style of leaf tests the
ability of the carver and designer. The revival of this style
is attributed to Brunelleschi, a Florentine artist of the fif-teenth
century, and was simply a revival of the Greek and Ro-man
styles. No. 7 is an example of Italian Renaissance
showing the single leaf.
German Renaissance has broad flowing leaves with well
rounded edges. The breadth of the leaf and the receding
or drooping lobe at the base of the leaf, which resembles the
lobe of the common lilac are the two main features that mark
this style. No.8 is an example in the German Renaissance
style.
Example No.9 shows a leaf in Louis XIV style, which is
an elaboration over the Italian Renaissance, but the petals or
parts of the leaves are much longer, less regular, and there
are more of them. These long, fingerlike sprays form the
chief characteristic of this style.
The outline of the' Louis XV style, both in furniture and
ornamentation is the ,plost curved arid most elaborate of any
of the styles. In orriamentation, the parts of the leaf some-what
resemble Louis XIV style, but are mo~e curved and
more gracefully collected, some advancing, and some reced-ing
along the general curves of the ornament. Straight
lines .have no place in Louis XV style, and the curves were
carried to such an extent in this style that the designers of
the Louis XVI time tired of them and returned to· the classic,
square effects of the Greeks and Romans in furniture and also
the treatment of the acanthus leaf was a close COpy of Ro-manesque
style. The shield, oval or collection of war tro-phies
were often used as a centerpiece in the ornaments of
the- Louis XVI style. - Order at Once---The Classified White Directory
of the Manufacturers of Furniture, Pianos, Organ"!, Beddin~. Interior Finishes and
kindred Tradps. WHITE PRINTING CO., Grand Rapids, Mich. -
Ko. 12 shows the treatment of the loops at the base of the
leaflets, and a careful rendering of these loops add to the
strength and character of the leaf.
No. 13 is an example of L'Art Nouveau or The New Art,
This style is the latest and most modern treatment of foliage
and flowers in ornament,· but has no~ yet attained the popu-larity
of the historic styles.
1\ o. 14 is an original treatment of ornament by Arthur
Kirkpatrick, instructor and designer in the Grand Rapids
School of Designing. The outline of this ornament was
suggested by a drifting cloud. It should be the object of
every designer to work for originality, because originality in
desi.gning wins repnta6ot1, and reputation means increased
salary.
24 ~MlP[IIG~N
--
~",~r! !II THE "RED BOOK"I'I!I!
!I'!I I!,
'I ~, ~ 'I REF"ERE:NCt HOOK "
,'!, THE FU~NITlJRE !
I, COMMERCIAL AGENCY 'II,',! III COMPANY, ,
II
OFFICES:
CINCIN'N'ATJ--Pic1(<erfn8 Building. NEW YORK--346 Broadway.
aOSTON--18 Tremont 5t. CHICACO--134 Van :Buren St.
GRAND RA.PIOS-·l1ouseman Bldg~ JAMESTOWN. N~Y.-..;7E.Tblrd St.
HIGff POINT. N. C.:--$tantotl-Welch Block.
The most satisfactory and up-to-date ,Credit Service covering the
FURNITURE, CARPET, COFFIN and ALLIED LINES.
The most .ccurate and relhble Reference Book Pub1isbed.
Originator. of the "Tracer and Clearing House System:'
Collection Service Unsttrpassed-Se11l1 for Book of Red Drafts.
H. J. DANHOF. Michigan Manaaer.
316 Houseman Boulldlnlt.Grand R.aplds. Mich.
Our Clamps ....oeived GOLD MEDAL at World'. F.lr, St. Lou".
VItNltER PR.ESS (Patented June 30,1903,) CHAIN CLAMP (Patented June 30,1903.)
CABINItT CLAMP.
Write f()r prices and pa:rtlculars.
Black Bros. Machinery CO.
MENDOTA, ILL.
5aw and KnOl fe FittOIng Mhaoe Inery and T00IS TLhinee BMigagneusfta"and... Bde,st
Baldwin, Tuthill ®. Bolton
Grand Raplde. Micb.
Filers. Se"6r ••
S"ar~.rs.
Grinders.
SwaGes.
Stretchers,
Sralin" and
FilinG Clam!)$.
I(nile Balances.
HammerinG
Toola.
Investigate our
Line.
New 200 page
CataloR"ue for
1907Free.
Bolton Band Saw Filer for Saw. 11 inch up. B. T. 3: B. Style 0, Knife Grind~r. Full Automatic. Wet or dJy.
PERFECT Q:UALITY
RIGHT PRICItS
MACHINE. KNIVES
PR.OMPT SERVICE
ABSOLUTE GUARANTEE
Sffp~fnson",~. (0.
South Bend, Ind.
Wood Turnings,
T ume<! Moulding,
Dowel. and Dowel
Pins.
Catalogue to Manufac-tu~
rs on Application.
Dado or Grooving Heads. HUer Machines,
Universal Wood Trimmers.
Soring Machines. Etc.
FOX MACHINE CO- 185 N. Front St.
. • Gl'aJld R..pld •• Mich.
Indianapolis, India-n.
Writ& 'or InformatiOft., Prico Etc.
The Universal Automatic
CARVINO MACI1INE
=== PERFORMS THE WORK OF ===
25 HAND
CARVERS
And does the Work Better Ihan it canbe Done by Hand
------~MADE BY-------
Union [nDOSSlno M,(",nr (0.
THE CREDIT BUREAU OF THE FURNITURE TRADE
The Grand Rapids Office, 412-413 Houseman Bldg.
GOO. E. GRAVES, Manager
CLApPERTON & OWEN, Counsel LYON
Furniture Agency THE STANDARD REFERENCE BOOK
CAPITAL, CREDIT AND PAY RATINGS
CLEARING HOUSE OF TRADE EXPERIENCE
THE MOST RELIABLE CREDIT REPORTS
ROBERT P. LYON, General Manager
CREDITS and
COLLECTIONS COLLECTIONS MADE EVERYWHERE
PROMPTLY - REUABL Y
"WIRE GLASS
Th•e Great Fire Retardant
Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company
is the Largest Jobber of Wire Glass in the World
For anything in Wire Glass, Ornamental Figured Glass, Plate Glass, Mirrors, Window Glass; or any· --
thing in Paints, Brushes, ot Painters' Sundries address any of our branch warehouses, a list of which is
given below:
NEW YORK-Hudson &ndVandam Sts.
50STON-41·49 Sudbury St., 1·9 Bowker St.
CHICAGO 442·4:52 Wa.ballh Ave.
CINCINNATI-Broadway ond Court Sts.
ST. LOUIS-Cor. 7th and Market 515.
MiNNEAPOLIS-SOO.516 S. Third St.
DETROIT-53-59 Larned St .. E.
GRA 'OolDRAPIDS...MICH.-39.41 N. Division St.
PITTSBURGH-.«O].!03 Wood St.
MILWAUKIIE. WIS.-492.494 Market St.
ROCHESTER, N. Y.-Wllder Bldg., Main Ii Ex.chana. St&.
:BALTIMORE-22t-223 W. Pratt St.
CLEVItLAND-I4-30.1.f34 West Third St.
OMAHA ~1608..IO.12 Harney St.
ST· PAUL-349-351 Minnesota. St.
ATLANT A, GA.-30~32·34 S. Pr)'f>rSt.
SA.VANNAH.GA.-74S·749 Wheaton ~t.
KANSAS CITY-Fifth and Wy&nc:lotteSts-
BIRMINI.iHAM. ALA.-2nd Ave. "ad 19th St.
BUFFALO. N. Y.-372 ..74·76·7S Pearl 51.
BROOKLYN-635-637 Fulton St.
PI1ILADELPHIA-Pltcairn Bldg•• Arch and 11th St8.
DAVE.NPORT-410 ..4l6 Scott St.
BEAR THIS FACT IN MIND
You can present your claims for trade to a larger number of buyers of furniture and kindred goods through the mercantile
editions of the Michigah Artisan, mailed to dealers only, tban is possibleby the we oJ any other tl"adepaper.
WRITE FOR RATE CARD
25
26 ~MIP.HIG7JN ? 71¥-~I~~ fIJ/I!4-
FOR THE FLAT DWELLER.
Sarcastic Merchant Describes to Drummer the Sort of Furni-ture
Needed.
Old Giles, the furniture dealer, sat at his desk pulling away
at a cigar an inch and a half long. It had never been a good
cigar, and it was, by means of an execrable odor, getting
even with the smoker for having terminated its lease of life-if
a cigar may be said to have a lease of life,
There were no customers in the store. No one even
stopped to look in at the window display, though the place
was on a busy street in a large city. Giles was looking over
his sales account, and the figures roiled him. To him, in
this mood, came the furniture salesman, seeking to interest
him in new winter styles.
"Here you are," quoth the salesman, getting out his photo-graphs.
"\Ve've got furniture now that will pack your
store like a ward caucus. What did you say? Chairs?
Well! We've got chairs that will keep people awake nights,
sitting in them just for thc sake of being in polite society.
Here you have 'em. Chippendale, ribbon-backs and carved
backs; Heppelwhitc, shield-shaped backs, with wheat-ears and
honey-suckle flower ornaments; Sheraton, with straight,
square back-rail. \Ve've got a line of chairs that will make
people sit up and take notice. How's your stock-"
Giles pitched his cigar into the middle of the floor and
leaned back in his chair, thumbs in vest armholes, feet straight
out. The salesman sat down and began to shuffle his photo-graphs
like he was playing poker.
"Look here," said Giles, presently, "have you got any fur-niture
made on cave-men lines:"
"Nothing in stock," laughed the salesman. "We can make
some for you. Imitation bear skin bed, eh? T.h.ere are no
more real bears, yott know, since Teddy went out hunting 'em.
Chairs out of stone, and kitchen cabinets cut in a rock, eh?
You bet, we can fill the order."
"Those cave-men," said Giles, IIlived in mighty small
rooms. They didn't have a sweep of seventy-five feet from
the parlor bay window to the library porch at the back of
the house. They bad to double up, like three in a bed and
two in the middle. I've been wondering if you couldn't
make some furniture that would fit into a hole in a cliff, or a
succession of pigeon-holes in a fifteen story tenement."
"You bet we can," replied the salesman. "We can make
a bedroom suite that will occupy no more space than the con-science
of a mail order man, and that is about the smallest
thing I can think of. What is the color of the bug that is
working in your belfry today, old man?"
"My trade is a city trade," explained Giles, "and the city
trade is largely a flat-dwellcr trade. See? I furnish four
rooms complete for $47.19. Can you make a folding bed that
can be packed away under the sink?"
The salesman passed over a cigar.
settled back to hear what was coming.
started, the salesmen just listen.
"\iVhen I furnish four rooms for $47.19," he continued, "I
can't afford to throw in much lumber. I have to be long on
convenience and short on material. Space amounts to
more than artistic combinations. How would it answer to
make a dining table with kitchen cabinet attachment?"
"I don't quite catch on."
"Just tip up a leaf and reveal an array of drawers and pig~
eon holes. Perhaps you might touch a spring somewhere
and make a washtub of it, too:'
"Don't you think you need a compress on your wide brow
or a cocktail, or something of that sort-just as a bracer, you
know?"
Giles didn't stop to consider the proposition.
"This flat~dweller proposition," he said, "is a serious one.
They have to take the paper off the walls in some of the
lit one himself, and
When Giles gets
flats I furnish in order to get the stuff in. If a piano could
also be set up like a wardrobe, that would help some. Could
you make a sideboard that could be turned arQund in the eve-nillg
so as to look like a bookcase?"
"Oh, )res," laughed the salesman, "and we can make an ot-toman
that can be turned into a keg of beer. How large are
these flats you are talking about?"
"About nine by seven, except the kitchen, and that is five
by four and a ,half. You can grin if you want to, but the fur-niture
trade has got to meet this new condition. Could you
make a davenport that could be swung open and do business
as a gas range?"
Before the salesman could find a suitable ,reply, a lady
entered the store and stood waiting by the merchant's desk.
"I want to get a chiffonier," she said, "and pay one dollar
a week Do you think I can find one here that will fit my
sleeping room?"
She drew her finger along toa knot in the string. Giles
looked at the salesman and winked. The chiffonier indicated
by the measurement of the customer would be about four feet
long and eight inches deep.
"There," she explained, "that is just the length of the
space reserved for the chiffonier. It can't be any longer than
that, and it must be that narrow."
"We are just out of that size," said Giles, and the lady
went out. Thc merchant knew that the salesman h;~d both
seen and heard, so he did not refer to the incident.
"Ycs, sir," he said, "this flat-dweller condition will revo-lutionize
the furniture trade. I think som( 'times that it will
also revolutionize the marriage market. 1 had a clerk work-ing
for me who is a victim of the small flat system. He fell
IMPROVED, EASY IIND ELEVATORS
QUICK RAISINC
Belt. Electric and Hand Power.
The Best Hand Powerfor Furniture Stores,
Send for Catalogue and Prices.
KIMBALL BROS. CO., 1067 N;.1h 51•• Council Bluffs, la,
K\mbaU 'ltle..ator Co.. 313Prospect St., Cleveland I O.
l08llth St .• Omaha, Neb.; l:.w Cedar St., New York City.
in love with a little, slender, violet-eycd creature and married
her. They lived in one of these top flats, where any .extra
company causes the hosts to sleep all the fire escape, and they
had lots of com.rany, too. Poor things!
"Well, this slender young creature began to get fat, and
she got so stout that they had to move most of the furniture
up to the roof so she could turn around in her own house.
Finally, she got so fat that she couldn't get through the win-dow
to the fire escape when they had company, and Edwin
got a divorce. He said he had to get a wife who could live
in those rooms or move, and it cost less to get a divorce than
to move. Could you make a flat refrigerator that could be
packed away up on the transom?"
"Of course," replied the salesman. "I was just figuring
on making an easy c,hair that could be turned into a croek of
butter. Say, if you will look at these photos I'll get out of
town. I begin to feel like going up in the air a few."
"This is no josh-talk about small furniture," it:sisted the
merchant. "And the size is not all. If these flat-dwdlers
keep on they'll be wanting dishes that they can tie into bed-quilts
at night. Wbat sort of dreams would a man have if
he went to sleep undcr a quilt made of soup plates? I guess
he'd have a nightmare, all right; Could you make an up-holstered
sofa that would flatten out against the wall and look
like a pen-and-ink drawing of the Battle of Bull Run?"
The salesman lit another cigar and began buttoning up his
coat.
"Oh, don't be in a rush," said Giles, "There is nothing
doing here, and you may as well be getting the flat-dweller
·f'~MI9«HIG7!N t
The Old Way was Good
but
The New Way is Better
No factory having sanding to do can afford
to use obsolete methods. The new way is
the way to profits-success. Ask for the
proof.
STURGIS MACHINE CO., Sturgis, Mich.
feature of the furniture business: You've got to come to it.
It this thing kcE.'ps on, most of the stuff will have to be bui1t
with just a little lumber and a lot of hinges. If the folding
bed coulu be made to knock down so it could go under the
kitchen sink in the day time, and the davenport could do duty
as a picture of some great hattle or as a f,as range, or as a
bath tub, or something like that, the rooms of the flat-dwellers
might be made even smaller. Could these Chippendale
chairs be made to lock together so they could serve as a
hammock? There is a place on the roof for a hammock,
you know."
"Look here," said the salesman, "when you senu in another
order, you just mention these little matters to the firm. If
you want a Turkish rug that can be worn as an overcoat, just
mention it. You send the order in, and we'll furnish a man
with an ax who ,...-illmake the furniture fit the rooms."
<lOh, you tlccdn't get spunky about it," said Giles. "I
may ,have exaggerated a little, but I'm telling you right now
that the modern fiat will cause. a revolution in the furniture
business, and that before many years. There'll be a big-de-mand
for hinges. when your designers wake up. Do you
think you could get up a woman's workbox that could be
twisted into a pickle jar?JJ
Then the salesman shot out of the store, leaving Giles
choking with laughter in his chair. As the salesman turned
the corner he bumped into a lady pushing a go-cart which
could be changed into a shawl strap.
But when he got home and began to consider seriously the
question of Giles' sanity, he saw thoat there was something
in the idea that furniture makers must soon begin to figure
nn the pent-up flat proposition, in order that ~II the pieces
due in a ten-room house might be gathered in a four-room
flat Oll the fifteentb floor, the rooms each being seven by ten
feet in'size. ALFRED B. TOZER.
A Model Factory.
Grand Rapids has long been famous for the number of
its great factories, but none is more complete than that of
the Grand Rapids Hand S<::rew Company. A recent visit
to this factory was one of great interest and pleasure, as it
seemed as though absolutely nothing had been. o\'erlooKcd in
the erection and fitting up of the plant. The machinery is
operated by electricity, each group of machines having a sep-arate
motor. The machines are up~to-date; each department
has a foreman and the departments are connected with the
main offices and the superintendent's office by a private tele-phone
system-fourteen 'phones in all.
O. B. Wl1marth, the general manager, has devoted
more than a year and a half of time in study, planning and
working out his plans, and has reason to be gratified with the
result. The Grand Rapids Blow Pipe & Dust Arrester Co.
fitted up the plant with their system of piping, furnace feeding
27
and dust and shavings collecting. The Grand Rapids Veneer
Worl<s furnished the dry kilns, which are models and doing
great work. A specially fitted up department for glass bev-eling
is interesting, and a walk through the glass stock room,
where several carloads are carried, is all unusual experience.
Sidetracks to the lumber yards, receiving and shipping rooms
afford every facility for' handling materials. Three or four
cars may be unloaded and as many more loaded at one time.
Edwin T. Bennett, for several years superintendent of the
Yawman & Erbe factory at Rochester, N. Y" .has been .en-gaged
as superintendent. He is a Grand Rapids man and
conversant with every department, and while the company
has a greater number of orders on its books than ever before,
they will probably be able to turn more than double as many
goods in a given period than in the years of the past.
Forty Tons of Water.
There is under construction at the plant of W. D. Young
& Co., Bay City, Mich., a dry kiln, designed to dry daily 50,-
000 feet of maple, green from the saw. It requires a stretch
of imagination to realize that this means the removal of over
forty tons of water, sap and acids every twenty-four hours,
and to the experienced woodworker, this seems well~nigh
impossible. However, the kiln is being equipped with the
Grand Rapids Veneer Works' new process and they claim
they will have no difficulty whatever in handling this out-
Jlut, green from the saw, thereby relieving W. D. Young &
Co. of the necessity of carrying 30,000,000 feet of lumber all
sticks constantly. The game is certainly worth the candle
and the Veneer ""'arks people doubtless have good reason
for their daring claims.
, ,
ALHOlCOMD&COs
MANUfACTURERS~PDEALER5
IN HIGH GRADEBAND AND SCROLL
SA~e
REFAIRING-SATI5fACTION GUARANTEED
CITIZENS F'HONE 1239 27NMARKET ST
GRAND RAPIDS. MICH.
28
ralm6r'S rat6nt 610lno (jlamDS
Mr. Manufacturer-Do you ever consider what joint gluing coSts )
The separatcm and wooden wedges, if you use them and many do, are II.
large item ol expense accounts; but this is small compared to wage ac...
counts of workmen who weal" them out with a hammer. and then a
large y'el cent of the joints are failures by the insecurity of this means.
RESULT.itb~ to be done over again. if possible. lfYOlluseinde..
pendent screw clamps the result is better. hut. slower. altogether too slow.
Let us lell you of something belter, P ALMER"S CLAMPS. All
ftee1 and iron. No wedges. no separators. adjust to any width. clamp
insl:andy yet securely, releases even faster. Positively one-lhird more
work with one-third .less help, In seven sizes up to 60 inches, any
thicknese up 'a 2 inches. 200 factories convinced in 1906. Why not
you in 1907) Although sold by dealers evel'yWhere let us send you
p.rticul.". fl. E. Palmer 8; Sons. OWO!i!iO. MiGh.
FOREIGN AGENTS: Proiedile Co., london. England.
SchuchWt & Sdwue• .Berlill. Ge1maIlY,
INSIST ON HAVING
norris Wood ~ Sons' SoIi~Stttl Olut Joint (utltrS
for there are no otherJ" U jUJ"t a.r good."
They cut a clean perfect joint always. Never burn owing
to the GRADUAL CLEARAN CE (made this way only
"by us), require little grinding, saving time and cutters.
No time wasted setting up and cost no more than other
makes.
Try a pair and be convinced. Catalogue No. to and
prices on application.
MORRIS WOOD &. SONS
2114 and 2116 Weet Lake St,. CHICAGO. ILL.
-Johnson's Tally Sheet
---IFOR:----
HARDWOOD LUMBER
NOT LIKE OTHER TALLY SHEETS.
C. 4. JOHNSON, Marshfield, Wis.
"Ruta.ry 1St)"!"" lur 1JLOU'p (;l.Irvingl!l. Elllbuued Moll1d1ng"". Pllnels.
EMBOSSINO AND DROP CARVINC MACHINES.
Machines for all purposes, and at priees within the reach of
all. Every machine has om guarantee against breakace for ODe
nar.
"LBUral 8t..,1e" for large capacity heRV.., (Jd.1'V!ng8 RIld V_p _""_ We have the Ma.chlne 79U want at a IIfttbdactol'Y prfee. Write
for de8erlptive clreulars.. Also make dies for all makes of Ha~
chin...
UNION I:MBOSSINO M4CUINI: CO.. Indianapolis, Ind.
/ 10 Spindle Machine
Al80 m.a.de with 12, 1.5, 20 and 26 Spindle&.
DODDS' NEW GEAR
DOVETAILING MACHINE
This little machiJle hils dODemore to perfect the drawer work
of furniture .m.u.Dofacturers than anything else in IDe twnl-ture
trude. For fifteen years it h08 made perloot~fltting,
vermin-proot, dove-tailed stock a. pombllity. This has
been accomplished at reduced cost, as tbe maclrlne cots
dove-taUs in glUlgs 01 from 9 to %4at ODeoperation.
ALEXANDER DODDS. Grand Rapids. Mich.
RepreseJIte<l by Schuehanl:l & Schutte at Berlin. VienlllS, Stockholm and 51.
Petel"Sbura. ReJ)Teaented h:Jl'Alfred H. Schutte at ColOllne,. Brussels, ~' Paris,
Milan and eilbllO. R<lpre&entedin Great Ecitian a.nd Irdano hy the Olive! Machin-ery
Co. F. S. ThoIn{llQD..MIIJ., 201-203. IkaMiatf:.. Man<:~r. E.n'illand.
29
"The dry kiln you built
for us several years ago is·
still in constant use and
is producing excellent re-sults."
Crescent Furniture Co.,
Evansville, Indiana.
USE A
MORTON KILN
IT WILL END YOUR
DRY KILN TROUBLES
Does not warp or check lumber.
THE MOST PERFECT MOIST AIR
KILN ON THE MARKET. \ TRUCKS. CANVAS DOORS, RECORD·
ING THERMOMETERS and other snp-plies.
Write for catalog H which tells HOW
TO DRY LUMBER.
MORTON DRY KILN CO.
218 LA SALLE ST., CHICACO.
SHALL WE SEND YOU INFORMATION-ABOUT THE
"ABC" MOIST AIR KILNS '1
American Blower Company
NEW YORK CHICAGO ATLANTA LONDON
DETROIT
MICH ...
/
II
I
30
GRAINGER'S FOOL MANAGER.
He Showed Himself to be Just Loony Enough to Unravel a
Bad Tangle.
Grainger, the new vice president of tl]e Kennett Furniture
Company, entered the office one morning with a glare in his
eyes. Grainger "vas not an old furniture maker. He had
acquired a bundle of money in Light and Traction and Dewar
Brewery stael'::, and had dumped it into the Kennett company,
receiving a p1<tceon the board of directors and a job as vice
president. His duties as vice president were to nose around
the factory and watch the experts grind out dividends for
him. For this strenUOUs work he was on the payroll for
$5,000 a year.
Grainger was not only angry that morning. He was mad
-mad clear through. His positive orders had been disregard-ed!
He bounced into a chair at his desk-it was the largest
and finest desk in the establishment-and touched an elec-tric
button for the manager to appear before him. Brinton,
who had long filled that position, and was erect of figure and
keen of eye, came in presently and stood waiting. It was
plain to see that there was no love lost bctween the new vice
president and the old manager. Grainger looked up with a
scowl. Brinton did not appear to shrink any. He kept
his size under the wrathy gaze of the vice president.
"'I'd like to know wl1at this means!" Grainger exploded.
Brinton stood waiting. He was a man of few words.
Grainger ,had to do his own expla.ining.
"I met Norman out here, " he said, "and he tells me that
you have dlscbarged him."
Brinton nodded.
"Didn't I leave positive orders to keep him along indefi-nitely?"
Again Brinton nod4ed.
"Then why did you discharge him," thundered Grainger,
thumping his desk with a hairy fist. "Why do yOUdisregard
all my wishes? Tell me why yOU discharged Mr. Norman!"
"Because he was not earning the money the company paid~
him."
The manager did not appear to he very much interested ill
the subject.
;'That's the company's affair," roared Grainger, "and 11(·t
yours. You put him back in the factory. You'll find him
waiting outside the employes' entr<lncc."
"There are several others," said Brinton, leaning over t'u.~
top of Grainger's fine desk, "who have been kept on the pay·
roll through your influence. I was thinking of letting some
of them out today."
Grainger sprang to his feet, his eye tiger-fierce, his breath
coming in short gasps. Grainger was altog-ether too fat to
permit of much rage.
"You let them out at your perill" he gasped. "I'll carry
the matter to the board of directors. I'll find ant who runs
t.bis shopl"
Brinton made 110 reply to this. He stood looking into
the inflamed face of the vice president with a smile on his
lips. His contract with the company was for five years, and
he knew, besides, that the directors would sustain him. Pres-ently
he said:
"Have you time to take a look through the factory, Me
Grainger?"
"1 give my orders here, and not in the factory," grunted
i\fr. Grainger.
"But there are several things concerning which I would
like to have your advice," said Brinton, and th",t produced a
change in the aspect of the angry- man. The manager did
'lot often ask his advice abOl1t anything.
;'AlI right," he said, wobbling out of the chair. "I have
a little time to give you this morning."
L
Brinton led the way to the big shop on the first floor of
the factory building. It was full of machinery, and dust, and
lumher alld noise. This was where the first cutting was
made.
"Now that I have you here," said Grainger, as the men
stood on a little platform raised above the floor level, "I'd
like to call your attention to the fact that the mechanical r;art
of this plant is in a tangle. We don't get our orders out· on
time_· Sometimes there is fault found with the goods. You
have got to change all this, or I'll know the reason why."
The new vice president, under -the conciliator)' manner of
the manager, was getting just a little chesty. He thought
he had Brinton down and ant, mentally, and was resolved to
press his advantage.
"This room," said Brinton, not replying to the other ,"is
in charge of one of your men. I think he was in a saw mill
before he came here. Just look over the place, if you please."
"And Granger looked over the· place and frowned. The
floor was piled high, here and the-re, with lumber, around
which workmen were winding their way, losing hours of time
ABSOLUTELY NEW
OIL SOLUBLE
MAHOGANY STAIN POWDER
Try our latest and best produc-tion,
a perfectly Oil Soluble Ma-hogany
Stain. For Reddish Stain
order No. C9722,Brownish No. 8701,
to darken either add Black No. 5111.
With these three colors any style of
Mahogany can be produced.
Just the colors for making your
own Oil Stains. Send us a sample
order-you will be surprised with
the results.
WALTER K. SCHMIDT COMPANY
ANILINE &. WOOD STAINS
84-88 Canal Sf" Orand Rapids, Mich.
3l
WARDROBE: F-IXTURE:S
EXTENSION BAR - Hang a half dozen coat or suit hangers on it and the bar is easily
drawn forward so as to bring all the clothing out within easily reach. Handier and belter
in eve!)' way than any stationary bar or other fixture.
Used with great satisfaction by wardrobe makers
all over the United States.
Suit Hangers or Coat Hangers.
Umbrella Holden.
Push Button Catches with pun. or Knob••
Spring Bolts. flush Bolts and Elbow Catch",•.
HARDWARE SUPPLY CO. F~'f.':~j'j.~wG.~ rand Rapids,Mich.
because the room was not orderly. One, of the large belts
running from the main shaft was off the pulley and a machin_
ist sat on a stool mending it. .A knife had hroken in 011.~ of
the planers and the machine was idle. Three men sat on
the edge of one of the lumber piles waiting for stock. As
the vice president and manager looked down upon them they
moved away, and two men who ,had been talking together at
a bench resumed operations. Only about half thc men on
the floor seemed to be employed, and these were working per-functorily.
"As I was saying," continud Grainger, "things have got
to change here. 10le're not go-ing to lose our good money
because of a fool manager."
He glanced at Brinton as he used the word, but Brinton
only smiled.
"I have discharged the man who runs this 1100r," he said,
"to take effect Saturday night. This is the first knot in the
tangle, The felaw has no executive ability. He can't keep
his men at work."
"You'll put him back again!" roared the vice president.
"I have told him many times," said Brinton, not noticing
the other's remark, "to have his machines and belting inspect-ed
daily and to have all repairs made at night, also to keep
the floor clear, so that men won't have to walk half a mile
to get across the shop."
"I think he is a competent man," g-rowled Grainger,
"When stock runs slow in this room," continued Brinton,
"it blocks everything. The boys can't handle the stock if
they don't get it. Until this man of yours came in here there
was no trouble. 1\ow, if you are ready, we will go t1p to
the cahinet room."
Grainger snmted. l-T e COUlll see plainly enough that the
room wasn't being run just right, that time was wasted, and
THE
WEATHERLY
INDIVIDUAL
GLUE HEATER
Send your address and
receiv~descriptivedr~
cular of Glue Heaters,
Glue Cookers and Hot
.Boxes and prices.
WEATHERLY CO,
GRAND H'-PIBS, MICH.
that there was no governing hand, but he did not want to give
in just then.
"This," said Brinton, pausing at the entrance to another
large room on the floor above, 'lis where the cases are put
together. Some of the re-sawing is being done here. You
see that pile of stock by the last saw? Wen, that was cut as
the order came, and cut too small. Some of the men had to
wait until material was supplied. The man who did the job
is a new man, fresh from the plow, I take it. His name is
Norman,"
"I don't believe you gave J\~orman half a chance," roared
Grainger. ..'{au pat him back and give him a fair trial."
"This furniture factory," continued Brinton, "is no eighth
grade training school. You said there was a tangle here.
There is. The tangle was caused by the men who got into
the shops by the front door, and not by those who have been
pushed up to their present positions after thorough trial.
Now, if you have time, we'll visit the finishing department."
Grainger panted as he climbed the stairs. When he got
to the finishing department he saw that several men were
standing about, hands in pockets, doing nothing.
"These men are waiting for stock," explained Brinton,
"The man in the re-sawing room spoiled a lot of stock yes-terday,
and these fellows have to wait for more to be gotten
out."
"Now you know where the tangle is. It comes from
having too many men running this manufacturing department.
I have found the key to it and will have things running
smoothly again in a week. Some of the old men will have to
go, for your new men have put fool ideas into their heads, but
I'll get along without them.
"It's a fine thing to have capitalists put their money into
any business, but it will not do to have them setting their
friends over the men whose work has made the business a
success. Send your men in here one at a time and let them
work their way up, It takes skilled men to make goad fur-niture,
and I'm going to have my way about selecting them
as long as I remain here. The money for the company is
made or lost right in this factory and it depends on rrtewheth-er
it is made or lost. I've got your tangle untied now, and
you may take the matter to the board if yoU want to~"
But Grainger did not take the matter to the board. He
had beg-un to understand that jobs in a furniture fadory arc
no sinecures, to be filled by men who don't know the business,
over the heads of men who have spent their lives in the dust
of the factory. And NOI"man didn't get his job back.
ALFRED B. TOZER.
Mahogany Logs Cut in Grand Rapids.
The sa\",' mill of the Michigan Barrel Company has been
operated several months in cutting mahogany logs imported
by the manufacturers of Grand Rapids.
,.
. - - - - ---- -------
32
New Patterns in HooKs.
WRITE US FOR PRICES.
GRAND RAPIDS BRASS CO" Grand Rapids, Mich.
noYel~Woo~Wor~s Grand Rapids, Mich.
We make good work at reas-onable
prices and prompt ship-ment.
Our capacity is such that we
can take care of more trade and
for that reason you see this Ad.
Write us for anything you
want in
Good Wood Carving
/IT:<.T IoS' JU'IJ
t 7 T. 33
KNOXVILLE CARVING
AND MOULDING CO.
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE
Manufacturers of SPINDLE and
HAND CARVINGS, ROPE,
BEAD and EMBOSSED
MOULDINGS, HANDLES, Etc.
Write jor fttustrated Circulan and Prices.
THE CREDIT MAN'S SOLILOQUY.
By F. H. EIEs.
To sell, or not to sell?-That's the question.
Whether it is better to sell the goods and take the risks of
doubtful payment
Or to make sure of what is in possession, and, by declining,
hold them.
To sell; to ship; perchance, to lose-aye, there's the rub-
For when the goods are gone,
What charms can win them back from slippery debtors?
Will bills be paid when due?
Or will the time stretch out till the crack of doom?
What of assignments, what of relatives?
VVhat of uncles, aunts and mothers-in-law,
"YVith claims for borrowed money.
\ /hat of excmptons, bills of sale, and the compromise
That cOolly offers ten cents on the dollar;
And of .lawyer's fees,
Which eat up even this poor pittance?
Yet sell we must,
And some we'll trust,
V\fe seek the just;
For wealth we lust;
By some we're cussed
But we'll skip the wust,
Or we'd surely bust.
George A. Jenks in Charge.
The G. C. \Vonner Machinery Company of Detroit, Mich.,
the largest machinery merchants in Michigan, handling both
iron and woodworking machinery, have recently taken the
state agency for .the ]. A. Fay & Egan Company, the fam-ous
woodworking machinery manufacturers of Cincinnati, and
placed this department in charge of George A. Jenks, one of
the oldest and best known salesmen of woodworking machin-ery
in the west. Mr. Jenks 'has been actively engaged in
this department of machinery selling practically all his life.
He is a Detroit man, who knows Detroit, the state of Michi-gan
and his goods to perfection, and since coming to this
great house, which is located at 97 to 110 Woodbridge street,
will be better prepared to take care of his and the house's cus-tomers
than ever before. A full line of woodworking ma-chinery
is carried in stock, also shafting, hangers, pulleys, etc.
Every manufacturer of furniture in Michigan will congrat-ulate
the G. C. vVormer Machinery Company on their acquisi-tion
of the J. A. Fay & Egan Company's line, and also
George A. Jenks. It's a fine combination, and great things
may confidently be expected from them.
The Ninth Man.
"The wonderful success of the great Smith. & Brown fur-niture
factory is due to the ability of twelve men," remarked
Knowitall.
"Please explain," remarked Interrogationpoint.
"Well, there is the president, an able financier."
"Yes."
"Then there is Roundsaw, who makes the 'stuff;'''
"Yes."
"And Travelontheroad, who sells it."
"Yes; but what do the remaining nine men do?"
"The remaining nine is the engineer."
Designed by Joseph Nolan, Grand Rapids. Web..
34
Brown and White Art.
The Chicago Furniture Journal, the open and avowed
enemy of the Grand Rapids furniture market, occasionally
finds something worth rr.entioning. Recently the joint pr;)·
duct of the Browns of the Cer:tury Furniture Compar:y al~d
the artists of the Michigan Engraving Cotr.pany and the
White Printing Company of Grand Rapids met and command-ed
the ~pproval of the Journal, in the fol1awing statcmellt:
"There are but twenty-eight pages of it~twellty-eight
pages--fourteen leaves of India tint paper, w;th a choc()bte
brown exterior cover, tied with a deeper brown silk cord-cuts
and letterpress in what we used to calt photo b own and
what we 110"" call brown double-tone-and a brown starrp 0,1
the front cover. You'd be quite likely to voice the opinion
that it is done up brown. It is. And after it was all pl"illtcd
it was run through the roughing machine; maybe ~;on-:eof nm
readers would m:derst;lrd better if it were s[lid that it was
stippled. Every page in the catalogue hut two carries CIlt.':-
cuts of chairs, and good ones-in outline half-tone, which
are beautifully printed <led exquisitely softened by the rou--rh-ing,
strange as it l11ay seem. The chairs arc dining chairs
and bedroom chairs and rockers. Tt.e student in furniture
would say they are rcproductiol~S.· They're not. Tllr)' are
the productions of the New England Colonial concfpt1011 of
the Georgian period in design. Do you get that? But
they're the goods. If you lean to fuss and feathers, t~1ese
cha:irs won't look good to you. If you know furniture,
they'll make your mouth water, for they're the smoothest,
deanest, prettiest lot of seats with th.e necessary accessories
of legs and backs and arms you ever saw-most mahogany,
but once in a while some oak, some walnut, some bir<l's-eye-rill
the time "the gocds"-·Colonials, some modified ChipPCll-dales,
some Queen Anne's of delicious flavor, just a dash of
the Louis, and a hint of Sheraton. The catalogue is unique
in its simple elegance and is pretty sure to lie dose to the
hand of the man whose business extends to the homes of the
well-to-do and wealthy classes. It is tJ:e first essayea 011
the line, which was 'shown by the Century Furniture Com-pany,
Grand Rapids, last July. and is in fine harmony with the
goods for which it' is made the vehicle of presentment."
It h Different Now.
The Artisan met a shipping ~lerk employed by one of ttc
big furniture factories a short time ago, an.--li.n. discussing the
time-worn statement, "Things are not as they Used to be."
continued: "The occnpation of the special freight so]idtor
and pass distributor is gone. ~o more arc the homes of the
sl;.ipping clerks visited after nightfall; no more are money
considerations and free passes for one's self and his family
and his relations for generations to and from any point be-tween
the oceans t~ndered as an inducemel1t to favor the rail-roads
represented by the special agents, in the TOuting of
freights. Formerly our company took all passes offe~ed, but
used the same for legitimate purposes. Salesmen traveling
to and from the Pacific coast used passes furnished by freiJ{ht
agents. By their use our company was enabled to canvass
the coast tl·.orou~hly for orders al;d with the ever increasing
volume of our sctles in that region the railroads reaped bene-fit:;
in the additional shiprretlts created. \Ve never accept-ed
the money offered, althqugh our treasury might have been
gre<ltly benefited if our offiei,ds had been as immoral in the
matter of accepting rehates as the Standard Oil Corr:pany
alld other trust organizations."
Death of A. A. Delisle.
A. A. Delisl-e, vice president of the Grand Rapids Hand
Screw Company, a gentlctran highly esteemed in the busi-ness
community, died recently. He was one of the origiT!al
.sto~.k.h9_1dero;;f th.e company.
MANUFACTURERS OF
HARDWOOD LUMBER &.
VENEERS
SPECIALTIES:
~'i~1PE5QUARO.AK VENEERS
MAHOGANY VENEERS
HOFFMAN
BROTHERS COMPANY
804 W. Main St.. FORT WAYNE, INDIANA
Wood
Forming
Cutters
We offer exceptional value in Reversible and
One- Way Cutters for Single and Double Spin-dle
Shapers. Largest lists with lowest- prices.
Greatest variety to select front. Book free.
Address
SAMUEL J. SHIMER & SONS
MILTON. PENNSYLVANIA. U. S. A.
These saws are
made from No. 1
Steel and we war ..
:rant every blade.
We. also -carry a
full stock of Bev-eled
Baek 'Scroll
Saws, any length
and ga~ge..
31-33 S. FRONT ST., GRAND RAPIDS
BOYNTON & CO.
Manufa('tlJr~T$ of
Eml;!oOO,.lI:od and
Tamed MouldihlP.
Embo •• ed and
Spindle CaMl'inp.
and A1,IlOmatic
Tum;:D6"
We a.lso manu-facturea
lat"gl! line
of Embo .. ed Om:a-at.
Db for Couch
WOTk.
,SEND FOR
('ATALOGUE
419-421 W. fifteenth St., CtlICAGO.ILL
A MODERN KITCHEN CABINET.
Birdie, With a Craze for Art, Gives Furniture Designers a
Few Pointers.
I Time came ,,,,hell Birdie's kitchen wasn't fit to be seen.
She admitted the fact, though there would have been a frost
in the air if any of her neighbors had ventured such a state-ment.
The old cupboard 'wobbled on its short legs, and the
corner closet was absolutely impossible.
Now, Bi.Tdie wasn't in the kitchen very mllch, but she had
an artistic c)re. If there was a thing in the world that Birdie
'was long on, it was Art, and she. spelled it with a very larg~
"A". She hired her serv<lnts to match the decorations and
the furniture. \i\Thcn browns came into vogue this fall sht:
discharged a red-beaded cook with blue eyes ,,,ho had proved
efficient, and employed a brown-haired beauty wilo sprung the
meat bills about seven dollars a week and carried coffee and
butter home to her invalid sister in her handbag.
Art ,vas Birdie's failing, and when she began talking of
the purchase of anything new in (he way of furniture, her
husband ducked and either grew sarcastic or went to sleep
in his chair. \Alhen she discovered that the kitchen was a
sight John was out of town, so he didn't get me full beneht
of the discovery until later. At first Birdie didn't know ex-actly
what was wanting in the kitchen.
Then, one morning as she walked dO\~m Canal street in
a fetching brown suit and a hat which wrinkled nine 'ways
down from the feet of the bird perched aloft on the peak,
she stopped in front of a display window and caught an It!
spiration. The one thing lacking to make the kitchen com-plete
was an Art kitchen cabinet! Of course! \\Thy hadn't
she thought of tllat before.
So birdie walked on down the stfeet and entered an es-tablishment
where Sam Ball, who had married her only
sister, served as superintendent of the sales department. Sam
was a pretty good fellow, but he never would have made '-,
successful salesman on account of being too sarcastic. When
he wasn't sullen he was sarcastic. but he was a good manager
and kept his job because be sold lIJore goods with Jess help
than any other man w'ho had ever filled the place.
Birdie went to Sam's desk and sat dm·,;n to talk aboUt
sister CleIlie, who also was a lover of art, with a big "A".
Now Sam knew all about Art as exploited by the cult of Birdie
and Clellie, and also kne," what he was lip against when
Birdie suggested that he show her something cheap in thC'.
line of Art kitchen cabinets. There was trouble in the air,
but, like a dutiful brother-in-law, he escorted Birdie to the
department where the cheap kitchen cabinets were kept.
«Now, 1 don!t want any of your old, plain things," began
Birdie. "Something darkish, you know. Vo.le've got a new
cook with brown hair, and I want something to match."
Sam walked around behind a tall cabinet and communed
with himself for a moment.
"How do you like the looks of that maple?" he asked,
as soon as he could get tIle laugh out of his face. "It is
quite light, you sec, but, then, you might fire the dark brown
cook and engage a blond. I'm stuck on blondes, myself."
Birdie looked up innocently, but Sam was regarding her
with all the gravity of a deacon taking up a church coUec-don.
She half thought he was making fun of her, but he
looked so innocent that she forgave the remark.
"I'm quite sure I want something in dark woods," sht:
said. I<Do you know, we've had that old cupboard and that
outlandish corner closet so long that I really think they!ve
grown to the walls. It's got so that I just hate to show new
girls into the kitchen. It looks so. If they had repair sh,ops
in the ark; I'm sure that old cupboard came out of one ,_H
them."
"Of course they had repair shops in the ark," replied Sam,
looking out of a distant window at a mile of blue sky. "You
35
know they had to keep the clephant's trunk in repair. No
joke, Birdie I And there is a tradition somewhere that when
Noah's bird came back and reported nothing doing in the
real estate line he rested his tired wings on an old cupboard
which faced Cincinnati, Ohio, and which still bl.'ars the marks
of his toes."
"It must be awfully nice to know 50 much," said Birdie,
with much sarcasm. "If you have anything nice in cheap
Art kitchen cabinets please show them., My! What an
av·liul array of things you've got there! I read in a news-paper,
the other day, about a furniture man being sent to tht;.
mad house. Do you think it was the man who designed those
kitchen cabinets?"
Sam went behind the tall cabinet and doubled up. Birdie
really scemed to be improving\ He had had no idea that
she was bright in that way, even if she was perpetual grand of
the Aft Lovers' association.
"Those do look rather coarse," he replied, in a moment.
"You want something pretty swell, I suppose, Oh, no, you
Designed by John Ten Have, Student In the
Grand Ra.pids SChOOlof Designing.
don't need to look at that line. They l'esemble folding beds
crossed with loose-leaf ledgers. You'd have to employ a pair
of private secretaries to keep track of wr.,ere things were put.
Do yOU want a cabinet with the drawer )inings puffed or
bias? You can have 'em either y,j-ay, you know!'
"I think they're all awfully plain," said Birdie. "I don \
.'iee a single one that!s upholstered:'
"The upholstered ones are coming in by slow freight,"
replied Sam. "Of course, YOL1'1l want one to match the brown
cook-that is, unless you decide to fire her and get a pretty
blonde. I think John would like that."
"Why, I didn't know they had upholstered kitchen cabi-nets,"
said Birdie, ignoring the remark about John. "They
must be too cute for anything. Where do they put the up-holstering?
I don't seem to see any place on these where
it would took just right."
"Oh, we've put in a folding upholstered chair, so the cook
can entertain the ·policeman while he consutr.d peaches at
four dollars a bushel. If yOU knew the exact complexion of
36 ·~~MICHIG7IN
:1 E #
this brown cook's copper, now, you might have the color
made to match."
"Sam Ball," said Binlie, "you're getting too familiar! 1
don't want a kitchen cabinet to match a policeman. They're
mostly red-headed, and their b:,eath smells of beer, I'm tola.
I want a cabinet constructed with some re
- Date Created:
- 1907-11-10T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Rapids Public Library (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
- Collection:
- 28:9
- 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/104